Major submarine incidents since 2000
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Since the year 2000, there have been fifteen major naval incidents involving submarines: six involving submarines from the United States, three Russian, three British, one Chinese, one Canadian, and one Australian incident.
[edit] Kursk Disaster
In August 2000, the Russian Oscar II class submarine (which was the world's largest class of cruise-missile submarine) Kursk sank in the Barents Sea when a leak of hydrogen peroxide in the forward torpedo room led to the detonation of a torpedo warhead, which in turn triggered the explosion of around half a dozen other warheads about two minutes later. This second explosion was equivalent to about 3-7 tons of TNT [1] and was large enough to register on seismographs across Northern Europe.[2] The explosion and the flooding by high pressure seawater killed the majority of the submarine's 118 sailors, but twenty-three survived in the stern of the submarine, and despite an international rescue effort, died several days later either from a flash fire or suffocation due to a lack of oxygen. The Russian Navy was severely criticized in its home country by family members of the deceased crew for failure to accept international help in a timely manner.
[edit] USS Greeneville Collision with and Sinking of the Ehime-Maru
On February 9, 2001, the American submarine USS Greeneville (SSN-772) accidentally struck and sank a Japanese high-school fisheries training ship, Ehime-Maru, killing nine Japanese aboard, including four students, 10 miles off the coast of O'ahu. The collision occurred while members of the public were on board the submarine observing an emergency surface drill.
A naval inquiry found that the accident was the result of poorly executed sonar sweeps, an ineffective periscope search by the submarine's captain, Commander Scott Waddle, bad communication among the crew and distractions caused by the presence of the 16 civilian guests aboard the submarine.
The Navy and the command of the Greenville have been criticized for making no attempt to help the Japanese on the Ehime Maru that survived the initial collision.
[edit] USS Dolphin Major Flooding and Fire
In May 2002, the U.S. Navy research submarine USS Dolphin (AGSS-555) experienced severe flooding and fires off the coast of San Diego, California. The ship was abandoned by the crew and Navy civilian personnel, who were rescued by nearby naval vessels. No one was seriously injured. Although severely damaged, the ship was towed back to San Diego for overhaul.
[edit] HMS Trafalgar
In November 2002, the Royal Navy's Trafalgar-class submarine, HMS Trafalgar (S107) ran aground close to Skye, causing £5 million worth of damage to her hull and injuring three sailors. She was traveling 50 metres below the surface at more than 14 knots when Lieutenant-Commander Tim Green, a student in the "Perisher" course for new submarine commanders, ordered a course change that took her onto the rocks at Fladda Chuain, a small but well-charted islet. A report issued in May 2008, stated that tracing paper (used to protect navigational charts) had obscured vital data during a training excersise. Furthermore, the officer in charge of the training excersise had not been tracking the submarine's position using all the available equipment. Commanders Robert Fancy and Ian McGhie were court martialled and reprimanded over the incident. [1]
[edit] HMAS Dechaineux flooding
On February 12, 2003, Collins class submarine HMAS Dechaineux (SSG 76) of the Royal Australian Navy was flooded off the coast of Perth, Western Australia. Water flooded into the submarine's lower engine room after a seawater hose failed as the Dechaineux was at its deepest diving depth. 55 sailors were 20 seconds from sinking to the bottom of the ocean. However, Dechaineux crew members managed to stop the flood and rescue Seaman Geordie Bunting from the engine room.
The Royal Australian Navy responded to the crisis by ordering the fleet back to port and conducting exhaustive tests on the hose that failed, but was never able to find a fault with the hoses, which are still used.
[edit] Ming 361 Loss of All Personnel
In May 2003, China announced that the entire ship's crew (70 people) had been killed aboard Ming 361 due to a mechanical malfunction. The accident took place off the coast of Liaoning province in northeast China. The vessel was recovered and towed to an unidentified port. The cause of the accident is not known, but it is believed that the crew suffocated due to malfunctioning diesel engines, which consumed all the oxygen present in the interior of the submarine.
[edit] K-159 Sinking
In August 2003, the Russian November class submarine K-159 sank in the Barents Sea. The submarine had been decommissioned, and was in the process of being towed for scrapping. Of the skeleton crew of ten aboard the submarine, nine perished.
[edit] USS Hartford grounding
On 25 October 2003, the Los Angeles class submarine USS Hartford (SSN-768) ran aground in the harbor of La Maddalena, Sardinia causing approximately US$9 million worth of damage to the submarine.
[edit] HMCS Chicoutimi Fire
On October 5, 2004, the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879) suffered two fires after leaving Faslane for Halifax. One crewmember, Lieutenant Navy Chris Saunders, died the following day while being transported to Ireland via helicopter. Investigations concluded that poor insulating of power cables caused the fires.
