Author Topic: So much for that Navy career... (Read 813 times)

rpm · « **on:** January 09, 2005, 12:27:28 AM »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. nuclear submarine ran aground 350 miles off the Pacific Ocean territory of Guam, injuring about 20 crew members, one of them critically, the Navy said on Saturday.
There was no damage to the nuclear reactor that powers the USS San Francisco in the accident that occurred at noon on Saturday Guam time (9 p.m. EST on Friday), according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The ship's hull was also intact, said Petty Officer Alyssa Batarla.

She said the Los Angeles-class submarine was able to resurface and head back to its base in Guam, where it was scheduled to arrive on Monday.

The submarine was carrying 137 crew members and was en route to a routine port visit in Brisbane, Australia, when it ran aground. The accident is under investigation.

DiabloTX · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2005, 01:42:50 AM »

Wait a minute. There has to be some kind of conspiracy here, I mean, US subs don't just run aground. Wasn't there some kind of white plane that buzzed the location just before the grounding? [/smartass]

Yup. His career is def. over.

rpm · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2005, 02:24:05 AM »

Yup. The one way to guarentee early retirement is having your ship run aground. I hope the guy critically injured pulls thru. It's very, very odd for a modern sub to hit bottom. We will probably hear what went wrong in a few years. If there is an upside to this, it wasn't a boomer.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2005, 02:45:27 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by rpm
Yup. The one way to guarentee early retirement is having your ship run aground. I hope the guy critically injured pulls thru. It's very, very odd for a modern sub to hit bottom. We will probably hear what went wrong in a few years. If there is an upside to this, it wasn't a boomer.

what's almost as bad as that is the fact they didnt make it to brisbane....

that's one helluva port call. A friend of mine made port call there and said even the ugliest guy in his unit was goin home with supermodle quality "tang"

hope these guys are ok though.

rpm · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2005, 02:53:07 AM »

That's the only thing I envied about guys on Breakers. They got to make a South run once a year. Hit ports all along South America, New Zealand and Australia both ways. Somehow it didn't make up for the sound of ice scraping the hull to me. Imagine the worlds loudest fingers on a chalkboard 24/7.

CyranoAH · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2005, 08:18:44 AM »

The earthquake could be a good explanation of that accident. Based on recent studies, the sea bottom has changed so much that most charts for that region have to be rewritten.

For instance, a point that was supposed to be 1000 feet deep was found at no more than 100 feet below the surface.

If for some strange reason they were navigating via charts and not paying that much attention to ranging buoys (please bear with me as I know zilch about modern sub operations), they may have found one of these newly reshaped areas.

Just an uninformed idea, though.

Daniel

rpm · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2005, 09:09:36 AM »

Possible, but I doubt it. The earthquake was in the Indian ocean, they were in the Pacific. But who knows. More than likely, they were off course, equiptment failure or somebody just plain old screwed the pooch.

pugg666 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 09, 2005, 09:13:59 AM »

Quote

I hope the guy critically injured pulls thru

Unfortunately I heard that he died

rpm · « **Reply #8 on:** January 09, 2005, 09:19:12 AM »

Quote

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A crewman has died from injuries sustained after the U.S. nuclear submarine USS San Francisco ran aground Saturday off Guam in the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Navy says.
Medical personnel rushed to the submarine continued to treat 23 other injured crewmen, some critically, suffering from broken bones, lacerations and bruises, a Navy spokesman said.

Lieut. J. G. Adam Clampitt, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said on Sunday the name of the sailor was being withheld for a 24-hour period following notification of the next of kin.

<>

Pongo · « **Reply #9 on:** January 09, 2005, 09:40:56 AM »

I think Nimitz put his first command aground.
Shame about the sailor.
Lets see how many people post jokes about this or how long they last on the board if they do.

DiabloTX · « **Reply #10 on:** January 09, 2005, 09:54:04 AM »

My first CO of the ship I was on in the late 80's was a bubblehead. First class guy all around. Those guys in subs have my respect, there is no way in hell I could be in a sub that is underwater for months at a time. My second CO was a former Blue Angel and, boy, was he bucking for Flag rank. He got it, too.

~~to the sailor that passed.~~

Nilsen · « **Reply #11 on:** January 09, 2005, 10:26:39 AM »

the critically injured crewmember has died now.

Sandman · « **Reply #12 on:** January 10, 2005, 09:52:06 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Pongo
I think Nimitz put his first command aground.

So much for the good ole days when a CO could make a mistake and not ruin his career. Nowadays, it seems that the people in command are so terrified to make a mistake that they dare not take any risks it all.

It's sad really.

NUKE · « **Reply #13 on:** January 10, 2005, 09:58:33 PM »

From what I heard about this, the guy probably will not be punished.

They think the sub hit an uncharted undwerwater mountain. They had been at 500 feet depth and running 38 knts in water that was supposed to be 1000 ft deep.

They are reviewing the navigation records to make sure , but it sounds like they hit a mountain that nobody thought was there.

CyranoAH · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2005, 03:22:57 AM »

Looks like the quake theory was not so farfetched after all...