I was aboard Trigger that day and my emergency station was in the CO's state room and was responsible the manual ballast tank control in the CO's room. We made 3 or 4 ascents that day the first ones from 100 feet. They went very well. The last ascent (almost for all of us) was from 300 feet and as we came up the boat started listing back and forth as we rose. more and more with each list. We had pitch running from the garbage disposal in the floor of the after battery and the gyro tumbled as I could hear the alarm.
We had a fantastic skipper on the TRIGGER and he made "Submarine-Balloonists" certificates and passed them out to the crew. I still have mine with the Naval half dolphin and half wing shoeing the Trigger upon a clout of air, proudly displayed in my office.
The Submarine rescue vessel was standing by on the surface that day and supposedly took photos of our surfacing. I would love to have seen those photos.
I don't know what the actual angle of list was but I know when we surfaced my right foot was on the bulkhead above the skippers bunk to stand level at the time.
I don't know what actually happened in the control room during the ascent but many rumors were being passed around.
Fenton Wells