“UNDER PRESSURE" The Final Voyage of Submarine S-Five. - By A.J. Hill. Launched November 10, 1919, the USS S-Five (SS-110) was commissioned in March of 1920. She had an over-all length of 231 feet and displaced 876 tons. Following outfitting and extensive crew training, S-Five departed the Boston Navy Yard on August 30, 1920 to undergo Atlantic sea trials. At 1300 on September 1, she was 40 miles off shore when the crew commenced a practice "crash dive"—and tragedy sunk. A combination of errors and poor mechanical design caused the submarine to suddenly ingest some 75 tons of ice-cold saltwater and quickly dropped the boat to the ocean floor at a depth of 180 feet. With surface rescue impossible, the crew of S-Five began an incredible thirty-six hour struggle to escape a watery grave. Her electrical systems were shut-down, radio too weak to transmit and one drive motor inoperable. Aided by the compressed air still in the submarine the crew worked feverously in the dimmest of light to plan their escape to the surface. Using only what was inside the cramped sub, the captain, Lieutenant Commander Charles Cooke, Jr. lead his forty-man crew through the unimaginable ordeal. Here for the first time is the true and complete story of the small but gallant crew of S-Five and how the brave men managed to save themselves from certain death. First Hardback edition with dust jacket. 239 pages, 13 black and white photographs, one S-boat diagram, and an index. Front cover board, just jacket (see above book photo) and first several inside pages have been damp or wet—some moderate warpage, with jacket suffering from slight wrinkles. No damage past about page 20. All of the book still 100 % intact and very readable. No effect on photos.
Fair + + Cond. ---- $4.95
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Used: $4.95
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