Naval History and Heritage Command

Scope and Content Note

Admiral Charles Momsen began duty in the submarine service as Executive Officer of USS O-13 in 1922 and ended duty in 1953 as Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Fleet. While on duty with the Submarine Safety Test Unit aboard USS S-4 (1929-1932), he developed a submarine escape device and later, while Officer in Charge of Experimental Diving at the Washington Navy Yard, he accomplished work from which a new set of decompression tables were evolved and the use of helium and oxygen mixture for use in diving was first proposed. Admiral Momsen also assisted in the successful salvage and rescue of crewmembers of submarine Squalus, which sank in about 240 feet of water off the Isle of Shoals in May 1939.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Charles B. Momsen, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.