Nurse in Research — Helene Chambers Schellenberg

Andrea Chandler was staking more than her life when she volunteered as the first female member of Dr. Karl Meyers' underwater research team. An accomplished scuba diver as well as a competent cardiac nurse, Andrea had broken her engagement with dark-eyed Brad Johnson over just the principle that she now had an opportunity to prove. It was the pretty nurse's firm conviction that women could tolerate the pressures of life at the bottom of the sea -- or anywhere else -- as well as men.

Boyishly good-looking Karl Meyers had gained fame for his research in the field of human survival underwater. Based at Seaside Laboratory in Southern California, it was Dr. Meyers' assignment to conduct a team of seven during a month-long sojourn in a circular steel bathyscaphe. Energetic and idealistic, Karl was enthusiastic over Andrea's participation.

She was encouraged by his friendly interest, for not all of the male team members welcomed her presence aboard Sea House. Elderly Dr. Harrison was especially antagonistic toward Andrea and persistently attempted to curtail her role in the mission. Even Ted Stewart, the handsome photographer covering the voyage for LIFESTYLE magazine, seemed to treat her with more amusement than respect.

But when Dr. Harrison suffered a heart attack on the ocean floor and Karl Meyers turned to Andrea for guidance, she knew she was facing the acid test of her fitness for the mission.