Their Submarine Sank. They Had to Drill Their Way Out.

This episode combines genuine archival photographs with AI-generated visual reenactments and original animated explanatory diagrams. Reenactments are labeled on screen. They illustrate the story and are not original footage of the 1920 accident. The diagrams are simplified reconstructions, not exact engineering measurements. The music and sound effects were created for this production; no sound is presented as a recording of the historical event. Archival photographs: U.S. Naval Historical Center / Naval History and Heritage Command, via ibiblio. Image IDs: NH 41806, NH 102805, NH 41810, NH 57595, NH 57596, NH 41808 and NH 50681. Cooke’s portrait dates from approximately 1938–1941; the salvage photograph shows operations after the crew’s rescue. Photo catalogues: USS S-5, S-5 loss and salvage, Charles M. Cooke. Historical references: NOAA, Submarine Force Museum — Part I, Part II, and U.S. Naval Institute.