Charles Bowers Momsen nicknamed "Swede", was born in Flushing, New York. He was an American pioneer in submarine rescue for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, and he invented the underwater escape device later called the "Momsen lung

Momsen lung

The Momsen lung was a primitive underwater rebreather used before and during World War II by American submariners as emergency escape gear. The Momsen lung was invented by Charles B. Momsen . Submariners would train in a 100-foot deep escape training tower using this apparatus...

", for which he received the Distinguished Service Medal in 1929. In May 1939, Momsen directed the rescue of the crew of Squalus

USS Sailfish (SS-192)

USS Sailfish , a , was originally named Squalus.Her keel was laid on 18 October 1937 by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, as Squalus, the only ship of the United States Navy named for the squalus. She was launched on 14 September 1938 sponsored by Mrs. Thomas C...

 (SS-192).
Momsen entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1914, but he was ejected due to a widespread cheating scandal during the spring of his first year there.