Crush Depth: The Nightmarish Loss of USS Thresher
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- čas přidán 8. 04. 2023
- The first of its class and leading the way to sweeping US Navy Submarine build standards change, the USS Thresher (SSN-593) was tragically lost with all hands on April 10, 1963 and is on Eternal Patrol.
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Hey, I'm Sam! Full Time Parent & Creator. With a background in Workplace Safety Instruction, Logistics/Supply Chain Management & Industrial Robotics Programming/Engineering.
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I actually just started at the Naval yard in Kittery Maine again and had a neo class on the thresher
you should cover the other, possibly more nefarious sinking of that era. The loss and possible destruction of the USS Scorpion. which has some rather serious evidence point towards it being a purposeful sinking of a US nuclear submarine by the russians.
Any hope you'll look at Scorpion at some point? I guess there might be too many unknowns, but still...
@@nighthawkf1174 That would be a good one for him to do. I 2nd your motion.
It is unbelievable that they tested this sub in such deep water. There was no safety net as you say. They should be tested in water depths that dont exceed their crush point.
Although the real figure is classified, I have heard from a credible source that a modern U.S. nuclear powered sub can stay submerged until the crew runs out of coffee.
Nuclear subs make their own air and water. So the only limitation is food and crew morale.
As a former nuclear electricians mate who was married to a nuclear electronics technician stationed on a submarine in Groton: your source is correct 😂
Don't forget toilet paper
Coffee is freaking⚠️ important
Coffee IS Reactor Safety - OPRS-1 Step 1.0
I'm a machinist in Cornwall, PA. We make all of the water pumps for the Virginia and Columbus class subs. Also the new Ford class carriers. Our CEO had us all assemble yesterday, and we had a moment of silence at 9:14am. He had us stare at our hands for 60 seconds. He then told us the story and reminded us that a weld failed on a Main Seawater Casing. We make those. In those 60 seconds, the whole sub flooded and everyone died. It really made us all think that we better do our job right.
Thank you for your extreme attention to detail. The ocean is not a forgiving entity. When mistakes are made, you don't get a second chance.
Edit It's good to hear that you have a CEO that actually cares about the toll that is paid in blood when mistakes are made.
Thank you Walter, and all your coworkers, for your Professionalism, Acute attention to detail and upholding the Highest Standards to keep our Nation’s Men and Women who Serve and Sacrifice of Themselves to keep America and the World at large Safe.
Nice to know that there are some people that still take their jobs seriously.
God Bless the USA!!👍🏼🇨🇦🇬🇧🇺🇸
Thank you for that story. Very powerful, very moving. And this is coming from an Army guy.
I already have a strong fear of deep waters, but the thought of being trapped in a box sinking deeper and deeper just waiting for it to collapse is incomprehensibly terrifying
Hearing the engines shut down, and engineers frantically trying to start the reactor again as the hull starts creaking and groaning around you...
Shit my heart would’ve sink shit definitely 💯 would’ve panicked
And yet the guys voice on the garbled transmissions is still just professionally reporting information to the surface. Unbelievable moment of courage that must have taken from all those men
My dad was a submariner, they mentally prepare themselves and go through their tasks even in terrifying conditions. Every submariner knows this can happen; my dad just loved every minute of being out at sea.
I'm claustrophobic and have only been on the "submarine" at Disneyland. I don't care how many guarantees they could give me, snorkeling is my "underwater" limit!
My father didn't die because his supervisor scratched his name off the list and went in his place. His supervisor had 4 children. My Dad had 4 children. I was only 13. I can't imagine how my life would have changed that day if my Dad had died on the Thresher.
You were lucky, your father was fated to live. God bless.
@@johnmccormick8462 My dad was on the USS-Permit, a sister submarine. I was too young to be scared, but I learned later that there was a lot of concern about which submarine was lost. So tragic.
Why did his supervisor take his place?
Prove it
@@sethrudy6617
She already did
60 years tomorrow of the sinking of the USS Thresher, may all 129 souls rest in peace
RIP. A decent amount of the crew would probably be alive today. 60 years of life taken away in 1/20 of a second...
@@GasGrassOrAssetto only good thing about it is it was over quick when the time came. Rest in place lads
That day is today and whats crazy is i didnt know that and im sitting here watching this.
@@kieranmalenoir8705
how do u that that???
@@danbev9313at that depth, the implosion is so fast you'd be chunks of meat floating around in the ocean and not have even seen it coming. Lights off like flipping a switch.
My uncle was a civilian contractor on the Thresher. Been out on it several times. Fortunately, not on the final time. He told us he thought the fittings were substandard, and he was not shocked at the outcome. I'll never forgot what he said. He went to pick up some tools he left shortly after the sinking, and he saw tow trucks towing all the cars out of the parking lot.
man that's fucked up to imagine, that visual in the last sentence there, ugh.
Wow. It took me a few seconds to understand your last sentence, but it hit pretty hard once I got it. I can’t even imagine seeing that.
Do you think they knew it would fail?
@@mauricemotors8207 My Uncle said he had concerns about the quality of the fittings and brazings. (If I remember right, I was really young at the time). He is still with us, but his health is failing, I wish I could ask him about it now.
Wow, that's an image that'd stay with you.
I was only 11years old and exploring the rocky coast of Maine with my new transister radio. A news bulletin came on telling about the Thresher being in trouble, and rescue efforts beginning. Perhaps because I was wading in the same water as the Thresher was in. It had a profound affect on my 11year old mind. I still remember listening to that radio, transfixed by what I was hearing. Somehow it made the event personal to me. Still seems like yesterday. Now 71. Thanx for an exceptional video.
An eloquent comment.
@@stephenhargreaves9324what does eloquent mean?
@@chrisswanson6642
Seriously?
@@chrisswanson6642 Eloquent means that the words he used to tell the story, are educated and varied from every day vernacular.
My father was COB on the USS Nautilus. We lived in Groton in Navy housing and I'll never forget the look on the neighbor's face when he came to the door late in the evening and told my dad that they had to go to the base immediately. I was only seven years old, but I knew something was bad.
"We lost a boat." he said, and I watched the color drain from my dad's face.
And five years later, we lost the Scorpion. There were kids in my school who didn't have fathers anymore.
My father used to give tours of the Nautilus to various groups like the Cub Scouts and I'd tag along. And someone would always ask the question, "How deep can this sub go?" Which is classified.
And my dad would look at them and say, "All the way to the bottom."
my father was just a SOAB
@bungalowwill. Thank you kindly. A very precious memory of your father illustrates the depth of our camaraderie, and his spirit to give freely of his time is as familiar as the back of my hand.
I took one of those tours on the Nautilus while in Sub School.
Thank you for your service. As you know so intimately, when one member of the family serves, they all serve.
ET1(SS/SW/MTS) US Navy, Ret.
"All the way to the bottom."
Damn thats bone chilling!
