When she first went to sea in april of 1961, the thresher was the most advanced submarine at sea. Arlington cemetery dedication of uss thresher memorial. Apr 04, 20 eight years ago, uss san francisco ssn711 ran full speed into a mountain more than 500 feet below the oceans surface. Uss thresher ssn593 3 august 1961 naval history blog. The uss threshers last transmission before sinking, 1963. Misinformation about the loss of thresher and the sosus detection thereof. Eight years ago, uss san francisco ssn711 ran full speed into a mountain more than 500 feet below the oceans surface. Mar 29, 20 page 1 of 2 my small uss thresher group posted in groupings. What surprised me was the apparent sloppiness of the yard where the thresher was built. Please note that one man died in an automobile accident prior to the loss of the vessel. Uss thresher ssn 593 built as the first ship in her class, the uss thresher was the navys second ship to bear the name.
She was launched on 9 july 1960, was sponsored by mrs. On april 10, 1963, the uss thresher, an atomic submarine, sinks in the atlantic ocean, killing the entire crew. The death of the uss thresher is a mustread for the legions of fans who enjoyed the late peter maass new york times bestseller the terrible hours. The story behind historys deadliest submarine disaster kindle edition by polmar, norman. Page 1 of 2 my small uss thresher group posted in groupings. This is a hard look at at the chain of events and speculation of what may have happened. In company with skylark asr20, thresher put to sea on 10 april 1963 for deepdiving exercises. Uss thresher general dynamics electric boat pages 1 16. Were the bodies from the sunken nuclear submarines. Under sail the uss thresher usn593 underway before its loss in 1963. The early career of uss thresher the contract to build thresher was awarded to portsmouth naval shipyard on 15 january 1958, and her keel was laid on 28 may 1958.
District court judge ordered the navy to start releasing unclassified documents related to the sinking of uss thresher ssn593, 57 years after 129 officers, sailors and shipbuilders died in the nations worst nuclear. The uss thresher ssn593 was lost at sea on 10 april 1963 during its first deep. Beach news courtesy photokittery, maine for lori arsenault, who was just eight years old when her father, tilmon arsenault, died as the uss. This ceremony at arlington national cemetery was to dedicate the uss thresher commemorative memorial. Miller had been to sea on the submarine at least 40 different times but in 1963, the electronics technician made a decision to advance his career and go to school. Warder, and was commissioned on 3 august 1961, commander dean l.
Contributed john jackie regan of naugatuck, who perished as a crew member aboard the uss thresher submarine in 1963. Navy, leading to the implementation of a rigorous submarine safety program known as subsafe. Capt zeb alford statements in the thresher booklet quoted in full as follows from page 6. Jul 30, 2014 the uss threshers last transmission before sinking, 1963 stay safe and healthy. Included is a plaque,a thresher patch,and a brochure from the navy league of the united states,boston council,detailing their portsmouth naval shipyard visit. Atomic submarine uss thresher sinks in the atlantic. Nov, 2009 on april 10, 1963, the uss thresher, an atomic submarine, sinks in the atlantic ocean, killing the entire crew. Uss thresher ssn 593 was the lead ship of the class and ordered on january 15th, 1958. She was launched on 27 march 1940 sponsored by radm claud a.
The second uss thresher ssn593 was the lead boat of her class of nuclearpowered attack submarines in the united states navy. Navys second submarine to be named after the thresher shark on 10 april 1963, thresher sank during deepdiving tests about 350 km 220 mi east of boston, massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard. On the morning of april 10, 1963, the worlds most advanc. The day navy veteran, who was supposed to be on uss. The us nuclear submarine thresher ssn593 was lost because standard compensation procedures to adjust for hull compression during the deepdive on 10 april 1963 were not followed. She was the lead ship in her class, but after her sinking during sea trials the class was renamed to the second vessel in her class, the uss permit. The same submersible that found the titanic was used to locate the thresher. What happens to a nuclear reactor that is dropped in the. Dec 31, 2007 navy screen highlights on loss of the uss thresher.
