- List of submarine incidents since 2000
-
USS San Francisco in Dry Dock after running aground 350 miles (560 km) south of Guam
Since the year 2000, there have been twenty major naval incidents involving twenty-two submarines: nine American submarines, five Russian, four British, one Chinese, one Canadian, one Australian, and one French.
Contents
2000
Kursk explosion
Main article: Russian submarine Kursk explosionIn 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. Twenty-three survived in the stern of the submarine, but despite an international rescue effort, they 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.
2001
Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision
Main article: Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision
Greeneville in drydock at Pearl Harbor on February 21, 2001 after hitting and sinking 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 of the 35 Japanese aboard, including four students, 10 miles (16 km) 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 Greeneville have been criticized for making no attempt to help the Japanese on the Ehime Maru that survived the initial collision.
2002
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 boat was towed back to San Diego for overhaul.
USS Oklahoma City collides with tanker
On 13 November 2002, the USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723) collided with the Leif Hoegh liquefied natural gas tanker Norman Lady, east of the Strait of Gibraltar. No one on either vessel was hurt, and there were no leaks of oil from fuel tanks and no threat to the environment, but the submarine sustained damage to her periscope and sail area, and put into La Maddalena, Sardinia, for repairs. Her commanding officer, Commander Richard Voter, was relieved of his command on 30 November. One other officer and two enlisted crew members also were disciplined for dereliction of duty.
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. It was travelling 50 metres below the surface at more than 14 knots (26 km/h) when Lieutenant-Commander Tim Green, a student in the 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 exercise. Furthermore, the officer in charge of the training exercise 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.[3]
2003
HMAS Dechaineux flooding
On 12 February 2003, HMAS Dechaineux (SSG 76), a Collins class submarine of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was operating near her maximum safe diving depth off the coast of Western Australia when a seawater hose burst.[4] The high-pressure seawater flooded the lower engine room before the hose was sealed off: it was estimated that if the inflow had continued for another twenty seconds, the weight of the water would have prevented Dechaineux from returning to the surface.[4] The RAN recalled the Collins class submarines to the naval base HMAS Stirling after the incident, and after engineers were unable to determine any flaws in the pipes that could have caused the incident, instructed that the maximum safe depth of the class be reduced.[4]
Ming 361 sinking
In May 2003, China announced that the entire ship's crew (70 people) had been killed aboard Ming class submarine 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.
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.
USS Hartford grounding
Main article: USS Hartford groundingOn 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.
2004
HMCS Chicoutimi fire
On October 5, 2004, the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879) suffered two fires after leaving Faslane for Halifax. One crewmember, Navy Lieutenant 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 led to electric arcing at cable joints because of sea water penetrating the joints.[5]
2005
USS San Francisco collision with undersea terrain
On January 8, 2005, the Los Angeles class submarine, USS San Francisco (SSN-711) while underway, submerged, collided with an undersea mountain 350 miles (560 km) 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. Around 60 other sailors were also injured in the accident, some seriously. The collision was so serious that the vessel was almost lost - accounts detail a desperate struggle for positive buoyancy after the forward ballast tanks were ruptured. Several news websites stated that the submarine hit an 'Uncharted Sea Mount' at speed. The boat's skipper, 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 greater than 25 knots (46 km/h), causing everything not attached to the submarine to go flying forward and a section of the bow to cave in. Temporary repairs were completed, and the submarine transited to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The ship's bow section has been replaced with that of a retired sister ship, the USS Honolulu (SSN-718).[6][7]
AS-28 emergency
Main article: AS-28On 5 August 2005 the Russian Priz class AS-28 Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle while operating off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula became entangled in a fishing net, or possibly by cables belonging to an underwater antenna assembly, at a depth of 190 meters (600 ft). Unable to free itself, the submarine was stuck with a depleting airsupply.
After a multi-national effort - a Royal Navy team using a Scorpio ROV was able to free the submarine from the entanglement, allowing it to return to the surface. All seven crew members were rescued safely.
