Deadliest submarine disaster in US remembered

[Zorro]

Family and friends who lost loved ones when the USS Thresher sank 50 years ago joined in tossing wreaths into the water Saturday in an emotional service in remembrance of the 129 Navy crew members and civilian technicians who lost their lives in the deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history.

Hundreds gathered for the memorial service at Portsmouth High School that concluded with a small group tossing three wreaths into the Piscataqua River. During the service, a bell tolled 129 times.

The event, along with the dedication of a flagpole Sunday in Kittery, Maine, aim to call attention to the tragedy 220 miles off Cape Cod, which became the impetus for submarine safety improvements.

Vice Adm. Michael Connor, commander of the Navy's submarine forces, acknowledged Saturday that the safety upgrades came at a steep cost to Thresher families.

http://news.yahoo.com/deadliest-submarine-disaster-us-remembered-211053180.html

I remember. Quite a shocking event.

[DreamGypsy]

1. Yes, she'll always run silent And she'll always run deep...

...Though the ocean has no pity

[GiveMeFreedom]

2. Well Done.

Thank you. Peace.

[boomer55]

3. and what happened to the reactor and its radiation? n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. I smell a cover-up.

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2 things.

from the article linked:

"The ballast system also failed, preventing the sub from surfacing."

yah right.

That's when Russian subs were snooping around Cuba, getting ready to install nukes.

ponder it.

CC

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. Well, there WERE Russian subs all up and down the East coast

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at that time.

CC

[TheMightyFavog]

8. And weren't they able to replicate some of the potential problems on a moored sub on the same class?

Or am I thinking another sub?

[hasslehoff]

7. re

and the right wing for whatever reasons thinks it was a conspiracy google it LOL apparently it went into the hollow earth or something

[rppper]

9. God rest the souls of my fellow submarine brothers...

There is no conspiracy here...the thresher sank due to faulty main seawater valves that caused catostrophic engine room flooding...the ship attempted an emergency blow of its ballast tanks, but the in rush of sea water at test depth was more than both the pumps and blow of the ballast tanks could overcome. This lead to the sub safe program, which lead to more thorough inspections of nuclear and sea water parts and an overhaul of nearly all of the nuclear subs in the USN at the time. At the time she sunk, she was ahead of her time and the lead boat of her class, which was eventually called the permit class. Anyone who has ever served on subs knows the story of the thresher by heart. There are a lot of theory's about the USS Scorpion, which was lost some years later off the Azores. No one is quite sure what happened to her, but theory's range from bad maintainence to a soviet torpedo attack.

RIP USS Thresher and crew...

[UBEEDelusional]

10. It is always annoying reading the BS and nonsense posted on the internet about subs

coming from those who do not wear dolphins. Thanks for taking the time to post the explanation as to what happened to the Thresher. I gave up doing that a while back got sick and tired of people who have no idea WTF they are talking about when it comes to any story about submarines that makes the news when suddenly everyone becoming experts about the boats and ops, sadly even here on DU it happens but thankfully it is very limited and not out of control like other sites or in news comment sections.

I have found that many times if you post the truth about the boats and ops people will not believe you anyway so why bother.

My brothers on eternal patrol sacrificed their lives so that those who came after them could come home.

When I finally go on that last patrol I hope they got a good stock of movies for movie night because it is going to be a long patrol hopefully we will get a port call or two!

[rppper]

11. I hear that...

I drove 4 boats and rode a tender...two of my boats were spec ops....I was lucky and privledged to serve on some good commands with some great people...subs are the best ride in the navy IMHO...definatly the best food! I took orders to My last command...SSN 770, while she was still being pieced together in a huge warehouse in Newport News...I became an expert in subsafe ( I was a storekeeper ) due to all the spare valves and pipes and electronics associated with them. I loved the 688I's...sports cars of the deep! You're spot on about trying to relate experiences though. I'd love to write a book about some of the things I did but I can't even talk about them for 4 more years...people would have a hard time believing the stories...non sea stories...anyhow. Subs allowed me to see a new world and made me who I am today.

There is A great web page dedicated to all navy ships here at www.navsource.org
Check it out when you get a chance...they have a great submarine section.

Amen about the movies! Hope there is a good supply of chips, dips, sardines and coffee to go with them! Be safe friend!

[11 Bravo]

12. My Dad met Mush Morton early in 1943.

Dad was a Naval Aviator, and was getting ready to head back to the Pacific; and LCDR Morton was in San Diego for some reason (if I'm remembering the story correctly). 60 years later Dad still could recall the force of the man's personality. Sadly, a couple of months later, Dudley "Mush" Morton and his crew took their final voyage aboard the Wahoo.

[rppper]

13. Morton's XO, Richard O'kane, was also...

...a legend in his own right. Set the record for tonnage in the pacific until a faulty torpedo sank his boat, the Tang. He and the surviving crew were held secretly as POWs in Japan for nearly a year until the war ended....

I have a pretty big collection of WWII news reels and documentaries....both Morton and o'kane are well featured in the movietone reels from the day....

[11 Bravo]

14. Yeah, I remember Dick O'Kane as well. As I recall, only he and less than a dozen of his crew ...

survived the sinking of Tang. He passed away just a few years ago, I believe. (After Dad told me about meeting LCDR Morton, I got hold of a copy of Wake of the Wahoo. It was written by a Chief (I think, and I can't pull his name) who transferred off Wahoo just before her final patrol.) A good read, if you haven't already.

[rppper]

15. I'll look that one up...

"Blind mans bluff" is a great read too...goes over the Cold War and the submarine navy's role in the Cold War...it's been updated several times since it was published a decade ago....