The Thresher's last dance.

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’s last dance. Part 1​

This story is fiction, based on an actual event. I obviously don’t know what everyone thought,or every single step, I wasn’t there. This is conjecture. I will break it into multiple parts, for ease of posting. And it’s an emotional subject for most of us submariners.



“Only a little while longer, and we can head back to port”, thought theReactor Operator.

He was on the crew of the Thresher, and they were running “Sea Trials” to make sure the Navy’s new submarine met her criteria. They were very interested. You see, the Thresher was not just a new boat(submarines are boats), but she was the first in her class. Diving deeper and faster, she was to herald in a new era of attack submarines.

Topside was the Skylark. She was there “just in case” being a submarine rescue ship. And she monitored what was going on with communications from the submarine through the “gertude”.

“Lot of good that’s gonna be”, he thought. The oceans deeper here than we can go. “Then again, we had some problems earlier in port, and it never hurts to have someone around in case we need a jump start”. Then he laughed thinking about AAA coming out to jump start a sub.

Checking his panel for abnormalities, he heard, “Maneuvering, Con. We are commencing the Recoverability Trial. All ahead full”.

He always wondered at All Ahead. We only have one propeller. I guess the Navy just wants to be uniform with the ships that had multiple propellers.

“Con, Maneuvering. Answering ahead full”.

Well, some more “Angles and Dangles”, those are always fun. He didn’t tell anyone, but around 35 degrees, he started to get nervous. The brainstarted saying funny things when the bulkheads (walls) started to become the deck (floor).

They were going to simulate losing hydraulics while going fast and deep. His brain almost ran through his submarine quals as he remembered the hydraulics controlling the “planes”. With no hydraulics, the planes went to the down position because of gravity. Thus the submarine would be screaming towards the ocean bed, till her crew recovered hydraulics with the emergency pumps. Not a problem for this crew. Plenty of school learning while the boat was built, and plenty of practice working as a crew in the last few months.

“JAM DIVE” squawked the 1MC throughout the sub.

Watchstanders throughout the sub raced around performing various arcane actions. From an outside perspective, it looked like chaos. But to someone that knew what was going on, it was a beautiful ballet. Each step choreographed just as much as a Broadway show. More so than the Broadway show in fact. You see, this is the last ballet the crew and civilian yard workers will ever perform. Because today, April 10, 1963, The USS Thresher, hull number SSN-593 performs her last ballet. The last dance with Davey Jones. And her only audience, the USS Skylark, hull number ASR-20 is the closest rescue/witness available. And they might as well be on the other side of the moon.

 

[actaeon277]

Okay, anyone know how to copy text without it joining text together. It takes out spaces randomly.

And I'm not a real author. So please, be gentle.

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’slast dance. Part 2​

*Control Room of the Thresher (Con)*

“Con, Maneuvering. Answering all back emergency”, should be the next 7MC announcement from Engineering, thought the Officer of the Deck. Engineering rated it’s own circuit to the control room. They were using the propeller, or screw, to slow the decent of the massive 3500 ton vessel. At least till the hydraulics were recovered. Then they would point the submarine back up, and after the drill, return the hydraulics back to normal, in a less dramatic way.

“Reactor Scram!!!”, came over the 7MC in a slightly louder voice. Not panicky. But in an “important” voice.

Reactor Scram? Now. Why? This wasn’t supposed to happen. They NEEDED the reactor. Right now, they needed the reactor more than they needed almost anything else. The reactor powered the propeller that was supposed to stop them from becoming a missile aimed at the ocean floor. No diesel, that’s only good a few feet from the surface. There’s the EPM, Emergency Propulsion Motor. But that’s finicky and as a second choice, well, it sucks. And the third choice, the Secondary Propulsion Motor can’t be used at this depth.

Well right now, think. What to do.

“Secure from the drill! Return hydraulics to normal”, the OOD orders over the 1MC throughout the sub.

“Maneuvering, Con. Perform a quick restart of the Reactor Plant. Shift propulsion to the Emergency Propulsion Motor in the meantime.”, he orders over the 7MC.

