Evening star., 1939-06-23
Washington Diver
Praised for SquaIus
Rescue Work
Admiral Cole Describes
Dangers Faced in
Lost Descent
- the Associated Press.

PORTSMOUTH, N. n, June 23.-
Unstinted praise for men whose lives
swayed in the balance while they
rescued 80 members of the crew of
the submarine Squalus was put in
the record of a naval court of
inquiry today by Rear Admiral
Cyrus w. Cole, commandant of the
Portsmouth Navy Yard.
The heroism of Divers William
Badders of Washington and John
Mikalowski of Worcester was given
particular attention by the soft
spoken officer who has been in
charge of rescue and salvage opera
tions since the May % tragedy in
which rs were drowned. The two
divers he mentioned made the fifth
and last descent in the rescue
chamber to determine that none in
the flooded after section of the sub
marine lived.
Divers Badders and Mikalowski
went down with full knowledge that
II they were incapacitated or tenn
porarily knocked out there was no
chance on earth of their being res
cued," Admiral Cole testified. THE
rescue chamber was attached to the
after hatch and practically was an
integral part of the submarine
They were under high pressure and
IN great danger. They performed
magniicently and deserve the great
est consideration.
Praises All Members of Group.
He also commended Martin C.
sebitsky, another diver attached to
the rescue ship Falcon, who was
frst to descend to the disabled sub
marine and who attached descend
Ing line for the rescue chamber.
which subsequently brought the 80
survivors to the surface.
"Sebitsky was working in extreme
cold. said the admiral, "and under
nigh pressure. mean actually high
pressure"
In general, Admiral Cole praised
every member of the rescue group,
including Comdr. A. E. Mccain,
who is credited with the invention
OF the rescue chamber, and 1t,
Comdr. Charles B. Momsen. in
ventor OF the Momsen lung.
They worked under tremendous
strain" he said, but gave no indi-
cation of any excitement"
Admiral Cole recommended that
new rescue and salvage vessels be
built for each area where sub
marines operated and that each be
equipped with rescue chambers,
The witness told the board he be.
heved it would be "at least month"
before the Squalus could be brought
INTO the Navy Yard for inspection.
Badders, a chief machinist mate.
was asked II he realized the danger
he faced
L was only trying to do what
We had been trained to do all the
time" he replied.
Describes Descent.
He then described the descent
with Mikalowski in the diving bell
until his feet rested on the wheel
which controlled the submarines
after torpedo room hatch. This he
turned with his feet and on tele-
phoned orders from above opened
the hatch about a quarter way.
Air pressure within the bell had
been made to equal the 40-fathom
pressure OF the sea, to prevent water
rushing IN from the submarine
Badders said the found water even
with the hatch combing, definitely
ending any hope for the 26 men
within.
First Phase Completed.
Study of the rescue with the big
diving bell-termed by civilian ex-
pert Harold C. Preble the most eff
f1cient engineering project ever I'M
dertaken and completed in the
world the second phase
OF the boards investigation of the
tragedy.
The first phase-an effort to learn
the cause of the diSaster-was COM
pleted yesterday at the end of the
fourth day of the courts hearings.
The third phase was to be study
OF the salvage work, now going for
ward.
Testimony of survivors seemed to
point strongly to the belief that the
earliest theory for the cause of the
tragedy-failure of an air induction
valve to keep out sea water-was
the correct one.