In early September 1920, one of the great stories of the submarine service was playing out southeast of Barnegat Light.

During a practice crash dive on her maiden voyage, the submarine S-5 began taking on water and nosedived to the bottom of the Atlantic. Through the efforts of her commander, Charles M. Cooke, Annapolis Class of 1910, the stern of the sub had been raised above the surface of the water, by blowing ballast and using its pumps.

In a strange vertical world, the crew, using a drill and chisels, began to cut a small hole to the outside surface, as…