Rafael Celestino Benítez Rear Admiral Rafael Celestino Benítez ( March 9 , 1917 – March 6 , 1999 ) was a highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the during the Cold War . After retiring from the Navy , he was Pan American World Airways ' vice president for Latin America . He taught international law for 16 years at the University of Miami School of Law , and served as Associate Dean , Interim Dean and director and founder of the foreign graduate law program . While there , he founded the Comparative Law LL . M . program , the Inter - American Law LL . M . program , and the Inter - American Law Review . After his death , the university established a scholarship in his memory to benefit a foreign attorney who is enrolled in one of the Law School ' s LL . M . programs . Early years . Benítez was born in Juncos , Puerto Rico , where he received his primary and secondary education . After he finished high school he was accepted in the United States Naval Academy by appointment of the Honorable Santiago Iglesias , Puerto Rico ' s Resident Commissioner . He graduated from the academy in 1939 and was assigned to submarine duty . During World War II , Benítez saw action aboard submarines and on various occasions weathered depth charge attacks . For his actions , he was awarded the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars . He served as Lieutenant Commander of the submarine USS Halibut ( SS - 232 ) from February 15 , 1945 to May 19 , 1945 . The Halibut was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the halibut , a large species of flatfish . She was launched on December 3 , 1941 and commissioned on April 10 , 1942 . On January 29 , 1946 , Lieutenant Commander Benítez was given his first submarine command , the . Benítez , inspired by his father who was a judge , attended Georgetown Law School and earned his law degree in June 1949 . " Cochino " incident . During the latter part of 1949 , in the era which is commonly known as the Cold War Era , Benítez was given the command of the submarine USS " Cochino " . On August 12 , 1949 , the " Cochino " , along with the USS " Tusk " , departed from the harbor of Portsmouth , England . Both diesel submarines were reported to be on a cold - water training mission . However , according to " " , the submarines — equipped with snorkel s that allowed them to spend long periods underwater , largely invisible to an enemy , and with electronic gear designed to detect far - off radio signals — were part of an American intelligence operation . The mission of the " Cochino " and " Tusk " was to eavesdrop on communications that revealed the testing of submarine - launched Soviet missiles that might soon carry nuclear warhead s . This was the first American undersea spy mission of the cold war . On August 25 , one the " Cochino " ' s 4 , 000 - pound batteries caught fire , emitting hydrogen gas and smoke . Unable to receive any help from the " Tusk " , Commander Benítez directed the firefighting . He ordered the " Cochino " to surface and had dozens of crew members lash themselves to the deck rails with ropes while others fought the blaze . Benítez tried to save his ship and at the same time save his men from the toxic gases . He realized that the winds were about to tear the ropes and ordered his men to form a pyramid on the ship ' s open bridge , which was designed to hold seven men . The " Cochino " suffered two casualties , Lt . Cmdr . Richard M . Wright , who survived despite the fact that he was severely burned and Robert Philo , a civilian sonar expert , who attempted to reach the " Tusk " on a raft to report on the conditions of the " Cochino " , but was knocked overboard along with 11 of the " Tusk " ' s crew members . As a result , Philo and six of the Tusk ' s crew perished . The ocean waters became calmer during the night and the " Tusk " was able to approach the " Cochino " . All of the crew , with the exception of Commander Benítez , boarded the " Tusk " . Finally , the crew members of the " Tusk " convinced Benítez to board the " Tusk " , which he did two minutes before the " Cochino " sank off the coast of Norway . In 1952 , Benítez was named chief of the United States naval mission to Cuba , a position which he held until 1954 . In 1955 , Rear Admiral Benítez was given the command of the destroyer . The " Waldron " resumed normal operations along the east coast and in the West Indies under his command after having completed a circumnavigation of the globe . Rear Admiral Rafael Celestino Benítez was the recipient of two Silver Star Medals . Aftermath of the " Cochino " incident . According to the " New York Times " of April 5 , 1997 , " On September 20 , 1949 , the Soviet publication " Red Fleet " said the " Cochino " had been " not far from Murmansk " and suggested that it had been seeking military information . On September 23 , President Harry S . Truman , confirming fears that had led to Commander Benitez ' s mission , announced that the Soviet Union had detonated its first nuclear device " . Post - Navy career . Benítez retired from the Navy in 1959 , and became Pan American World Airways ' vice president for Latin America . He taught international law and was associate dean at the University of Miami Law School and Dean of the university ' s Graduate School of International Studies . During his years at University of Miami Law School , Benítez founded the Graduate Program for Foreign Lawyers , now known as the LL . M . Program in Comparative Law . He also inaugurated the " " Lawyer of the Americas " " ( the predecessor of the Inter - American Law Review ) and started the Masters Program in Inter - American Law for U . S . Lawyers . In 1978 , he served as a board member of the US Foundation of the University of the Valley of Guatemala , located in Delaware . Benítez was also the author of " Anchors " ( ISBN 1 - 884878 - 05 - 9 ) , a compilation of ethical and practical maxims , published on August 1996 . On March 15 , 2000 , the University of Miami School of Law launched a Rafael C . Benítez Scholarship Fund to support the studies of foreign graduate students . Benítez resided in Easton , Maryland with his wife and three children , a son and two daughters . On March 6 , 1999 , he died at the Memorial Hospital located in Easton . He was buried with full military honors at Oxford Cemetery in Talbot County , Maryland . Awards and recognitions . Among Rear Admiral Benítez ' s decorations and medals were the following : Badges :