Since 10-29-01
Since 10-29-01
Crew member rescued from sunken sub in 1939 dies at 82
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (AP) - Daniel Persico, a retired sailor who was one of the last living survivors of a daring submarine rescue mission in 1939, has died at age 82.
The Amsterdam resident died Friday at a Schenectady hospital.
Persico was 17 years old when he joined the Navy in 1936. Three years later, he was aboard the USS Squalus when it sank in the Atlantic Ocean about 15 miles off the coast of New Hampshire.
Twenty-six of the submarine's 59-member crew died in the sinking. The 33 others had to wait until a Navy diving bell could be lowered 240 feet to rescue them.
The incident was retold in last year's best-selling book, ''The Terrible Hours.'' Persico was one of the six remaining Squalus survivors who were interviewed by the national media when the Russian submarine Kursk sank last August.
Persico spent his entire naval career in submarines, retiring in 1956. He was awarded a Bronze Star.
Persico worked as a salesman for a heavy equipment company in Albany after he left the Navy. He founded the Carfel Supply Co. in 1978 and served as its chief executive officer until his death.
AP-ES-01-29-01 1625EST