He would sigh with relief when the boat shows a positive angle, but he’s too busy. As the OOD, he is the representative of the Captain. The Captain is on the Gertrude, trying to comm the Skylark. There’s a chance we won’t make it. We need to let them know what’s going on. Then he goes back to his job. There’s a complex machine with around a hundred men to run it. And they need a leader.

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’slast dance. Part 3​

*Control Room of the Thresher*

“Planesman, make your angle a 20 degree rise”, he orders the Planesman.

“Maneuvering, Con. Status?” he asks over the 7MC.

“Con, Maneuvering. Hydraulics returned to normal. The reactor will not be ready for another 15 minutes, the rods only go so fast. And we’re having problems with the EPM”.

“Maneuvering, Con. Get that EPM started NOW. And continue with the reactor, it can take over later.”

We don’t have enough TIME, he thinks. The submarine now has a positive angle, but it’s still going down. We’re outta time.

“Chief of the Watch. Blow the tanks.”, he orders the Chief of the Watch.

We’ll give ourselves some buoyancy and that will give us time. Captains not gonna be happy with us broaching. Subs are supposed to be hidden. And it’s hard to hide when you blow onto the surface. Good thing the Skylark is not right above us. That would not be good.

He watches the Chief throw the “chicken switches”. And waits. After a second, their eyes meet. There is no noise from air flowing through the pipes on their way to the ballast tanks. It’s a lot of air,fast. You can normally hear it. But now, NOTHING.

It’s not fair he thinks. The hydraulics was an intentionally caused casualty. But now the reactor, followed by the compressed air tanks. And what could go wrong with that, it’s not complicated like the reactor.

“Watchstanders check your valve lineup on the ballast air system. Report back to control.”, he announces overthe 1MC to the entire sub.

The hull always groans and pops when performing large depth changes. And right now, it’s groaning and popping. In his mind it’s shrieking,fighting for life.

In the movies, people would be running around screaming. Throwing things, and pushing people. Here, it might as well be a confessional in a church. The crew only speaks to report necessary information. Everyone stays on his station, knowing he can’t lose it. Everyone’s actions will result in the life or death of not only themselves, but the rest of the crew. And the crew working together is the only way for this boat, and its crew to live.

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’slast dance. Part 4​

*ASR-20 USS Skylark*

Once the submarine went deep, the Gertrude has not been working so well. Probably the thermocline.

“_______ experiencing minor difficulty, have positive up-angle, attempting to blow.", is heard aboard the Skylark. There is some more communication, most of it unintelligible.



*USS Thresher Engineering*

The Reactor Operator hold the shim switch down, willing the rods to go faster. The rods, as usual though, do not care what he wishes. Around him the chaos. But to him a ballet. They’re never gonna get the EPM ready, it’s hard enough when it’s not an emergency. And the reactor won’t be ready for a while.

He wonders what the depth is as the hull groans. He can feel the floating deck shifting on its supports. He knows the submarine is actually measurably smaller right now, with the hull pressure squeezing the hull. He could figure it out, but he and everyone else is just a bit busy. There are 10,000 things to do.

He watches the Throttleman. The Throttleman is on the JA phone circuit. Till we get steam pressure, he doesn’t have much else to do. With the big turbines offline, the ship is rigged for reduced electrical. All electricity coming from the huge batteries in her belly. Huge, till you take into account the load being put on it right now. If the battery gets too low, the reactor plant can’t be restarted. Well, the good news it we’ll run outta depth before we run out of battery. He almost laughed. Wonder what everyone would think.

Outside, he sees the Engineering Watch Supervisor go by. He’s a busy man right now. At least they got the hydraulics back. Now he’s trying to find out why the air is hissing through the pipes instead of blowing through.

He hears the Engineering Officer report to control, “Con, Maneuvering. The leaks from the shaft seals are getting worse. I’d say they’re significant.”



