This event constitutes a story of survival unprecedented throughout history. Because we are talking about two brave men managing the process calmly while being stranded in the depths of the ocean for 3 days. The depth is almost 500 meters, which is quite scary considering that the sun’s rays can only illuminate the first 200 meters of the water surface.
Moreover, when we consider that the world scuba diving record is 332 meters, we can better understand the difficulties these two men faced. Let’s witness together the difficult moments experienced by Roger Mallison and Roger Chapman, who were trapped in this unfortunate incident.
85-year-old Roger Mallinson gave an interview after the Titan submarine incident last month.
Exactly 50 years ago, in what Guinness World Records calls the world’s deepest underwater rescue operation, Mallinson and his team fell 480 meters below sea level as a result of a disaster while laying transatlantic telephone cables on the seabed.
Commenting on the disappearance of the Titan submarine, former British Royal Navy pilot Robert Mallinson said: “This is terrifying!” He explained his past experience using the expression and stated that his fear was not unfounded.
Reliving this event, which he had personally experienced, over and over again was almost a trauma for him.
On August 29, 1973, Roger Mallinson, then 35, and co-pilot Roger Chapman, 28, were working on the telephone network in the submarine Pisces III on a routine dive off the coast of Ireland. The submarine, which seemed to have no problems, suddenly lost altitude and began to descend into the depths of the ocean. Since both sailors were experienced, they managed the process calmly.
While they were preparing to return to their mother ship, a malfunction in the hatch caused the submarine to take on water. Diving rapidly with increasing weight, Pisces III experienced a moment when, as Mallinson described in a 2013 BBC interview, they “found cushions and curled up to avoid hitting the seabed.” Mallinso,n added: “We managed to find a white cloth to put in our mouth to keep from biting our tongues off. We were about 30 seconds away from impact.”
They were trying to survive with one sandwich, a can of lemonade and limited oxygen.
They were both trying to understand what was going on, unaware of where and how deep they were in the ocean. This situation became a necessity to communicate in silence and not to move. They would shake each other’s hands to let each other know that they were okay.
The rescue operation, carried out in cooperation with England, Canada and the USA, involved many teams. However, this operation would not be as easy as thought. When rescue ships were called, they were unsuccessful in bringing Pisces III to the surface.
The whole world was holding its breath, waiting for good news from them.
They were rescued by a U.S. Navy submarine called CURV-III using the rope used to pull Pisces III to the surface. When they were rescued, they only had 12 minutes of oxygen left, and they knew they would die when that ran out. But despite everything, a miracle happened and Pisces III was successfully brought to the surface on September 1, 1973. This incident was recorded in the Guinness World Records as the deepest and most successful underwater rescue operation in history.
Mallinson states in his statements that it took exactly 84 hours for them to be rescued. He also states that while trying to survive without enough food and oxygen was very difficult, he could not believe that he was rescued until the door opened.
“I realized we were rescued when the dolphins disappeared.”
The dolphins surrounded them from the moment they were stranded and stood around the submarine for 84 hours. Saying that they realized something was wrong, Mallinson states that he believed that thousands of dolphins were rescued when he saw that they were not there.
He also adds that he “accidentally” stole a bottle of oxygen before the dive, and that oxygen was the only thing that saved their lives. Because when they were rescued, there were exactly 12 minutes for the oxygen to run out.
His traveling companion, Roger Chapman, passed away in 2020.
After the sailors spent 3 days under the sea and were rescued on September 1, 1973, a similar incident occurred years later. The depth where the wreck of the Titanic, which has been on the agenda in recent months, was found was approximately eight times deeper than the depth discovered by the Pisces III submarine 50 years ago. While commenting on this incident, Mallinson said that the chances of being rescued were very low.
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