USS Philadelphia collides with the MV Yasa Aysen
On 5 September 2005 Philadelphia (SSN-690) was in the Persian Gulf about 30 nautical miles (60 km) northeast of Bahrain when it collided with a Turkish merchant ship, MV Yasa Aysen. No injuries were reported on either vessel. Damage to the submarine was described as "superficial." The Turkish ship suffered minor damage to its hull just above the water line, which the United States Coast Guard inspected and found still seaworthy. The Philadelphia's Commanding Officer, CDR Steven M. Oxholm, was relieved following the incident.
2006
St. Daniel of Moscow fire
On September 6, 2006 the Russian Victor-3 class submarine St. Daniel of Moscow suffered a fire which resulted in the deaths of two crewmen (a warrant officer and a sailor). At the time of the incident the submarine was anchored off the Rybachiy peninsula, on Russia's north coast near the border with Norway. The fire was extinguished with no damage to the reactor (which had been scrammed as a precaution) and the submarine was towed to a base at Vidyayevo. The incident was reported as being caused by an electrical fire in the vessel's wiring.[8]
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.
2007
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.[9] It had been operating as part of Carrier Strike Group 8 (CSG-8), organized around the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)[10] and dispatched to the Indian Ocean to help support operations in Somalia.
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 pack ice. A third crewmember who suffered "non life-threatening" injuries was airlifted to a military hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska. According to the Royal Navy, the accident did not affect the ship's nuclear reactor, and the ship sustained only superficial damage.[citation needed]
2008
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 (130 km) south of Suez, causing damage to sonar equipment.[citation needed]
Russian K-152 Nerpa
Main article: 2008 Russian submarine accidentOn 8 November, 2008, at least 20 men died on board the Russian nuclear submarine K-152 Nerpa, during exercises.[11] The submarine belongs to the Pacific Fleet.
2009
HMS Vanguard and Triomphant collision
Main article: HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant Submarine CollisionThe nuclear submarines, the Royal Navy's HMS Vanguard (S28) and the French Navy's Triomphant (S616), were involved in a collision in February 2009. They were operating in the Atlantic Ocean at the time. No injuries or radiation leaks were reported.[12]
USSHartford and USS New Orleans collision
Main article: USS Hartford and USS New Orleans collisionThe USS Hartford (SSN-768) collided with the USS New Orleans (LPD-18) on 20 March 2009 in the Strait of Hormuz.[13]
2010
HMS Astute runs aground
On October 22, 2010, HMS Astute ran aground on a sand bank off the coast of the Isle of Skye in Scotland.[14]
References
- ^ http://geology.about.com/library/weekly/aa012801a.htm
- ^ http://www.eas.slu.edu/People/RBHerrmann/Courses/EASA193/Lecture_19/lecture_19.pdf
- ^ Royal Navy is condemned over crash of nuclear submarine, P&J, May 23, 2008
- ^ a b c Australian Associated Press (23 July 2005). "Navy forced to reduce subs' diving depth". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Navy-forced-to-reduce-subs-diving-depth/2005/07/23/1121539174654.html. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Two killed in Russian sub blaze". BBC News. 2006-09-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5322474.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ U.S. sub collides with Japan ship, CNN, January 8, 2007
- ^ Eisenhower Strike Group Completes JTFEX 06-2
- ^ At least 20 die in accident on Russian nuclear sub Reuters.
- ^ "Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic". BBC News. BBC. 16 February 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7892294.stm. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
- ^ "Ships collide in St of Hormuz". 5th fleet public affairs. 20 March 2009. http://www.cusnc.navy.mil/articles/2009/046.html. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ Grounded Nuclear Submarine Is Towed Free. Sky News Online, October 22, 2010.
- American Society of Safety Engineers. Journal of Professional Safety. Submarine Accidents: A 60-Year Statistical Assessment. C. Tingle. Sept. 2009. Pages 31-39. Ordering full article: https://www.asse.org/professionalsafety/indexes/2009.php; or Reproduction less graphics/tables: http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-government/12939133-1.html.
Categories:- Submarine accidents
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