Sub Sinks to Ocean Floor With Crew Inside 

Submariner here. Not all of us, but many who have been doing it for a while (10 years for me) have a mentality wherein we accept we are dead the moment the hatches shut and we dive. It helps you "get over" your mortality when things aren't going bad, so when things do go bad, you jump straight into fighting the problem instead of having your existential crisis right then and there. Nothing worse than a guy contemplating his mortality when a hydraulic plant burns in front of him, every moment counts during our casualties, seconds can mean life or death.

Ah yes, the ocean, always an endless supply of terror to be had

These sailors and Navy men were totally built different. The idea of entering the depth of the ocean in a pressurised tube without any reliable rescue vehicle was nothing short of insane.

Submarines are insanely terrifying, my uncle was a submariner and his sub burned while at port and sunk. He was out of the sub at the time, others weren't so lucky.

There are exremely few tradgedies involving submarines which have survivors, let alone tales that can be considered as having a "good" ending. Admiral Oliver is a shining example of what a leader should be, someone able to make tough, split-second decisions, but always for the good of the many. I'm sure he went through the rest of his life with a heavy heart about the men he lost, but I'm also sure that the men he saved that day were forever proud of him.

I never considered anyone could ever come back from a sub emergency like that. To do it almost 100 years ago even is amazing.

I feel so bad for the guy who had to doom his best friend to a watery grave especially shortly before he was supposed to be married incredibly heartbreaking

I had an uncle who was a submariner in WW 2. He said much of the training was to see if you could deal with the extreme stress of being underwater when under attack or if something went very wrong (many subs during WW 2, including all nations involved, were lost "operationally", meaning the cause of the lose was not known and did not match up with any enemy records of attacking a sub).

70 year old Landlubber checking in. My father served on the USS Sailfish! I didn't know until quite recently that the Sailfish was actually the recommissioned Squalus. I'm assuming all Sailfish crew members were aware of the boat's history... Like many veterans my father spoke very little about his experience in WW2 until near the end of his life. When he and I went to see "Das Boot" in the movie theater, he told me that was the most realistic portrayal of WW2 submarine warfare he had ever seen in a movie. My dad was born in Colima, Colima, MX. He died a proud American. He would be aghast at the condition of the country today. He was the absolute toughest man I have ever known in my personal life as well as the most wonderful father you could be blessed with...

You often refer to Oliver F Naquin as an Admiral. At the time of this incident he was 35 and serving as skipper of the Squalus. His rank was Lieutenant. He would later be promoted to Rear Admiral rank.

That last rescue was absolutely nail biting.

I bet you could narrate my trip to the grocery store and it would be horrifying lol. another banger!

Thanks for putting both imperial and metrics in the video. Many channels don't do this. Seems like many channels forget there are people outside of the US that have internet.

I’m not scared of water. I’m fucking TERRIFIED of the ocean

My son served on a fast attack sub in the 90s, so I was familiar with this story. Those who serve in the Silent Service are true heroes. We've met so many vets over the years, from all branches, who say they could never be on a sub, especially six months at sea! Thanks for telling the tale and honoring those men

My mom was a teen in Portsmouth, NH, at the time & talked about the rescue operation. She gave me a book about it called The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas. She met my dad in 1944 when his sub was in the shipyard for repairs.

Suffocation, buried alive and drowning are my worst fear but add confined spaces and being trapped...my pulse is pounding listening to this as well as caving gone wrong videos always terrifying! Great work. I would like your take on the Titanic Sub disaster if possible!

In the USN, subs are never considered “lost.” When they’d go out, little to none would be heard back from them until they returned back to port. If they didn’t, we’d call them “Still on Patrol.” This began from the secretive nature of wartime submarine patrols, and, at least in the early 20th Century, the scarcity of reports between such patrols.

