Squalus

Squalus (SS-192) was a U.S. Navy submarine. Its biggest claim to fame was its part in field testing Commander McCann's experimental diving bell.

It saw more success in the Second World War, during which it operated under the name Sailfish.

Fiction

On the 23rd of May, 1939, Squalus was being tested off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. During a routine dive, an alert sounded that water was flooding the engine room, stranding the ship 242 feet below sea level. To make matters worse, a short circuit in the batteries caused an electrical fire, which was rapidly dealt with.

The crew released Squalus' distress buoys to send out a smoke signal. Rescue operations went underway after Squalus failed to report in on time, and its sister ship Sculpin was first on the scene, followed by Penacook and eventually Falcon, which got caught in a storm.

Following another six hours of preparation, Quarter Master Sibitsky was sent down in a diving suit to attach the descending cable of Commander McCann's diving bell to Squalus. The entire crew was consequently rescued after over 26 hours on the sea bed.

After being refloated, investigated, and refitted, Squalus took to the sea again as Sailfish. It served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, where it gained an impressive list of honours. Trapped Beneath the Waves!

Crew

Squalus commander

The main in charge on Squalus identified himself as the commander. While supervising Squalus' controlled descent, he ordered a close of the airlocks once informed of the engine room flood.

Shortly afterwards, with Squalus stranded and with little power, the commander addressed the crew over the intercom, encouraging them to move avoid moving, smoking, and speaking unless necessary, and to keep their spirits up while the navy searched for them. Trapped Beneath the Waves!

Squalus crew

Squalus was manned by a crew of 33 men, including the commander. After a time trapped undersea, morale of the crew began to drop, though at least one crewman understood that complaining was a waste of oxygen.

After Sibitsky banged on the ship's hull, morale improved greatly, and the crew responded with a similar signal. The men had cause to cheer when Commander McCann boarded using his diving bell. All 33 men were saved. Trapped Beneath the Waves!

Sailfish crew

During World War II, the Sailfish was commanded by a different officer. One night in December, 1943, he ordered the men to fire on a Japanese cargo boat, successfully sinking it. Unfortunately, the boat was holding twenty American prisoners who had manned Sculpin during the rescue of Squalus. Trapped Beneath the Waves!

Notes

• The USS Squalus was a real submarine. The unnamed commander is based on the real life commanding officer Oliver F. Naquin.
• In the comic, Squalus is frequently mentioned to have a crew of 33 men in total. In reality, the 33 are merely the remainder of the crew that were left, with 26 men being drowned instantly by the malfunction.
• If the officer on board Sailfish is intended to be its skipper, then he may be based on Lieutenant Commander Robert E. McC. Ward.