Eight submariners used their "Momsen Lungs" to reach the surface from the USS Tang (SS-306), which was sunk in 180 feet of water in the East China Sea in October 1944. (Of the eight, only five survived a night at sea, to be taken prisoner.) Development of the submarine escape device was spurred on by controversy surrounding the sinking of the submarine S-4 in December 1927. Six crewmen survived for three days in the torpedo room, but the sailors had no way to escape the submarine.
Momsen himself, born in Flushing, New York, in 1896, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1919 and from the U.S. Navy Submarine School in January 1922. He commanded the submarines O-15, R-24, and S-1. Along with Rear Admiral McCann, he received a commendation from President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his efforts in the rescue of 33 sailors from the submarine USS Squalus in May 1939. During World War II, he served as Commander, Submarine Squadron 2 and Commander, Submarine Squadron 4. He received the Navy Cross and the Legion of Merit for commanding the U.S. Navy's first wolf pack in enemy waters from February 1943 to June 1944. He died in 1967.
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