"Spittin’ Dick" Hawes had already become a legend among submariners. He had a reputation of superb loyalty to subordinates and was known for his ingenuity with men and the materials at hand. A special act of Congress elevated him to officer rank on 18 February 1929 in recognition of his salvage feats on submarines and . He had entered the Navy as a Fireman in 1917 and had earned the Navy Cross for distinguished service in salvaging "S-51" in 1925–1926. He later served in several "S-boats", at the New London Submarine Base, became a Master Diver, then joined the staff of SubDiv 4. He commanded submarine salvage ship from 1935–1938, served as Officer in Command of the Submarine Escape Training Tank at the Submarine Base in Hawaii, then took command of "Pigeon" on 12 February 1940.