Historian’s Corner:
Loss Of The USS Thresher (SSN-593)
April 10, 1963 – 129 Men Lost
USS Thresher, lead ship of a class of 3,700-ton nuclear-powered attack submarines, was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. Commissioned in August 1961, she conducted lengthy trials in the western Atlantic and Caribbean areas in 1961 and 1962, providing a thorough evaluation of her many new technological features and weapons. After completion of these test operations, Thresher returned to her builders for overhaul.
On 10 April 1963, after the completion of this work, Thresher began post-overhaul trials.
Accompanied by the submarine rescue ship Skylark (ASR-20), she transited to an area some 220 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and commenced a series of deep-diving tests. At 0913, Skylark received garbled communications via underwater telephone indicating trouble aboard the submarine. Over the course of the next few minutes, Skylark received a number of other undecipherable message fragments from Thresher. At 0918, Skylark’s sonar picked up the sounds of the submarine breaking apart and it was soon apparent that Thresher had sunk, taking the lives of 129 officers, crewmen and civilian technicians.
The submarine community, the Navy and the nation were stunned. Thresher was the newest of the new, the best of the best. As the lead ship in her class, Thresher was designed for optimum performance of sonar and weapons systems. To the Navy, the disaster meant more than the loss of 129 crewmembers and civilians. Thresher had been the most advanced submarine in the world, capable of reaching depths and speeds unimaginable less than a decade before.
After an extensive underwater search utilizing the bathyscaph Trieste, oceanographic ship Mizar and other ships, Thresher's shattered remains were located on the sea floor, some 8,400 feet below the surface. Deep sea photography, recovered artifacts and an evaluation of her design and operations permitted a Court of Inquiry to determine that she had probably sunk due to a piping failure, subsequent loss of power and inability to blow ballast tanks rapidly enough to avoid sinking.
Over the next several years, a massive program was undertaken to correct design and construction problems on the Navy's existing nuclear submarines, and on those under construction and in planning.
Following completion of this "SUBSAFE" effort, the Navy has suffered no further losses of the kind that so tragically ended Thresher's brief service career.
Perhaps the most appropriate legacy for Thresher is the fact that the lessons learned by the Navy from the Thresher tragedy have led to direct and substantial improvements in submarine design, construction and repair, ensuring a safer submarine force.
“Some good came out of the tragedy,” said Neal Collier, son of Thresher’s LT Merrill Collier, on board in preparation for assuming duties as the ship’s Engineering Officer. “My father died on Thresher,” added Collier, “but the tragedy had a positive effect on the submarine service, the Navy’s nuclear power program, and our national defense.”
The complete saying states: “RED SKY IN MORNING, SAILORS WARNING; RED SKY AT NIGHT, SAILORS DELIGHT.” Storm systems in the middle latitudes generally move west to east. A red sky in the morning implies the rising sun in the east is shining on clouds to the west and conditions are clear to the east. Clouds moving from the west (especially upper level cirrus) indicate an approaching storm system. A red sky at night implies the sun (setting in the west) is shining on clouds to the east and conditions are clear to the west (because the sun can be seen setting).
SUMMARY: If you can see the sunrise but the west part of the sky is dark, look out for approaching bad weather. If you can see the sunset, the weather conditions will be nice.
Matthew 16:3: And in the morning,
'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? (NASB ©1995)
Tom Phythian
Base Chaplain
April 9 Wreath Laying Ceremony (Navy Memorial)
April 11 107th Birthday of the U.S. Submarine Force
April 11 Naval Submarine League Historical Symposium
April 14 Base Meeting/Tolling of the Boats Ceremony
April 14 Blessing of the Fleet (Navy Memorial)
April 28 Submarine Birthday Ball
May 12 Base Meeting/Pig Roast
May 13 Mother’s Day
May 19 Memorial Day Service (Arlington Cemetery)
May 28 Memorial Day (Observed)
June 9 Base Meeting/Pirate Auction
June 14 Flag Day
June 17 Father’s Day
June 21 Summer Begins
♦
NEWS FROM AROUND THE FLEET
Will The Navy’s New Security Force Be Cold?
The Proposal To Use Dolphins To Protect Bangor Drew Support, Critics
By Ed Friedrich, Kitsap Sun, March 28, 2007
KEYPORT, WASHINGTON - The Navy won a few converts to its plan to guard the Bangor submarine base with dolphins and sea lions, but many who attended Tuesday’s public open house already had their minds made up.
Hood Canal is too cold for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, said critics, including some who dragged along blow-up dolphins and sea lions clad in camouflaged shirts. Others knitted clothes for the animals.
The Navy is proposing to use up to 30 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to protect Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor from suspicious swimmers and scuba divers. The base, with what is believed to be one of the largest nuclear weapons stockpiles in the world, is responding to new terrorism-related requirements for waterside security.
