50 Years ago today - USS Thresher

[Sailor]

50 years later, a look at what really sank the Thresher

Beginning with the pioneer nuclear-propelled submarine Nautilus, which went to sea in January 1955, the Navy has built 200 nuclear submarines of all types. These undersea craft have been manned by several hundred thousand sailors and have traveled more than a hundred million miles.

They have demonstrated that nuclear propulsion is safe, efficient and of tremendous value for undersea craft. However, there have been several accidents and collisions — none involving nuclear issues — and two U.S. nuclear submarines have been lost: the attack submarines Thresher in 1963 and Scorpion in 1968.

The Thresher, which sank 50 years ago, on April 10, 1963, with the loss of all 129 men on board, remains the world's worst submarine disaster in terms of lives lost. And, her loss remains controversial, a half-century later.

Much more here:
www.militarytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013304040021

Rest in Peace shipmates.

[dustdevil28]

The Thresher collapse event signal was detected by multiple SOSUS arrays as an extremely high-amplitude event at ranges as great as 1,300 nautical miles. The characteristics of that acoustic event confirmed that the Thresher's pressure hull collapsed or “imploded” at 09:18:24 at a depth of about 2,400 feet (i.e., more than 400 feet below her predicted collapse depth).

The Thresher's pressure hull and all sea-connected piping systems had survived well beyond their design specifications. The analysis of the SOSUS detection of the collapse event — the bubble-pulse frequency — also indicated that the pressure hull and all internal compartments were destroyed in about one-tenth of a second, significantly less than the minimum time required for perception of the event by the men on board.[/u]

If they say so, but is sure sounds like one of the worst ways to go to me.

Rest in Peace shipmates.

I hope they have and continue to do so.

-DD

[Sailor]

Apr 21, 2013 7:48:32 GMT -8 dustdevil28 said:

The Thresher collapse event signal was detected by multiple SOSUS arrays as an extremely high-amplitude event at ranges as great as 1,300 nautical miles. The characteristics of that acoustic event confirmed that the Thresher's pressure hull collapsed or “imploded” at 09:18:24 at a depth of about 2,400 feet (i.e., more than 400 feet below her predicted collapse depth).

The Thresher's pressure hull and all sea-connected piping systems had survived well beyond their design specifications. The analysis of the SOSUS detection of the collapse event — the bubble-pulse frequency — also indicated that the pressure hull and all internal compartments were destroyed in about one-tenth of a second, significantly less than the minimum time required for perception of the event by the men on board.

[/u]

If they say so, but is sure sounds like one of the worst ways to go to me.

Rest in Peace shipmates.

I hope they have and continue to do so.

-DD[/quote]

Not a way I'd choose either DD. While the actual dying from the implosion of the pressure hull would be fast they knew what was coming, knew it as soon as she stopped answering bells and the diving officer reported he couldn't blow ballast.

It took a long time for the ship to drop from her test depth of about 1300 feet to the point where the pressure hull failed at nearly twice that depth. Each minute would seem an eternity.

I pray they were able to make their peace with God.