Oliver F. Naquin; One of 33 Rescued From Sub in 1939

Oliver F. Naquin, 85, one of 33 men rescued by an experimental diving bell when their submarine sank in the Atlantic in 1939. Naquin, a retired Navy rear admiral, was a lieutenant and commander of the Squalus when it sank off New Hampshire in 240 feet of water because of the failure of an intake valve during sea trials. Twenty-six crewman and two civilian technicians were trapped in a flooded compartment and died, but the remaining 32 naval personnel and a third civilian were brought to the surface by the experimental rescue vessel in four separate trips after being below the sea for up to 39 hours. The two-day effort captured worldwide attention. The Squalus was later raised and recommissioned as the Sailfish, which was credited with sinking seven enemy vessels during World War II. Naquin, who retired in 1955, later was transferred to the battleship California and survived her sinking at Pearl Harbor. At Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Monday.