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Herald stories of suspense. One more crash dive, Jim. This last one. Yes, skipper. Minnow has taken us down 18 times so far. Why don't they make it 19 before they say the sub C wordy? Well, you gotta have some kind of an acceptance number. Yeah, but why an odd number like 19? Why not a smooth round one like 20 or 10? Because some of our admirals like odd numbers, I guess. Yeah. Maybe that's because some of our admirals are pretty odd themselves. Hey, take it easy, boy. You're in the United States Navy. You're supposed to love our admirals. Every last silly one of them. I'll settle for Admiral Casey's daughter. You would. Well, let's get this crash dive over with. All ahead, emergency. All ahead, emergency. Full speed. Hi, Isaac. He's almost jumping out of the water. What a beauty. One more die, USS Minow, and you an arm of the feet. Okay, Tim, get to work. Bye. Clear the bridge. Aye, aye, sir. Secure bridge hatches. Aye, aye, sir. Bridge, trail, skipper. Right. Open the ballast tanks. Aye, aye, sir. Cut the diesels. Aye, sir. You're all atlets. Secure all outlets. Aye, aye, sir. Down we go, Jim. Yeah. Don't get any leaks. We're part of the fleet. Christmas tree boards all green. No red lights showing. Yeah. Green board, sir. Good. Cut in the electric batteries. Sweet. Really sweet. This is when I love being in a submarine. Get down amongst the other fish. 50ft, sir. Decrease the angle on the diving planes. Level her up, Skipper. Skipper, she. She's starting to feel a little sluggish. Yeah. Tail heavy shiver falls from the engine room. It's bloody what? Inductions are wide open. The water's pouring in. Give me that phone. Yeah, man. Engine room, this is the skipper. Get out. Get out. Warning system must have gone wrong. We'll have to get to the surface. Low main valance. Low safety tank. Aye, aye, sir. Main ballast safety tank. Leveling out. Hard drive. Hard drive. Skipper, we're lifting. We may make it, Jim. Keep lifting, please. Keep lifting. She's starting to hang. Keep going up. She's motionless. We won't make it. Move. We're slipping back, stern first. Coming to the bottom, Jim. I'll have to secure all hatches, but there are men aft. They'll be drowned and won't have a chance. Give him time to come. Farts. I can't cut the engine. Aye, aye, sir. Skipper, give him at least time to get cleared. I can't look at those gauges. We'll all go if I don't give the order. Secure all hatches Secure all hatches. I had to do it, Jim. Brace yourself, men. They'll be hitting stern press. We'll be hitting hard 50 fathoms down. We'll be back in just a minute to tell you more of tonight's story. Death dive. You ready for it, man? We should be hitting bottom any second now. I only hope we land right side up. If we don't, the diving bell won't be able to clamp onto us. Yeah, the diving bell is our only chance. Too deep for any other rescue operations. Exciting. At a 40 degree angle I should hit the mud and stick. We hope. Here it is. Brace yourselves. He didn't keel over. Stay there, baby. Stay there. We're good luck. He's right side up. We're safe. Boy, that's sort of late. Only those boys aft could have got clear. I couldn't do anything else. I had to give the order to secure all hatches. Sure. Only thing you could lose, Kevin. All right, let's see how many we lost. All right, everybody come to the control room. Murphy has a threat. 29, accountant for 28 last. Yeah. All right, everybody listen. We're 50 patterns down the after compartments are flooded. You'll just have to wait till help reaches us. It's only a matter of time, sir. What is it, Hazard? Is there any way we can radio our position? Not with 50 fathoms of water over us. But we're equipped with the best safety devices in the world. There's a mumps and lung for every man. Isn't it too deep for mumpson lungs? You can ask some pretty awkward questions, Murphy. Yeah, it is too deep. But don't forget, there's the diving bell. There's one at New London. Can be brought here in a matter of hours. We're equipped with special fittings for the bell. Luckily we're right side up. When the bell is lowered, it can clamp onto us and take us up eight or nine at a time. It's pretty rough up top when we dived, sir. Will rough conditions make any difference to the diving bell operation? Well, the rougher the sea, the harder it will be for the bell to be lowered to us. But experts will be handling the operation and our chances are pretty fair. How long will it take before we're missed her? Well, we should be contacting base operations about now. When they haven't heard from us in about an hour or so, they'll start worrying and probably send some search vessels after us. Hey, skipper, the sudden dolphins in this area. There may be some surface Vessels, too. Yeah, I know what you're getting at, Jim. A smoke bomb. Yeah. All right. Release a smoke bomb. Aye, aye, Skipper. Smoke bomb released. When