Atomic submarine USS Thresher sinks in the Atlantic, killing all on board
On this day in 1963 the USS Thresher an atomic submarine sinks in the Atlantic Ocean killing the entire crew.One hundred and twenty-nine sailors and civilians were lost when the sub unexpectedly plunged to the sea floor 300 miles off the coast of New England.The Thresher was launched on July 9 1960 from Portsmouth Naval Yard in New Hampshire.Built with new technology it was the first submarine assembled as part of a new class that could run more quietly and dive deeper than any that had come before.On April 10 1963 at just before 8 a.m.
the Thresher was conducting drills off the coast of Cape Cod.At 913 a.m.the USS Skylark another ship participating in the drills received a communication from the Thresher that the sub was experiencing minor problems.Other attempted communications failed and only five minutes later sonar images showed the Thresher breaking apart as it fell to the bottom of the sea.
Sixteen officers 96 sailors and 17 civilians were on board.All were killed.On April 12 President John F.Kennedy ordered that flags across the country be flown at half-staff to commemorate the lives lost in this disaster.
A subsequent investigation revealed that a leak in a silver-brazed joint in the engine room had caused a short circuit in critical electrical systems.The problems quickly spread making the equipment needed to bring the Thresher to the surface inoperable.The disaster forced improvements in the design and quality control of submarines.Twenty-five years later in 1988 Vice Admiral Bruce DeMars the Navys chief submarine officer said The loss of Thresher initiated fundamental changes in the way we do businesschanges in design construction inspections safety checks tests and more.
We have not forgotten the lessons learned.Its a much safer submarine force today.