@@drshockenburg4861hats a hard ass quote I bet those people never forgot
@OP
You write well. I'd even be interested in reading more of the stories of your father and interesting times in the military / on the base, etc
My dad was IC on the Nautilus, I got to tour it once. Don't know how those guys didn't go nuts down there.
My grandpa's best friend was lost in the Thresher accident. His name was Pat Garner. I believe he was a Lieutenant Commander. It's sad that none of the bodies were never recovered and now still with the submarine and the crew time has forgot. My grandpa and him were childhood friends and it bothered my grandpa for decades that he was gone. But they have been reunited in heaven or another world.
I'm not sure if you watched all the way to the end but he was second in the list of names and it confirms that he was Lieutenant Commander
@@kidsalex13 I just saw this. I'm going to watch it when I have time. He was originally from Memphis but my grandpa was raised in Marianna, Arkansas roughly about an hour away.
If it's any consolation, the incident would have been so fast those aboard wouldn't have felt a thing. The physics are... Extreme.
Rest in peace to both Pat and your grandpa
RIP to them both.
I served aboard the USS Gato (SSN 615) during an overhaul in the late '70s. It was scheduled to be an 18 month overhaul. 14 months into the overhaul, it was discovered that some of the fasteners used in many SUBSAFE systems were not SUBSAFE certified. The identification, removal and replacement of these fasteners turned an 18 month overhaul into a 41 month overhaul. The Navy takes the SUBSAFE program very seriously.
Hey, I was aboard Gato too. Those multiple sea trials after Ingalls then transit to Port Canaveral to balance the main engines.
I was a guest on the USS Finback we she was working out of Roosevelt Roads. I could not get over the tight quarters you guys had to live under.
I am a longtime military and airline pilot and have done safety work in both the aviation and chemical processing industries. I have been interested in the losses of Thresher and Scorpion for years, and must congratulate you on this outstanding analysis and summary. I very much look forward to the second part.
Amen... and yes, looking forward to it.
Your work is incredible, love your channel...
As a submariner of 20years a lot of our safety systems have come from the unfortunate loss of the Thresher.
Sadly, those safety systems and best practices fell on Stockton Rush’s deaf ears.
Curious, didn't the Thresher have backup battery power? Couldn't it have used backup power to propel itself to the surface after the reactor shutdown? I really hope today's submarines have the ability to switch to backup power instantly in case the reactor is shutdown. Otherwise, this could still happen no matter how improved the ballast blowing system has become.
@@kazmodan82 no, it couldn't
you can't turn the massive screw of a nuclear sub using the tiny amount of battery power
at least not for very long or fast enough to come to the surface dynamically from as deep as Thresher was
that's what the emergency blow procedure is for
Thank you for your service. Our nuclear subs are the best defense we have against nuclear attack.
It is sad that we have to learn some lessons because people die. Like the Titanic and lifeboats. The sea is so unforgiving
I was a little shocked by the lack of higher standards regarding joined seams and joints -- by the 1960s, there had been over a century of evidence of the importance of joint and seam integrity in military ship design! There is some solace that the Navy immediately sought to implement change from this horrific incident, but the question remains why the military structure chose construction speed over its human capital first during a time of relative peace.
I'd guess because as you said, it was a time of "Relative" peace, but that's in relation to all out war.
There were tons of incidents, skirmishes, and proxy wars between NATO, the Soviets, and allies of the two; especially in the 50's-70's.
She was ordered in "58, commissioned in '61, and lost in '63. She was just in time for one of the most tense moments of the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis in '62 when a lot of people thought nuclear war between the US and USSR was imminent.
Considering she was not only a new highly advanced design which would be the lead of a whole class, but also a testbed for more advanced weapon systems, passive and active sonars, etc. It actually makes perfect sense why they would rush to get her out, at the moment no one knows when a war will start but they're pretty sure it's only a matter of time; so the sooner they can discover any design and equipment defects by field testing it, the sooner they can fix those defects or make a better replacement and apply them to the rest of the class and fleet.
I'm not saying it's the right choice, and it obviously proved wrong in this case. But there's at least an understandable reason why they might've felt they had to.
Navies have never been particularly interested in safety culture, to the point where in WW1 the royal navy battlecruiser fleet was disabling blast doors in order to increase rate of fire. This resulted in multiple ships lost with nearly their entire crew, from magazine detonations.
Welding and general metallurgy was also much less well understood during the time of the thresher, and the idea that if something was designed to work and was built by a trained person then it would definitely work was prevalent thoughout industry. If a weld is supposed to be as strong as the base metal, then all welds would be.
There is alot more here than you know. Many things changed after Thresher, and even more after Scorpion. I was a submarine repairman (outside machinist) when I was in the Navy. Sometimes it felt like I spent more time in a classroom than I did working on the boats!😂
Steel can change its molecular structure without changing its shape.
Remember right there was some pipes burst at the seams and the reason was the pipes were not welded they were braised braising has less tensile strength psi than welds do welding has a tensile strength of 60-80 thousand psi and braising is around 30 thousand or so
The most accepted theory of the loss is that a silver brazed joint in a pipe larger than 2" failed. The water likely shorted out an electrical load center causing the reactor to SCRAM. The weight of water weighed down the back of the sub, causing it to begin sliding backward into deeper water. With no propulsion to counter the subs sliding back into deep water, the Conning Officer would have ordered an emergency blow. Later testing demonstrated that this was likely caused by the supercooled air leaving the flasks in the ballast tank, caused ice to form on the screens over the discharges stopping the blow. (this was corrected on later subs). With no propulsion, the inability to blow their tanks, and the sub sinking ever deeper, every sailor on that submarine knew full well that, eventually, a hull collapse was inevitable. Fortunately, the collapse would have killed every man instantly and there would have been no suffering.
But they have redundancies built into all the systems. I think something like that could have been the start of it. But there would have had to be some human error in controlling the sub to make it a loss.
@@mvd4436 1963 redundancy ? challenger space shuttle circa 1986 says hi. An extra o ring and history would be changed
Great info- thanks!
@@mvd4436 Let me mention that I was in the Navy for 20 years, my job is fixing US Navy submarines, and I have done this for an additional 14 years as a civilian. I have worked at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard countless times. This is the accepted scenario. Yes, there was human error. The belief is the silver brazed joint was faulty. This led to the development of the Submarine Safety Program (SUBSAFE). The SUBSAFE program encompasses a lot, and I would be happy to discuss it with you if you are interested.
@@mvd4436 well they do have systems in place now but at the time they may not have had them in place. Almost all modern safety systems and codes are written in blood.
My Great Uncle, Thomas Wayne Bailey, was scheduled to be on the Thresher for those final exercises. He had cold symptoms and was confined to quarantine with a suspected case of the flu. Those sniffles saved his life.