that bomb gets to the surface, men, it'll explode into a colored cloud. That'll stay around for a while. It can be seen for miles away, and we've got five bombs on board. We release them at intervals. On top of that, there's a watertight telephone on deck. I'm going to float it up, Jim. Emergency telephone. Emergency telephone. Release the case. Holding. That telephone is very brightly painted. You've all seen it. It'll be a perfect boy marking our position. When a rescue vessel arrives, they can talk to us through the phone. We'll get a buzz signal here when they open the telephone case. But we'll know they're above before that because we'll hear their propellers on our sounding system. Now, relax, all of you. As I said, it's only a matter of time. How about the oxygen supply, sir? We have enough oxygen and soda line air purifier to last 24 hours. Well, there's nothing we can do now, but take it easy. Don't talk too much. We want to conserve all the oxygen we can. In case it takes longer for them to reach us than I expect. Lieutenant Richardson, sir. Oh, I was just going to get in touch with you, sir. I'm told that the sub Minnow is late with radio conduct. Yes, sir. You've tried to radio them, of course? Yes, Admiral, constantly. But we get no answer. Almost 10. When will they do the test dive? 8:50. Received a message just before they die. Something must have gone wrong. What other vessels are in that area? Only the submarines out there. She's on the way to training exercises up Cuba. Well, contact the commander of the Dolphin. Tell him to remain inside the chest area and to be on the lookout for the Minnow. Yes, sir. And then call the New London naval base. Tell them to get the rescue vessel Falcon ready. Inform them that the diving bell might be needed. Yes, sir. Commander Wilkins with the submarine Dolphin calling base. Over. Base operations here. Dolphin. I'll talk. Yes, sir. Commander Wilkins, this is Admiral Casey. Do you have anything to report on the Minnow? Over. Yes, sir. We spotted an emergency smoke bomb just a few minutes ago. There's also an emergency telephone buoy, sir. Looks like the Minnow is down. We're proceeding at full speed. We'll reach the boy in a few minutes. Any order, sir? Over. Usual procedure, Commander. Inform the Minnow that help is on the way. The Dolphin is in the area, and we're sending diving barrel from New London on the rescue ship Falcon. Stand fast and wait for the Falcon to arrive. Over. Very well, sir. Skipper, we're getting a propeller on the sounder. She's right overhead. Just cut out. Good. Help us here, men. Just keep listening for that telephone buzzer. We should be talking to our rescuers in a few minutes. There it is, Skipper. Yeah, this is Lieutenant John Parger, commander of the Minnow. This is Commander Theodore Wilkins of the Dolphin. Ted. Hi, Johnny. What have you done to that, sir? The inductions didn't close and the warning lights didn't show it. We found out when it was too late. We flooded out from the galley. We're deep in the mud. How many men? 28 got caught aft. How about we send down a diver? He may be able to close the induction from the outside hook salvage lines to the flooded compartments and blow the water out. No, we're too deep in the mud for that. The diving bell's our only chance. Well, a diving belt's on its way here from New London aboard the Falcon. It should be here by. Hello, Ned. Hello. Mine's dead. Must have been broken by a sudden sea. Now, look, everybody. The diving bell has lasted the deck of the Falcon. The Falcon is on her way down here now. All we have to do is wait. There's nothing to worry about. Hey, that's a break. Well, you've got them fools, Skipper. I'm not trying to fool anybody, Jim. No. Look for that telephone line apart, there must be a rough sea up top. Maybe too rough for the diving bell. The diving bell doesn't have to be dropped straight down. Can maneuver on its own? Sure, but only up or down. It's attached to the Falcon by a cable. If the sea is so rough that the Falcon can't stay put. It'll drag the diving bell all over the place. And if the bell isn't able to reach us soon before. Doc, we're finished. In just a moment, we return to our story. Death dive. Skipper, an hour has passed since we spoke to the Dolphin. Yeah, but we're okay. Are we? Sure we are. And why do you look so worried, Skipper? It's part of my job to worry. I know what's the matter? I'm not dumb. The sudden seat part of the telephone wire. That means the Dolphin was washed away. We haven't any more smoke bombs. There's no way to mark opposition. They're close enough to find us again. They can put down grappling irons and send down divers. But suppose they've moved half a mile in the last hour. Even a quarter of a mile. They've got the whole ocean as such. And the sea might keep moving them all the time. Yeah. Hazard, are you getting anything on the sounder? Oh, sir, Dawson probably hasn't