Posted on 01/08/2005 3:19:47 AM PST by Jet Jaguar
HONOLULU (AP) - A nuclear submarine ran aground about 350 miles south of Guam, injuring several sailors, one of them critically, the Navy said.
There were no reports of damage to the USS San Francisco's reactor plant, which was operating normally, the Navy said.
Jon Yoshishige, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, said the Friday afternoon incident is under investigation and the 360-foot submarine was headed back to its home port in Guam.
Details on the sailors' injuries were not immediately available. The sub has a crew of 137, officials said.
Military and Coast Guard aircraft from Guam were en route to monitor the submarine and assist if needed, the Navy said.
Guam is a U.S. territory about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.
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On the Net:
U.S. Pacific Fleet: http://www.cpf.navy.mil
AP-ES-01-08-05 0343EST
You run aground, you're fired.
Period.
I saw it happen often in Vietnam with LST's.
In civilian life the boss makes a mistake, it costs money, in the military, the boss (CO) makes a mistake, you pay for it with lives.
STROKE-- The capt doesn't drive. sorry.
MALFUNCTION-- The Capt should have known.
SABOTAGE--Nuke submariners are perhaps the most vetted people in the world. Sorry, this isn't a shoe bomber.
CLANDESTINE--We don't order our subs to "clandestingly strike the bottom".
It don't wash. With one sailor critical, the Capt screwed the pooch on this one.
As has been mentioned... "that depends" on what "run aground" means. But in general, if the ship isn't damaged they have lots of options. Remember that running aground in a surface ship is tough because you aren't afloat any longer. Getting off involves a lucky tide, and/or an application of power (that may or may not work). A submarine has an additional option caused by the fact that it isn't left high and dry. It can always just increase it's buoyancy and surface (again presuming a lack of crippling damage). It would really take an interesting collision to "trap" the sub in three dimensions.
Surface ships don't have an "up" option when run aground.
"You run aground, you're fired. Period"
Apparently some guy ran aground twice before he was fired.
This captain might get fired. I'll even go so far as to say he probably will. But lets wait for the judge show up before we shoot him.
I suspect this is a bottom collision, because the article says the boat was underway on its own power and heading into port with damage, and it was 350 miles from port and thats a long way to do a surface transit.
Lots of reasons a boat can strike something submerged. It may be a submerged object that is floating on the currents, or they may have struck the ocean floor in a shallow area.
Depending on the speed, the sonar may or may not be useful.
If this sub's a-rocking, don't . . .
Ah, never mind.
I was thinking that myself - active sonar is a death request. Or perhaps, has technology changed that much since my history reading?
Makes sense. Thanks.
Believe it or not, that is one way of changing the trim on a submarine.
Transferring people back and forth works.
The sub's sonar didn't change any. Wouldn't want to be him.
"CLANDESTINE--We don't order our subs to "clandestingly strike the bottom"."
There's a first time for everything. Perhaps he didn't hit the bottom, perhaps he was attacked? The Navy would keep that info close until it wanted to release it. And you don't get canned for being attacked - its what they do.
Sabotage - it can happen. People aren't computers, you can't tell what they'll do.
Malfunction - the captain can't be held responsible for hidden design flaws that realize themselves quickly and out of nowhere. Doesn't mean they can't courtmarshal him for it, but he'll win. And he'll be given back his boat.
stroke - on second thought, for health reasons he'd be relieved.
(CNN) -- U.S. Coast Guard and military aircraft Saturday are en route to the western Pacific, where a nuclear attack submarine ran aground, wounding several crew members -- including at least one critically -- according to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The USS San Francisco ran aground some 350 miles south of Guam -- the nearest land mass -- while it was conducting submerged operations. It has since resurfaced and is heading back to Guam, according to the USPF's news release.
"At this point there does not seem to be damage to the (nuclear) reactor," Lt. j.g. Adam Clampitt told CNN, from his base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The accident happened Saturday at noon, Guam time (Friday 9 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. Hawaii time).
The nuclear-powered vessel is a Los Angeles-class "fast attack" submarine. Clampitt says it was carrying four torpedo-tubes, which can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles. It is the most common type of U.S. attack submarine in the naval fleet since 2004.
Clampitt said there are 137 crew members on board the USS San Francisco.
The nuclear submarine has a "limited medical staff on board," he said. Most of the wounded suffered head injuries, Clampitt said.
"Our first concern is the safety of the crew," Clampitt said.
The aircraft are bringing medical staff and investigators to assess the extent of the injuries and damage to the submarine.
"A submerged collision with the sea floor is a serious thing, especially if they were going at high speed."
Yea, I can imagine a lot of soiled underwear as a result.
Two things I decided as a service member: I wouldn't jump out of a perfectly good airplane, and I wouldn't get into a perfectly good sub.
At least the sub didn't disappear down into the Marianas Trench. The trench is deeper than the height of Mt.Everest.
They were in high speed transit submerged. Thats the worst type of grounding incident you can have on a submarine, and it can be potentially fatal to the entire crew. Right now, those guys are in a fight to get the ship into port, because there is most likely damage to the ballast tanks, and they are fighting to keep it afloat
The nuclear submarine has a "limited medical staff on board," he said. Most of the wounded suffered head injuries, Clampitt said
I servd on the sister boat of the San Fransisco. There is one senior corpsman on a 688 class boat, and whoever is qualified as an EMT or whatever in civilian life. This guy is probably workig himself half to death right now
Head injuries infer a high speed collision, resulting in the crew really being tossed around. There are plenty of things on a submarine that your head can hit, and they dont move at all. I still have scars
Pray for these guys folks...they have a long way to get to port..at least another day, or even more if they can't do any speed at all.
"Husband always says: It ain't gay if its underway"
I'll bet submariners can come up with all kinds of good lines at the right time; "Fire the torpedoes" being just one that comes to mind.
Dang, I hate when other people can think first thing in the morning. How obvious is this?
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