The guy who was listening to the sonar device that picked up the high energy, low frequency sound that was probably the Thresher imploding in the deep ocean like someone squeezing a soda can must have been forever haunted by that noise when he realized what it almost certainly meant.
Perhaps that's why BI gave a warning every time such a sound came up. A 'trigger warning', if you will...
I was on a bus that ran over and killed a motorcyclist. Can't go over a speed-bump without thinking about him.
@@ChibiViolinThat sounds truly horrible.
@@ChibiViolinSorry that happened to you.
The people on that sad sub my god
There was no suffering for the crew as they were killed instantly the second the pressure hull failed. However, those last minutes before crush depth was reached must have been absolutely terrifying.
To be completely honest, they were probably too busy taking casualty actions and fighting the flooding to recognize the depth they were reaching. If anybody did, it was the Helmsman, Plainsman, Dive, Officer of the Deck, CO, XO and MAYBE Maneuvering watch standers.
Physical suffering no, but I'm betting a fair few of the crew suffered that gut wrenching fear that kicks in when you think "I'm going to die here".
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 Or maybe they sang a song and accepted it, when you know your time is up there's no point fighting it. Maybe they enjoyed the final few moments I know I would if I was doomed
@@ww2planes_810 I would imagine the sounds the hull was making as the boat reached and then exceeded test depth made the situation pretty obvious to anyone with a functioning set of ears
They suffered every second up until the implosion.
My father always snapped "you couldn't pay me enough to get on one of those things!" when we watched something about submarines - even if we knew the sub would be fine. I've always imagined it was because he was a kid when Thresher was lost (and living in New England it would have been a big deal for him). That "apocalypse log" of the sub beginning to fail in your calm voice would have been nightmare fuel for him.
Yeah, I was a kid in New England and I can remember the newspaper headline because I had just learned how to read. It WAS a big deal, and that kind of stuff sticks with you. It still gives me the creeps thinking about it.
@@wrp3621 Ironically, I -did- get him on a submarine. I worked at the Intrepid Museum in New York for a few years and the USS Growler was on display there. He went on no problem... of course, because it's a static presentation. I think he asked me if it goes down before he went on, though...
What did he do for a living?
I’m with your dad-- you couldn’t drag me on one
Sometimes in a bar, after I've had a couple and the subject of my serving on submarines comes up, SOMEBODY will say something like, "Oh I could NEVER do THAT!!!" To which I simply replay, "And THAT is why I did it, somebody had to."
I served aboard a nuclear ballistic missile submarine back in the 70's. I came to learn about the loss of the Thresher while in 8th grade when we were told a man from our home town was aboard. The family still lives in that town. RIP Maurice Jaquay.
Thank you for your service.
I served on a boomer in the mid 80s ,they treated us well then and had alot of money to spend under Reagan.
Thank you for your service.
@@Thadude701I'm sure his war on "drugs" helped fund you guys
Very insightful comment!
The loss of the _Thresher_ is one of the worst naval disasters in history. To make the sub more presentable, facades were built to hide pipes. When _Thesher_ began experiencing problems, the ballast (at room temperature) began blowing very cold (like a can of compressed air) Thus, it froze the water in the pipes. This kept the ballast from working as it should have, and the crew was not able to gain access to the pipes because of the facades.
When the reactor scrambled, the propulsion switched to batteries, but that speed could not sustain the sub's depth and it began its descent past test depth and then crush depth. The deeper it went, the more difficult it became to ascend. And those aboard _Thresher_ knew exactly the state they were in.
Little did you know 🤣
John Robert -
I think your close but a bit off in the explanation. What I read somewhere (I wish I could relocate it) that the navy, until this incident, didn’t dehumidify the air stored in the emergency blow tanks. During the blow, it was the moisture in the compressed air, rushing out of the valves, that blocked or froze the valve(s), not allowing the air to escape.
I'll have to back you up on this. I have come across the same information. Apparently there's a filter in the valve, because of the small size of the filtration ports, the were at risk to freeze over during emergency blows at depth, where the water was colder. They had a sub which had the same issue, don't recall the name, but that is how it was discovered.
Those filters, have since been replaced.
The other commenters were correct. Since this the whole emergency blow system has been overhauled and redesigned. Now there are active measures being used to dehumidify the high pressure air being stored in the air banks for use in emergency blow. The submarine navy takes this VERY seriously. The Thresher is constantly referenced anytime maintenance on that system is conducted.
Tragic loss. Lots of kids and wives left wondering for decades exactly what was up. It’s an honor to learn about these sailors. Thank Immortar.
Dont use His name in vain
Their families knew exactly what was up! Their loved ones worked in and operated a tin can cruising the deepest oceans. How many subs have sank and some of the crew survived? Very damned few, thats for certain. Russian sub the Kursk sank with all hands in the Barents Sea in 2000. 118 souls on board and 23 actually survived in the stern of the ship when a torpedo exploded and set off the remaining torps. Sinking the ship with all hands. The 23 survivors in the stern lived for 3 more days until they succumbed to fire and O2 depletion. Russia would not accept international help. By the time they did, it was too late to rescue anyone. It simply became a recovery effort. But I don’t expect anything less from russia. Russias military personnel are not considered people or individuals. They are simply the biological components of a weapons system…
I work as a Machinist and make parts for the U.S Navy. We mainly make parts for our submarines. I can tell you first hand. When we make parts for subs. Every tolerance has to be met. Parts are tracked. All materials are U.S sourced. All parts have their own SN#. That has to be kept with the parts. We take this stuff real serious.
Thank you Mike, We are a Nation grateful for your expertise and care put into your work.
Do You work out of groton?
US military aviation is the same. Every single part is tracked, has nsn/serial and is US made. Not to mention so much redundancy is crazy on our rotary wing AC.
I have a lot of appreciation for people who recognize the importance of a job well done. Thank you Mike.
Same here but with aviation.
Welp… the algorithm has a sense of morbid humour right now.
Not really. People are just watching this stuff more right now because of Titan.
Right, I just came from watching an informational video about the failed oceangate vessel. Wth is this!?
i mean there's prob a huge surge in searches about submarines and it's just responding to that
@@troysnyder3634something far worse
I thought it was just me 😂
An interesting fact about the "Thresher's" aftermath: In 1985 there was a top-secret mission to investigate the status of the "Thresher" wrecksite, with emphasis on the status of the sub's reactor.
The leader of the expedition: Robert Ballard.
The cover-story: Searching for the "Titanic."
The irony of a tourist/expedition submersible imploding on the way to the actual Titanic wreck site is eerie...
No one else talking about the nuclear radiation emissions?
I can’t believe it’s intact and not leaking.
@@bocefusmurica4340 Dilution is the solution. I know it sounds ignorant but there's a hell of a lot of water out there, even if it was leaking Im not sure it would be a huge deal at its location.
@Toolness1 water is a stunningly effective gamma ray absorber. The reactor down there is no issue
@@bocefusmurica4340Even if it was leaking, water is very good and diluting the effects of nuclear waste and whatnot.