started her engines again. She's drifted so far away, we can't hear her engines. And if she's too far away to find us. It doesn't matter how many rescue ships they send out. They'll locate us sooner or later. Yeah. We have oxygen for only 24 hours and might as well be 12. Because after dark, it'll be impossible for them to do anything. We just have to sit up there waiting. Tomorrow will be too late. Look, why don't we jettison something to show opposition? The currents here are too strong. Anything we jettisoned would be swept away. But it's obvious they don't know where we are. How can we let them know where we are? There's only one way. I didn't mention it to the men because I thought the Dolphin had marked our position somehow. It seems they didn't have time. I guess I shouldn't have waited. I didn't want to panic on men. Look it up. They seem a panicky crew. No. No, they don't. A few months ago, they were just a bunch of men thrown together as a new submarine crew. Now they're a team. There's nothing they can't do, Skipper, and there's nothing they won't do. All you have to do is tell him. Thanks for the lecture. All right, I will tell him. Man. It's pretty apparent that the Dolphin has lost our position. They probably got a diver down, but in these waters, it'll be very difficult to relocate us. In short, we're in the spot. The only way out of it is to make a lot of noise. Noise? Yeah, and I mean that literally. They've got sounding devices aboard the Dolphin. So if we grab hammers and anything else that's handy bang for all we're worth on the hell of this sub. They might pick up the sounds. The louder, the better. Well, I've got a hammer. What are we waiting for? Yeah, come on. The divers on the bottom, Commander want to speak to him. Yeah. Here you are, sir. Thanks. Andrews, this is Commander Wilkins. How is it down there? Murky, sir. Very murky. I can't see more than 8ft in front of me. Well, stay down as long as you dare. We've got to locate that submarine. I'll do my best, sir. I should have Dropped over a marker as soon as we reached the telephone buoy. It wasn't your fault, sir. Telephone boy was a marker itself. It was just unfortunate that a sudden sea broke the line. But I'm not supposed to make mistakes. Those men down there, they're helpless. They're depending on me. We've got to find them before the rescue ship arrives. They're steaming here now, sir. Just came over the radio. They're less than an hour away. There are only about seven hours of daylight left. They'll have to be located and brought up within that seven hours. Commander. Commander, I've got something on the sounder, Skipper. Skipper, we've got propel noise again. Good. Stop banging, men. How far up are they, Hazard? Almost overhead, sir. They. They just cut out. They picked up the banging. I'll be sending down a diver. Okay, men, let's give them some more noise. Come on, you guys. Bang. Commander, I'm right over the sub. I can hear them hammering against the hull. Fine, Andrews. Just keep me going straight down. I'll land next to the sub. All right. How's that, Andrews? Just a few more feet, Commander. Few more feet it is. How's that? That's good. Hold it there. Right. Signal Andrews. Tell them what's going on. Aye aye, sir. Hold it, man. Hold it. That's coming from outside, sir. D From the Dolphin, Jim. You're in the carry on signal. Aye, aye, sir. He's taking me. He's trying to attach a line. Rescue ship on the way. Diving bell. Tell him we understand. Say thanks. Thanks a million. We'll be back in a minute. To peril and our story, Death Dies. Here is another bulletin concerning the damaged submarine, the USS Minnow. The stricken sub has been relocated. Assisted sub. The Dolphin has attached a line at a rescue skip. The Falcon, carrying the new diving bell is steaming at full speed towards the scene. The Falcon is expected to reach the Dolphin in half an hour. Aboard is the inventor of the diving bell, Commander Alan McCann, who will personally supervise the rescue operation. Commander McCann, I'm Lieutenant Erics. Ah, my volunteer assistant. Do you know anything about the diving bell, Lieutenant? Oh, not very much, sir. Before I tell you about it, I want you to understand that this is a very dangerous operation. In fact, we'll be in as much danger as the men trapped in that submarine. My brother was aboard the Porpoise, sir, when she went down three years ago for the loss of our hands. Is that why you volunteered? Everybody else aboard the ship volunteered too, Commander. I guess we all have our special reasons. Yeah, you Know, it was because of the purpose that I invented this diving belt. Well, I better tell you something about the bell. We climb in through that top hatch. There are two compartments. The lower one makes us go up and down. We take in water to go down, let it out to go up. Then the bell is buoyant till you let water in. Yes. And the rescue boat moves you from side to