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Damaged U.S. sub hit undersea mountain
U.S. Navy officials say the weekend nuclear submarine accident in the Pacific was caused by running into a undersea mountain at high speed. Pentagon officials said the USS San Francisco was 350 miles south of Guam, bound for Australia at about 33 knots, or 35 mph, when its nose cone containing the sonar dome smashed into the rock formation. Machinist Mate 2nd Class Joseph Ashley, 24, of Akron, Ohio, died Sunday in the accident, and 24 others were suffered broken bones, lacerations, bruises and a back injury. They are being treated on Guam. The nuclear submarine docked Monday at a U.S. naval base on Guam, and some external damage was visible, although the ship's reactor was not damaged, a spokesman with the U.S. Pacific Fleet told CNN. The vessel's commander, Kevin Mooney, has not been relieved of duty while investigators assess the sub's speed, its location and whether the undersea formation was on navigational charts.Posted by: Steve 2005-01-11 |
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