On May 27, 1958, at 0907 while operating in the area off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, I was involved in an incident
<br> while assigned to the Sea Poacher (SS406) as a seaman. My job was lookout while surfaced and helm,
<br> bow planes and stern planes while submerged.
<p>
On the above date I was manning the bow planes and Harry Sherman was on the stern planes.
 <br>Lt. jg William Henry was the diving officer. The captain, Lt Cdr Carl Davis had the conn from
<br>the conning tower. He ordered all back 2/3. Backing down while submerged is unusual and requires
 <br>the planesmen to reverse their tasks. Now the bow planes control the bubble and the stern planes
 <br>control the depth. This maneuver makes the submarine inherently unstable. At about 450 feet we began
 <br>to decend backward and kept steeply decending stern first to a depth of 550 ft. The test depth of the
 <br>Sea Poacher is 412 feet.
</p>
<p>
Lt. jg James High entered the control room and took complete control of the situation. He orderd a bubble
<br> in the safety tank, then to blow safety. Then a call came on the XJA phone that there was flooding in
<br> the after engine room. Mr. High sounded the collision alarm and ordered "blow bow buoyancy" then
<br> "blow all tanks". The captain ordered "all ahead standard". We were now at 575 feet.
</p>
<p>
These maneuvers had no effect. Mr. High ordered "cut in the captains air banks", "blow everything".
 <br>When this was done we started up. We attained about a 50 degee up angle. After we began our ascent
<br> the captain ordered to fire a red flare, to no avail. We were too deep and ascending too fast.
 <br>Our ascent was so rapid that the needle on the 5 ft. gage looked like a second hand on a watch,
</p>
<p>
The captain called down to open and then shut the forward goup vents, several times, to check
<br> the angle of our ascent. At about 200 ft. I was orered to put full dive on the bow planes.
<br> I did as ordered with no effect. Seconds later we were on the surace and a damage contol party
 <br>was dispatched to the after engine room. 
</p>
<p>
We proceeded back into Guantanamo Bay for repairs and to make recorded statements as to what had
<br> happened. This account mirrors my legal statement made at that time. 
</p>
<p>
In my mind, the lone sailor who remained in the after engine room locating and shutting the valve
<br>that stopped the flooding and Lt. jg High saved all our bacon. Without them we would have been dead
<br> and the rest of you guys wouldn't have had the Sea Poacher to serve on.
</p>
<p>
William Sharp SN 57-58