My dad was a photographer in the Navy when the Thresher incident happened. He was stationed in Washington DC at the time, and received a Navy commendation for all his work developing and processing the film footage that the other submarines took while trying to locate the wreckage. I asked him if it was ever found? He said the only thing he saw on the film was debris, scattered on the ocean floor. Very sad.
Tragic.
Despite every sub loss are horrific, the phrase used to declare the sub's fate is so poetic:
*_On Eternal Patrol_*
Gosh that just hits deep somewhere
😢😢
A friend's brother was on the Thresher when it went down when she was a senior in high school. It understandably halted the successful completion of her senior year.
My Dad served 21 years in the US Navy. He wore Dolphins & had the opportunity to serve aboard the USS Thresher, along with one of his best friends, Andrew "Doc" Gallant, but he was given the opportunity to cross-rate (from RM to CT) & decided to accept this. I do know that Dad mourned the loss of Doc Gallant for the rest of his life....
Please explain RM and CT, are those ratings?
@@kellyfrench Radioman and Communications Technician
I work at Newport News Shipbuilding. When going through orientation everyone is told the story of the USS Thresher. We are shown audio recordings from the incident. These days the quality inspections in the sub shops are extremely strict. We want to make sure this never happens again.
Thank you for the extreme attention to detail. The ocean is not a forgiving entity. When mistakes are made they are costly.
Thank you, every single Employee, American’s rely on you, We are grateful for your expertise and immaculate care taken thru out your work. Carry on Zack, we’re proud to have you.
Don't go around telling folks what you do. It will make you an easy target for espionage.
@@carlbrutananadilewski8395 Bhahaha nice try there
@@mikea9516pretty sure any primary military contractor requires a low level security clearance. Which means they do some digging into your life (and by some I mean A LOT).
I work as a commercial fisherman where our dock is directly across from the Shipyard having grown up in the sphere of influence of the shipyard. The Thresher is still remembered and mourned in the area. I personally have a framed photo in remembrance of the Thresher hanging on the wall. May they all have fair winds and following seas on their eternal patrol
Cape May scalloper checking in. I wish I would have joined the Navy & went on a sub. I kick myself in the ass every time I see one.
That is nice to think that they’re all still out there, sailing the deep seas forever
😔
I live 10 minutes for portsmouth, thanks for feeding us seafood!
My father was head of the design division at the Shipyard, and both of my grandfathers worked there also. One was an electrician and the other was a machinist. There were many dark and gloomy days in our home after the Thresher was lost. We kids weren’t allowed to talk about it. It was a frightening and tragic time for so many.
I was a nuc electrician stationed on the USS Flasher from 1974 to 1977. I wasn’t going to watch this video because it was to close to home. But, I decided I could honor those sailors on eternal patrol in a small way by remembering them via this documentary. I was curious to know if my recollection from what I had heard during my Flasher days was still accurate. It was.
From what I can recall, the Flasher was being built when the Thresher was lost. The construction was delayed to incorporate Subsafe. Our test depth was a bit shallower than the Thresher’s, perhaps for a larger safety margin? I won’t mention our crush depth, since I don’t know what’s still considered classified.
Seeing the Thresher at sea at the beginning of this video brought back memories of being on Flasher’s bridge and watching water going over the bow.
This was difficult for me to watch, but I’m glad I did. I presume it was my naive youth that caused me to never worry when we went to sea. My gratitude to those souls lost aboard the Thresher for their sacrifice and for helping keep me and other Flasher crew members that much safer and able to always return to our loved ones.
God bless you, thank you for your contributions 🙏❤️
That is a very commendable way to look at their ultimate sacrifice. Its obvious by the copious amount of changes made from the tragedy impacted naval safety procedures to this day.
My grandpa was a submariner in ww2, and I once asked him what he would do if he ever found himself in a situation like the men on the thresher where he knew he was going to die. He said he would be at peace, because quote, “if I’m going to die, I’m right where any mariner would want to be. Every navy man knows the sea is our final destination. I’d be sad, but not too scared. I’d be going home.”
I want to express my gratitude for your calm, professional demeanor. It is pleasant to listen to a lecture without the speaker forcing their "zanny" personality into the mix.
Submarines are the most interesting subject in modern warfare. The heroism and bravery shown by so many crews from so many nations, the breakneck pace of modernization in relevant technologies both during the world wars and the Cold War, and the dread experienced both by their targets and by those who learn about what sub crews have endured. It just goes on and on. I hope you do many more episodes on these. All you need is good men...
submarines fucking terrify me, genuinely the idea of being on one is one of my worst fears all because of a documentary I saw on the Kursk when I was little
I think the worst period was from ww1 to ww2. The technology wasn't really there making an already dangerous place even more dangerous. Having to emerge to gather fresh air, travel faster or get supplies. They got really easy to spot come late ww2 where on German commander said it was like someone in the crew was relaying their position to the enemy.
Agree!! 🤯😬
@Auschwitz Soccer Ref. Nah
@@tigerwoods373 Yep, those later days of WWII were pure murder. If you were in the sub arm of the Kriegsmarine, there was a 75% chance of going down with your boat!
I was an FTG on her sister ship, USS Dace SSN 607. We had many valves and pipes labeled SSN 593, and every time I read that, I got such a pain in my heart for our fellow submariners and the civilians that perished. Every time we went to test depth, there was always that little prayer that I know many of us quietly spoke. God bless all that wear dolphins. Submarines once, submarines twice…
...Holy Jummpin'.......I use to see Dace going up and down the Thames past EB all the time.
Holy jumpin jesus christ
Holy jumping Jesus Chirst. We go up. We go down. But we don't fuck around. Awooga, awooga, dive, dive,dive.
SSN 709 Hyman G. Dickover. SSN 765 Mountpenis. SSBN 737 Kumfuckme Blue. Nice meeting a brother.
We go up, we go down….
We don’t even fuck around
This video brought back a lot of memories. I'm a retired submarine veteran. The first boat I served onboard, USS DACE SSN-607, was a Permit class submarine. I've seen and heard many stories/documentaries on the sinking of the Thresher but this particular one was really heartfelt. Rest in peace to the 129 men who perished with her.
Amen, …
Thank you for your service. It is appreciated.
I remember as a child of 10yrs old, friends of my parents coming over, the woman crying to my mother and father that her son was on the Thresher, and he was gone or she may not have known at the time. I still remember the man and woman crying to my parents, and they having to console them. I'm 70 now and that still bothers me, through my life I always thought of the sailor, the poor young man that was on the Thresher. My mother and father are gone now so I have no idea what their last name was. It was a sad thing, that sailor's poor parents, I salute all 129 lost souls of the Thresher.