The Board of Enquiry found that the fire was caused by a series of events that lead to electric arcing at cable joints because of sea water penetrating the joints.[2]
[edit] USS San Francisco grounding
On January 8, 2005, the Los Angeles class submarine, USS San Francisco (SSN-711) collided virtually head-on with an undersea mountain 350 miles south of Guam. Machinist Mate 2nd Class Joseph Allen Ashley, 24, of Akron, Ohio, died of injuries suffered in the accident, which occurred when the submarine was on a high speed run to Brisbane, Australia. Several news websites stated that the submarine hit an 'Uncharted Sea Mount' at speed. CDR Kevin Mooney was later relieved of command after an investigation revealed that the ship was using inadequate voyage planning techniques. The submarine experienced a rapid deceleration from approximately 33 knots, causing everything not attached to the submarine to go flying forwards and a section of the bow to cave in. Around 60 other sailors were also injured in the accident, some seriously. Temporary repairs were completed, and the submarine transited to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The ship's forward section will be replaced with that of a retired sister ship, the USS Honolulu.[3][4]
[edit] The AS-28 Emergency
On August 5, 2005 the Russian Priz class AS-28 Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle on a military mission (likely anti-submarine sensor placement) off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Berezovaya Bay, 70 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Oblast became entangled by a fishing net, or possibly by cables belonging to an underwater antenna assembly. The submarine became entangled in nets left by a fisherman on an underwater structure at a depth of 190 m (600 ft), too deep for the crew to escape the submarine and swim to the surface. The Russian Navy requested assistance after a distraught wife of one of the crewmembers covertly revealed the emergency to a local radio station[citation needed]. Japan sent four ships with rescue equipment. Britain and the United States both began the process necessary to airlift unmanned Scorpio vessels to the scene. The rescue was the first ever coordinated deployment that used the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO) rescue coordination website. The ISMERLO capability was set up following the loss of the Kursk. During the airlift of equipment, using the web coordination tool rescuers identified that the British Rescue team had arrived at the scene, but that there was no equipment available to offload the aircraft bringing rescue equipment. The US flew in a "K-loader", a special aircraft loading vehicle from Yokota, Japan enabling the Royal Navy to offload their Scorpio 45 remotely operated vehicle. After 4 hours of operations from the Russia support vessel the Royal Navy team were able to cut the entangling nets and line, releasing the submarine, which then made its way to the surface, having nearly exhausted its air supply. All 7 crew members were rescued safely.
[edit] The USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul Incident
Four crew members were washed overboard from the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (SSN-708) by heavy waves on 29 December 2006 in Plymouth Sound, England. This resulted in the deaths of Senior Chief Thomas Higgins (Chief of the boat) and Sonar Technician 2nd Class Michael Holtz. After the preliminary investigation, Commander Edwin Ruff received a punitive letter of reprimand, stating that the accident was avoidable, and he was reassigned to a shore-based post in Norfolk, Virginia.
[edit] USS Newport News collides with Japanese tanker Mogamigawa
On January 8, 2007, USS Newport News (SSN-750) was transiting submerged (not surfacing) in the Straits of Hormuz when it hit the Japanese tanker Mogamigawa.[5] She had been operating as part of Carrier Strike Group 8 (CSG-8), organized around the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)[6] and dispatched to the Indian Ocean to help support operations in Somalia.
[edit] HMS Tireless
On March 21, 2007 two crew members of the Royal Navy's Trafalgar-class submarine, HMS Tireless (S88) were killed in an explosion caused by air-purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine. The submarine was in service in the Arctic Ocean and had to make an emergency surface through the ice pack. A third crewmember who suffered "non life-threatening" injuries was airlifted to a military hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska and is expected to make a full recovery. According to the Royal Navy, the accident did not affect the ship's nuclear reactor, and the ship sustained only superficial damage.
[edit] HMS Superb
On 26 May 2008, the Royal Navy's Swiftsure-class submarine, HMS Superb (S109) hit an underwater rock pinnacle in the northern Red Sea, 80 miles south of Suez, causing damage to sonar equipment.
[edit] References
- ^ Royal Navy is condemned over crash of nuclear submarine, P&J, May 23, 2008
- ^ http://www.vcds.forces.gc.ca/boi_chicoutimi/pubs/part2-cause-fires_e.asp
- ^ US Navy. USS Honolulu Holds Final Change of Command Ceremony. December 14, 2006.
- ^ Nose of USS Honolulu to go to USS San Francisco The Honolulu Advertiser
- ^ U.S. sub collides with Japan ship, CNN, January 8, 2007
- ^ Eisenhower Strike Group Completes JTFEX 06-2
