Evening star., 1949-08-28
'MasterfuI Maneuver'
In Arctic Sub Rescue
Hailed by Norwegians
By the Associated Press


OSLO, Norway, Aug. 81
Weather-beaten Norwegian sea-
farers had high praise for the
United States Navy today after
the heroic rescue Of 81 men from
the explosion torn American sub
marine Cochino.
They hailed as a "masterful
maneuver" the way in which a
sister ship. the Tusk, risked dis
aster to save lives in the darkness
of the rough. icy waters of tie
Arctic.
Nearly every one of the 5000
residents of the North Cape town
of Hammerfest turned out in the
wind and rain to welcome the sur
vivors and salute the courage and
skill of the Tusk crew.
Seven drowned during the res
cue operation.
ITO Miles From Hammerfest.
When the modern, snorkel-
equipped Cochino was rocked by
a battery room explosion yester-
day some ITO miles northwest of
Hammerfest, the Tusk quickly dis
patched small rubber boats to her
aid.
But when a second blast shat
tered the crippled Cochino, Comdr.
Robert L. R. Worthington. of Oak
mont, Pa, skipper of the Tusk,
knew the small boats were not
enough.
Despite the danger of the two
2.000-ton subs colliding in the
high seas, he held his rolling vessel
so close to the Cochino that her
crewmen were able to leap across
to the narrow deck of the Tuck.
Ten minutes after the last man
scrambled aboard the Tusk, flames
swept through the Cochino and
she went to the bottom. Only
one of her complement, Civilian
Technician Robert w. Philo OF
Newark, N. j., perished.
When the Tusk set out for,
Hammerfest. the nearest port with
medical facilities, she was minus
six of her own complement.
Washed Out of Boat.
The victims, including 1t. q. g.
Wilson Manley Shafer, jr. of
Stamford, Conn, were washed out
of a rubber boat by high seas
during the rescue operation.
In Hammerfest, which lies $50
miles from Murmansk, Russia,
four survivors who suffered burns
were leased from the hospital after
examination. A fifth who suffered
serious burns was described as
considerably better" today.
The two undersea vessels,
among the most modern of Ameri-
can postwar submarines, were ac-
companied by the subs Toro and
Corsair. They were on cold-water
training exercises when disaster
overlook the Cochino. Both the
Tusk and Cochino carried snorkel
breathing" tubes which enable
underwater craft to remain SUBJ
merged for long periods.
Norwegians Knew About Subs.
Comdr. S. V. Storheill of the
Norwegian naval high command
told reporters in Hammerfest
there was no reason to be sur
prised at the presence of Ameri-
can ships near Norway's Arctic
coast.
I'VE knew about it long In ad-
vance," he said. "It is only nat
ural that they want to train their
crews under those conditions"
Comdr. William Porter, Ameri-
can attache in Hammerfest, said
the Cochino was on a routine
cruise outside of Norwegian ter
ritorial waters" He did not give
the exact position where the ex-
plosions occurred but said there
was no indication the American
vessels were approaching Rus
sian waters.
American naval authorities in
London said the Tusk will leave
Norway Monday for New London,
Conn, with the Cochino survivors.
The Tusk arrived in Tromsoe
tonight with survivors from the
Cochino. It was escorted by a
Norwegian patrol vessel. The
American destroyer Samuel M.
Roberts is expected to arrive to-
morrow to take aboard the sur
vivors.