Aussie sub sinks US warship in first firing of new torpedo

news.com.au ^ | 25th July 2008

[Tailback]

Is this the same torpedo that couldn’t sink that burning ship off of the Oregon coast years ago?

The one where after multiple hits with no sinking they had to put Navy demolitions guys onboard to set charges?

Did this US Navy Warship have an aluminum hull?

[flyfree]

MK 48 Mod 7 advanced-capability common broadband advanced sonar system (CBASS) heavyweight torpedo

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5367/is_200702/ai_n21283719/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

[flyfree]

More on the ship here:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/971.htm

and on the distroyer class here

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/dd-963.htm

[BlessedBeGod]

Well, let’s not make a habit of that. ;-)

[Strategerist]

Is this the same torpedo that couldn’t sink that burning ship off of the Oregon coast years ago?

The New Carissa in 1999? A Mk 48 was used to finish off the ship, after other attempts to sink it failed.

The one where after multiple hits with no sinking they had to put Navy demolitions guys onboard to set charges?

The demo charge attempts were before the torpedo hit, not after.

Did this US Navy Warship have an aluminum hull?

Sprucans had a steel hull, aluminum superstructure.

[Tailback]

Thanks for the links flyfree.

I missed the part in the article about this being the “heavyweight” Mark 48.

Strategerist, I’m surprised that I have it backwards but it really seems like I remember the torpedo having a difficult time sinking the ship. Not doubting you, just my memory of how it worked out. You might have to chalk it up to too much whiskey affecting the brain cells. I’ll have to check on youtube for some footage.

All things considered, that video was scary. That blast lifted the whole ship and obviously broke her back. Very sobering stuff considering what would have happened to the crew if onboard.

[LukeL]

Also there would be a ton of brass and copper in that ship, although I am sure it was gutted before hand.

[Enchante]

I look forward to seeing such results for the Iranian navy, such as it is...... one of these days we ought to put all of their patrol boats and ships (they do have a few, IIRC) on the bottom of the Persian Gulf.

[thinkthenpost]

RIMPAC 2008 saw four Ships go down. Three Spruance destroyers and a Belknap cruiser. The exUSS David R. Ray, Cushing, Fletcher, and Horne are no longer with us.
The 31 ship strong Sprunace class has seen 23 hulls sunk, 4 scrapped, 2 to be sunk, one to be determined (O’Bannon), and one the exUSS Paul F. Foster is the Navy's SDTS-Self Defense Test Ship.
Seems like a shame, hard to send a DDG-51 in when they cost so much, oh well.

[pattaway]

I looked at the photos with a very sad heart. I first saw the Fletcher as piles of steel, aluminum and paper. I was assigned to Fit Spruance watching the Spruance’s being built. I did my two years of shore duty and proceeded to a ship in San Diego all the while swearing I would not take an assignment to any of the last 5 ships of the series. I watched the ship yard move broken parts from one ship, fix that part and reinstall in on the next ship to be delivered. Well, that nice ship in SD got re-homeported to Yokosuka. I would have stayed but I had a wife and 3 kids who did not want to go. I opted for orders off. After listening to the detailer offer me the worst ships in SD he finally offered me the Fletcher. I jumped at it. She was a good ship all my worried about junk equipment were unjust. The shipyard and vendors built all new equipment to replace all the parts damaged and rebuilt. I left 3 years after she was commissioned. Went back for her decom. I wondered what had happened to her now I know. She was the best ship I was on and in my heart always will be.

[pattaway]

I do not know if you got this info.

Ship USS Fletcher DD-992. Ship number 30 of the orginal Spruance Class. Built by Ingalls Ship Division, Litton Industries in Pasagoula, Miss. Commissioned July 1980, Decommissioned October 2004.

[Billthedrill]

My old CO offered me command of a ship like that.

Yeah. After they got through painting the bullseye.

[pattaway]

I do not know if this question was answered but here is the word.

USS Fletcher DD-992 was her name. The last of the orginal thirty Spruance class destroyers. The Kidds hull numbers are DDG-993,4,5 & 6. The Hayler DD-997 was athe last Spruance ordered after the orginal 30. Almost all of the Spruances have been used for target pratice. The Kidds are on least to Tiwian.

[rawcatslyentist]

The two man mini sub was piloted by latest Iranian cartoon rabbit and 7 female sailors”

You've been watching the rabtard channel.

[Doogle]

[rabidralph]

I think it’s the USS John McCain :-)