The Navy Hymn above can be listened to in WAV
format, as rendered by the Annapolis Middie Choir,
on the Mystic Whaler Page.

    
The Beginning

On Apr. 10, 1963, I was in my last year at North Kingstown Senior High in Wickford, Rhode Island. Six months later I would be joining the US Navy. On that date thirty-five years ago occurred one of the worst disasters in U.S. Naval submarine history.

USS Thresher SSN-593 was built in Kittery Maine at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. (The shipyard is located on the border of New Hampshire and Maine.) She was the first of a new class, designed for optimum performance of her sonar and weapons systems. A new type of high strength steel (HY-80) was used in her construction. Thresher was capable of diving deeper and running more silently than any other submarine of her time. Her keel was laid on May 28, 1958 and she was launched on July 9, 1960. After successfully completing builder’s and acceptance trials, Thresher was commissioned as a US Naval ship on August 3, 1961.

Thresher now began a series of trials and tests that are familiar to naval sailors the world over. The first evolution consisted of a shakedown cruise. This cruise is intended to find all of the small faults and irregularities that did not show up during initial testing. It is also used to familiarize the crew with the ship's handling characteristics during cruising and diving operations and to hone them into a finely tuned team. All of the submarine's systems are tested operationally during an extended cruise. Problems are found and corrected and suggestions made for improved performance.

All First of Class Naval ships must also undergo Shock Trials. Explosive charges are remotely detonated at various distances from the ship to test the ability of the ship’s systems and equipment to continue to function after a depth charge attack. After shock trials were completed, the ship underwent acoustic testing at Eleuthera Island.

After a year of operational testing, the Thresher returned to Portsmouth for post shakedown availability. During this time the shipyard takes apart and re-examines all shipboard systems, paying particular attention to systems subjected to seawater pressure and the nuclear reactor and its component systems.

The Ending

On the morning of Apr. 10, 1963, Thresher proceeded to rendezvous with USS Skylark ASR 20 at a position of 41.46 North and 65.03 West off the coast of New England. As Thresher was submerged, communication was by UQC (Underwater Sound Telephone). At 7:47 AM Thresher reported to Skylark, "We are commencing our deep dive". From 7:47 until 9:13 the dive appeared to be going well, with Thresher reporting her depth and course changes to Skylark. At 9:13 AM Thresher reported to Skylark that, "We are experiencing minor difficulties, we have a positive up angle, and are attempting to blow. Will keep you informed". Nothing further was heard until 9:16, when Skylark received a garbled transmission. Again at 9:17 Skylark received a second garbled transmission with partial words that appeared to be, "Nine Hundred North". No further transmissions were received and at 9:18 Skylark detected a high energy, low frequency disturbance, which was most likely the sound created by the implosion of the Thresher’s hull as she exceeded crush depth and broke apart.

There have been many theory’s advanced as to the probable cause of the Thresher’s loss, but the most likely scenario is as follows:
During the ship’s post shakedown availability period, several silver brazed joints on seawater piping systems had failed ultrasonic testing, but upon review had been accepted as meeting standards. (The previous method of hydrostatic testing was used to pass these joints). It is probable that one of these joints failed and sprayed saltwater on an electrical component of the reactor system. The reactor safety system automatically shut down the plant and unable to maneuver using the EPM (Electrical Propulsion Motor) at this depth, the ship attempted an emergency blow to the surface. The manufacturer of the high-pressure air piping system had placed a strainer ahead of the reducing valves to protect them from particulate matter. It was later found on testing performed on other submarines of the class that high air flow rates caused moisture to accumulate on the strainers, form ice and block the flow of air to the ballast tanks. The emergency blow failing, the ship continued to sink until she reached her design crush depth at which point she imploded, killing all 129 Crewmembers and Civilian Technicians onboard.

The loss of the Thresher prompted an immediate review by the Navy and resulted in improved design and safety for all new submarine construction.

I am a retired submarine sailor who has also experienced the near loss of the boat in which I was embarked. However, I still can barely imagine the feelings or thoughts that might have been going through the minds of that crew, knowing they only had minutes to live. I mourn for the loss of my comrades in arms, but I remember that their sacrifice paved the way for a safer Submarine Service today. I pray that whatever seas they may now be sailing, that they always have fair winds and following seas and I would ask that during this time of the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection that we each take a moment in silent prayer for our brethren of the sea, those lost and those still serving.

Memorial Graphic is courtesy of Cyberspace Association of United States Submariners

There are several excellent submarine WebPages on the Internet for those who would like to learn more about the Silent Service. Some of the best of these are: Ron Martini’s Submarine World Network, The Goat Locker, Cyberspace Association of United States Submariners, U.S.S. Sealion, and for the old timers, two truly great resources, uboat.net and Neil Steven's Deep Domain. Another Website of great interest to me is Tara Guthrie's S-51 Web Site dedicated to the memory of her grandfather who perished in a collision at sea. The story of the S-51 Salvage operation, "On the Bottom" has been republished by the grandson of the author, (Edward Ellsberg).

May God bless you and keep you and I wish you all Fair Winds and Following Seas,

     The Salty Sailor

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