On December 17, 1927 submarine S-4 was conducting trials off Wood End in Provincetown. There were 40 souls on board when it was struck by the Coast Guard Cutter Paulding and sank in 110 feet of water. The Navy used divers to attempt a rescue of survivors, but was hampered by winter gales and cold temperatures. While many in Provincetown are familiar with the tragedy, the sinking of the S-4 and the heroic efforts to save the crew has faded from our collective memory. Joseph Williams stumbled across a long forgotten archive of documents from the incident. From those four boxes of scrapbooks, letter and other ephemera he tells the tale of the S-4 in his new book titled Seventeen Fathoms Deep, the Saga of the Submarine S-4 Disaster. Joseph Williams joins Mindy Todd in our Woods Hole studios to talk about the book.
Here is a link for information about the book signing and event in Provincetown on November 14th. Also, follow this link for information about the Memorial Service for the S-4 at the Church of Saint Mary of the Harbor (on the first Saturday following Veteran's Day).