Hi there man! I've been a fan for quite a while, and, as a diver, I just feel like I'd like to collaborate with your videos by sharing some information that might be useful. When we talk about the gases for diving, narcosis is barely ever the main concern. Divers that go deeper learn to deal with it, it is not a major problem when it comes to diving. We have two diferent kinds of gas mixtures other than air to go diving (deeper - but not necessarily). The first one, and most used by recreational divers, is Nitrox. This is air with a higher concentration of oxygen (32 or 36% rather than the usual 18% we have in air). We do this to reduce the amount of nitrogen present in the mixture, which reduces the amount of nitrogen that eventually dissolves into the blood, and therefore allows us to stay in the bottom longer without having to go through really long decompressions in order to avoid the bends. There's an issue here, though. At 1.6 atm worth of partial pressure of O2, Oxygen becomes toxic. This means that you can't go too deep, depending on your gas mixture. This is particularly relevant with nitrox. With nitrox 32, the max depth is 40m (about 130 feet give or take), and with nitrox 36, then the max depth becomes around 35m, or 115 feet. Air would allow you to go down to 80 metres avoiding oxygen toxicity, but decompression would be extremely long. Hours and hours worth of deco. So the answer to reduce the amount of nitrogen in blood AND oxygen toxicity is to add a third gas that is inert. Generally, Helium is used. If you have a gas mixture that is 18% O2, 30%He, and 52% N2, then you can have a dive that goes to the 80m mark staying safe when it comes to O2, and with the deco time of a dive to a much shallower depth (in this case, about 50 metres which is still quite the deco, but I hope you get my point). If you need any clarifications (or anyone else) feel free to ask.

Ive done "shipboard" rigging on a few subs,,,i can tell you that without a doubt EVERY square inch is used ,,and EVERYTHING is tight and closterfobic feeling on a sub!!!. Im talkin an 8th of an inch max. clearance to rig in electrical panels..it takes a very special breed to live aboard one of these UNDERWATER!! for months on end!!!!... THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE 🙏!!!

I graduated in 2022 with a degree in unmanned aircraft. One of the classes reveiwed different materials used in drones. Pros and cons stuff. When we got to carbon fiber, the instructor said it's great for unmanned aircraft but never use it for a submersible. Hmmmmm I wonder why lmao I still can't get over that.

Was a Veteran Administration nurse for 35 years, and took care of couple of Veteran submarine captains in their 80’s at the time. These men certainly portray a cut way above the best of us with their intellect, experience commanding the crew working them. Greatest respect for submariners. Great video !

I can't be the only one amazed that they were able to salvage that ship. Unbelievable.

Wow.........I mean, wow. What courage, bravery and leadership. Wow.

When I enlisted in the navy back in 2017, I only told the recruiter I didn’t wanna be on a sub. Stories like this and the Thresher are why😅. Great Video as usual, Dude

Please do more submarine videos. I love your style and narration and I find submarine disasters morbidly fascinating.

My congratulations on your skilled video making man. Your videos, the suspense, the subjects, the music, I can always feel my heart pounding watching you

Not only were their survivors, but even the sub itself was rescued, THAT is a rare good end to a sub disaster story. Edit: I know its the wrong spelling of that word, but I'm leaving this edit to show I've seen it, and don't care. :P

As a qualified Canadian submariner this hits home for me, the subs crews commemorate and brotherhood is unmatched. This story and truly saddening and something we think about alot. I prey my shipmates never have to be put into a situation like this.

As a former Submariner, it is a risky business. I served in the Navy from 1975 until retirement in 2009. I served on, at the time, three different types. Diesel electric, fast attack and missile boats. The running joke was you're dives should equal your rises. The Cold War was an interesting interesting time. There are things NOT discussed to this day. Hence, the SILENT SERVICE. I left Sub duty in 1985. I personally enjoyed it

Imagine being one of those who were sealed in the flooded compartments. The horror is unimaginable.

One of your best episodes yet! And I think all your episodes are of the highest quality. Thank you.

It's amazing that anyone survived. I am always torn between listening and hearing all the horrifying details or not listening and imagining all the horrifying details.

As is so often the case, Sean's presentation of this disaster had me on the edge of my chair. Thanks to Sean and his crew for a gripping retelling of this horrifying incident.

I agree, a great leader is important for any success, but all of the crew did their part, and they got it all and can thank each other.

I’ve been following you since the early days, and I’m so so so proud to have witnessed your channel growth. You’ve earned every bit of your 1+ million subscribers and I hope it continues to grow.

Less dangerous than cave diving.