TERRIBLE
The SUBSAFE system was one of my areas of expertise. It became a highly streamlined, and dependable system that was adhered to diligently. I sometimes had the Thresher incident in the back of my mind when we did test dives and emergency blows. I also knew that our systems improved and were as good as they could be because of the sacrifice of the crew and shipbuilders lost that day. God bless them.
You Serve a Grateful Nation. Chief676, We salute You.
God bless you as well.
SUBSAFE was a great quality assurance system, I haven't seen another QA system since leaving the Navy that came close to its standards. My crew members and I thank you SSN687.
Bob Ballard found this submarine for the Navy..and another called the Scorpion 🦂..he noticed that both imploded leaving a trail of debris ..so when he was looking for the Titanic he read that survivors saw the Titanic break in half..so he looked for the trail of debris again..and found wreckage and a boiler..then he followed that trail to the bow..so without this tragic submarine disaster he may not have found the most famous ship wreak ever( The Unsinkable Titanic which sank in 2 hours and 40 minutes) great work Bob.
I remember the nightly news reporting on the Thresher being lost. My parents were painting the inside of our house and for some reason I felt a great loss. I’m 69 years old now and this still haunts me.
yeah I'm 69 and yes, this was a huge story then....haunting because we were used to the good guys always winning.
My father worked on the Theresher and was on it 2 days before it went down. He was an electrical engineer out of ONI in New Orleans. He lost friends and coworkers on that boat.
Something we don't often think about when considering incidents like this: a leak at these depths would cause a jet of water on par with a professional-grade pressure washer. A quick swipe from one of those can take toes and fingers clean off, even through shoes and gloves.
Correct. Unfortunately though, any leak at these depths would lead to the almost instantaneous implosion of the vessel. The only thing keeping the water out is the pressure inside. And if that vessel is compromised even slightly, you'll be mist before you can even blink.
Edit: Oh I just watched the rest of the video and yeah... pretty much word for word 😅
@@moffatcam The leak could be due to a burst pipe and seal in the engine room, which would mean the pressure vessel remains intact but is losing buoyancy and sinking. In the instance of the USS Thresher, it descended an additional 600 feet beyond its test depth before imploding.
To this day as a Former Submarine Sailor, I never understood why Submarines are tested in an area beyond their crush depth! Yes, there was a Submarine Salvage and Rescue Ship on site. It could do no good as the depth the submarine was operating was 8,400 feet. I always felt a submarine first dive should be in area less than it's maximum operating depth. Than maximum operating depth before being certified for full operation.
I wondered about that, too.
Very good point. A sub that's still in the testing stage should be kept in the "kiddie pool" just in case something goes wrong.
The initial dive was intended to be at test depth - like she had been some 40 times before. Test depth on the Thresher was 1300ft, and Skylark got the last communication at around 900ft.
Crush depth is at 1950ft, but the actual implosion happened at 2400ft so she went on way below her advertised crush depth. But, this also means that they slowly sunk some 1500ft before death.
I think we’re just about done building manned nuclear submarines. Scary to see how fast AI technology is evolving . Drones of all types (land,sea&air) seem to be all the rage for future military applications.
Yeah, and also test in places where the seabed is soft and sandy so that even if something does go horribly wrong and the sub sinks all the way down, there will be a smaller risk of it just getting completely torn open by some sharp rocks, resulting in a better chance to rescue all the people before they drown or suffocate.
I live in Kittery. The shipyard where the Thresher was built is such a big part of our lives and growing up, we learned about it in school. The town flagpole was dedicated as a memorial to the Thresher, and it's as tall as the ship was long.
129 feet for the 129 men
As a U.S. Navy Retired Surface Sailor Vet, I've always had and always will have a tremendous amount of respect for the sub fleet and its sailors.
Thank you for your service.
I was a manager of the SUBSAFE Program from 1987 to 1998. This presentation is the most accurate of any others I have come across in recent years. A mistake often made is the theory of a silver brazed sea connected pipe joint failure is taken as fact. In reality we don't know that for sure - it is speculation.
Thank you for this. It was very well done. Tilmon Arsenault was my great Uncle and he was on the final voyage. Grampy said he was a genius who could build anything and had a wonderful sense of humor. Always wished I could have known him. ❤
I grew up in New London CT and had some school mates lose parents that were onboard as civilian contractors . I used to look out out kitchen window across the Thames River at General Dynamics the company that built the thresher . I ended up working there from 1975 to 1978 . The loss of the Thresher was something that was still felt when I worked there and the additional safety checks certainly have helped to prevent another tragedy . Another interesting story is the rescue of the crew from the Squalus via a experimental diving bell . My next door neighbors dad was in the last load brought up during the 13 hour attempt . Thirty three men were brought safely to the surface .
"Lets do the first check of the max diving to 1300ft". Where should we do that test? "lets do it in 8500ft deep seas..."
Any water that's open/calm at 1300 feet down is almost certainly deep enough to implode a submarine. Continental shelf depth is ~600ft max and the dropoff is severe.
I served aboard SSBN-730 for roughly half a year and it was the most eerie feeling going down to the lower level in Machinery 2 and just feeling how cold it was down there. I could only imagine what they felt sinking so low and so quickly. I left the submarine community a few months ago and transitioned to a surface sailor but I always will remember my time aboard the HMJ.
The description of implosion at 20:40 is bone chilling, particularly after the Titan Submersible incident
This is incredible to see so soon after the OceanGate submersible tragedy. The Thrasher was almost in the same spot when it imploded as the OceanGate was when it imploded. Funny how the Thrasher was so close to the Titanic remains, and didn’t even know it.
Daang that is an insane coincidence on both counts.
Doubly ironic considering the Titanic was found because the guy tasked with searching for the Thresher had spare time after finding the Thresher (plus another lost sub) very quickly and had two leftover weeks in his expedition. The captain suspected Titanic was in the area, and found it in the remaining time.
In a way, Thresher partly tied to the Oceangate disaster. if Thresher never sank, Titanic might not have been found, and the Oceangate would never have dived there in the first place.
It's _Thresher,_ not "Thrasher"
@@zobblewobble1770 hey that's super interesting. I'm curious if you know the name of the other sub that went down?
@@billie-roseglenie2992USS scorpion
A person I know watched the cars of the people in thresher being towed away. Terrible day in the history of subs and navy. So much has been put in place to ensure this does not happen again. But this was heartbreaking to learn about from coworkers in the shipyard. My respects to the families involved that lost loved ones. We will never forget Thresher and the lesson learned from it. May the sailors rest in piece. We wont forget you.
thats such a messed up visual ugh
👍🇺🇲
This comment didn't age well
Served 21 yrs on 4 different subs over the yrs 70-91 SSBN subs. Aug of 71 while crossing bermuda triangle our SSBN 600 suffered a jam dive on stern planes, plunged from 155 ft to 600 feet super quick, at about 30 deg down angle. Believe me, there were some wide eyes in the crew as we held on for dear life sinking down at steep angle,, hearing the hull snap, crack compress as sea pressure squeezed. coffee cups, dishes, tools anything loose crashed down around us...Thank God the control rm party training kicked in and ordered emergency back on main engines, , emergency blow and our MBT tanks air blow valves did NOT freeze up since the loss of the thresher resulted in the sub safe designs saved lives many times over during the yrs. One of the scariest times can remember.
