Trapped in a "metal coffin" on the ocean floor
When the Peruvian submarine Pacocha crashed and plunged 42 metres down to the seabed with 22 sailors inside, it was First Lieutenant Roger Cotrina Alvarado's job to save his crew.
In 1988, after colliding with a fishing trawler at the surface, the Peruvian submarine Pacocha sank to the bottom of the Pacific ocean. With 22 men trapped inside, with no water, a fire on board and depleting oxygen, First Lieutenant Roger Cotrina Alvarado was determined to save his crew. An escape plan was hatched, but getting out of the submarine was only the first step - they still had to find a way to make the 42-metre ascent to the surface.
Presented by Clayton Conn
Produced by Clayton Conn and Mariana Des Forges
Interpreter: Martin Esposito
Picture: Collage of photographs of the Pacocha, crew, the submarine and Roger Cotrina Alvarado
Credit: all photos courtesy of Roger Cotrina Alvarado
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