Navy photos of Submarine USS San Francisco in Dry Dock (you won't believe the extent of damage!)

U.S. Navy ^

[Boot Hill]

The amount of damage is simply staggering!

That this boat ever made it back to port is a tribute to its designers, builders, and especially to the crew and captain. How does America keep finding men like these?

High resolution version here

High resolution version here

[LibertarianInExile]

It's not a Trident. That I'm pretty sure about. Somewhere I think it was id'ed as 688-class. But I'm not 100% sure about that.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Wow. Praise God they didn't sink.

[Eaker]

"Blue-Tarp Rule"!!!

[Long Cut]

All I'm pointing out is that the review will find ANYTHING that the skipper could have done differently and make it an issue. You know as well as I do that the Navy isn't known for forgiveness with these things.

Heck, look at the number of CO's that have been relieved recently. I've seen reports posted here at least a dozen times since 2002. Most were a LOT less than a nearly-totaled boat and twenty injured with one killed.

[Robert A Cook PE]

One image of the sub's track showed "reported discolored water" in an area "near" (6-10 miles) the sub's tract. This was surrounded by a dashed circle - no soundings, no location, no date, no information other than that.

But the soundings AROUND that area were 6000+ feet - so why suspect a mountain - if the map-makers COULDN'T even "draw" the place where one "might" be.

It's be like flying at 15,000 feet over Kansas City without oxygen because somebody in Denver reported "high mountains" nearby. But that person didn't say whether those mountains were near the east border or west border of Colorado.

[WildTurkey]

Try attaching a broomstick to the front of your boat (underwater at the bow), and then running at 30+ knots .....

We went into the yards way back when to get the latest; the trailing sonar tail. Only thing, it was not retractable. Our skipper was peeved. As soon as we left Hawaii, he told took the Conn and rigged for angles and dangles. On our next routine transmission, we informed Fleet that we had "lost" our tail and we proceded on for our WestPac.

[Paul_Denton]

I agree. A true testamanent to how our boats are designed and how our crews are trained. The Kursk lost its sonar dome and sank.

[spokeshave]

Could rebuild the entire front end for "covert operations"

[WildTurkey]

All I'm pointing out is that the review will find ANYTHING that the skipper could have done differently and make it an issue. You know as well as I do that the Navy isn't known for forgiveness with these things.

A good statement. But I was taking on your absolutes that he was not operating prudently.

[Paul_Denton]

I haven't heard too much about this story. How did the sub hit the underwater mountain? Is the captain facing charges?

I hope he will not face charges. That he and his crew saved the ship and themselves AND got it back to port is nothing short of heroic and he deserves the Medal of Honor for it.

[Southack]

"Try attaching a broomstick to the front of your boat (underwater at the bow), and then running at 30+ knots ..... Can't be done."

Can't be easily done passively, my friend...

...But we're Americans. We can do things, actively.

The boat herself has plenty of electrical juice. Run a cable to a small, electrically powered craft that remains some distance ahead of the boat herself.

Let the lead "curb feeler" ram uncharted mountains, and by so doing, give a ballast-blowing computer time to save American lives back in the trailing boat.

[MississippiMan]

I don't think Michael has much of a nose left. I think he has to rebuild it with putty and rubber every morning.

MM

[Long Cut]

"... and WE always won!"

If it makes you happy...:)

Hey, BTW, I'm not looking to start a flame war here, or a "bubblehead vs. Aircrew" thing. I'm just posting my opinions, FWIW.

You guys do some extraordinary things. I've always been glad that the Russians were never half as good. Or quiet. The workouts you give us are always a real challenge.

[Paul_Denton]

Why?..they're all modular construction....just cut off the nose section..add a new one..

Yes that is true. I just hope the ship is indeed repaired though.

[WildTurkey]

A few months doesn't make you an expert FReeper either.

I got more hours sleeping at the "panel" in a nuclear sub than you have posting on FR!

[Robert A Cook PE]

Right: Battleship bows have lights. A couple of power cords, and noting else but empty space for the goat locker (er, bosun's locker) and anchor chain space.

Swapping bows would mean removing the ENTIRE combat suite, and some 12,000 cables and several thousand more high air, hydraulic, water, oil, and EMBT blow and vent piping from BOTH sub's, then rebuilding and reconnecting ALL OF THEM (and re-retesting them again!) in the rebuilt boat.

Not practical, unless some admiral has more money than sense. Or is told to do so by some politician with more tax money than sense.

[Fitzcarraldo]

IMO we'd better chart the entire area around Guam well. The Chinese were snooping around a few months ago and if their charts are better than ours a "cat and mouse" game could result in another incident like this.

[ChefKeith]

525' IIRC

[WildTurkey]

If this was a normal transit route employed by numerouse submarines previously (heck, maybe the SF had done it before)

This statement proves that you have not read the previous threads.

What is incorrect?

[bobbyd]

ping