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

[tridentguy]

How does America keep finding men like these?

America doesn't find them, they are America.

Really hard to say whether or not SF will be scrapped. USS La Jolla brushed up against another sub and was soon thereafter decommed and scrapped. A detailed inspection will be necessary to determine whether or not it's feasible to retain her. I was on a trident, so I'm not up on 688 design. It does appear that at least one of the MBTs maybe be functionally intact. I know that the Ohios had specs on how much of a compartment (there were four) could be flooded and still surface. Nothing was ever said about vented ballast tanks though.

[IMRight]

Don't even need a new parts. Just pull em off the old boats at Puget Sound. That's my old boat USS Omaha (SSN-693) next to the hull of the Long Beach. Same class as San Francisco.

I didn't realize we had 688s in mothballs already. Might it not be a better idea to take the intact boat and bring her back in to service?

Or better yet, just delay the retirement of another boat that would have been replaced by a 774?

[Boot Hill]

That's a great grand daughter story, although I suspect she learned that word from you!   J

The only time in my wife's entire 64 years of moral and upstanding life that she ever used the "F" word, was many years ago when our precocious little red-headed son finally got the best of her one day. NOBODY has ever let either of them forget this fact. Today, that boy is a former Marine, college grad, father of two, husband of one and second to none.

--Boot Hill

[SS Guy]

Still, we lost only a small percentasge of engineers due to slipping off into the water.

While in new construction at EB there were a number of yardbirds that died while we were under construction. 3 died in the after trim tank from a explosion and fire, (they had to cut the pressure hull away th get the bodies out), and one slid off the turtleback when he went aft without a lifeline to put vent cover on #7 MBT vent. We were in the floating drydock at the time. He fell 30+ feet to the FDD deck. He lived for 2 weeks before dieing from his injuries.

There was another yardbird that died when he drove a mobile crane into the only overhead powerline in the yard. He would have been fine if he'd just sat there but he tried to jump out of the cab and fried himself.

SS Guy

[IMRight]

You know what? Now that I look at it... the Long Beach is prettier like this. That was one ugly silhouette.

[Vicki]

Can't believe they made it back. Incredible!

[SS Guy]

...and demand that seat belts be installed in all subs!

Subs do have seat belts that the helm and planesmen use when on watch. You are required to strap yourself in when you have the watch at those stations.

SS Guy

[JasonC]

"Right full rudder"

[Blueflag]

FWIW, that's the anechoic tiles buckling, not necessarily the 'hull'. Nonetheless, the frame is bent ...

It's not like the Cole.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[atomic_dog]

True but the Long Beach was never mistaken for something else. Maybe they could take that hull and refit her as a "low profile stealth cruiser."

[NCC-1701]

A couple of questions. 1. Looking at the high res version, there are a lot shuttle-like tiles jarred lose arounf the bow. Are they some sort of sonar-absorbant material? 2. Is the damaged area, is it accessable by the crew under normal conditions? Newport News builds some tough boats. Can you imagine the reactions of the workers in dry dock when they finally saw the damage. Even the most hardened among them had to be in awe. After the collision, they sub had to have surfaced and some divers sent to have a look. Just amazing they made it to port.

[SS Guy]

Unfortunately the LA class boats have only 2 compartments, Forward and aft!

We had 5 on the nuc and 8 on the diesel boat.

SS Guy

[WildTurkey]

That's a great grand daughter story, although I suspect she learned that word from you!

Reread the last sentence. MOM confessed. She got it from her mom. We guess that maybe she was not all that happy to be leaving us!

[dancusa]

General Characteristics: Awarded: August 1, 1975
Keel laid: May 26, 1977
Launched: October 27, 1979
Commissioned: April 24, 1981
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va.
Propulsion system: one nuclear reactor
Propellers: one
Length: 360 feet (109.73 meters)
Beam: 33 feet (10 meters)
Draft: 32,15 feet (9.8 meters)
Displacement: Surfaced: approx. 6,100 tons Submerged: approx. 6,900 tons
Speed: Surfaced: approx. 15 knots Submerged: approx. 32 knots
Armament: four 533 mm torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes, Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles
Cost: approx. $900 million
Homeport: Apra Harbor, Guam
Crew: 12 Officers, 115 Enlisted

[razorback-bert]

bookkmark

[RightWhale]

If you slide off the back of the boat into the water that's one thing, but sitting up in drydock is a long way down to concrete. I am surprised we don't lose more. Almost lost one on our shift; actually he could have taken 2 or 3 with him real easy.

[mylife]

Yes I did

They are lucky only one salior died

They were scooting

[atomic_dog]

The Electrical Operator and Reactor Operator have them in Maneuvering but I don't ever recall putting one on - even during "angles and dangles."

[SS Guy]

How does America keep finding men like these?

Only 1% of all that try to get into submarines make it and become "Qualified in Submarines" the rest flunk out or can't pass the testing!

"No matter where you travel, when you meet a guy who's been... There's an instant kind of friendship 'cause we're brothers of the 'phin." (Robert Reed, USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656)

SS Guy