Posted on 01/08/2005 3:19:47 AM PST by 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
Did you read posts 949, 952, and 956? It appears that it is too soon to assign responsibility or to question anyone's training.
949 "My son said the charts showed open country for clear sailing. The senior people are really beating themselves up over what went wrong. And the crew is also concerned for the Captain, XO, Navigator,etc. He hopes everything will turn out good for them."
952 "He also told me of the detailed navagational charts that indicated clear sailing."
956 " . . . I know it's human nature to speculate but I have read the previous posts and they are way off.
"Third, CDR. Mooney is a Capt in the finest sense of the word. No matter what happens, He is MY Captain!"
I agree, SSGuy - HOOOYAH San Francisco!!
Has the subs' depth at the point of impact been posted already? Just curious and dont want to go through nearly 1000 posts to find out. Please and Thank You.
I know this is two days late, but I hope your son is doing okay. I will be praying for him and the crew and their families tonight.
"Has the subs' depth at the point of impact been posted already? Just curious and dont want to go through nearly 1000 posts to find out."
The Navy will not release the information. The father of a reactor operator on the San Francisco (srobin) said in post 922 that the boat was at depth. He may have more information in his other posts.
I know what you mean about not wanting to go through all the posts. I've spent most of the day reading the posts. My son was on the San Francisco with srobin's son and I'm concerned for the crew members.
No and I'd be pretty shocked if it is released, although I, too, am curious about it.
Those of us who wear dolphins (and those who love us) take it personally anytime something happens to a submarine, especially when a submariner dies. I have pictures from a memorial for the Kursk that was held on USS Pampanito.
It is fortunate that most of the Crew made it back. Most often, all of the Crew returns or none of it does. That is the nature of Submarining.
It's still way too early for those of us without any of the facts to be assigning fault, especially about a lack of training. I have conversed with Captain Mooney on other Submarine Boards, and I would be proud to go to sea with him. Nevertheless, his career as a Submarine Commander is probably over. That would be unfornate, but that is the nature of Command.
Thank you for the response. If the sub was " at depth," I have a pretty good idea what that was. CANT even imagine major collision at that speed and at depth. God Bless the crew.
This article cites Navy sources and includes speed, depth and a statement that it was an "uncharted" feature.
NBC: Damaged sub hit undersea ‘mound’
1 crewman killed, 23 injured in incident south of Guam
By NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski and wire services
Updated: 2:25 p.m. ET Jan. 10, 2005
WASHINGTON - NBC News has obtained dramatic new details about the accident involving the U.S. Navy submarine San Francisco over the weekend that killed one sailor and injured 23 others.
Navy officials say the Los Angeles class submarine was cruising at approximately 40 mph at a depth of 525 feet Saturday when it slammed into an undersea "mound" about 350 miles southeast of Guam.
The impact of the collision slowed the 7,000-ton submarine from 40 mph to about 5 mph in an instant. Everyone standing on the bridge was violently thrown forward, NBC News was told. The crew member who died suffered fatal head injuries.
Immediately after the collision, the sub made an "emergency blow," or rapid ascent to the surface. It was during an emergency blow exercise that the U.S. submarine Greenville collided with a Japanese fishing boat, which then sunk off the coast of Hawaii, killing nine of 35 passengers.
The nose of the submarine, which contains the sub's sensitive sonar system, was destroyed. Despite the catastrophic collision, the inner hull of the sub remained intact, and the San Francisco limped into Guam. Had the inner hull been penetrated in the collision, Navy officials say the extreme pressure at 525 feet below sea level would have almost immediately crushed the sub.
Navy officials say the sub's commander said the San Francisco collided with an "uncharted" mound that would have been invisible to the sub's crew if they were running silently — without using underwater sonar. Some officials say, however, that the usual underwater sea lanes used by U.S. submarines have been fully charted and it's not clear why the sub, which was apparently in transit from Guam to Australia, would have been operating in waters that were not adequately charted.
It was unclear if the sub was traveling in a routine sea lane for submarines, which would have been thoroughly charted.
Navy investigators will have to determine the exact location and cause of the accident.
The dead man was identified by the Navy as Machinist Mate 2nd Class Joseph Allen Ashley, 24, of Akron, Ohio. He died Sunday of injuries he received in the accident, said Jon Yoshishige, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Honolulu.
There were no reports of damage to the USS San Francisco’s reactor plant, but the extent of damage to the 360-foot submarine would be determined after an investigation of its hull, Yoshishige said. The vessel reached port under its own power.
The San Francisco is one of three submarines based on Guam.
Located west of the international date line, Guam is a U.S. territory about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6801642/
We referred to the equipment implemented to prevent recurrence as the "Drawdy strap" and the "Cody clip" in honor of the root causes...
You bet.
Yeah, I always felt better having those two Marotta valves there on top of the Christmas Tree myself.
I'm deeply thankful that both your sons are okay, and prayers continue for the rest of the families of San Francisco, especially those of MM2(SS) Ashley
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Thanks bob for the info. That is quite a bit deeper than I was thinking.
What an impact ping.
That sounds about right since they were running a flank bell (provided the speed estimate is halfway accurate). That's about in the middle of the operating envelope for that speed.
I like that the vessel made it to port under it's own power.
But no boats for me, thanks. I'll stay up on the land. I operate better there.
Please add me to your ping list.
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