With lives in peril, captain brings calm

When the submarine started sinking rapidly, I was on duty. I can recall how nervous I was at that time because the vessel continued to sink for about 10 seconds even though Senior Captain Wang Hongli, commander of our flotilla and mission leader, had ordered all ballast tanks to be blown.

The submarine became suspended in the deep water and then began to surface very quickly.

After three hours of repairs, we submerged again, but all the men still had the jitters. However, I saw Wang was still smiling when he gave orders to us. He told us we would overcome all the difficulties and he would make sure every submariner was safe and sound.