Top left, a view of the sonar dome wreckage and above, a view of the subs upper rudder. She was launched on 27 march 1940 sponsored by mrs. On 10 april 1963, thresher sank during deepdiving tests about 220 miles 350 km east of boston, massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and. Technically, therefore, the thresher was a permitclass submarine. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Consequently, thresher was heavy negatively buoyant at testdepth 0 feet and unable to deballast because adiabatic cooling froze moisture in the airlines to the ballast tanks, blocking those lines. Jones and commissioned on 27 august 1940, with lieutenant commander william lovett anderson u. Ap 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. Thresher fires two torpedoes, unfortunately one is a dud and the other misses. The uss thresher sank with all hands lost,and this april 10th will be. Link to death of the uss thresher on facebook tweet about death of the uss thresher. Navy history happened on the morning of april 10, 1963, when the nuclearpowered uss thresher ssn 593 was lost with 129 crew members and civilian employees.
Return to table of contents submarine sank 48 years ago today by jennifer feals seacoast sunday, april 10, 2011 the following article is courtesy of the seacoast sunday. He later became a project engineer and an assistant program manager in. The navy court of inquiry concludes a flooding casualty in the engine room brought about a piping system failure in one of the submarines salt water systems is the most probable. Uss thresher general dynamics electric boat published by guset user, 20150725 11. The wreckage of uss thresher more than 200 miles off the new england. Thresher ss200 of the us navy american submarine of. Uss thresher ss200, a tamborclass submarine, was the most decorated united states navy submarine of world war ii. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading death of the uss thresher. It is the seconddeadliest submarine incident on record, after the loss of the french submarine surcouf, in which crew died. Nuclear submarine acoustic data handbook, a comprehensive summary of the low frequency, narrowband acoustic signature characteristics of all u. Uss thresher has been the name of more than one united states navy ship, and may refer to. Thresher, which is similar in construction to other recent submarines, has a westinghouse s5w reactor plant, a single propeller driven by a geared turbine and an albacore teardropshaped hull. Uss scorpion ssn 589 uss scorpion, 22 august 1960, off new london, connecticut.
Our first story examines some once classified documents and the sinking of the cold wars most elusive predator. Dougan, spokesman for the navys nuclear propulsion program. All 129 men on board were killed, and it remains the worlds worst submarine disaster. Uss scorpion ssn 589 was a skipjackclass nuclear powered submarine that served in the united states navy and the sixth vessel of the u. April 10th 2008 marked the 45th anniversary of the sinking of uss thresher and the tragic deaths of all 129 men onboard 112 military and 17 civilians the uss thresher, which gave its name to a new class of submarines, was launched at the portsmouth naval shipyard, n. Lost on april 10, 1963, during diving tests about 220 miles east of boston, her class was subsequently named after the second ship the uss permit ssn 594.
Jones and commissioned on 27 august 1940, with lieutenant commander william. The uss thresher ssn593 was launched at portsmouth naval shipyard 9 july 1960. Episode 12, uss thresher, new york, new jersey and. Navy screen highlights on loss of the uss thresher. Launched on july 9th, 1960, uss thresher was formally commissioned on august 3rd, 1961, fighting under the motto of vis tacita silent strength. The uss thresher ssn 593 was a nuclear submarine that sank off of cape cod, massachusetts on april 10th, 1963. Uss thresher ss200, a tambor class submarine, was the most decorated united states navy submarine of world war ii. Uss scorpion and uss thresher wreckage video youtube. Uss thresher ss200, a submarine in commission from 1940 to 1945 and in 1946 uss thresher ssn593, a submarine commissioned in 1961 and lost in 1963. The legacy of the thresher 1964 dan rather cbs subsafe uss thresher 41280 hd duration. Fifty years earlier, the crew might not have been as.
Wreck of uss thresher ssn 593 sonar dome a section of a sonar dome from the bow of a thresher class submarine photographed august 24 during the second series of dives by the bathyscaph trieste. Sub threshers nuclear reactor remains buried at sea news. This book recounts the circumstances surrounding her implosion, which killed 129 men on board, in historys first loss of a nuclear submarine. Uss thresher was stricken from the navy list on april 10, 1963.
One hundred and twentynine sailors and civilians were lost when the sub unexpectedly. Uss thresher featured an innovative design, capable of extended underwater operations, high submerged speed and extremely quiet operation. Thresher ss200 of the us navy american submarine of the. For another complete listing of men lost with uss thresher ssn 593, each with a photo and short biography, please visit the excellent memorial website, uss thresher 593. I was there for a oneyear special tour of shore duty. Arlington memorial approved for 129 killed when nuclear submarine. Navys second submarine to be named after the thresher shark.
