Navy Divers Earn the Medal of Honor Saving the USS ... | 水產百科網

FollowinganenginefailureduringtestdivesonMay12,1939thesubmarineUSSSqualussank.Theshiphad56crewand3civiliancontractorsonboard.The ...

Following an engine failure during test dives on May 12, 1939 the submarine USS Squalus sank. The ship had 56 crew and 3 civilian contractors on board. The main engine air induction valve failed and water poured into the boat’s after engine room, causing her to come to rest under 240 feet of water. 

Four enlisted divers, Chief Machinist’s Mate William Badders[1], Chief Boatswain’s Mate Orson L. Crandall[2], Chief Metalsmith James H. McDonald[3] and Chief Torpedoman John Mihalowski[4], were awarded the Medal of Honor for their work during the rescue and salvage of the USS Squalus. 

During the disaster, 26 men were trapped and lost in the flooded after portion of the ship. This left 32 crew members and one civilian alive in the forward compartments of the submarine. The survivors sent up a marker buoy. They also began to send up smoke bombs to signal that the ship was in distress.

USS Sculpin (SS-191), sent to the area later that morning, spotted a s...