Voyages Of Discovery

Hanging By A Thread

On May 23, 1939, the US Navy submarine Squalus suffered a catastrophic malfunction, taking her to the ocean floor. No one had ever been saved from a stranded sub before, but a distress flare was spotted by her sister submarine USS Sculpin and a dramatic rescue mission began under the command of Charles 'Swede' Momsen. He would use a new invention to save the stranded crew: a rescue diving bell. Paul Rose meets the last living survivors of both the Squalus and the rescue team.