Medal of Honor: James Harper McDonald - USS Squalus Rescue - May 1939
Far below the Atlantic, trapped sailors waited inside a sunken submarine as Navy divers battled darkness, pressure, and time. Among them was a master diver whose courage helped turn disaster into survival.
May 26, 2026
Name: James Harper McDonald
Rank: Chief Metalsmith
Branch: U.S. Navy
Event: USS Squalus Rescue and Salvage Operations
Date of Action: May 23, 1939
Location: Atlantic Ocean near the sinking site of USS Squalus
Summary of Action
On 23 May 1939, Chief Metalsmith James Harper McDonald displayed extraordinary heroism during the rescue and salvage operations following the sinking of the USS Squalus.
The submarine had gone down during a test dive off the New England coast after catastrophic flooding, trapping crewmen deep underwater in a race against time for survival.
As one of the Navy’s master divers, McDonald became a key figure in the dangerous operation to rescue survivors and recover the submarine.
Working under some of the most hazardous underwater conditions imaginable, he directed diving operations and personally conducted critical dives beneath the ocean surface.
The rescue effort required repeated descents into deep, cold waters with limited visibility, dangerous currents, and constant risk to the divers themselves.
Any failure in equipment or procedure could easily have resulted in additional deaths.
Despite these dangers, McDonald demonstrated exceptional leadership, technical expertise, and unwavering devotion to duty throughout the operation.
His masterful diving skill and tireless work helped make possible one of the most significant submarine rescue efforts in U.S. Navy history.
The successful rescue of surviving Squalus crewmen became a landmark achievement in naval rescue operations, and McDonald’s courage and professionalism were central to that success.
Medal of Honor Citation
McDONALD, JAMES HARPER
Rank and organization: Chief Metalsmith, U.S. Navy.
Place and date: Area at sea of sinking of the U.S.S. Squalus, 23 May 1939.
Entered service at: Washington, D.C.
Born: 15 July 1900, Scotland.
Citation:
For extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as a master diver throughout the rescue and salvage operations following the sinking of the U.S.S. Squalus on 23 May 1939. His leadership, masterly skill, general efficiency, and untiring devotion to duty in directing diving operations, and in making important and difficult dives under the most hazardous conditions, characterize conduct far above and beyond the ordinary call of duty.
