Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 853
| Subject: 5-7/8 history
Atlantic 05/07/63: A fire occurs aboard the USS Flasher (SSN-613) at the Electric Boat shipyard, Groton, Connecticut, killing three and injuring two. Damage to the ship is reportedly negligible. The fire occurred in the trimming tank of the submarine, scheduled to be launched on 14 June.
Pacific 05/08/63: The USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) suffers a fire while under construction at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, injuring three. The fire causes only minor damage to the Wilson and occurs when a heavy cable comes in contact with a switchboard on the submarine.
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Plankowner
Posts: 9164
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: 5-7/8 history
Flasher was still on the ways at that time. She didn't launch until June 22, '63. I reported aboard Flasher on February 26, 1965, less than two hours out of sub school. The first non-rated man in the crew. Half an hour later several others arrived.
During that time aboard learning the boat we had not heard about the fire. Going through Quals was a hit and miss thing as so many systems were non existent or only had parts and pieces. I had one occasion where I was going to get my first sig and rounded up the PO. We were to go through the next morning. Next morning down to the boat we went only to discover a huge portion of the system gone, back to the fabrication shop. Such was new construction.
We had been told that this was our chance to enter spaces that would soon be closed off and unavailable. A few of us were learning Trim & Drain and were in the engine room and the access to After Trim was open. Being skinny teens we slipped into the manhole and began wiggling through the limber holes in the bracing. We soon realize it felt really weird in the tank and all three of us wanted to get out. It just didn't feel right being there.
After we left the tank we were talking to some yard workers and found out that 3 guys were killed in the tank by an Oxygen fire. The guys were welding the bracing in the tank. The bottom of the tank had to be cut out, meaning the pressure hull, to get the guys out. I don't believe in ghosts but it sure felt creepy in that tank and I was in all I could fit into during construction.
Another death on Flasher happened while we were conducting sea trials. We went into dry dock from a trial run for some work to something. Liberty was called until next morning. The hull had water slime on it. While the dock was pumped out and the boat high and dry a workman walked aft on the hull to where the hull dipped below the waterline and was slick. He slipped and slid off the hull. You could clearly see the slide marks in the slime. He fell about 35 to 40 feet to the dock floor. He was taken to the hospital and died several weeks later. RIP.
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5-7/8 history
