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Two crew die in submarine tragedy
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| 291206
| BBC News
Posted on 12/29/2006 9:16:16 AM PST by AngloSaxonChristian
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To: Doohickey
I keep forgetting in subs everyone is everybody's everything.Have a friend who was an NPO aboard Missile Subs. I asked him what his most diffcult task was.." Turning lead into gold is demanding but routine..."
41
posted on
12/29/2006 11:52:09 AM PST
by
tomcorn
To: AngloSaxonChristian
Sad. Prayors for the sailors, and their families.
42
posted on
12/29/2006 11:54:37 AM PST
by
patton
(Sanctimony frequently reaps its own reward.)
To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Actually, both of my boats had Deck Div, but yeah, mostly unrated strikers (A-Gang, junior sonarmen, etc).
I was lucky enough to not have to worry about that much--just sit at the panel and listen to everything over the 7MC whilst I sat in maneuvering (RO) and watched the throttleman go insane.
43
posted on
12/29/2006 12:18:20 PM PST
by
OCCASparky
(Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
To: AngloSaxonChristian
How sad. My sympathies and prayers for the families.
44
posted on
12/29/2006 12:21:01 PM PST
by
ContraryMary
(New Jersey -- Superfund cleanup capital of the U.S.A.)
To: Laz711; Tarantulas
45
posted on
12/29/2006 12:27:20 PM PST
by
Doohickey
(I am not unappeasable. YOU are just too easily appeased.)
To: Laz711
Hard to say--there is a map posted there but since I was primarily West Coast I can't say anything, having never done a port visit to Plymouth.
But I do know that in places like Pearl you did have time to get everyone out before clearing Papa Hotel. In San Diego, you didn't.
46
posted on
12/29/2006 12:29:20 PM PST
by
OCCASparky
(Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
To: Laz711
They left the breakwater before getting everyone below decks (with the exception of the Bridge crew, that is). That's what it sounds like. I was the bridge phone talker during too many maneuvering watches in the '70 and our line handlers were always below before we left the harbor.
47
posted on
12/29/2006 12:31:04 PM PST
by
relee
(I just got back from the border and what I saw made me know for sure we're out of order - LRB)
To: Doohickey
Sounds like all four were using deck crawlers, but were they wearing kapoks?
Kapoks are long gone. Even on my last boat (almost 10 years ago) they were being phased out for what looked like camo/OD flak jackets with pouches which inflated when you hit the water.
My guess (and only a guess obviously) is that these guys got swept over and either held under long enough to inhale some seawater or beaten against the hull hard enough to break vital stuff or knock them out cold.
48
posted on
12/29/2006 12:31:50 PM PST
by
OCCASparky
(Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
To: OCCASparky
Holy cow, and I only got out...what? Nine years ago.
49
posted on
12/29/2006 12:38:19 PM PST
by
Doohickey
(I am not unappeasable. YOU are just too easily appeased.)
To: OCCASparky; Doohickey; LonePalm
Maneuvering watch (on the easy coast, er east coast) was a royal pain because you couldn't submerge until many hours of surfaced running got you clear of the continental shelf.
But the topside watches were normally under decks when leaving Norfolk, for example, well before you crossed the tunnel and Fortress Monroe. Sometimes before you got away from the NAF, Norfolk actually.
That left only OOD, CO, and one lookout up in the sail.
Figure here a short port, rough seas, and a rogue wave. The CNN writeup is useless and foolish: they were "overboard" but were washed over, then held to the boat (while in the water/under the waves at least part of the time apparently) by their life-lines.
Can't tell why the rest of the crew didn't get them out of the water - instead of waiting for a surface boat to come alongside, unless those same seas prevented them from opening a hatch. Maybe the topside watch didn't see them? Seems any number of volunteers would have strapped on and gone to get them, regardless of seas, if they knew.
50
posted on
12/29/2006 12:50:18 PM PST
by
Robert A Cook PE
(I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
To: Gay State Conservative
"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?"
I haven't served in either, but there is probably a different attitude towards men getting killed between the two services. In the navy, you typically will have some casualties in combat, but usually don't lose many men without losing the whole ship. In the army, there is more likely to be some casualties in any combat situation, so casualties due to accidents or hostile action may not reflect as badly on the commanders.
51
posted on
12/29/2006 1:08:37 PM PST
by
xxqqzz
To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Fair winds and following seas.
This type of news brings a tear to an old COB's eye.
52
posted on
12/29/2006 1:09:03 PM PST
by
Retired COB
(Still mad about Campaign Finance Reform)
To: Tarantulas
This is always sad to hear. I was stationed on one of the S girls also (USS Shark SSN-591) and was on the after deck party. We had the old STASS towed array and were on deck long after the rest of the deck people went below decks.
More than once we got hit by some good sized waves deploying/retrieving the array, and in the North Lant in Feb, off Groton, those waves were a touch chilly! I lost a couple of hats on those handling parties, until I got smart and tied them to my harness,with some twine just in case.
on a side note, I have a picture of our boats in layup, at Bremington along with the Plunger, and Pat Henry awaiting disposal.
53
posted on
12/29/2006 2:59:26 PM PST
by
Bottom_Gun
(Crush depth dummy - proud NRA member & Certified Instructor)
To: AngloSaxonChristian
A similar incident happened back in the early 90's. A boomer was on sea trials from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire. The skipper sent the Chief Torpedoman and a ships diver topside to secure a hatch or something when a wave crashed over. It washed the diver over the side and the Chief Torpedoman got beat up while being tied to topside. I think the Chief broke free and was lost at sea.
To: OCCASparky
Well, being a Guam sailor, I can tell you that we had everyone belowdecks (bridge being the exception) way before we hit the breakwater, and that transit from peirside to breakwater doesn't take long at all. I don't understand why they wouldn't have just putted along and pulled everyone in prior to leaving the harbor...unless the CO was in a major hurry. That is the only way I can see them leaving people topside, even though there is no reason to do that.
55
posted on
12/29/2006 5:26:37 PM PST
by
Laz711
(The Barbarians are in Rome.........CLOSE THE BORDERS!!!)
To: AngloSaxonChristian
Sad to hear this. I wonder why they were still topside after leaving sheltered waters?
56
posted on
12/29/2006 5:47:57 PM PST
by
PogySailor
(Media bias? What media bias)
To: Laz711
Maneuvering watches out of Guam were a whole lot shorter than anywhere else. As soon as topside was stowed, we'd wave that the ever-present Russian fishing trawler, pull the plug, and disappear into the Marians Trench.
57
posted on
12/29/2006 5:56:20 PM PST
by
SmithL
(Where are we going? . . . . And why are we in this handbasket????)
To: SmithL
58
posted on
12/29/2006 6:01:51 PM PST
by
BIGLOOK
(Keelhauling is a sensible solution to mutiny.)
To: SmithL
In my time, it was a Chineese registered survey ship that was always there...and I am pretty sure that they still are. Given the choice between the transit out of Guam and the transit out of...pretty much anywhere else, Guam was a God send to us. The only time we spent time surfaced out of the breakwater was when we did surface drills.
59
posted on
12/29/2006 6:13:42 PM PST
by
Laz711
(The Barbarians are in Rome.........CLOSE THE BORDERS!!!)
To: Doohickey
"Heck, I was a linehandler and I was a Radioman."Non-Navy types have a hard time understanding why everybody does everybody's job no matter what their rates are.
I was a Yeoman on a riverboat in Vietnam and I did every job but a Yeoman's.
I learned the Radioman's job for voice traffic but no CW.
I was trained in "Cum-shaw".
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