"The Real Men of Honor"

                  USS SQUALUS (SS-192)   Sinking,Rescue and her Salvage          

complied  by :   Erasmo "Doc" Riojas (DV) (SEAL)    from the book:    Blow All Ballast   by Nat. A. Barrows

My best friend, LT. Jim Hazelwood, Master Diver, SEAL, sent me the book BLOW ALL BALLAST by Nat. A. Barrows; Dodd, Mead & Co. NY 1940 .  Thank you very much Jim.  Great book.  All of the pictures and other graphics and important information in that book are included here.  

Jim wrote me:  " This book gives a  great account of Salvage of USS Squalus SS-192.  Includes the Deep Sea Divers names, and the Squalus survivors names.  Only one diver (then a GM2) , John Malcomb "Punchy" Porter failed to be commissioned during their career.  John was at one time the all Navy boxing heavyweight.  At the Bikini atoll in 1946, "Punchy" was a GMC Master Diver aboard the USS Widgeon ASR-1.  The Widgeon salvaged the USS Skipjack SS-184 that was sunk by the "Baxer Day", a bomb blast."

                                      "Doc" Riojas  comments:

Jim, thank you for that bit of Naval Diving history.   I do not recall a diving salvage operation as succesfull as this one.  I think the Russians had a chance to outdo the Squalus salvage but for resons not explained, they left their men to die at the bottom of the North Sea.    Jim you are one of my heroes. You have seen the "white elephant," been there and done that all over the world.  I respect you, salute you and wish you the very best in your life.                         Tu Amigo,     Erasmo "Doc" Riojas(SEAL)  ; DSDS, class 4/55 .  UDT Class-19 (Honorary.)

 

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  Decorations  for "Men of Honor"

             Medal of Honor

William Badders MMC

Orson L. Crandall BMC

James Harper McDonald SFC

John Mihalowski TM1  

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Capt. Richard S. Edwards   Navy Cross.

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R.Adm.  Cyrus W.Cole    Distinguished Service Medal

                             

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Here is a LINK to "Scumbags" that claim many forms of STOLEN VALOR!    If you know of any  "phonies" claiming to have earned the MOH, tell the F.B.I.

 

                        Related   LINKS     
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)      The History of the USS Squalus
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   The Sinking & Rescue of the USS Squalus
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   USS Squalus, sinking, rescue, surviors
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   The USS Sculpin (SS-191) sister ship
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   Swede Momsen :  The Submarine Rescue Bell
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   The list of the Dead
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   Subs  Lost
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   The USS Penacook (1898-1947, later YT-6 & YTM-6)                                                                     
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)    The USS Falcon   ASR-2
      
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)    The USS Wandank
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)   USS Sailfish   emerges from the remains of Squalus
 
buttontriangles.gif (131 bytes)        Barrows; Nathaniel A. of the Chicago Daily News

                                       

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