Safety Tricks

When the S-4 tragedy off Provincetown in 1927 added emphasis to the S-51 tragedy off Block Island two years before, the Navy Department began doing things to make submarines safer. Last week the experiments continued.

Puntarenas. On a sandy bottom 50 feet below sea level off the coast of Costa Rica the U.S. submarine 529 lay prostrate on, its belly. Within, its crew perspired and waited. Divers descended, hoses were screwed to newly installed valves in the submarine's side, cool air invaded the sunken fish. Soon, afterward the divers attached air hoses to the ballast tanks of the vessel; then, cocking a snook through the heavy glass ports at those within, the divers rose to the surface. Great eddies began to surge from the ballast tanks as the water was forced out. Ten minutes later the submarine gave a lurch and floated aloft.

Key West. The 54, lately sunk in tests off the Florida coast to depths of 40 to 120 feet, from which two men with "artificial lungs" succeeded in escaping (TIME, Feb. 18) was on the point of starting north last week when the Navy Department sent instructions to try it deeper. Obediently the S-4 was towed out and sunk twice again, at 160 ft., at 200 ft. Chief Torpedoman Edward Kalinowski climbed through the escape hatch. He released a cork buoy attached to a life line, the other end of which was fastened to the submarine. Then grasping the life line he ascended. He was followed by Lieut. Charles B. Momsen, co-inventor of the mechanical "lung" (oxygen mask) with which both were equipped. The two men ascended 20 ft. at a time and then rested, holding the life line to keep themselves from bobbing quickly to the surface and meeting death from the sudden change of pressure. From 160 ft. they rose in 13 minutes, from 200 ft. in 20 minutes. Examined by doctors, they showed no ill effects.