The first U.S. O-class
submarine to be involved in a fatal accident.
On October 29, 1923, O-5 was on patrol in Limon Bay, just outside the entrance to the Panama Canal. There she collided with merchant steamer Abangarez and sank in less than a minute. Three men were killed in the collision, and 16 men managed to escape immediately after the accident.
Two seamen remained trapped in the O-5's forward torpedo room, and they sealed off all openings to prevent their compartment from being flooded. Local divers and engineers put together a rescue plan, and used cranes and other heavy equipment to raise the bow of the sub to the surface, exposing a hatch which allowed the two trapped crewmembers to escape. The O-5 was not returned to service.