Evening star., 1939-05-25
Submarine
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Submorine
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tary smile for waiting cameramen
before he entered the car.
Also waiting to greet her husband
was the wife of the Squalus' execu-
tive officer, 1t. William T. Doyle, jr.,
of Baltimore.
All were removed to the Ports
mouth Naval Hospital to be placed
under medical care, with the ship
mates who had preceded them, as
precaution against pneumonia.
Silence Prevails.
While there was rejoicing through
out the country over the rescue of 80
men, grim, silent atmosphere pre-
vailed in this city as preparations
to remove the bodies got under way.
But for that sad job and the rails
ing of the disabled vessel, the Navy
had completed, with the first Use of
the new 9-ton escape bell. one of the
most dramatic underwater rescues
Ill tile alllldlS OF CNe sea.
Four times the huge, grotesque-
appearing apparatus was lowered
over the side of the submarine rescue
ship Falcon. Three times it came
up smoothly and promptly, carrying
men from the gloom in which they
had spent more than 80 hours.
Then, on the fourth trip, some
thing went wrong A cable fouled
and held the last eight survivors
suspended midway between the
muddy bottom and the surface.
Divers labored frantically. Finally
four hours later, the giant apparatus
was freed and the last men stepped
to the deck of the Falcon.
AS that trip was completed, Short
ly after midnight (E. D. TD, rescue
operations were suspended until day.
light. Admiral Cole issued the fol-
lowing communique:
This completes rescue of all
known survivors. Investigation of
flooded compartments will proceed
as expeditiously as possible Suspend
ing operations for the night due to
damage to rescue chamber, which
must be repaired before further
use"
AS the rescued men-seven the
first trip, nine the second and third
| trips and eight the last time-left
the big bell, they stepped into
decomposition chamber. The rescue
was history making since the sue
cessful use of the massive chamber
was its first actual test under these
desperate conditions.
Then, as they recovered from cold
and pressure changes, they were
brought ashore.
Trapped Men Took 1t Easy.
Disabled shortly after $40 am
Tuesday morning, when an air ir-
duction valve failed to close and
poured tons of water into the af1e:
compartments, the Squalus lay on
an even keel at the bottom and tie
men in the forward compartments
took it easy" throughout the long
hours to conserve the oxygen.
After telephone communication
with the surface was broken the
men settled down to a long wait.
Then, for hours, the Navy massed its
strength for rescue efforts. Finally
at about noon yesterday the rescue
bell dropped over the Falcons side
and touched the escape chamber of
the Squalus.
The connection was made and
blankets and hot SOUP handed into
the sub to ease the biting cold.
Seven men stepped inside with the
man who came down from the sur
face and slowly the bell came up, =
With their arrival on the deck of
the Falcon came first definite news
of the casualties trapped in the
flooded sections of the submarine.
Swiftly word was flashed ashore and
the heart-rending task of advising
relatives was begun.
Wife Seized With Hysteria.
One wife was seized with hysteria
when told that her husband was
dead. Other women refused to give
up hope, clinging to the belief that
in some way, somehow. their men
might be alive in the blocked-of .
water-filled compartments.
Thank God, oh, thank God"
cried the mothers and wives of the
men who came through til ordeal
safely.
From the survivors themselves
came only laconic comments about
the bitter cold in the entcmbing yes
sell
Il don't think I'll ever get warm
again." was a common remark from
the shivering men as they reached
this port, Is miles from the scene Of
the disaster
First man to breathe free air and
see the sun after the long confine-
ment was 1t. j. c. Nichols. It was
a dramatic scene. The sun broke
through the clouds just as the bell
broke through the oceans surface.
The air was tense with excitement,
dread, hope-airplanes circled over
head A dozen ships, including the
big cruiser Brooklyn, foated nearby
Slowly the bell swung onto the Fall
cons deck. The hatch in the roof
opened and 1t. Nichols stepped out
into the sunshine
Cheers broke out from the men on
the deck and answering cheers and
shouts echoed from the other YES
sells.