Ed Kaminskas clearly remembers how a crewmate saved his life aboard the U.S.S. Batfish.

Assigned to the Batfish from 1955 to 1957, Kaminskas was in the aft (back) battery compartment when he heard a sound no submariner wants to hear: rushing water.

“I looked in the next compartment where there was a four-inch porthole, and all I could see was water,” he said.

Kaminskas, 70, of Grand Rapids, Mich., said the area was sealed off while a man named Clyde “Junior” Boley went to work. The 17-foot-diameter compartment filled with five feet of water, but Boley repaired the leak.

The problem could have sunk the sub and killed everyone aboard. Kaminskas gets emotional when he remembers the man who saved his life.

“I would not be here today if not for Junior Boley,” he said. “That was in civilian times. If you take that and project it to World War II when the Japanese were specifically trying to kill them (submariners), that drama is multiplied many more times.”

As reunion coordinator, Kaminskas has brought together approximately 75 former submariners and their families this week. Most are staying at the Azalea Inn on U.S. 69, where they plan a Friday night banquet.

“I went into the U.S. Navy a boy and came out a man,” he said. “That is true for so many of these guys. The crew was very interdependent on each other.”

One important part of the annual reunion is a memorial ceremony Saturday morning. It will take place at the U.S.S. Batfish Museum and War Memorial. Park Manager Rick Dennis said the ceremony is very moving.

“They’ll have a short speech, tolling of the bell and post a flag for each of the 52 submarines lost at sea,” he said. “That will be followed by a prayer, then the playing of ‘Taps.’”

The week-long reunion is an important time for those who served at sea and their families.

“For the vets, it’s a time to get together in friendship, catch up on what is going on in their lives, and see the old boat,” he said.

Dennis said he looks forward to the annual reunion and ceremony.

“This year they’re working on the deck a little,” he said. “They share their experiences on the boat, tell old war stories about what they did and how they interacted with each other.”