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

U.S. Navy ^

[WildTurkey]

Some good thoughts. You might want to add that the move up for a sub skipper is very limited anyway.

[Doohickey]

Nah, she's first light. 721 was the first second flight boat.

[Paul_Denton]

However, the compartmentalization was never perfect and has gotten worse with newer designs.

How is that? more penetrations through the bulkheads?

[TChris]

How does America keep finding men like these?

We don't find 'em, we make 'em.

[thoughtomator]

What's the difference between the USS San Francisco and Michael Jackson? The nose of the USS San Francisco might be repairable!

[Popman]

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

I don't know jack about submarine construction, but I seriously doubt these subs are built with a modular design concept.

The bulk head is probably modular for safety reasons, but the guts are probably integrated assembly.

Of course I could be 100% wrong.

[Robert A Cook PE]

The "white scrathes/scarred surface" and brown residue is from the bottom. Nothing in the MBT's is that color.

Sonar dome internal vertical and frames/ribs/plates are light green.

[VeniVidiVici]

No, we will sell it to the Canadians.

LOL! That's right! The Canadians! They'll buy anything!

I heard they were even negotiating with the Russians for the Kursk.

[Robert A Cook PE]

The "circles" of the pressure hull fames , and "some" of the internal eqpt and suspended platforms are capable of being pre-fabbed on these old 688's, more on the newer class of boats.

Once the boat is together, it's all hand-carried piece by piece by piece by nut and bolt and wire and connector: bigger parts go in suspended by chainfall to chainfall.

[Paul_Denton]

I thought the same as you re: hit at an angle. This makes me wonder if it really hit a geologic formation of some type. It suggests the possibility of another sub. I doubt we'll ever know. If she hit an undersea mountain, then I think she hit at 55-70 degree angle. How?

Well US subs NEVER use active sonar unless they are spotted by the enemy. So there is no way they could have "seen" the seamount.

[Robert A Cook PE]

There's only one watertight bulkhead in the 688. Spilts the boat in half just in front of the reator.

That's it.

Either the front dies, the back dies, or they both die.

[Doohickey]

I'd be proud to call them my shipmates.

...some men have greatness thrust upon them....

[Fitzcarraldo]

" So there is no way they could have "seen" the seamount."

What if a foreign chased sub knew the seamount was there, knew that our charts were deficient and led us in.

[WildTurkey]

BTW, Wild Turkey is my favorite whiskey. When you come back on two engines after a long hop in bad weather, there's nothing that takes the chill off like it. On Keflavik deployments, there was always a bottle or two in my barracks room. Fly a 13-hour mission up North in winter, at 300 feet in a storm with the heater broke. A wee dram after debrief was an absolute necessity.

It must have been nice to have a barracks room to keep yours in. I had to use the shoe locker! Seriously, as a private pilot, I have full understanding of flying in inclement weather. I had to leave a Piper in Mobile because of weather and rent a car to go to New Orleans. I called the "duty" pilot of our club and he said to come pick him up and we would go get the plane. As we left NO we had to slow to less than 30 mph on the bridge due to the weather. I voice some doubt but he said no problem. BTW, he had like about 10k hours in Navy jets). We got the plane and he let me take it into NO (Lake Front, I think INTL was closed for landings) with less than 1/4 mile visibility. The plane ahead of us started his approach and radioed that he was waving off and heading to another airport. We went in "high" and found the runway, radioed that we were going around and then came in for a perfect landing. After catching my breath, we heard the tower call in a very concerned voice (Piper ....) where are you?

[WildTurkey]

There's only one watertight bulkhead in the 688. Spilts the boat in half just in front of the reator. That's it. Either the front dies, the back dies, or they both die.

I think that if one floods the other will follow to the bottom!

[Robert A Cook PE]

We were in the PR Op area training with CVN-xx ...

Got close enough to hear the catapult launching each A/C as they looked for us. (Torpedo range is past-horizon/)

Only time they found us was when the CO stayed on the radio with scope and BRA-34 raised talking to the aircraft and "steering" left and right until he was overhead.

[Charlespg]

whew!!

[Smartass]

Great Pics.   It's a wonder she didn't sink.   The Captain and crew must be given credit for bringing her back in the shape she was in.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Here, if the fwd MBT's couldn't hold air - if they'ed ben ripped on both sides, instead of just port, the boat would have "tipped down" and taken the pressure hull with it. Aft MBT's couldn't keep even the stern up, becasue their air would have got out the holes underneath.

They "might" have been able to stay submerged & travel using planes to keep trim with the MBT's flooded, but couldn't have surfaced and stay up!

[miele man]

Uh, the USS Catfish?