*SSN-593 USS Thresher Torpedo Room*

The newest Torpedoman is the phone talker. Yet he communicates like a seasoned seadog. No high pitched squeak or hesitation on him. He follows the orders from the lead Torpedoman and informs Control, “Torpedo tube leaks are getting worse”



*SSN-593 Thresher Control Room*
Well,the OOD thinks, at least we have leaks fore and aft. A leak is bad on a submarine. A leak fore or aft is worse. It could tip the submarine to far vertical. Too far and the air escapes from the ballast tanks. He remembers a demonstration from school. They overturned a cup and pushed it underwater, with air trapped inside of it. As the cup tilted, air escaped. That was their ballast tanks right now. It was designed for these angles. But… if too much water came fore or aft, it would be like a see-saw and tilt the sub more.

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’s last dance. Part 5​

*ASR-20 USS Skylark*

9:17 AM: The Skylark receives the transmission "exceeding test depth...." The leak from the broken pipe grows with increased pressure”

The officers and crew look at each other and wonder. They look down to the depths, as if by sheer will they can will the submarine to the surface. “Crazy bubbleheads they are”, states one. “Why would you go in a boat that intentionally sinks?”

“Shut your pie hole”, the radioman retorts. New guys, he thinks. Doesn’t he know not to put a jinx on them?





*The ocean floor. Davey Jones Locker*

Davey Jones looks up. It’s been awhile since he’s had a visitor. The new ships are getting better. Even these dangerous vessels called submarines aren’t visiting like he used to see.

But this one. This one is his.
He reaches up and……….

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’s last dance. Part 6​

*ASR-20 USS Skylark*

9:18 AM: The Skylark detects a high-energy low-frequency noise with characteristics of an implosion. The crew looks at each other and wonders. They continue trying to regain comm.



*SSN-593 USS Thresher*

The submarine is like a castle. Its pressure hull is the walls, protecting the courtyard, the “people space”. Right now, it’s under attack. Every square inch of the hull has the equivalent of SEVERAL elephants pressing down. ON EACH SQUARE INCH.

Somewhere, a chink develops in the armor walls though.

The water flies into the submarine. The force is unimaginable. There are no words. The water blows in, destroying and tearing apart men and machinery like stuff made of cotton balls.

The pressure slams into internal hatches, and slams right through them. Might as well been cardboard at this point. It is an IMPLOSION at this point. Less than a second later, it becomes an EXPLOSION as the air pressure screams up, acting as a diesel engine. There are diesel fumes, and other chemical fumes in the air that the sailors learn to deal with. Now, the compression itself acts as ignition.

But the explosion is brief, and not nearly as powerful as the waters. The sea resumes its track, sweeping through the submarine. The water is moving at an unbelievable 4,000 mph. That’s right. 4,000 mph.

The mighty Thresher, first of the new design, now becomes an inert group of mostly metal weights, screaming down to the floor of the ocean, coming to final rest about 8,400 feet below the surface.

Topside, the Skylark continues her calls, not knowing there is not a soul left to respond.



Note: I’m not done. There’s more to the story. But I need to take a break.

 

[jedi]

Part 1 - 5 are ok but part 6 breaks from the story. The 1st parts the reader is an observer looking at the action from "above" but in part 6 you use "I" statements which causes reading/flow issues.

The water flies into the submarine. I can’t even describe the force. I have no words. You have not seen it on TV. It’s nothing like that. The water blows in, destroying and tearing apart men and machinery like stuff made of cotton balls.

It would read better if you said something like:
The water files into the submarine. The force of the preassure is undescribable. The water blows in, destroying and tearing apart men and machinery like stuff made of cotton balls.

 

[actaeon277]

Part 1 - 5 are ok but part 6 breaks from the story. The 1st parts the reader is an observer looking at the action from "above" but in part 6 you use "I" statements which causes reading/flow issues.

The water flies into the submarine. I can’t even describe the force. I have no words. You have not seen it on TV. It’s nothing like that. The water blows in, destroying and tearing apart men and machinery like stuff made of cotton balls.

It would read better if you said something like:
The water files into the submarine. The force of the preassure is undescribable. The water blows in, destroying and tearing apart men and machinery like stuff made of cotton balls.

Yes. I agree.
Having been almost in this situation, I take it personally. I had to stop several times while writing.

