Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-15

| ity I'd ever had to go down in
sub. Out of all Id heard and read,
all I could remember was that %
they were hot as blazes when sub
merged, and Gu I would just barely
have room to move around.
The sub was far from pretentious
in appearance with no cleaning
brass or shiny paint visible. After
all, I reminded myself. this boat
isn't rugged for Navy Day exhibit
ton. With the arrival of the COM
manding officer, the Diesel engines
started, mooring lines were cast off,
and We slid away from the dock.
I was left on deck witt; three
other military passengers. None of
the three had ever been aboard a
sub before. From the coming tow
er came the cry, Rig ship for dive"
The four of us scurried-or should
say, squirmed-beloW A submarine
hatch doesn't permit much excess
poundage.
Like a Movie Scene.
I was a little lost at first, but
when I entered the control room l
felt right at home. 1t looked just
like the ones l had seen in the
movies, with wheels and dials and
flashing lights and myriad gadgets.
There were lots of other things to
see. A junior officer acted as guide.
Much of his technical language, I
must confess, didn't follow. If I
/ IioInrct n ~
every time I actually didn't we'd
still be down in that engine room.
/ I did, however. begin to appre-
ciate that just as the officers must
double in brass" so everything on
a sub serves double purpose.
/ There's no such thing as waste space
/ or waste motion.
Surprisingly. though, there was
plenty of room to move in. True,
/ I couldn't always stand upright and
sometimes I had no choice but to
/ stand. But I had pictured myself
moving about on hands and knees,
dripping with oil and perSperatlon.
My notion about dripping with
perspiration" soon faded when dis
! COW llldU Vic Doob was oAA
conditioned. Rather than suffering
from the heat. the men aboard told
me that they occasionally were
chilly.
Submerged Silently.
I went back to the control room
for I wanted to watch the diving
process. I was surprised to find that
we were already 40 feet below sur
face. I hadn't even known it. The
ringing in my ears. which I had
been waiting for. didn't happen
From the way I felt I might as we'll
have been on the biggest battleship
IN the fleet.
got look through the periscope
and it turned out to be no simple
telescope with-a bend init. What
with various handles to manipulate,
waves moving in front Of it. and the
/ fact that the ship I was trying to
see wouldn't stand still, considered
myself lucky to get two f1eeting
glimpseS of my target in about five
minutes.
Abandoning the periscope as not
intended for use by a marine SER
geant anyway, l went back to the
crews quarters for cup of coffee
1t was darned good coffee. I might
add. I inspected the library which
was well stocked with books and
copies of current magazines.
In the officers ward room, one of
my fellow passengers was taking a
poStman's holiday, reading a book
on the life of Farragut.
I learned that a KlaXon horn
which I had heard sounding was
the signal to prepare to submerge
There was a second horn which sig
nailed men in the engine room to
alter the speed of the motors.
Collision Alarm Sounds.
I was prepared for those. but not
for what happened the next minute
A shrill whistle screamed.
Collision Alarm somebody
shouted.
Now I was in for it. Men rushed
around me. behind me, practically
over me. Everybody had job, II
seemed, but the lone marine.
After couple of very tense
minutes, it was all over. Only test
: And all the while had been trying
J to remember the last time I'd beer
!, swimming.
In about an hour. while I wa
looking over a magazine, all thu