50 years ago, two submarine sailors were rescued after 84 hours

 50 years ago, two submarine sailors were rescued after 84 hours

Submarine vicars participating in the rescue of a wrecked submarine in 1973

Fifty years ago, a submarine sank 1,600 feet deep in the sea, 150 miles away from Ireland. Two British sailors were trapped in it. They were trapped with a six-foot diameter steel ball. However, they were eventually rescued. When the two sailors were rescued, they had only 12 minutes worth of remaining oxygen.

On August 29, 1973, the submarine sank. The former submariner of the Royal Navy, Roger Chapman, was 28 years old at the time, and the engineer, Roger Mallinson, was 35 years old. An international rescue mission was carried out to rescue the two sailors.

Sailors Roger Chapman and Roger Mallinson are rescued from the wrecked submarine after 84 hours.

Pilot Roger Chapman and Senior Pilot Roger Mallinson regularly worked with the submarine. They were working on laying the Trans-Atlantic Telephone Cable on the seabed for Canada's commercial submarine postal service. Mallinson said that they hardly saw anything at the seabed, which made the work exhausting. Without any sleep, they worked continuously for 26 hours.

Along with the cable installation, the pilots had to maintain the life support system of the submarine. Every 40 minutes, they activated a lithium hydroxide fan for carbon dioxide removal and then supplied a small amount of oxygen. For the record, they also recorded a video commentary during each dive.

Chapman said, "We were waiting to connect the towline to return to our main ship. Suddenly, a big collision happened at the rear, and we sank quickly. We were swinging upside down. The place where the machinery was supposed to be was floating. Suddenly, the submarine became more than a ton heavier. We were scared; we might have been crushed."

At the beginning of the accident, the two sailors disconnected the electrical system of the submarine. Mallinson said, "The submarine was very unstable. Everything was breaking, and we were going down very low. We found some white clothes. We put them on so that we don't bite our tongues."

Mallinson also said that they were still alive and in good spirits. Later, they realized that the submarine had actually sunk rapidly. He said, "We weren't hurt. We were swinging with the pipes. Then I sat down with a torch."

During the accident, the two sailors communicated through the telephone. They sent a message saying that they were both fine and mentally strong. They were trying their best.

Until the morning of September 1, oxygen would be supplied to the submarine. The submarine had 72 hours' worth of oxygen. Eight hours of oxygen had already been used since the sinking. There were 66 hours remaining.

Chapman said that after the accident, they spent the first few hours reorganizing everything. The submarine had almost flipped over, so they had to rearrange everything. They had to repair the kit and make sure there were no leaks.

Mallinson said, "There is no turning back. We have to ensure that everything is in order, and there are no leaks anywhere."

They both believed that the rescue operation would be successful. They had hope and were confident in their survival. I became ill due to excessive cold while selling food. But our concern was to survive."

Upon receiving the news of the accident, the rescue operation by the bikers' venture began quickly. The Royal Navy's HMS Hecate sent the special towing cable to the scene of the incident. Additionally, the US Navy's submarine USS Carve Three and the Canadian Coast Guard's ship John Cabot were also involved in the rescue operation, specifically designed for retrieving bombs from the sea.

On the morning of August 30th at 10 o'clock, the main biker's venture was rescued. The supplies of Chapman and Malmenson had almost run out. Their food consisted of only a sandwich with a slice of cheese and a condiment, along with a bottle of lemonade. Malmenson said, "We were very concerned about our families. Our heartbeat increased due to excessive cold."

August 31st, Friday, was very critical for Chapman and Malmenson. On that night at two o'clock, the first submarine for rescue arrived but couldn't work as its cable was damaged. The submarine had to go back. Another submarine named Carve Three reached the incident site until 9:40 in the morning. However, Chapman and Malmenson still didn't have any hope. They believed that the rescue attempts of these two submarines would also be unsuccessful. But around 10:50 in the morning, the sunken submarine was finally lifted. Even after reaching the surface, it took another 30 minutes to remove two people stuck inside the eight-foot steel ball.

After a total of 84 hours and 30 minutes, Chapman and Malmenson saw the sky. Although the submarine had a 72-hour life support, they managed to survive for almost 12 hours more. When they were rescued, there were only 12 minutes of oxygen left in the cylinder.

After the rescue, Roger Chapman became a renowned diver, continuing his work as a rescue diver. Malmenson worked on submarines until 1978. They used to meet once a year. Chapman passed away in 2020 at the age of 74 after being diagnosed with cancer.