Evening star., 1939-05-27
Navy 70 Require
Al Least a Week
To Lift Squa|us
Intricate Plan for
SoIvoging Submarine
Is Announced
BY the Associated Press.

PORTSMOUTH, N. H., May 81
With more than 60 divers on the
scene prepared to take advantage of
every minute of calm weather, Navy
officials announced today an intri-
cate plan for salvaging the sunken
submarine Squalus and indicated 1t
would be at least a week before the
$4,000, 900 submersible could be raised
from the ocean floor.
One high official gave an off the
record indication that even as much
as two weeks might elapse before
the 26 dead men now peopling the
Squalus could be lifted to the sur
face.
simultaneously, however, the same
officer asserted the work would 90
on night and day, Sundays and holi-
days included, until the task is done
To Be Raised in Slow Stages.
While a crew of divers worked 24O
feet below the surface, using newly
developed helium- oxygen breathing
mixture, the Navy Yard here an
nounced the Squalus would be raised
in slow stages.
One optional part of the compli-
Gated salvage procedure, it was re-
vealed. might include the towing of
the craft into shallower water before
1t was brought all the way to the
surface so that, in the event of a
slipup, more divers could work under
less pressure in renewing the task
The actual raising of the vessel
the Navy Yard said, would be accom-
plished through delicate balance
between the lifting power of air
pumped into the sunken craft and
the buoyancy of huge pontoons
which first would be sunk 1870 feet
below the surface and then raised
When these pontoons, attached
by cables to the stern of the sub
marine, are pumped out and
brought to the surface the after
part of the craft itself still would be
ITO feet below the fleet of salvage
boats above.
Journey One Long Sweep.
The next step. the navy yard said
would be to blow the water out OF
the ballast tanks in the forward
part OF the Squalus until the bow
OF the craft actually is brought
above water.
Thus, while the stern would be
held ITO feet from the surface, the
bow would make its journey to the
free air above in one long sweep.
The next step would be to pumr
more air into the ballast tanks ir
the stern until the after part of the
craft rises to the surface. easing the
sharp angle caused by the rising OF
the bow.
The Navy Yard announcement
said it could not be determined i'm
mediately how many pontoons would
be used to lift the stern, but that
at least two would be needed tC
prevent the after part from rising
all the way in one single sweep. thus
literally standing the vessel on its
nose.
So many of the Navy's crack
dlverS-more than three score OF
them were on hand here that a
minor problem arose in finding
quarters for them on the salvage
fleet.
Working in relays, the first of the
men were sent down shortly before
noon, with their air hoses attached
to huge helium oxygen tanks kept
on the decks of the salvage fleet.
With warm sun chasing away
an early morning fog, the divers
under the direction of Admiral C
w. Cole. went down from the deck
of the rescue ship Falcon assured of
longer time at the 240-foot sea depth
because of the new mixture. Helium-
oxygen, officials said, was not sc
readily absorbed into the blood
stream under heavy pressure as air
Meanwhile, 1t. Comdr. A.
Mckee and A. r. McCann, sub.
marine experts, completed round.
trip flight from Washington, bring
ing approval for the intricate plan!
of operation to raise the 1450-tor
hulk. They left Washington al
(See SQUALUS, Page A-40