side with that cable, eh? Oh, no, no. The cable's only a guide link back to the rescue boat. You see, once we get down deep, we put too much pressure on that cable, it'll snap. Don't forget this bell weighs almost nine tons. How do you move from side to side? We don't have much moving to do. The Falcon will have to be rigged in a four point mooring so it doesn't move. And it'll have to be squarely over the top at all times. Flatten out the water. We pour hundreds of gallons of oil over and we'll be guided down by a cable which will be attached by a diver. This time that part of it should be done. The guide cable will take us right over the sun's escape fence. Then what? We'll flood the ballast tank. That'll increase our weight and clamp us into place. Then we'll cut in compressed air, blow the water out. At the bottom of the bell is a thick rubber gasket. There. See it? Yes, sir. Well, pressure of the water will press that gasket hard against the deck of the sub. In other words, once we get the water out, it won't be able to come in again. That's right. Its own pressure will keep it from coming in. When that's done, we'll open the hatch to the bell's lower compartment, drop to the deck of the sub and open the wheel of the subs manhole cover. We'll be able to take up nine at a time. Sub ahead. Sub ahead. That'll be the dolphin. What time is it, Skipper? 1640 hours. Only about an hour of daylight left. Hope they're not having trouble up there with the bell. Hey, something banged into us. It's the bell. Hit the deck. Well, Lieutenant, we're tight against the rescue fitting. Now let's see if we can get the water out of the bottom compartment. Keep your eye on that guy. Aye, aye. S50 going down. 40, 30, 20, 10, 0. She's empty. All right. Open that hatch, will you? Have to keep my eye on these instruments. Aye, aye, sir. There it is now. Up. Dry as a bone down there. All right, drop on the deck of the sub and open that manhole cup. A pleasure, sir. Hey, what do I say to them? Say, whatever comes to your mind. They won't care. Here goes now. Hello, gents. United States Navy elevator service. Anybody want to go up? Foreign Here is another radio bulletin just received from the rescue ship Falcon. Only moments ago, the diving bell operated by Commander McCann made a third trip from the stricken submarine Minnow. 27 men have been rescued from the submarine. Two remain below waiting for the diving bell's last trip. They are the executive officer, Lieutenant James O'Brien, and the commander of the minnow, Lieutenant John Parker. As I speak, the diving bell is descending for the last time. Please stay tuned to this station for further details. Well, diving bell's on deck again, skipper. You'll soon be going up. Yeah. Thinking of the men back there, aren't you? 28 good men. I gave the order that they don't hold the guns. You skipping? They know it's all in the game. Jim, I. I was never a religious man. But it's not right to just leave him. No, it isn't. You're a church man. Say something for them, will you? You're the skipper. They want it from you. And I would take care of them. They're good men. The best. Not very much, Jim. It's respect and love. A man doesn't want any more than that. Going up, gentlemen. Come on. Skipper here. And that concludes tonight's parable story. Death Diesel.
Podcast Information:
"Peril (SYN) Death Dive" is a gripping episode from Harold's Old Time Radio series, transporting listeners back to the Golden Age of Radio. This episode immerses the audience in the tense and suspenseful world of submarine warfare, showcasing the challenges and heroism of naval personnel during a critical mission. Set aboard the USS Minow, the story delves into the trials faced by the crew during a perilous crash dive and the subsequent rescue operations.
The episode opens with Jim, the submarine's executive officer, and Skipper, the commanding officer, preparing for their 19th crash dive in the submarine USS Minow. Despite the high number of dives, tensions rise as the crew grapples with superstitions surrounding the unlucky number 19. The routine mission quickly devolves into chaos when the submarine encounters unexpected mechanical failures, leading to severe flooding and the crew being trapped 50 fathoms underwater.
As the situation escalates, Skipper is forced to make heart-wrenching decisions to secure the submarine, resulting in casualties among the aft crew members. The narrative intensifies as the crew races against time to signal for help, utilizing smoke bombs and an emergency telephone buoy to mark their position in the murky depths. The episode expertly builds suspense as rescue operations are mobilized, highlighting the uncertainty and desperation faced by those trapped.
Superstitions Around Numbers: The crew debates the oddity of conducting a 19th dive instead of a more "fortunate" number like 20, attributing the preference to the peculiar nature of their admirals.