Whoa… so glad you all made it Home.
holyshit thats fucking scary as hell. how scared were u!??! did anyone panick/scream/freak out/yell in that moment at all? so glad youre ok
I got my dolphins on the SSBN 601 (Robert E. Lee) in 1964, pre-subsafe. Did Nuc school, a tour on the Entemedor (SS 340) while they found a billet for me, and then the SSBN 642 (Bancroft) for about 7 patrols as an RO. Huge difference between the pre and post subsafe boats. Had to requalify on 3 boats in my time. Still hated going to test depth every patrol. On the Lee, the tiles on the missile compartment decks would fly up as we went down. I was in ET A school when we lost the Thresher, and on patrol when we lost Scorpion. Had some classmates on her. 1st Scorpion got cut in half during construction and renamed the SSBN 598 (George Washington). That 1st class of boomers were a challenge!
@@davidwright9688 Totally believable! On the 600 it was common to have minor flooding on the missile hatch rams in upper level, during deep dives. Ran around with the grease gun trying to stop leaks using 100psi air which plugged into the EAB ports.
My first sub was the USS Permit. I served on her as a nuke MM while she was decommissioned at the Mare Island shipyard in the early 90's. Recently, I also worked at BWXT, where the memory of the Thresher still remains to this day. Excellent video.
I was stationed at an EOD Mobile Unit 15 on Mare Island 91-93. We used to to limpet searches on ships and subs there as part of our ongoing training. Water so filthy couldn't see your hand in front of your mask. They closed that place down I heard.
Mare Island is a shell of it's former self. Pretty sad to see it.
@@JawsFan27 many such cases 😪
Thank you for your service.
I was on the Permit, my fourth boat, in the 90’s when it was getting old, kinda dangerous, and less valuable. So more expendable. Did some pretty hairy ops. Retired at 16 years for health reasons.
I was a Welder for the Navy for 2 years. The first day introduction is being introduced to the recorded sounds of the Thresher hitting its crush depth. You can literally hear the compartments imploding one section at a time as it slips further and further beneath its breaking point. Listening to that, knowing lives are being lost one section at a time can only equal to watching the planes hitting the World Trade Center. Where on 9/11 you watch, with the Thresher you listen. 😢
For what it's worth, I don't think the recording is from the actual USS Thresher incident - but more likely a controlled scuttling that they tell you is the Thresher.
A lot of my nuke friends have heard the same thing but going through what information is available, the only known "recording" of the event that SOSUS picked up is a lofargram currently being held at ONI and likely will be held there for a foreseeable future. It isn't uncommon for the US military to have such recordings and to make sure it has maximum emotional impact and consideration - tie it to a tragic event.
So, if it may give some peace of mind, you most likely weren't listening to the actual event of the Thresher leaving on eternal watch as I don't believe there's an actual audio recording of it.
May I ask where this audio clip is?
They make aspiring astronauts listen to the audio from Apollo 1.
shut up kirby
@@Arcticun Something similar happens to 911 operators. Look up Ruth Price.
My father was a subcontractor in designing reactors for subs back in the sixties. He was scheduled to go on the Thresher three months after it went down. There were a number of contractors that went down with that sub
Came here to watch this after the Titan implosion. Submarines and submersibles are high on my list of things I'll never do.
My uncle John, was one of the divers on this missing sub!! My uncle was coast guard!! I've had him tell me this story which happened way before I was born, I was born in 82!! My uncle is a hero!!
He sure was! GO NAVY!
Was stationed on the floating drydock SanOnofre ARD30 in the 80's. We docked 594 (I believe it was the Permit) at least once. The writing on most submarine memorials reads "all hands lost", thanks guys for being the point of the spear, I hope you are never forgotten.
Also remember docking the Barb, Blueback, and Pollack, the Blueback being the last operational diesel sub. I was able to look through the torpedo tube when walking on a scaffold, when it was open for some reason. Unlike the 594 class, the tube was straight out the front as there wasn't a sonar array & fiberglass radome like the later subs.
THANK YOU, excellent recording. I was USN AVIATION and is painful anytime anyone goes down with the ship. I know about THRESHER and the two SCORPIONS. Disasters make better ships. So sad, however, when the USA fails, we always come back with better and improved. THIS WAS AN AWESOME VIDEO. Finally, my Submarine Brothers, thank you for defending my SURFACE Navy. We are the same side and would be glad to give our lives for the other. Bobby Estey CV64 / IM1 - IM2 / 1977 - 1981
I really appreciate the way you listed the crews names at the end.
mr immortar - in all of your videos, your careful and diligent approach to the technical and human elements involved, along with your respect and honor for all those lost to tragedy, put your work in my personal S-tier, put you among my most highly regarded creators. thank you for pouring so much into your work, for setting it free for us to learn, to reflect, to honor those lost, and to be inspired. ❤
As horrible this incident was your voice makes it so much easier to understand. RIP to those who perished. Substandard is never acceptable when it comes to human lives.
2 months after being dropped on CZcams, this video has taken on a creepy relevance. Good work
If anyone's interested in other Portsmouth Naval Shipyard mishap, check out the USS Miami dry-dock fire, caused by, no BS, a civilian employee that wanted to get out of work early to see his girlfriend. Spoiler alert: The damage was so bad, they ended up scrapping the submarine. The Lessons Learned on this one were... extensive. The Shipyard and the Navy in general, were not even CLOSE to prepared for a dry-dock fire. Now, they are. Unfortunately, sometimes you need to experience a catastrophe to figure out how to properly handle one.
They lost an LHD in San Diego to a fire. The ship was going through a rebuild and didn't have much of a crew - that - and there was construction material aboard.
They said that they would have had to delay building one of the new ones - in order for this one to occupy the space in the yard - so - with the cost of the rebuild - they got rid of it.
.
@@BobSmith-dk8nw I believe they originally blamed that fire on a disgruntled sailor also but in the end they couldn't conclusively prove it but they gave the commanding officer hell for being on the other side of the state while his ship was undergoing critical work that he should have been overseeing.
During WWII, the U.S. Navy was the best in the world at damage control. I'm sure there's quite some embarrassment to have a ship destroyed by a theoretically manageable fire. During peace time, the lives of the sailors are a lot more important than the physical ship, which will certainly hamper things, but it still shows how much of this is human factors more than any sort of unavoidable disaster.
