Periscope Rescue

A U.S. submarine prowled around a Jap-held island. From the bridge her commander watched Navy planes raiding enemy installations ashore. One of the planes was hit by flak. A parachute bloomed, and the pilot, Ensign Donald Brandt of Cincinnati, flumped into the water two miles offshore.

When the sub moved in for a rescue, Jap shore batteries opened up on it. Shells landed so close that the skipper was forced to submerge. Then & there, he invented a brand-new rescue technique.

With only the top of his periscope above water, the skipper eased his craft close to the airman. Twice Brandt paddled away, thinking it was a Jap sub. Said the Skipper: "The Jap shelling finally got so bad he was willing to catch anything that came his way."

When finally Brandt got hold, the sub slowly moved out of range. It took an hour to do it without drowning the tow: as it was, Brandt's head was under water a good half of the time. Then the submarine surfaced at last and took him aboard. Airman Brandt was grateful but "a little beat up."

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