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| USS San Francisco mishap focus of two separate probes |
| 2005-01-14 |
| Via "the stupid shall be punished", a retired submarine officer's blog. The link is direct today but requires free registration after Friday. Cmdr. Kevin Mooney, the captain of the Guam-based San Francisco, had not been relieved of duty as of Thursday night, an indication that (Pacific submarine force commander, Rear Adm. Paul) Sullivan is not concerned that he was at fault in the accident, Navy sources said. Privately, several retired senior submarine officers said it would not be surprising if Mooney is eventually court-martialed for the incident, but only so that he can be acquitted in a public forum, giving him a stronger defense in the event of any civil actions by the family of crewmen. Given the nature of the accident, few expect he would be held liable for the crash. "If he is court-martialed, it would be for his own protection," one of the sources said. The San Francisco was apparently following all the required procedures and was supposed to be more than seven miles from any obstacles when it hit a seamount, or underwater mountain, while traveling about 500 feet below the surface at more than 30 knots, or about 35 mph, sources said. The Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office, which is handling all inquiries about the San Francisco, was unavailable to comment Thursday. Preliminary analysis of the damage to the San Francisco, which returned to port Monday, continues, but several Navy sources have said that three of the four main ballast tanks at the front of the submarine were severely damaged. The sonar sphere also filled with water and is badly dented, but the sources said the sphere appears to be intact and the leaks stemmed from broken or displaced seals around the hydrophones that penetrate the dome. Given the damage at the front of the submarine, however, the engineers have been surprised at how little damage occurred in the rest of the ship. No major equipment ripped loose, and the reactor and steam turbine generators, which are designed to shut down automatically in the event of a serious problem, continued to run. One submariner said it was a testament to the sturdy design and construction of the San Francisco. There had been speculation that the San Francisco might be decommissioned as a result of the accident, but now Navy sources say it could be put back into service. The Navy has several nose sections that could be salvaged from decommissioned sibling ships to make repairs if the damage aft of the nose is not overly serious. A strong argument in favor of keeping the submarine in service is that two years ago it underwent a refueling overhaul at a cost of some $250 million. Decommissioning the ship would cost in the neighborhood of $80 million to $100 million, so if the damage is less than about $300 million, it would make economic sense to fix it. Sullivan's e-mail on the Mishap Investigation Board notes that under Navy rules for accidents resulting in a fatality or damage of more than $1 million — San Francisco's grounding meets both criteria — the investigation must be finished within 30 days of his memo, dated Tuesday. When the report is finished, copies must go to the board, which has a week to review and endorse it, and to Sullivan, Submarine Squadron 15 in Guam, Submarine Group Seven in Yokosuka, Japan, and the Naval Safety Center, which have two weeks to review and endorse it. A Navy source familiar with the Mishap Investigation Board said they proceed rapidly so that any shortcomings in operating procedures or equipment can be quickly fixed. Under Navy rules, witnesses to the board do not testify under oath, and the board has wider discretion than a Navy court in terms of soliciting opinions and speculation. Typically, the board will include at least one senior officer, probably a Navy captain who is an expert in submarine operations; one or two mid-level officers, perhaps lieutenant commanders, who are experts in safety investigations; and a junior officer who oversees the administrative aspects of the investigations. Haney's investigation, which will determine liability for the crash, is likely to take several weeks, perhaps months, and include interviews with all the crewmen and a review of the physical evidence. In grounding cases, investigation reports can run into the thousands of pages. Haney will make a recommendation that could include a non-judicial hearing or a court martial. His report will go either to Sullivan or to the Pacific-based Seventh Fleet — the Pacific Fleet commander will decide which will be the convening authority, and traditionally the job would go to Sullivan, or his replacement, since Sullivan will be relieved in the spring. Rear Adm. Jeffrey Cassias, commander of Submarine Group Two and Navy Region Northeast in Groton, as well as Group 10 in Kings Bay, Ga., will become the next Pacific submarine force commander. Haney, a 1978 graduate of the Naval Academy, has served as a junior officer on the USS John C. Calhoun, SSBN 630; as engineer on the USS Hyman G. Rickover, SSN 709; as executive officer on the USS Asheville, SSN 758; and as captain of the USS Honolulu, from 1996-99, when he made two deployments to the Western Pacific. He also served as commander of Submarine Squadron One in Pearl Harbor until last summer. Selected for promotion to admiral in March 2004, Haney serves as deputy chief of staff to the Pacific Fleet Commander in charge of fleet warfare requirements, program force structure and analysis. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #5 Maybe the San Fran collided into GODZILLA's sleeping hulk??? |
| Posted by: JOsephMendiola 2005-01-14 8:57:44 PM |
| #4 Several Comments: Cecil Haney- This guy is definitely the guy to do the investigation. He knows everything about a 688 and operations. Also, since the man does not need any sleep, the investigation will only take half the time required. For those of you who are conspiracy minded, the fatality occured in the Propulsion Lube Oil Bay, known as the PLO Bay. RIP to the sailor, condolences to his shipmates, friends, and family. It seems that the crew did the right thing. They should be proud of the recovery. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2005-01-14 2:40:58 PM |
| #3 punch-drunk and stupid-stupid 2b. |
| Posted by: MacNails 2005-01-14 12:41:16 PM |
| #2 giving him a stronger defense in the event of any civil actions by the family of crewmen Reporters...are they just drunk? Or Stupid? |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-01-14 12:39:04 PM |
| #1 Hey, come on, who here hasn't run a nuclear sub into an undersea mountain, huh? Am I right? |
| Posted by: BH 2005-01-14 11:18:43 AM |