Also, parts 1-5 relate to men onboard. The Officer of the Deck, Reactor Operator, crewmen of the Skylark.
In part 6, there is no one left.

 

[TaunTaun]

I was a Reactor Operator aboard two fast attack submarines of the 688 class. Thresher changed so much of how we operated. Now, the survivability has increased by leaps and bounds.

One of the big issues was that MBT Blow. There had been so much air driven into the ballast tanks from the air system (you let air escape to provide more water and negative buoyancy, you pump air in for the opposite.) that moisture in the compressed air froze (some) of the ballast tank valves in position. One of the prevailing theories was that one side froze open and when the chicken switches were thrown, the air just escaped and emptied the air tanks. This produced a roll. Or a severe down/up bubble. The other is that they couldn't get the steam stops open from the steam generators in time to get propulsion back.

Good story btw.

 

[actaeon277]

I was a Reactor Operator aboard two fast attack submarines of the 688 class. Thresher changed so much of how we operated. Now, the survivability has increased by leaps and bounds.

One of the big issues was that MBT Blow. There had been so much air driven into the ballast tanks from the air system (you let air escape to provide more water and negative buoyancy, you pump air in for the opposite.) that moisture in the compressed air froze (some) of the ballast tank valves in position. One of the prevailing theories was that one side froze open and when the chicken switches were thrown, the air just escaped and emptied the air tanks. This produced a roll. Or a severe down/up bubble. The other is that they couldn't get the steam stops open from the steam generators in time to get propulsion back.

Good story btw.

I was a RO aboard the John Marshall, SSN-611. Which is why a RO played a role in this.
I remember the "lessons learned" and that there were several theories on the reactor scram, which is why I didn't incorporate the reason in.
I know about the ice blocking the air lines. But I thought the story might get bogged down by the description. I wanted this to be about the men.

We suffered a "loss of depth control" accident also. To put it mildly, that is what helped me with the description of people's reactions. There was no yelling or screaming. No on losing control. It was like another day at the office.
The "ballet" occured to me while I was a drill monitor, watching the drill from the "outside".

 

[infiremedic07]

As a former RO myself I have to say I fully comprehend what you are describing. Although I was a surface puke, I trained at NPTU Charleston aboard the former SSBN -626 Daniel Webster. I was a staff pick up as well and I was the designated Reactor Safety Related Incidents seminar/lecture instructor. I would take the students into the mock ups and simulators and cover this incident as well as we could knowing what the procedures were then and what we believed they did according to procedure. It was always sobering to tell the story of the USS Thresher.

 

[GunSlinger]

The story held my attention closely. I agree with what was said above regarding part 6. The change in perspective was a little bumpy, but other than that it's a very good read.

I seriously considered the 'nuke navy' when I enlisted and at the time the only surface ship with nuke propulsion was the USS Enterprise. I knew I'd likely end up on a sub. I talked about it with my dad and the one thing he said that changed my mind was "Just like someone that jumps out of a perfectly good airplane why would someone want to intentionally sink a perfectly good boat?", and with that he asked if I remembered the Thresher...yup, I did.

So, I decided on Naval Air...my dad was a very wise man.

My hat is off to you guys that spent your time underwater. I've heard that submariners had to have wheel barrows to carry their 'nads' around in because it took a lot of 'nads to do what you guys did.

 

[actaeon277]

Okay, I modified the end of part six, to remove myself. I see that it was a mistake. I let myself get caught up in the telling.

 

[Raitekk]

Really great story. Can't wait to read the rest of what you write!

 

[Exodus]

It's always fun going past test depth.

 

[Kagnew]

I very well remember hearing about the Thresher going down. I was in junior high at the time, and it gave me the chills to think about it. Hell of a way to go.

 

[actaeon277]

btt.


Even though the story seems to be over, it's not.
I hope to add in the next couple days.
I was hoping to have more now, but... things happen.

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’s last dance. Part 7

​

Across America, people waken to the news.

 

[actaeon277]

The Thresher’s last dance. Part 8​

One family loses two sons

Their loss is shared by other families.

America get's an education on the modern nuclear submarine.