@@krashd No, it was conclusively proven that Casey James Fury, a 25 year old civilian contractor that was working on the sub, set 2 fires, one within the sub and one without. He himself led the investigators on a walk-through of the USS Miami and a sister sub to show them exactly where he set the fires. However, he claimed he set the fires because he was suffering "extremem anxiety" and wanted to leave work early, not that he wanted to see his girlfriend. He faced life in prison but got 17 years after a judge took his mental health issues into consideration. He was also fined $400 million dollars. He ttried to get a new trial in 2015, claiming ineffective counsel, substance abuse issues, and other mental health issues that weren't taken into consideration during his initial trial, but this was denied. His release date is ~2030.
@@NovemberOrWhatever We learned alot about fire fighting from the Forrestal fire. On a personal note, I lost a friend on the USS Stark when it was hit by 2 Exocet missiles. I've talked to several people that were on board during the incident and it was pure hell, literally. Although the sailors that survived got a great payout from the Iraqi government as, at the time, we were friendly with Saddam Hussein. I'm not sure what the families of those killed got but, whatever the amount, it can never be enough.
the timing between this video getting recommended and recent world events (at time of writing) is unreal
My grandfather was a submariner in the 1950s and 1960s. It was classified stuff under the north pole. Obviously he wasn't on the Thresher but seeing this video does give me a deeper appreciation of what he did and what he had to deal with.
The Titan's debris was discovered a couple days ago. When the news shared about the building of this submersible I thought to myself "clearly the CEO never cared for history let alone safety."
Thank you for including Taps and the names. It matters.
My aunts first husband is still on the Thresher I only herd her once talk about him she said he was a communication officer , she use to go to services once a year, she was one of the last wifes of the crew
May you and your Family Members rest assured, millions of Americans hold the Thresher and her Souls on board close in our hearts, we will never forget. In mutual Honor and Respect, We American Military Families.
Even in 1962 they were smart enough to at least have a rescue ship with a rescue device onboard this titanic thing is crazy that thing can't get air even on the surface??
This video made me feel a lot less optimistic about the ocean gate submersible
They’re ducked
No mention of Rickover. ADM Rickover was instrumental in righting the Navy's path during the 60's. As a former X31 machinist I can tell you that what came from both the loss of Thresher and Scorpion influenced submarine design for decades. All these boats back then were designed on the "board". Their designers were talented but methods and materials change over time as do manufacturing techniques. Modern Navy construction is several levels beyond Thresher and Scorpion and accelerating. What's amazing to me is how much stuff that was classified back in the day is now out of the bag.
Rickover initiated the Subsafe program because the losses mentioned, if i remember correctly. This basically encompassed double and triple checking every weld, seam, joint, etc. with no detail being too small to ignore. Can you imagine the absolute rage that he must have expressed after these losses? He didn't tolerate fools well, or incompetence. I wouldn't have wanted to even be in the same zip code as him during one of his infamous temper outbursts. All of that being said, his actions no doubt saved countless other sailors from a similar fate.
You think it should have been classified forever? Good grief, it's been 60 years.
@@stargazer5784 It must have been hell to work for Admiral Rickover, but his demands for perfection doubtless ensured that thousands of sailors stayed alive, and it's unquestionable that his watchful eye contributed greatly to a win in the Cold War.
You can also bet that the entire submarine fleet was glad to have such a stern man running the show.
Our military of today can only hope to have flag officers of his caliber.
Actually my father was a former US Navy officer and scientist. Dad helped build the very first Atomic Reactors for Submarines Admiral Rickover's program! Westinghouse Corporation. I was only a little kid in 1963, but I clearly remember the USS Thresher ! Dad and the people who worked with at his company were very, very concerned about the date of the USS Thresher! Unfortunately, that Submarine imploded and 129 sailors perished ! GO NAVY! ⚓⛵🌅⛵⚓🇩🇪🇨🇭🇺🇲💙💙💙💙💙
FATE of the Thresher!
In the last year I learned of my father's work engineering the electrostatic air cleaning system of the Thresher. Among his papers was his invitation to the christening from the Secretary of the Navy. Unfortunately he passed away in 2017 so I could not ask him about his experience. Most of the details of the tragedy were kept secret so I appreciate your research and presentation via this video.
During June 1962 I served on USS Bushnell AS-15 in Key West, Florida. During that time USS Thresher SSN-593 operated in the waters off the Florida Keys when at sea. Learning of Thresher's loss a few months later was devastating.
Wow, thank you for your input. What scary but valuable experience/history.
I worked for a company that provided instrumentation on the Thresher. I visited it at Kittery to repair some damage from its testing.I was to join it for what was it's last voyage, but was called of a few days before. My heart goes out to the families of the soul on board
Ambient music was super on-point, matched your cadence and complimented your natural pitch
One of my nephews was a submariner in the U.S. Navy for most of his twenties. Another of my nephews works as an engineer in the DSRV program. God bless the souls of the men lost on the Thresher. May they rest in peace. May perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed through the Mercy of God rest in peace, Amen.
I lived in Groton at the Navy Housing near the base. My dad was on the Patrick Henry. I remember when the Thresher was lost. Many of the crew lived in my neighborhood , and I grew up with their kids. It was a terrible loss.
A little bit of history for you all: when the submariners came home after a long deployment, it was a tradition for the crew to cut their hair into Mohawks.
Almost 40 yrs since an up close and personal with the failure of a Thresher-inspired sub-safe relay. Still gives me the willies. RIP officers and crew of the USS Thresher and USS Scorpion.
I’ve mentioned this story briefly on other videos that covered this. My grandfather was a submarine commander during the 60s and, according to him (and I have no reason to not believe him), he knew (acquaintance) the commander of the Thresher, but the day before it left port and sank, he got violent food poisoning or some kind of illness, so they called in a relief one. One of those weird instances where someone gets saved from disaster by what seems like a miracle.
how much of a miracle was it really? the relief commander died because someone else got sick.
@@LieseFury miracle for the one guy, terrible turn of events for the relief.
@@LieseFury Exactly. That’s just “God” - takes all the credit for successes, none of the responsibility for any failures. Ask your browser “WhyWontGodHealAmputees”?
@@Syclone0044 lol I'm not a religious person at all but even a religious zealot shouldn't be expecting something like a limb to grow back, please stop trying to force your nombeliefs onto believers the same way you don't like them preaching to you.
@@Syclone0044
Because gods are made in men's IMaGinations
Can't imagine how terrifying it must've been to realise you're experiencing these failures at depths at which no one could possibly reach you...
In that situation, I guess it would be comforting to know it would be a quick painless death. It would hurt more knowing people drowned and died a slow, painful death by drowning.
@G P drowning is quick unless you're struggling with head above water
Indeed
My grandmother was engaged to a sailor on the Thresher. When she sank, they were two months away from their wedding. God bless all who were lost on that fateful day and their families. Thankfully due to this accident there has never been another due to extensive safety protocols and diligence, may another never be lost.
This episode is even more chilling in light of the current events of the Titan submersible disappearing.
