U.S. nuclear sub runs aground in Pacific, 20 sailors injured

AP ^ | 01/08/05 | AP

[Pikamax]

U.S. nuclear sub runs aground in Pacific, 20 sailors injured 11:00 PM EST Jan 08 HONOLULU (AP) - A nuclear submarine ran aground Saturday 563 kilometres south of Guam, injuring about 20 sailors and sustaining severe damage, the U.S. navy said.

There were no reports of damage to the USS San Francisco's reactor plant, which was operating normally, the navy said. One of the sailors suffered critical injuries.

The 110-metre submarine was headed back to its home port in Guam and the incident is under investigation, said Jon Yoshishige, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

He said there was no information yet on what the submarine struck.

The extent of the damage would not be known until the submarine arrived at Guam on Monday, Yoshishige said.

Details on the sailors' injuries were not immediately available but Yoshishige said an initial assessment put the number injured at around 20. The sub has a crew of 137, officials said.

U.S. navy and coast guard aircraft from Guam were sent to monitor the submarine and assist if needed, the navy said.

Located west of the international date line, Guam is a U.S. territory about 6,000 kilometres southwest of Hawaii.

[Pikamax]

someone is getting demoted.

[Mad Mammoth]

'The USS San Francisco'.

Am I the only person to see the irony in this, a nuke sub by that name running aground, which literally means that it tried to bury itself into somewhere it shouldn't go?

And ditto Pikamax, someone sure WILL be demoted, or there is something wrong with the system.

[Taylor42]

How do you run agound in the middle of the Pacific ocean?

Wonder what they really hit?

[holymoly]

Wonder what they really hit?

A Chinese sub?

[GoldenOrchid]

I wonder what Kind of Sub this is? Coould it be an attack sub? If so then it might have hit something other than ground. From what I know these attack subs play chicken with other subs, and they are very fast. But this all depends on what class of sub the Uss Sna Francisco is.

[NorCalRepub]

I'd like to know the same.....commanders of subs are so highly trained I really wonder if there was some type of anomaly out there.......it's not like they surfaced on a poor Japanese fishing boat.......again

[Still Thinking]

I just heard the sound of careers crashing to earth.

[Capriole]

Run aground, hm? Wonder how that could have happened? I don't know about this story. If it's true, somebody's career is over. But it does sound like one of the stories they used to come up with to explain some skirmish between Russian and US subs back during the Cold War.

[Still Thinking]

Yes, typically attack subs have city names. Missile subs are usually states.

[need_a_screen_name]

641 replies to this topic here:


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316627/posts

[DTwistedSisterS]

If they did, they sjhould blown that

---

er out of the water!

[holymoly]

I wonder what Kind of Sub this is? Coould it be an attack sub?

SSN 771. 688 (Los Angeles) class, fast attack.

My guess is there was a game of hide-and-seek.

[GoldenOrchid]

The USS San Francisco attack submarine is designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships. Its other missions include collecting intelligence and delivering special forces to their missions, according to a Navy Web site. The Los Angeles-class submarine is powered by a nuclear reactor and can travel at 23 mph. For more information, visit Uss San Francisco

[j_tull]

600+ posts here:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316627/posts

[GoldenOrchid]

SSN 711 San Francisco
Los Angeles Class
Namesakes
C-5 San Francisco
CA-38 San Francisco
Homeport
Apra Harbor, Guam
Official Homepage
SSN 711 San Francisco

---

USS SAN FRANCISCO (SSN711) was built at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia and was commissioned on 24 April 1981. After initial shakedown operations, the ship joined the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet and transited to its homeport of Pearl Harbor. While enroute, the ship conducted its initial visit to San Francisco, participating in Fleet Week 1981.

During its first operating cycle the ship completed deployments to the Western Pacific in 1982, 1985, and 1986, conducting a variety of operations and exercises as a member of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. The ship conducted independent submarine operations deployed to the Northern Pacific in 1986 and 1988, and earned the coveted Battle Efficiency "E" for Submarine Squadron SEVEN in 1985 and 1988.

During a demanding DEPOT Modernization Period (DMP) at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in 1989-1990, the ship was equipped with the newest and most capable submarine sensor and combat systems and made fully ready to perform the variety of missions assigned to the submarine force.

Following the DMP, SAN FRANCISCO completed sea trials and a series of rigorous certification inspections and returned to the fleet to resume operations. Two highly successful deployments to the Western Pacific were completed in 1992 and 1994 with ports of call in Hong Kong, Singapore, Chinhae, South Korea, Guam, Sasebo, Japan and Yokosuka, Japan. In December 1994, the ship conducted a dependents cruise to Lahaina, Maui.

In January of 1995, SAN FRANCISCO was awarded the 1994 Commander Submarine Squadron SEVEN "T" for excellence in tactical operations. SAN FRANCISCO was also awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its outstanding performance during the WESTPAC deployment in 1994.

USS SAN FRANCISCO was the host ship for the COMSUBPAC Change of Command ceremony on February 23, 1996. From June - December 1996 the ship deployed to the Western Pacific, visiting Yokosuka and Sasebo Japan; Subic Bay Philippines; and Guam USA.

In its life, USS SAN FRANCISCO has carried the pride and charm of its namesake city to the far reaches of the Pacific including: Pattaya, Thailand; Hong King; Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan; Okinawa; Subic Bay, Philippines; Singapore; Guam; Chinhae, Korea; Esquimalt, BC; as well as the stateside ports of Bremerton, Washington; San Diego and San Francisco, California; Lahaina, Maui, and Kona, Hawaii.

The San Francisco arrived at her new home port of Apra, Guam on December 18, 2002.

SSN 711 is the third U.S. Navy fighting ship to carry the name of SAN FRANCISCO.

In early January 2005, the USS San Francisco, while on its way to making a port visit in Australia ran aground and hit the ocean floor, approximately 560 kilometers south of Guam, in the middle of the East Marianas Basin. The incident reportedly caused one critical injury and a number of minor ones to some of the submarine's crew. The submarine resurfaced following the accident and proceeded to return to its homeport of Guam.

[GoldenOrchid]

[steplock]

the jap boat was intentionally in an area it knew was in use for submarine training. They got what they wanted.

[steplock]

yeah --- well you screwed up too and repeated a previous post! Boy, now *I* feel superior!!


To: All
641 replies to this topic here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316627/posts


10 posted on 01/08/2005 10:30:50 PM CST by need_a_screen_name
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[Doohickey]

Thanks. I was about to do the same thing.

[NorCalRepub]

yeah I know but with all the sophisticated equipment and such.....couldn't he have eyeballed the scenario before surfacing