Submarines: February 22, 2005

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The American nuclear attack sub, San Francisco, sitting in a dry dock in Guam, is having its bow fitted with a twenty foot long metal dome. This, plus the repair of ballast tanks damaged in the January 8th underwater collision, will make the sub seaworthy, and able to make its way under its own power to a ship yard for additional repairs. The underwater collision with a sea mount, just about destroyed the sonar sphere in the bow. The pressure hull was apparently not damaged, but equipment outside the pressure hull, in the bow area, was. One crewman was killed when he was thrown against a pipe during the collision. Two dozen other crewmen were injured. The San Francisco, once it is seaworthy, will make its way back to the United States on the surface, probably with at least one other surface ship (probably a seagoing tug), as an escort. The San Franciscos nuclear power plant was never shut down, and suffered no damage. The collision was a unique event. Not American sub has suffered so much damage, and survived. The state of the sub is being carefully studied to determine repairs needed, and how the design of American subs might be modified. 

 

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