Sea lions and dolphins are the Navy’s preferred alternative from among ten options being considered in an environmental impact statement. They have guarded the shoreline at Kings Bay, Georgia, Bangor’s sister base, for two years.
The dolphins, accompanied by a handler in a small boat, would work only at night. Their sonar systems can detect swimmers from long distances. When they find an intruder, they swim back to the boat and alert the handler, who places a strobe light on their nose. The dolphin would race back and bump the swimmer’s back, knocking the light off. The light then floats to the surface, marking the spot. The dolphin swims back to the boat, joins the handler, and they clear out. Security guards then race to the strobe to subdue the swimmer.
The dolphins would work just a couple hours in Hood Canal, then retire to an enclosure with conditions like San Diego.
"That’d be like you and me going into a blizzard for two hours and then put back into a San Diego environment," said Susan Scheirman of Bainbridge Island, one of the knitters.
The Navy counters that studies show bottle-nose dolphins can handle more extreme conditions than Hood Canal. They aren’t bothered by the cold until it gets down to around 40 degrees, which Hood Canal rarely reaches, said Dorian Houser, a marine mammal physiologist working with the Navy.
The most exhaustive study of the effects of cold water and cold air on the dolphins will be conducted as part of the impact statement.
Leigh Calvez of Bainbridge studied dolphins for about three years. She thinks the Navy has the technology to come up with a better plan.
"We don’t have anything as good as dolphins to protect us? That’s hard to believe," she said.
It’s true, say Navy officials. Other options include combat swimmers or remotely operated vehicles, but they don’t exist today while dolphins and sea lions have been used for 36 years. Dolphins can sweep a huge area in seconds.
"If only we had the technology to do that, and someday we will," said Tom LaPuzza of the Navy’s San Diego-based Marine Mammal Program.
Dave Tripp and Julie Lohrer of Seabeck were on a fact-finding mission Tuesday and liked what they learned. "I was really kind of questioning the dolphin idea," Lohrer said. "Now that we understand that it’s been going
(See “Security Force,” next page)
Commander’s Log (Continued from Page 1)
entitled, My Decision to Live. Nader suffered a horrific motorcycle accident in 1994 that severed both his legs, causing him to permanently lose his right foot. Despite this, he went on to become the first Naval officer to complete his qualification in submarines with a prosthetic leg! Today, Nader is a motivational speaker and a peer volunteer at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I suspect this will be one meeting you won't want to miss!
Cheers, mates!
Security Force (Continued from Page 4)
on for 30 years and how controlled it is, I think they’re going about it in the right way."
Navy officials will process the public comments and incorporate them into the environmental impact statement process, which is expected to take about 18 months.
Ray
The Turn of the Screw
By John Kelly, Washington Post, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 was USS Pompon Remembrance Day in Alexandria, a long-awaited recognition for an odd bit of metal that's adorned the waterfront since 1984: a 2,800-pound submarine propeller resting behind the Torpedo Factory.
I wrote about the sub screw in an Answer Man column last July. Emilio Prencipe of Odenton wondered why there was no sign explaining where the propeller came from. Emilio, 70, had served on the Pompon in the 1950s.
Answer Man helped cut through the bureaucracy, and, on Tuesday, Emilio and several other Pompon crewmen, including World War II vet Al Brown, were presented with a bronze plaque. On Memorial Day, it will be affixed to the propeller.
"I've got it right here," Emilio, 70, told me on the phone yesterday. "It's heavy."
The sub and its port screw have no connection to Alexandria. The propeller is simply an eye-catching nautical artifact borrowed by the city from the Naval Historical Center. But the Pompon's surviving crew – the submarine was in service from 1942 to 1960 – wanted some sort of recognition. They were delighted by Tuesday's "Whereas"-filled proclamation saluting their service.
The crew members are having a reunion next month in Manitowoc, Wisconsin where the sub was built. Emilio is bringing the plaque so everyone can see it. Then he'll haul it back to Alexandria.
The screw from USS Pompon (SS-267) rests along
the banks of the Potomac River in Alexandria, VA
"I'm gonna wrap it up very tightly, probably in bubble wrap, and hand carry it," he said. "I'm not gonna put it in my luggage."
UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS, INC.
NORTHERN VIRGINIA BASE
TOLLING OF THE BOATS CEREMONY
HELD ON SATURDAY, 14 APRIL 2007
The Base Commander, Ray Stone, called the meeting to order at 1100, 14 April 2007 at American Legion Post 162, Lorton, Virginia.
