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Master and Commander
Posts: 1602
| Subject: Article
My biggest surprise from this article is the 1300 foot depth, especially being in a diesel boat that groaned and seemed to ache below 300 feet. However I don't know how legitimate this article is.
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-just-one-simple-design-error-sank-american-nuclear-23981?page=2 |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9163
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: Article
There was more than just one change.
Once all was sorted, (not going into it) we, USS Flasher, was extensively redesigned, Among the many changes was 13 feet 9 inches added midships. The Newly designed SUBSAFE system and various other improvements. We were very aware of the Thresher and what happened being the same class of submarine. We were still on the ways when she sank. We launched about 1 1/2 months later. Being the first "as built" SUBSAFE boat had all kinds of brass all over us. Didn't stop the hull from groaning and screaming at you as we went to test depth but we had the confidence she had been done right. The procedure to get to test depth kept us reassured in her construction. A SUBSAFE surface is quite a ride from test depth 
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1602
| Subject: RE: Article
I remember something else about the Thresher. Something about some people that worked on her in dry dock were required riders on her first post dry dock dive. If that was true, has that remained and what types of groups were picked to ride future boats?
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1576
Location: Wollongong, NSW | Subject: RE: Article
At depth, the water pressure is such that the weight of the volume compressed air required to blow the ballast tanks is not much less than the water being displaced.
Reports I had read, indicated Thresher had had a reactor cooling water problem, regulations of the day required an immediate shutdown. Battery power was insufficient to drive the submarine to the surface and therefore the leak ensured the submarine became flooded.
Regulations were subsequently changed to permit the boat to drive to shallow water/surface.
Day one of training class - 4 inch diameter hole at 400 feet is forty tons of water a minute - this ingress is faster than the amount that can be pumped out. A 'flooding' pipe was taken seriously - only ever experienced it once, when still a Part III, early in 1973. Turned out to be a tiny failed cock that sprayed onto the underneath of the engineroom hatch - appeared to be the engineroom hatch failing. |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 851
| Subject: RE: Article
Gil - 2018-01-09 7:53 PM
I remember something else about the Thresher. Something about some people that worked on her in dry dock were required riders on her first post dry dock dive. If that was true, has that remained and what types of groups were picked to ride future boats?
First sea trials of Parche the president of Ingells and department heads of several shops rode us out and took the first deep dive with us. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1814
Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: Article
I am completely ignorant of the nuc boats. Do they have a very large safety tank analogous to the diesel boats which could displace the volume of 2 of the 9 compartments?
Steamboat sends |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9163
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: Article
Seems like this is somethings we touched on years ago on the board.
We had a Safety Tank but something in the back of my mind is saying that someone said the tank isn't there anymore. Can't verify this is true.
The Thresher boats still had the old 3000 PSI air system. We were built with the SUBSAFE required 4500 PSI system and older boats were depth restricted until refit to meet SUBSAFE. |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 715
Location: Conway, NH | Subject: RE: Article
steamboat - 2018-01-10 7:59 AM
I am completely ignorant of the nuc boats. Do they have a very large safety tank analogous to the diesel boats which could displace the volume of 2 of the 9 compartments?
The short answer for 637 and 640 class boats is - no |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1814
Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: Article
Mike... why not?
Steamboat sends |
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Old Salt
Posts: 271
Location: Vista, Ca. | Subject: RE: Article
Believe it or not I still have my piping tab from Barb. As depicted in September 1975 we had no safety tank. We did have a negative tank. We had 4500 lb. air even though we were not SUBSAFE. They had tried for many yard periods to certify us but we had a crack in the pressure hull that could not be fixed. I was in two yard periods where they spend two weeks on two different occasions grinding out the weld and re-welding. Only to fail rad testing. When I finally left in August 1980 they were headed to Mare Island where there were finally successful. And to agree with Ric, a Emergency Surface from depth was an e-ticket ride. I don't know why but as a torpedoman I hated loud noise. So every emergency blow I got the call from the CO to man the chicken switches. I'd show up in coveralls, mouse ears, rag for my mouth and goggles for the dust bunnies. The CO thought that was the was the funniest thing. But the fun was over taken by the noise and the diving officer trying to keep a even keel on the way up which took about 32 secs. Good times.
Geno
USS Gudgeon SS 567
USS Barb SSN 596 |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 715
Location: Conway, NH | Subject: RE: Article
steamboat - 2018-01-10 11:23 AM
Mike... why not?
I did not design them so I have no idea why the safety and negative tanks were no longer included. Maybe the experts didn't see a further need with the design. |
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Plankowner
Posts: 5024
Location: Gulfport, MS | Subject: RE: Article
Every time I was in the yards, each Shop that worked on the boat had to send one man to ride on sea trials when we made the 1st dive to test depth. This was usually an over-night trip so they got to help us work the kinks out during a number of dives. The riders were selected from each shop through a lottery system, where each man that worked on the boat (either aboard or on equipment sent to the various shops) tossed their badge number in a (bag, bucket, whatever) and then a number was drawn to see who was selected to represent their shop and go to sea with us. Kind of an incentive program to make sure you didn't take any shortcuts. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1602
| Subject: RE: Article
Thanks for your response! |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 539
Location: Palm Bay, Florida | Subject: RE: Article
As I recall from BESS, the volume of safety tank was exactly the same as the volume of the conning tower. I guess that no more conning tower eliminates the need for the safety tank. |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9163
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: Stand Corrected
Dug out the prints of Flasher's tanks and I need to say I was wrong. We did not have a Safety Tank but we did have a large Negative Tank. In my minds eye I was confusing the Neg for the Safety Tank. |
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