Orson Leon Crandall

Diving down to the sunken submarine, he helped save sailors.

Orson Leon Crandall was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, on 2 February 1903. He enlisted in the United States Navy in June 1922 and spent his first decade serving in several ships. Diver training in 1932–33 set the direction of his subsequent career. He qualified as a master diver in March 1939 and served in the submarine rescue ship USS Falcon.

On 23 May 1939, the submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive off New Hampshire after seawater flooded her after compartments. Twenty-six men died, but thirty-three remained alive in the forward section. Falcon brought a newly developed submarine rescue chamber to the site.

Crandall helped direct and carry out the difficult diving operations needed to reach the submarine and operate the rescue equipment. The work demanded repeated descents in cold water and close coordination between divers, the rescue chamber crew and the men above. The trapped survivors were brought to the surface in successive chamber trips. Salvage work continued over the following months, eventually returning Squalus to the surface.

Crandall and three other divers received the Medal of Honor for their part in the rescue and salvage operation. Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison presented the decorations in January 1940. During the Second World War, Crandall became a commissioned officer and continued in salvage and diving assignments. He transferred to the Fleet Reserve in June 1946 and retired in December 1952 as a lieutenant.

He died on 10 May 1960 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The heavy lift craft Crandall later carried his name, commemorating a career built around naval rescue and salvage.