Nov 26, 2016 navy veteran, who was supposed to be on uss thresher, to be buried where submarine sank the late capt. In the summer of 1960, during a climate of mounting political paranoia, the navy launched a new nuclear attack submarine called the thresher. Yournavy what sank the thresher designed4submariners. The story behind historys deadliest submarine disaster. The uss thresher was designed to go faster and deeper than anything that came before it. Lost onthresher shark that is harmless to man and easily 75 eastern point road recognizable by its tail, which is longer than. Death of the uss thresher navy general library program. However, with her built in silent quality, she is one of the most effective antisubmarine weapons. Millican attacked the japanese submarine i162 offsite link off the lesser sundas in position 0605s, 10547e. Hooksett after more than a halfcentury, the 129 crew members who met a watery grave in the nuclearpowered submarine uss thresher. Episode 12, uss thresher, new york, new jersey and massachusetts gwen wright. The second uss thresher ssn593 was the lead boat of her class of. The second uss thresher was the lead boat of her class of nuclearpowered attack submarines in the united states navy. The simulation utilizes new program code for drag and pressure simulation of water to reproduce the dynamics that have acted on the pressure.
Uss thresher ssn 593, is the lead ship of the worlds most advanced class of nuclear submarines. Judge orders navy to release uss thresher disaster documents usni news 2112020 ben werner posted on 02112020 6. The uboat war in world war two kriegsmarine, 19391945 and world war one kaiserliche marine, 19141918 and the allied efforts to counter the threat. On the morning of april 10, the thresher proceeded to conduct sea trials about 200 miles off the coast of cape cod.
The reasons for the loss of the thresher were never fully identified, so the book weighs up the evidence. They shipped a number of boots there to do the mess cooking and coop cleaning duties. Declassify the thresher data proceedings july 2018 14471,385. Sep 26, 2014 the legacy of the thresher 1964 dan rather cbs subsafe uss thresher 41280 hd duration. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. The following men were lost while serving on uss thresher ssn 593. Navy veteran, who was supposed to be on uss thresher, to be buried where submarine sank the late capt. On 10 april 1963, thresher sank during deepdiving tests about 350 km east of boston, massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard. Uss thresher was a nuclearpowered submarine which broke up underwater on april 10, 1963 approximately 220 miles east of boston. A large sonar occupied her bow, so the four torpedo tubes were moved further aft in the hull and angled outboard.
Professionalismthe loss of uss thresher wikibooks, open. Garland davis i was stationed at nas lemoore out of recruit training. Uss thresher ssn593 nuclearpowered attack submarine. Here are some uss thresher items from my collection. Preparing to enter the trieste for one of its many dives are, left to right. The uss thresher sank with all hands lost,and this april 10th will be the 50th anniversary of her.
The bathyscaph has completed 10 dives some 220 miles east of cape cod where the nuclear powered submarine thresher sank april 10. The tragedy of the submarine kursk inspired my to create this animation. The disaster made headlines nationwide and led to an extensive inquiry by both the navy board and congress. Why the uss thresher ssn593 was lost in april 1963, the author, then the analysis officer at the sound surveillance system sosus evaluation center in norfolk, va, had just completed the u. In addition to her 16 officers and 96 enlisted men, the submarine carried 17 civilian technicians to observe her performance during the deepdiving tests. Her keel was laid down 27 may 1939 at the electric boat company of groton, connecticut. Uss thresher crew remembered lane memorial library. Atomic submarine uss thresher sinks in the atlantic, killing. Nov 21, 2017 uss thresher ssn 593 was the lead ship of the class and ordered on january 15th, 1958. Were the bodies from the sunken nuclear submarines thresher. Thirtyone years ago, the nuclear submarine uss thresher failed to surface from a test dive and was lost at sea. This appellation belonged to the nuclear submarine uss thresher, an attack class vessel that had been the pride of the u. Her construction was assigned to portsmouth naval shipyard and the keel laid down on may 28th of that year.
Death of the uss thresher by norman polmar goodreads. Judge orders navy to release uss thresher disaster documents. See more ideas about uss thresher, us navy submarines and us navy. The sheer power and diesel thermal effect of the water fist reduced all human remains to. I was co of the uss shark at that time of the loss of thresher and on a special op.