Posted on 01/27/2005 8:29:43 PM PST by neverdem
The Navy yesterday released photographs of the shredded bow of a nuclear submarine that ran into an undersea mountain earlier this month, and officials said they were still assessing the extent of the damage.
The photos were taken once the submarine, the San Francisco, limped back to Guam after smashing into the mountain, which was not on its navigational charts. The photos show that the head-on crash 500 feet below the ocean's surface destroyed a sonar dome that formed the submarine's nose and peeled back part of the outer hull.
The accident, which killed one sailor and injured 60 others, occurred on Jan. 8 about 360 miles southeast of Guam. Navy officials said the submarine's crew had to take emergency measures to blast to the surface and then keep the vessel afloat.
The submarine's stronger inner hull, which protects the crew's living and working spaces, held firm, preventing a possible disaster.
Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet, said yesterday that the sonar dome, made of fiberglass, shattered in the crash and that parts of the dome were hanging loosely when the submarine returned to port.
He said the dome, which carries sonar gear, is normally flooded with water, adding that the water there, along with water in the vessel's forward ballast tanks, probably helped cushion the blow and keep the inner hull intact.
Norman Polmar, an author and analyst on Navy issues, agreed that the water, which fills the tanks when a submarine dives, "certainly would have protected and cushioned the inner hull and the crew inside."
The photos also show two doors that shuttered torpedo hatches. Commander Davis said they held and did not flood. In taking the photos, he said, the Navy placed a tarpaulin over the remaining sonar gear because the technology is classified.
Commander Davis also said no decision had been made about repairing the submarine or what that might cost.
The San Francisco, an attack submarine, was commissioned in 1981. Its nuclear reactor, which was not damaged, was refueled in 2002 during a $200 million overhaul meant to extend the vessel's life.
After the crash, sailors had to run an air blower for 30 hours to limit the water pouring in through holes in the forward ballast tanks and keep the vessel from sinking too low to maneuver.
Navy officials have said the San Francisco was traveling at high speed, more than 30 knots, when the crash occurred. They have reassigned its captain while investigators determine whether he bears any blame.
Military officials have said that the submarine's main chart was prepared in 1989 and did not show any potential hazards within three miles of the crash site. Satellite images taken since then show the wedge-shaped outline of the undersea mountain. But officials have said the agency that prepared the charts had never had the resources to use the satellite data to improve them.
Also yesterday, Kent D. Lee, the chief executive of East View Cartographic Inc., a map company based in Minneapolis, said Russian Navy charts indicate more hazards in that part of the ocean than were on the American charts, though they also fail to show the undersea mountain.
Mr. Lee said the Russian charts have been available for five years. He said one of the Russian charts noted that the area where the crash occurred had been "insufficiently surveyed." It also warned: "Cautionary measures should be taken when sailing."
"The sub survived hitting a mountain 500 feet deep, going in excess of 30 knots. Makes me proud to be an American. Our boat yards really know how to put them together."
DITTO THAT!
Thanks for the ping.
Gosh, that looks pretty bad... But it looks like we make these subs very well if the inner hull didn't crack after crashing into a mountain at 30 miles per hour.
Thank God only one sailor died (and prayers for his family). It looks like it should have been much worse.
Damn... THAT left a mark.
Have you got a source for that because there has been a lot of speculation about his future, including that he would be deemed responsible.
There is this:
Skipper of submarine San Francisco relieved of command
Which contains this:
Cmdr. Ike Skelton, a spokesman, said Mooney was effectively relieved but that the permanence of the move or any punitive action would depend on how the investigation into the mishaps cause turns out.
No I don't, I heard it on FOX News, they said his charts did not have the mountain mapped on his chharts. Please forgive me if I heard it wrong.
I dunno either, although the oceans are FRICKIN HUGE. My friend is a geology PhD student and maps ocean floors and whatnot -- she says the mount they struck is on all the maps the scientific folks have. The Navy has come knocking asking to share data now. I told her I blame her for the accident.
You don't really play hide and seek at 30 knots.
Navy Says Sub Hit Mountain That Was Not on Its Charts
And I think there is discusion regarding whether that fact might lead to your conclusion.
But the Navy guys, say not so fast.....The skipper of a Boat or a Ship is held responsible for what happens....
Thanks, I knew I had heard that. Is there any final decisions that have come down?
Since you are relatively new here, and have not read my posts over the last 5-6 years, I will be kind.
There is no one, NO ONE, more supportive and caring for the military (and also children). Do a search on my screen name and you will see. I do have family and friends in the military.
To assume that I am more concerned about the ship then the men is idiotic and is representative of liberal thinking.
If we do not find out how one of the most technologically advanced creations in the world could supposedly slam into an underground mountain, then the possibility exists that this could happen again and more lives could be lost in a future accident.
Your thinking is flawed and I now know to read your futures posts knowing that you are the type of person to jump to conclusions at a superficial level.
Enjoy DU and Have a nice day!!!!
So are American lives.
When my Dad was a destroyer commander in WWII, he gave orders to re-route that ship to pick up downed pilots. It cost thousands to reroute course to pick up our airmen. Further, the rendezvous was at risk, so he had to steam at greater knots for the rendezvous to reconnoiter with the battle group.
If he had stayed in for another year, he'd have been an Admiral. My Dad was a leader of men, defended America, but was not interested in a 30 year career in the Navy. As it turned out, our steel company delivered hundreds of thousands of tons of steel to Bath, ME Brooklyn, NY, and Electric Boat, CT shipyards.
Rule of thumb here, remember, there are a lot of us old farts who have been down many roads, and many personal and accurate historical stories and events to relate.
IMOHO
C'mon cobra. You have been here since 2001. You have read my posts and know where I stand when it comes to the military personel.
Do I have to now preface every post with disclaimers?
Maybe. Next time I should post:
"The American military lives that were lost are irreplaceable, and we should find out how this happened so as to avoid this kind of loss in the future. This equipment costs billions and to just run into a underground mountain suggests the technology is flawed."
Is that okay with you?
What flaw do you see? From what I can see the subs don't need technical improvement. They just need better maps.
What was the Dodge van doing running into submerged mountains?
Thanks for posting the image. I can't think of anything much scarier than being 500 feet under water, feeling a stop cause by impact, that incredible shudder that runs through the ship, and hearing over the com that the ship is taking on water. Sorry for the one loss, but with this level of damage, thank God most of them made it back.
There is a troll, and I may have clicked on the incorrect target recipient.
I apologize to you, no maliciousness intended.
Regards.
Mark Davis
Again, I am truly sorry.
Wow! It's amazing that anyone survived.
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