Rescue of the Squalus: Recovery of the Squalus

Getting the Squalus back to port would help to determine what caused the sinking, which was important since more submarines of the same type were being built. It would also enable repairs and outfitting that could save this valuable submarine. However, the challenge of getting the 1,450-ton, 310-foot-long vessel from 15 miles out at sea and a depth of 243 feet was unprecedented. The valve that caused the flooding could not be closed, so that the entire submarine could not be pumped out. Rather, it would be necessary to fasten pontoons to the Squalus and blow out the fuel and ballast tanks.

The recovery was to proceed in three stages: raising the vessel 80 feet and towing it a mile and a half until it grounded again, raising the Squalus another 80 feet and towing it 5 miles to ground in a region with a solid sandy bottom and finally raising it until it was no more than 40 feet deep. The last move would permit the submarine to be towed up the Piscataqua River at high tide to the Portsmouth Navy Yard.