Your editing has come such a long way over the past several months, SI. Truly impressive, my friend. Thanks for sharing, as always, and keep up the great work, bud!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend

I was an electrician in an industrial shop with a guy who served in the navy on a sub crew. Badasses who truly have no fear. This story reminded me of “Das Boot”. Highly recommend, story of a WW2 German u boat crew that gets stuck at the bottom of the ocean. One of the most tense and anxiety inducing movies I’ve ever seen.

What an incredible story! Thank you for all the research you've done to bring this story to our attention.

Hearing these stories of true courage, leadership, and integrity is inspiring. We should all be proud of these U.S. Sailors, those who made it and those who, unfortunately, made the ultimate sacrifice.

Really enjoyed this episode of your channel. Even more relieved that (for the most part) the story had a happy ending, which I did not expect.

The quality of the videos you produce is astonishing. No other producer I follow comes close. Well done!!!!

Life is full of irony. As the narrator stated, during WWII, Sculpin was sunk in action. A Japanese destroyer rescued 42 Sculpin crew members. 21 of these survivors were placed on a the Japanese aircraft carrier Chuyo for transport to Japan. While on route to Japan, the Chuyo was attacked and sunk by, and the gods laugh, the submarine USS Sailfish nee Squalus. Only one man from Sculpin on board the Chuyo survived the sinking. (The other twenty one survivors on another ship made it to Japan and survived the war.) That the Sailfish nee Squalus was inadvertently responsible for the death of Sculpin crew members is a weird twist of fate.

Wow! What a fantastic story of bravery and camaraderie that you told so well, thank you so much for sharing this.

What an incredible story. Thank you for all the work you put into this. Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

That was an Incredible story!! Also, great graphics and details- really made the whole situation they were going through come to life so we could clearly visualize everything! My heart was pounding!! Rest in Peace to the sailors who didn't make it ❤ I'm glad many did though, after that horrible disaster

Great story! I’m glad you’re not just copying the stories from other channels. Keep up the great work you do.

Just found your channel. Love your pacing, context, and research. Time to binge!!!

hay i love your videos but i have a question. in every diving video you do, you explain decompression sickness. I was just thinking, do submarines have to do decompression stops or is the crew not affected by the pressure?

You were a hero and great mind under pressure Admiral Oliver. I don't give praise like this often, but he made sure to make sound, fair and selfless judgement under pressure at all times.

this legit gave me anxiety. the number of things that went wrong in such a short time the fact anyone survived is shocking

AWESOME story Sean. I've been craving a mountaineering tale.

The admiral wasn’t an admiral at the time but a 35 year old lieutenant who was in command of the vessel and he sounded like he did everything right and he saved many lives that day with the decisions he was forced to make. No way would I want to work or live on a sub for any amount of time.

This is such a great channel providing in depth captivating stories almost as if your experiencing the tragedy yourself one of the best channels on RU-vid 🤟💯💯

A friend of mine is days away from shipping off to the navy for sub training so this is super fun and cool to listen to rn and I’m not making myself nervous

Gosh it’s always a good feeling when you check his channel and there’s a new vid posted 30 min before I look

Aside from the Titanic, this story was one of the first naval disaster stories I read up on and it involves one of my favorite Naval figures. Charles Momsen invented the rebreathers the men used aboard the Squalus and the diving bell they used to rescue the submariners, and was involved from start to finish in the rescue and salvage efforts. Momsen later figured out why the Mark 14 torpedoes weren't detonating, by test firing live torpedoes and diving in to find the dud.

Brilliantly told as always……great visuals - just as good…..thanks Sean xx❤xx

I'm going to be honest. I can really see this getting made into the movie like this event just because it has all the hallmarks of a classic like navel tragedy

Feel like i missed u hit a million dude gotdamn belated congrats 👏 still love tunin in

Love this channel; you really do great work on these videos. Appreciate it broseph

Though I am not one to listen and spend my time on objects that you cover I grown to watch every single one of your videos!!!! As the videos similar to this one, I listen closely whilst I come away with fascinating important facts along with detailed history as well!!! Thank you very much!!!

Awesome story. I'm not afraid of much, but this terrifies me. I'll stick to the shore.

My great great great uncle was Lt. Richard Sauffley who was the first Naval pilot to ever be fired at in combat in 1914 and was in the very first group of Navy pilots but before that he commanded one of America's first submarines and he was court martialed for refusing to take it out to sea as he thought the sub was dangerous but was later cleared of charges and received commendations for refusing. Sauffley Field in Pensacola is named after him and the WW2 Destroyer USS Sauffley is named for him.

