How amazing that the rescue of the Squalus was successful, given the hodgepodge equipment located in various places. The men and women who are submariners are a different breed and I salute each and every one of them.
Submarine duty is a duty filled with risks and unknowns. A dangerous occupation to be sure. I for one would never conquer my clostrophobia in order to dive or even to be locked inside.
Thank you Tara for remembering the sinking and rescue of the Squalus some 85 years ago.
I preferred to sail on top of the ocean or to scuba below the surface but free of the confines of a submarine. I have only encountered a few submariners in my life and came to the conclusion that they are definitely ‘unique’ people.
My brother is a Bubblehead, as were two of my chiefs in the Coast Guard, (both made lateral transfers so they could get some shore duty while their kids were still kids.) I preferred life as a "Skimmer." You are correct, they are a "unique" breed.
Splashing off the well deck of a ship in an AAV was enough for me. I couldn't imagine living in a sub, underwater for months at a time. Iron men, for sure.
IMHO - it still takes men of iron constitutions to serve as a ”sewer pipe” sailor! As a former sailor, we may “dis” them verbally yet with a smile and I totally respect them! If there was a medal awarded for this, I trust Swede Momson received it. He was a remarkable scientist.
Amazing that the Squalus could be retrieved, repaired and recommissioned. Good to know that a minesweeper played a pivotal role of delivering the diving bell for the rescue operation. I was assigned to a minesweeper while on duty in Vietnam. Nice to see this little known division of the Navy (Iron Men on Wooden Ships)receive recognition for their support of the fleet at large. “Where the fleet is going, we’ve been”.
The rest of the story is so fantastic! In spite of all the obstacles and challenges the rescuers continued in their daunting task of bringing survivors to safety. So sad for lives lost, but thankful for those who made it out alive. It’s awesome that the Squalus was recovered, repaired and overhauled with improvements and recommissioned as the USS Sailfish.
I was late reading TDIH, but glad I finally did. As a radioman on board fast attack submarines during Vietnam and the Cold War, I will tell you there is no greater group of fellow comrades. Maybe a little crazy at times but we all had each other's backs in all situations. On the boat I was on we trained with the latest DSRV (Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle) attached to the topside of our sub for rescue services in the Pacific, should the need arise, which it never did thank goodness. Thank you for sharing a great story Tara.
How amazing that the rescue of the Squalus was successful, given the hodgepodge equipment located in various places. The men and women who are submariners are a different breed and I salute each and every one of them.
Submarine duty is a duty filled with risks and unknowns. A dangerous occupation to be sure. I for one would never conquer my clostrophobia in order to dive or even to be locked inside.
Thank you Tara for remembering the sinking and rescue of the Squalus some 85 years ago.
I preferred to sail on top of the ocean or to scuba below the surface but free of the confines of a submarine. I have only encountered a few submariners in my life and came to the conclusion that they are definitely ‘unique’ people.
❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
My brother is a Bubblehead, as were two of my chiefs in the Coast Guard, (both made lateral transfers so they could get some shore duty while their kids were still kids.) I preferred life as a "Skimmer." You are correct, they are a "unique" breed.
Splashing off the well deck of a ship in an AAV was enough for me. I couldn't imagine living in a sub, underwater for months at a time. Iron men, for sure.
IMHO - it still takes men of iron constitutions to serve as a ”sewer pipe” sailor! As a former sailor, we may “dis” them verbally yet with a smile and I totally respect them! If there was a medal awarded for this, I trust Swede Momson received it. He was a remarkable scientist.
Amazing that the Squalus could be retrieved, repaired and recommissioned. Good to know that a minesweeper played a pivotal role of delivering the diving bell for the rescue operation. I was assigned to a minesweeper while on duty in Vietnam. Nice to see this little known division of the Navy (Iron Men on Wooden Ships)receive recognition for their support of the fleet at large. “Where the fleet is going, we’ve been”.
Great story with a great ending, how many were lost? how many were saved? Thanks Tara!!!
What an amazing feat these folks accomplished in rescuing these submariners. Thanks Tara for sharing history with us.
The rest of the story is so fantastic! In spite of all the obstacles and challenges the rescuers continued in their daunting task of bringing survivors to safety. So sad for lives lost, but thankful for those who made it out alive. It’s awesome that the Squalus was recovered, repaired and overhauled with improvements and recommissioned as the USS Sailfish.
Some lived, some perished, all brave. Another good story.
Great story!
I'm not positive, but I think the Sailfish had its own stories to tell in WWII.
Thank you Tara for another great TDIH 👍 👌 I just have to wonder if any of the sailors from squalus joined the sailfin!
A happy ending!
WOW! ! Nothing else to say.
I was late reading TDIH, but glad I finally did. As a radioman on board fast attack submarines during Vietnam and the Cold War, I will tell you there is no greater group of fellow comrades. Maybe a little crazy at times but we all had each other's backs in all situations. On the boat I was on we trained with the latest DSRV (Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle) attached to the topside of our sub for rescue services in the Pacific, should the need arise, which it never did thank goodness. Thank you for sharing a great story Tara.
🇺🇸 ❤️