Nuclear Submarine Runs Aground South of Guam

The Associated Press ^ | Jan 8, 2005 | The Associated Press

[Jet Jaguar]

HONOLULU (AP) - A nuclear submarine ran aground about 350 miles south of Guam, injuring several sailors, one of them critically, the Navy said.

There were no reports of damage to the USS San Francisco's reactor plant, which was operating normally, the Navy said.

Jon Yoshishige, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, said the Friday afternoon incident is under investigation and the 360-foot submarine was headed back to its home port in Guam.

Details on the sailors' injuries were not immediately available. The sub has a crew of 137, officials said.

Military and Coast Guard aircraft from Guam were en route to monitor the submarine and assist if needed, the Navy said.

Guam is a U.S. territory about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.

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On the Net:

U.S. Pacific Fleet: http://www.cpf.navy.mil

AP-ES-01-08-05 0343EST

[IMRight]

Thank you very much!! I have saved that for future use!

My pleasure.

The other services have come up with their own versions over the years (see the link)... but they're mostly cheap imitations of the real thing...

...Kinda like the Army itself?

Well..... that's not appropriate on this thread. Perhaps another time.

Go Navy! Beat Army! 42-13

[WildTurkey]

No. In a pressurized water reactor the seawater does not come in contact with the reactor. No China Syndrome here. If they are steaming back to Guam the reactor is okay. Godspeed them on their way.

IF the reactor is not cooled (the only medium for cooling is seawater) then reactor damage can occur. Nuclear Engineering 101.

[Coldwater Creek]

Praying for your son. One of our boys is an officer on a carrier.

[WSGilcrest]

no, but.... mash this

[WildTurkey]

SINS is no longer in use. It was last used on the 637 Class and was replaced in 92-93 with ESGN (electrically suspended gyro navigation)

I was brand new on a 637 class and we were about to get underway. A veteran 2nd class asked me to go with him to finish the PM's. We got to the SINS cabinet and he started to open it. I questioned him since there was a warning label on the door. He said no problem, he had done this all the time (in port). As soon as he opened the door, we heard a %$#)*()*{. Censored for family audience.

[Quix]

Ahhhhh. and the helmsman or Captain is expected to know the precise locations of all such stones on that coast?

[NilesJo]

but that doesn't mean we have to act like A-holes too.
Some of us are not acting.

LOL....too good!

[IonImplantGuru]

When a sub runs aground with a water-cooled nuclear reactor, doesn't the reactor's cooling system start sucking mud into the reactor instead of sea water? I'm pretty sure mud doesn't have the same heat transfer and flow characteristics as sea water. I suspect there is a downplay of the threat to the reactor in this article.

To allay your suspicions:

1. The cooling water (not directly connected to the reactor!) intakes are at the aft (rear) end of the boat; they ran into something with the pointy end (bow).

2. The intakes are NOT on the bottom, but rather 'up the sides' quite aways - visualize viewing the sub from aft; the seawater intakes would be at about 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock on the stbd and port sides respectively.

3. The intakes are located as in 2 above precisely to avoid your scenario.

- Ex-submarine nuke RO (reactor operator)

[WildTurkey]

In the case of the boat, we struck a growler with our attack scope coming to PD. Bent the scope into a pretzel, and dented the sail pretty nicely.

We lost our #2 scope. Fortunately, it jammed when the OOD went "down scope".

[Elle Bee]

when a plate moves there is more than one side

.

[CenturionM]

Seven years Navy nuke (qualified Engineer), 12 years commercial nuke operations (licensed Senior Reactor Operator). Thanks for that little tidbit, though. Never would have thought of that. </sarcasm>

[Cuttnhorse]

You're no Navy man. You run aground, you're fired. Period. I saw it happen often in Vietnam with LST's.

You are so right.
I was on Swift Boats, (was there an entire year...no multiple Purple Hearts) and we ran aground returning to base from patrol. As I reall it was our first patrol without a trainer and wouldn't you know it, we took the wrong passage between two islands and stuck hard in sand. The worst thing was the Coast Guard had to pull us off.
The only damage was we bent one of the two shafts, but you would have thought we ran a carrier into the rocks and it sunk with all hands. The crew spent a week in Saigon being grilled and giving depositions. The OIC was not relieved of command, but was repremanded and was not allowed to re-up after his tour.

Yep, the US Navy does not look kindly upon its skippers who touch bottom; bottoms either.

[thombo]

I wonder how the msm is going to report this? They're still obsessed with the tsunami + all the snafus happening with the relief effort.

[fastattacksailor]

ohhhh Yes!

the brass most certainly frowns on that. I asked an old skipper (waaaaay back when I was a newly qualed QM3) what the secret to a sucessful command tour was. His Answer was priceless:

"Avoid cleaning your bottom on a rockpile!"

[Barnacle]

Ping

[fastattacksailor]

"You left out the part about flooding the trunk before opening the upper hatch."


NOT a part you wanna forget!

[IonImplantGuru]

When were you aboard Seahorse?

Plank owner; from launch at EB in mid '68, through commisioning and shakedown cruise. Left in Feb 70.

Based on context, I think you were on her later, correct?

[hedgetrimmer]

Here's a file photo of the sub

[IonImplantGuru]

On the sub note....any ping list here for ex or current submariners????

Doo, here's someone who wants on the list.

Vike, we decided early in the thread we need a bubblehead ping list... Doohickey 'volunteered' (heh heh).

[IMRight]

1. The cooling water (not directly connected to the reactor!) intakes are at the aft (rear) end of the boat; they ran into something with the pointy end (bow).

Thanks for your service!

For the record... the "back end" of a 688 is "pointier" than the "part in the front".