There are a few answers to the question of, "Why didn't the Thresher conduct her deep dives in a shallower area?"
--The first answer is, there really aren't that many spots where the ocean is only about 1,600 feet deep. The Western Atlantic (along the East Coast of the United States) has a very large "continental shelf" of water 600 feet deep or less. Once past the shelf, the proverbial bottom drops out, to a depth in excess of 8,000 feet. Since they needed to test the deep-diving characteristics, Thresher HAD to venture into deeper water.
--Even if there was an area where the ocean floor was just below test depth, that doesn't mean the ENTIRE area is that way. Both the USS San Francisco and USS Connecticut ran into uncharted undersea mounds while travelling at depth; although both boats made it home, there were injuries, and at least one fatality.
--The previous class of attack submarines was the Skipjack (SSN-585) class; their test depth was 700 feet. Thresher's test depth was nearly double that; which was definitely a big step. The building of the subs outpaced the rest of the Navy.
Those collisions happened in the South Pacific where islands and seamounts can sometimes pop up seemingly overnight, with widely variable depths and underwater terrain throughout (though it doesn't particularly excuse their collisions). The continental shelf between North Carolina and Florida has a step that would've suited the test well, though it would've been twice the distance added to the test. There's a huge swath of sea floor that slopes from 800ft to 3,800ft, with very few seamounts and inconsistencies in depth, and that much was known at the time. With a crush depth of 2,000ft and a test depth of 1,300ft, they could've found an area that would have allowed them a safe margin for navigation as well as a sea floor "safety net" above crush depth. Whether that would've changed anything at all is unlikely. An implosion could potentially have been prevented, but with the theorized manner in which it was stricken, all that really means is they would've likely died in a far more tortuous manner instead. Rapidly heading backwards and down to the sea floor, it would have been an unrecoverable collision and the damage sustained would've sealed their fates on impact. We might have known more about what caused it had it happened in shallower waters, maybe recovered the crew for proper burial and possibly the reactor or the sub itself, but I doubt it would've done anything about the loss of life.
The depth of the ocean increases dramatically past the edge of the contential shelf and the average of the depth of the ocean is about 12,000 feet deep. Only seamounts (guyots) pop up around the ocean to have about 300 feet to the surface. The depth of the DSRV1 was about 3500 feet and the second one 5000 feet. The rumor was the navy got a deeper research vessel by getting the funding by calling them sub rescue vessel,.
Ever since the Titan imploded I've been obsessed with submarines.
The case of rhe Kursk is also fascinating.
USS Greenling , SSN 614, 1980-83, MM1/SS, the Thresher crew was and is always near and dear to my heart.
I lived in Charlotte, N.C. in 1968 and a fellow in an adjacent apartment told me that he was a crew member on the Thresher, but prior to the sinking was on leave. He reported for duty just before the ship was to depart on its fateful voyage, but was told that he still had another week remaining on his leave, so he did not go. All of those he knew never came back and left an irreversible impact with him and likely for the rest of his life. Fate often works in strange ways.
I do find that scenario facinating.
The only survivor of the Thresher disaster was Lt. Raymond McCoole, RC Division Officer. He was ordered off the boat to tend to a family emergency two hours before she set sail.
He had previously served with distinction on USS Nautilus as a Chief Petty Officer, and, before he retired from active service, reached the rank of Lt. Commander. He passed away on New Year's Day in 2005, aged 75, to join the rest of Thresher's crew on Eternal Patrol.
@horusfalcon That is a complete lie. The Lt. DID NOT survive the disaster because he was not actually in the Thresher when she imploded. Your own words state "He was ordered off the boat".
In case you do not understand what you typed; it means Lt. McCoole was somewhere on land above crush depth when the rest of the crew perished.
I am quite sure that Lt. McCoole would have been somewhat infuriated at any suggestion that he was the "Sole Survivor" of the Thresher tragedy. Maybe he suffered from guilt and depression because of the circumstances of that day.
Perhaps you should have considered that before you posted such a ludicrous statement.
Thanks for this additional story, may they rest in peace
@JoltCola Why are you so bent out of shape? They shared a story about a person escaping a tragic fate and you argue semantics. Why?
@@olliefoxx7165 "Bent out of shape"? "Semantics"? Would it be "semantics" if I were to claim that I am the "sole survivor" of Flight 93 because I got stuck in traffic due to oversleeping? How about Joe Biden is the "sole survivor" from the Lusitania because he missed ships movement due to Corn Pop and the bad dudes?
I believe it matters that people DO NOT mis-state information in regards to history, especially when the individual in the statement is deceased and unable to confirm or refute the statement.
@@JoltCola Maybe you should ease up on the caffeine just a touch? He was aboard, and was set to go to sea when he was ordered ashore, and that's the only reason he survived. By all accounts, he did go through some survivor's guilt, but he, to his credit, kept on going, kept on living, and kept on serving. Stop making mountains out of molehills, son, and get a life.
From Sub-School in New London to sea trials off Portsmouth and on patrols, the Thresher and Scorpion were always somewhere in our thoughts. This post was intelligently and respectfully done. Bravo Zulu
I am a retired submariner and current SUBSAFE auditor. Great work on the video. She will never be forgotten.
The loss of the Thresher is forever engrained in my head from our SUBSAFE qualification/re-qual classes. And folks on the outside wondered why I took my job as a machinist so seriously. Great documentary!
I think Robert Ballard was the one the Navy ask to find Scorpion and thresher, a lot of what he did searching for those subs was what he later used to find Titanic the same year
I attended college after I got out of the military and in a class studying the cold War, we looked at the thresher accident. One student was appalled that someone could just go get the nuclear material/ weapons still sitting in the wreck. To which our professor replied "it would be easier for an organization to recover material from the moon than from 8000 ft under water
My dad was in the submarine service, and we were living on base in New London when this tragedy happened. Although I was just 7, I could sense the pall that fell over everyone. I remember dad’s face just turning gray.
I was in elementary school when this happened but I remember it like it was yesterday. Thank you for creating this video and especially for including the names of all who were aboard.
KeithBenge Me too.😢
Yeah. I saw the _Thresher_ launched and knew one of the kids whose father was a civilian technician aboard.
I had moved but I got a letter from one of my friends about it. The community there was really hard hit.
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To this day I remember when this story was related to me in Nuclear Power School (technically A school, but same campus and pre nuke school) in the late 80s.
My MM1 instructor walked us through everything that happened and it impacted so many lessons that no book would ever teach us.
As a 19YO you don't think about this kind of thing, but after that class I will never forget both the sacrifice of those submariners but also the horror of how they died.
I went to sub school in Groton during the winter ,damage control training was tough in that freezing water .
Thank you for your service.
I can only imagine what those men felt- they had to watch as they slowly dropped below their maximum depth. Imagine watching that needle amd digits with no ability to stop it.