It's been a long time since a RU-vid video made me hold my breath in anticipation. What a fantastic story about an excruciating ordeal. Thank you so much and RIP to those that didn't make it home from an ex sailor x

Love your videos!!!! They never disappoint. The story’s you cover and the way you cover them is so awesome and professionally done. 🔥🔥🔥

Will you be doing the Titan sub disaster?

Imagine, all of this happened around close to 100 years ago. Imagine some of the horror stories we're going to hear once we are able to start traveling a solar system. Imagine the horror stories of people falling in the gas giants, imagine the people stranded and lost in the asteroid belt or just forever floating in space.

You tell so many great tales of the sea, and it is great that you've taken up telling them.

Just throwing it out there, i love your channel. Thanks for the great stories! cheers

Your voice is very calming.

Insane to have equipment aboard a vessel that is under the water and yet the equipment is hazardous when wet?? What were they thinking? Gives me Titanic vibes. So glad everyone was rescued. True heroic effort.

one of your BEST efforts ! thanks

Thx 4 sharing. Plz make alot more new ones exactly like this.

The ocean once again being a constant middle finger to human life.

I never skip intro for this channel

That.. was an amazing story - and VERY well told as usual. I’m not easily captivated but - holy crap. Awesome work 👌

You should also look into the sinking of HMS Thetis which happened in June 1939, a month after this incident. Even though it was in shallower waters, the crew suffered much higher casulties. Like Squalus, Thetis was raised, repaired and renamed HMS Thunderbolt. It however was lost in action

Your intro music goes so damn hard🔥

FYI the sub was clearly at 45 degrees, not perpendicular to the surface of the water.

Wow what a story! As a former submariner from a different era, this and other similar unfortunate events allowed the modern submarines to be a much safer missions to service. Much respect to those sailors and engineers.

Wow, what a story. Thank you for sharing

Horrific 😢

just a heads up, a ship's name is its... well, name. it's not "THE Squalus," it's just "Squalus." When people use "the" in front of a ship name, you need to use the ship's prefix - "The USS Squalus." it would be like saying "the scary interesting" instead of "the youtube channel scary interesting."

your voice and delivery are an absolute gift every time

Fascinating. Thanks for the history lesson. To serve on a sub requires a true hero.

Don't usually have this problem with your videos but I found on this one it was really hard to hear the narration against the background 'music'. Was it louder than usual? It made it harder for me to hear what you were saying...

DO DO DO DO DO, DO DO DO DO!!

I was so thankful to hear the remaining men survived such a terrifying situation.

"Hey, should we carry oxygen tanks down on one of the trips so the crew can survive long enough for us to rescue all of them?" "Nah, that's way too obvious of a solution"

Please lower the background sounds and speak more deliberately - I have trouble hearing what you are saying. AI closed captions have many chopped off and misspelled words. Good indication my hearing loss and tinnitus is not the total problem.

Courage and heartbreak. It is amazing that anyone survived.

Admiral Oliver handled that outstandingly. Every time he had a choice to make, it seems he did the right thing. - He made sure all the indicators were good before ordering the dive, no cutting corners - He believed his men and responded to the emergency rather than insisting that they had to be wrong because the lights were all green - He ordered the chambers sealed immediately upon realizing it was necessary to absolutely minimize loss of life - He made sure everyone was focused on survival individually and as a group - He allocated resources according to the needs of his men - He was in the last group to leave the submarine - He accepted his commendation with humility and gave credit to the other survivors and their outstanding courage That is a real leader right there.

Background sound way to high.. unable to listen.

How does nobody else hate that this guy uses the same 4 note audio track in the background of videos? Makes the otherwise good videos unwatchable.

Props to the MEN involved in this recovery. This isn't a man vs woman comment. But the fact that they pulled the bell BY HAND up on its final ascent, is something to be praised. Exhausting work is exhausting. Bravo!

I’ve been to a submarine museum in Groton, Connecticut. There’s a submarine permanently docked there that you can go into and tour. It’s much smaller than the sub in this video, but still such a cool experience.

Turn the music down.