USA (30 Jan 2005) -- The Navy has released photographs of the shredded bow of a nuclear submarine that ran into an undersea mountain this month, and officials said they were still assessing the damage. The photos were taken after the submarine San Francisco limped back to Guam after hitting a mountain that was not on its navigational charts. The photos, released Thursday, show that the head-on crash 500 feet below the surface destroyed a sonar dome that formed the submarine's nose and peeled part of the outer hull. The Jan. 8 accident killed one sailor and injured 60. Navy officials said the crew took emergency measures to blast to the surface and keep the vessel afloat. The sub's stronger inner hull, which protects living and working spaces, held firm, preventing a disaster. Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet, said that the fiberglass sonar dome shattered in the crash and that parts were hanging loosely when the submarine returned to port. The dome carries sonar gear. The Navy placed a tarpaulin over the remaining sonar gear before the photos were taken because the technology is classified, Davis said. | | One sailor was killed when the nuclear submarine San Francisco hit an underwater mountain that was not shown on its charts. The crash 500 feet below the surface destroyed a sonar dome that formed the sub's nose and peeled part of the outer hull. The stronger inner hull held firm. He said no decision had been made about repairing the submarine or what that might cost. The San Francisco, an attack submarine, was commissioned in 1981. |