MEMBERS AND GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE
Steve Bishop; Art Bivens; Arline Blanke; Alan Brodie; Debra Brodie; Stephen Brodie; RADM Fred Byus; Richard Carpel; Howard Chatham; William Clement; Deborah Davis; Edward Ettner; Mary Ettner; Bruce Gallimore; Katie Gallimore; Bob Gilmore; Sheila Gotthardt; Les Groves; Carol Hall; Roger Hall; Ray Harrigan; Sue Heflin; Chris Herst; Sherry Herst; Darlene Jaeger; Steve Jaeger; Ray Lincoln; Julie Mandile; Mark Mandile; Lou Maruzo; Debby Mauney; RADM Van Mauney; Bruce Miller; Susan Miller; Mike Murphy; Mike Naughton; Paul Nelson; Terry Nelson; Benny Parker; Tom Perrault; Pete Petruy; Joe Phoenix; Marie Phoenix; Cathy Phythian; Tom Phythian; Rod Puffer; Tim Shannon; Rob Smallbrock; Art Smith; Jeanene Stone; Ray Stone; Juanedda Walker; Michael White; Mary Williams; Peggy Williams; Ron Williams; John Young (Note: g = Holland Club Member; g = New Member; g = Guest)
The Base Commander welcomed members and guests to the Tolling of the Boats ceremony and offered the following opening remarks: "We are gathered here today to honor United States Submarines and Submariners who voluntarily gave their lives serving in Submarine Warfare. May we never forget their sacrifice to insure our freedom and prosperity.”
The Base Chaplain, Tom Phythian, delivered the Invocation.
The Chief of the Boat, Tim Shannon, led all hands in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Base Commander read the Preamble to the Tolling of the Boats Ceremony, providing a brief history of the Submarine Force from its inception in 1900 to present. He then commenced the Tolling of the Boats Ceremony by offering the following:
“Today, we are privileged and honored to have Torpedoman Arthur G. Smith, a World War II submarine veteran who served on board the USS SKATE (SS-305) for six of her war patrols and was awarded the Silver Star for heroism and gallantry in action by Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz.”
“ SKATE is credited for the sinking of eleven ships for a total of 11,600 tons and received eight battle stars for her WW II service.”
“Tolling Of The Boats”
The bell is tolled for U.S. Submarine losses since the inception
of the United States Submarine Service in 1900.
Early Losses
USS F-4 SKATE (SS-23) 25 March 1915
USS E-2 STURGEON (SS-25) 15 January 1916
USS F-1 CARP (SS-20) 17 December 1917
USS G-2 TUNA (SS-27) 30 July 1919
USS H-1 SEAWOLF (SS-28) 12 March 1920
USS S-5 (SS-110) 1 September 1920
USS O-5 (SS-66) 29 October 1923
USS S-51 (SS-162) 26 September 1925
USS S-49 (SS-160) 20 April 1926
USS S-4 SNAPPER (SS-109) 17 December 1927
USS SQUALUS (SS-192) 23 May 1939
USS O-9 (SS-70) 20 June 1941
World War II Losses
USS SEALION (SS-195) 10 December 1941
USS SEADRAGON (SS-194) 10 December 1941
USS BASS (SS-164) Date Unknown, 1942
USS S-36 (SS-141) 20 January 1942
USS S-26 (SS-131) 24 January 1942
USS SHARK (SS-174) 11 February 1942
USS PERCH (SS-176) 3 March 1942
USS S-27 (SS-132) 19 June 1942
USS GRUNION (SS-216) 30 July 1942
USS S-39 (SS-144) 13 August 1942
USS ARGONAUT (SS-166) 10 January 1943
USS AMBERJACK (SS-219) 16 February 1943
USS GRAMPUS (SS-207) 5 March 1943
USS TRITON (SS-201) 15 March 1943
USS PICKEREL (SS-177) 3 April 1943
USS GRENADIER (SS-210) 22 April 1943
USS RUNNER (SS-275) June 1943
USS R-12 (SS-89) 12 June 1943
USS POMPANO (SS-181) September 1943
USS GRAYLING (SS-209) 9 September 1943
USS CISCO (SS-290) 28 September 1943
USS S-44 (SS-155) 7 October 1943
USS WAHOO (SS-238) 11 October 1943
USS DORADO (SS-248) 12 October 1943
USS CORVINA (SS-226) 16 November 1943
USS SCULPIN (SS-191) 19 November 1943
USS CAPELIN (SS-289) 9 December 1943
USS GRAYBACK (SS-208) 26 February 1944
USS TROUT (SS-202) 29 February 1944
USS SCORPION (SS-278) 6 March 1944
USS TULLIBEE (SS-284) 26 March 1944
USS GUDGEON (SS-211) 12 May 1944
World War II Losses (Continued)
USS HERRING (SS-233) 1 June 1944