(Apra Harbor, Guam) The USS San Francisco (SSN 711) is now drydocked and a full engineering assessment is being performed by a U.S. Navy team, led by Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Naval Sea Systems Command.
USS San Francisco at Guam Shipyard
(U.S. Navy Photo dated 1/27/05)
As originally speculated, the submarine hit an uncharted seamount and the Navy confirmed that accurate satellite data was available but not relayed to the crew. Looking at the photo, it appears that most damage is on the port side indicating that the seamount was probably hit at an angle as opposed to directly head on. Nonetheless, the collision had to be extremely violent to obliterate such a large chunk of the hull.
The captain of the boat, Cmdr. Kevin Mooney, has been reassigned to squadron duty pending completion of the investigation. Cmdr. Andrew Hale has assumed command of the boat. Based upon currently available information, it seems that the crew of the submarine should be found blameless for the incident and the unfortunate death of Petty Officer Joe Ashley.
No comments:
Post a Comment