Two crew die in submarine tragedy

BBC News Website ^ | 291206 | BBC News

[AngloSaxonChristian]

My condolences to their families.

[OCCASparky]

Leaving port? Bridge crew or lookouts getting bounced around on the sail, or were these guys actually IN the water?

[tacticalogic]

bubblehead bump

[L98Fiero]

"They were among four crewmen washed overboard while working on the outside casing..."

Wondering what they were doing to the hull while underway?

[MARKUSPRIME]

RIP.

[John Jorsett]

There's a good chance the captain will be relieved of duty for this. In the Navy, about the only thing worse than running your vessel aground is the death of crew members.

[AngloSaxonChristian]

[george76]

four crewmen washed overboard while working on the outside casing ...

[tomcorn]

Sounds like they were hull techs and the vessel wasn't underway at the time. A sudden unexpected high sea state and they got slammed into the hull and perhaps knocked unconscious.Doesn't take much aspirated sea water to kill you.

[PeteB570]

Condolences to the families.

Reads like they were doing "deck" work in rough seas. Cold water, rough seas and bouncing off the hull of a sub while tied to a safety line. Still odd that two would die. Somebody higher up may be in a bit of hot water.

[AngloSaxonChristian]

Plymouth Sound is an area I regularly sail in and although it can get very choppy, the submarine was it seems inside the breakwater which protects the whole of the sound along with Plymouth and Devonport from the worst of the Atlantic weather. Very surprising when you consider they were in protected waters.

[Gay State Conservative]

In the Navy, about the only thing worse than running your vessel aground is the death of crew members.

I know nothing about the Navy (I was Army) so this might be a stupid question,but....might this incident have been caused by circumstances/conditions (perhaps which arose suddenly) that the Captain could not have foreseen? Might these deaths have happened in spite of all safety procedures having been observed?

[OCCASparky]

No HT's on boats. Deck div doing topside work? Possibly--but it sounds like they were actually in the harbor (read: underway) in which case they'd be line handlers. Not bridge crew, even though everyone would be wearing harnesses and K-Vests.

[Borntowade]

Submarines do not have Hull Maintenance Technicians in the crew complement. Seaman Gang is a t\throw together complement of young Sailors with a PO1 (1rst Lt) in charge.

[OCCASparky]

A rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, a tug boat and a lifeboat were sent to the crew's aid while they were tied on to the side of the 110m (362ft) vessel.

Sorry but this makes the implication that they were--why else the helicopter, tug, AND lifeboat?

[SmithL]

[ripley]

thanks for all the stanzas smithl. very much appreciated.

rip.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Probably (trying to) secure the topside retractable cleats and bollards for underwater running.

Lots of line-handling eqpt on the 688's still must be secured and bolted down (or flipped over) manually, but usually, you can get it done relatively easily before you leave the shelter of the harbor itself.

[Robert A Cook PE]

No deck division either on subs.

Sometimes A-gangers, often TM's, and weapons (off-duty) ST's - Those are the guys working the weapoons launch and "outside-non-nuke mechanical" items, so they usually take care of it. Few onboard are rated under a PO3 by the time they reach the boat.