Thirty eight years ago today,
on April 10, 1963, while engaged in a deep test dive, the USS THRESHER (SSN
593) was lost at sea with 129 Officers and men on board. Based on the findings of a Court of Inquiry
and the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy hearings into the loss,
it was concluded that a flooding casualty in the engine room, resulting from a
piping failure in one of the sea water systems, was the most probable cause of
the loss.
From this tragic event
the Submarine Safety (SUBSAFE) Program was established to assure implementation
of recommendations resulting from findings of the THRESHER Court of Inquiry and
THRESHER Design Appraisal Board. Today
the technical and administrative requirements of the SUBSAFE program continue
to evolve and the most current are contained in the Submarine Safety
Requirements Manual, NAVSEA 0924-062-0010, Revision C.
Simply stated, the
purpose of the SUBSAFE Program is to provide maximum reasonable assurance that
seawater is kept out of the submarine and that the submarine and crew can
recover if there is a seawater casualty.
Our challenge today,
thirty-eight years after the loss of USS THRESHER, is to maintain the standards
established by the SUBSAFE program and to avoid complacency. Our outstanding submarine safety record sinceTHRESHER
is a direct result of rigorous compliance with the technical and administrative
requirements of the SUBSAFE Program. We
cannot afford to rest on past performance, or be blinded by the challenges of
downsizing, technology changes, schedule demands and diminishing dollars, where
the safety of our submarines and lives of their crews are at stake.
We must continue to
maintain our vigilance, intensity and integrity in all matters involving the
SUBSAFE program. The supreme sacrifice
of those lost with USS THRESHER can best be remembered by never letting it
happen again.
Remember, SUBSAFE is a
Requirement.....an Attitude.....and a Responsibility.
USS THRESHER (SSN
593)....Let us pause today to remember.
R/Al Ford
Deputy Director
Submarine Safety &
Quality Assurance