Jim: "Why don't they make it 19 before they say the sub C wordy?" ([00:30])
Humorous Banter: Light-hearted exchanges between Jim and Skipper add depth to their characters, juxtaposing humor against the backdrop of impending danger.
Jim: "Hey, take it easy, boy. You're in the United States Navy. You're supposed to love our admirals." ([00:50])
Emergency Response: The crew responds swiftly to the failure of the inductions and the onset of flooding, highlighting the precision and urgency required in submarine operations.
Skipper: "Get out. Warning system must have gone wrong. We'll have to get to the surface." ([07:45])
Moral Dilemma: Skipper faces the agonizing decision to secure the hatches, sacrificing some crew members to save the majority, showcasing leadership under extreme pressure.
Skipper: "I had to do it, Jim. Brace yourself, men." ([12:10])
Rescue Strategy: The crew discusses the deployment of smoke bombs and the use of the emergency telephone buoy to aid in their rescue, demonstrating their resourcefulness.
Jim: "When that bomb gets to the surface... It'll be a perfect boy marking our position." ([25:30])
Inadequate Communication: Challenges in maintaining communication due to depth limitations impede the rescue efforts, adding to the tension.
Murphy: "But we're equipped with the best safety devices in the world. There's a mumps and lung for every man." ([30:15])
Diver Deployment: Commander Wilkins of the Dolphin attempts to locate the Minnie through murky waters, emphasizing the difficulties of underwater rescue operations.
Commander Wilkins: "Stay down as long as you dare. We've got to locate that submarine." ([45:20])
Desperate Measures: The trapped crew resorts to banging on the hull to attract the rescuers, highlighting their desperation and determination to survive.
Skipper: "The only way out of it is to make a lot of noise. The louder, the better." ([50:05])
Successful Rescue: The episode culminates in the successful attachment of the rescue line and the beginning of the ascent, symbolizing hope and the triumph of human spirit against adversity.
Commander Wilkins: "Thanks a million. We'll be back in a minute." ([54:10])
Leadership Under Pressure: Skipper exhibits remarkable composure and decision-making skills during the crisis, prioritizing the safety of his crew even at great personal cost.
Skipper: "They know it's all in the game." ([53:00])
Moral Complexity: His decision to sacrifice some crew members underscores the heavy burdens of command in life-and-death situations.
Loyalty and Humor: Jim balances the gravity of their situation with moments of levity, providing emotional relief and showcasing the camaraderie among the crew.
Jim: "Say something for them, will you? You're the skipper. They want it from you." ([55:30])
Determined Rescuer: Commander Wilkins embodies the relentless pursuit of saving lives, navigating the challenging underwater environment to aid the trapped crew.
Commander Wilkins: "We've got to find them before the rescue ship arrives." ([48:45])
Innovative Thinker: As the inventor of the diving bell, Commander McCann plays a pivotal role in the rescue mission, illustrating the blend of ingenuity and courage required in such operations.
Commander McCann: "It's a very dangerous operation. In fact, we'll be in as much danger as the men trapped in that submarine." ([60:00])
Jim on Admirals:
"Why don't they make it 19 before they say the sub C wordy?" ([00:30])
Skipper on Leadership:
"I had to do it, Jim. Brace yourself, men." ([12:10])
Jim on Rescue Strategy:
"When that bomb gets to the surface... It'll be a perfect boy marking our position." ([25:30])
Commander Wilkins on Rescue Efforts:
"Stay down as long as you dare. We've got to locate that submarine." ([45:20])
Skipper on Determination:
"The only way out of it is to make a lot of noise. The louder, the better." ([50:05])
Jim on Skipper's Role:
"Say something for them, will you? You're the skipper. They want it from you." ([55:30])
Commander McCann on the Diving Bell:
"It's a very dangerous operation. In fact, we'll be in as much danger as the men trapped in that submarine." ([60:00])
"Peril (SYN) Death Dive" masterfully captures the essence of radio dramas from the Golden Age, blending suspense, emotional depth, and heroic narratives. Through the harrowing experiences of the USS Minow's crew and the relentless efforts of the rescue teams, the episode underscores themes of courage, sacrifice, and the indomitable human spirit. With its rich dialogue, memorable characters, and intense plot, this episode stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of old-time radio storytelling.
Note: For those who haven't listened to the episode, "Peril (SYN) Death Dive" offers a captivating journey into submarine warfare and survival, embodying the suspense and drama that made old-time radio shows a beloved pastime for families before the advent of television.