Major submarine incidents since 2000

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.

"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 [http://geology.about.com/library/weekly/aa012801a.htm] and was large enough to register on seismographs across Northern Europe. [http://www.eas.slu.edu/People/RBHerrmann/Courses/EASA193/Lecture_19/lecture_19.pdf] 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.

USS "Greeneville" Collision with and Sinking of the Ehime-Maru

. 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.

USS "Dolphin" Major Flooding and Fire

In May 2002, the U.S. Navy research submarine warship|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.

HMS "Trafalgar"

In November 2002, the Royal Navy's "Trafalgar"-class submarine, warship|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 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. [ [http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/655644?UserKey=0 Royal Navy is condemned over crash of nuclear submarine] , P&J, May 23, 2008]

HMAS "Dechaineux" flooding

On February 12, 2003, "Collins" class submarine warship|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.

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.

"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

On 25 October 2003, the "Los Angeles" class submarine warship|USS|Hartford|SSN-768 ran aground in the harbor of La Maddalena, Sardinia causing approximately US$9 million worth of damage to the submarine.

HMCS "Chicoutimi" Fire

On October 5, 2004, the Canadian submarine warship|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 lead to electric arcing at cable joints because of sea water penetrating the joints. [http://www.vcds.forces.gc.ca/boi_chicoutimi/pubs/part2-cause-fires_e.asp]

USS "San Francisco" grounding

On January 8, 2005, the "Los Angeles" class submarine, warship|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|SSN-718. [US Navy. [https://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27010 USS Honolulu Holds Final Change of Command Ceremony] . December 14 2006.] [ [http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/26/br/br06p.html Nose of USS Honolulu to go to USS San Francisco] The Honolulu Advertiser ]

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 Fact|date=May 2007. 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.

The USS "Minneapolis-Saint Paul" Incident

Four crew members were washed overboard from the warship|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.

USS "Newport News" collides with Japanese tanker "Mogamigawa"

On January 8, 2007, warship|USS|Newport News|SSN-750 was transiting submerged (not surfacing) in the Straits of Hormuz when it hit the Japanese tanker "Mogamigawa". [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/01/08/japan.us.ship/index.html U.S. sub collides with Japan ship] , CNN, January 8, 2007] She had been operating as part of Carrier Strike Group 8 (CSG-8), organized around the aircraft carrier warship|USS|Dwight D. Eisenhower|CVN-69 [ [http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=24919 Eisenhower Strike Group Completes JTFEX 06-2] ] 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, warship|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.

HMS "Superb"

On 26 May, 2008, the Royal Navy's "Swiftsure"-class submarine, warship|HMS|Superb|S109 hit an underwater rock pinnacle in the northern Red Sea, 80 miles south of Suez, causing damage to sonar equipment.

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