It was 1961 when I volunteered for the United States Submarine Service. I was transferred from a heavy cruiser in Long Beach, CA, to the USS Cutlass SS-478, a WWII diesel-powered sub, stationed out of New London CT. My rating on the Cutlass was 3rd-class Engineman. As an Engineman, I was to stand my duty watch in the engine room. This duty was not without danger and and excitement. (Right, George in 1960)We were running about 200 to 300 feet under water, and I was in the after engine room, when I heard a loud noise. Looking down to the lower level, where the noise came from, I saw that a 2-inch diameter water line had broken from the pressure and deterioration and had started flooding the after engine room. As a result of the flooding, the water had completely filled the lower level to where I was walking in water up to my knees.
I alerted the Captain. He told me that if I would try to stop the flooding, he would get me up to the surface. I stopped the flooding myself. It was a matter of locating the right valves to shut off. Then the oil tank had to be cleaned because it was contaminated with salt water. We had to physically go inside our oil tanks down in the lower level, wipe them down by hand, and move the contaminated oil out of the tank by hand in a bucket brigade. Luckily, I did stop the flooding, and I lived to tell about it. It really didn’t bother me much at the time, but in my later years, I wouldn’t want to do that again.
I have to commend you for having the guts to live and work inside a submarine. But I cannot imagine the idea of dealing with a sub that was flooding. I am thankful there are people like you who can face small spaces 200 feet under water. My husband did submarine tests of model subs in the world’s largest water tunnel. It is a navy facility on the edge of the Mississippi in Memphis, Tennessee. The river has nothing to do with the tunnel, but it was a facility that the navy bought and adapted. They had a million gallons of water running through the test section. After running tests on submarine design, we moved to the DC area where he does research on surface ships and edits navy research papers. However, every other year, the navy base (David Taylor Model Basin) sponsors submarine races where college students design, build, and race small one person submarines. Once again I am impressed with your ability to serve on those vessels.