Navy Declassifies 300 Pages of Probe into 1963 USS Thresher Disaster
USS Thresher (SSN 593)
USS Thresher (SSN-593) was commissioned on August 3, 1961, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. Following commissioning, she completed trials in the Atlantic and Caribbean areas. On April 10, 1963, following overhaul, Thresher began deep-diving tests, along with USS Skylark (ASR-20), about 220 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. As the testing proceeded, Skylark received garbled communications from Thresher which eventually stopped. It became apparent she had sunk taking the lives of the 129 officers, crewmen, and civilian technicians. Thresher’s remains were located about 8,400 feet below the surface. After a review of evidence, a Court of Inquiry found she had probably sunk due to a piping failure, subsequent loss of power and the inability to blow ballast tanks. Fair winds and following seas.
By Gina Harkins
Nearly six decades after a Navy submarine plummeted to the bottom of the sea during a deep-dive test, families of those lost in the tragedy are finally getting a look at hundreds of documents about the accident the service has long kept under wraps.
The Navy on Wednesday released the first 300 pages of a court of inquiry on the catastrophic 1963 loss of the nuclear-powered submarine Thresher. The documents provide details into the Navy’s worst undersea accident, which claimed the lives of 129 men onboard.
While Navy leaders say they’re committed to being transparent with the families and the public about what caused the Thresher — the first sub in its class — to sink, it took a court order to reach this point.
Capt. Jim Bryant, a retired Navy submarine officer, sued his former service in 2019 to get it to release the full 1,700-page report on the Thresher accident. A federal judge ordered the Navy in February to begin releasing portions of that report monthly to the public.
“I think I’m doing the Navy a favor,” Bryant told Military.com this week. “This is a significant historic event … and the reactions were very sound. It’s a really good story here for the Navy.”
Rear Adm. Bill Houston, director of the Undersea Warfare Division at the Pentagon, told reporters Tuesday that Navy leaders don’t believe the newly released Thresher documents “will shed any additional light on her loss.” Still, he added, the Navy is committed to releasing additional portions of the report monthly, despite much of it remaining classified.
“This process requires coordination between many organizations, and takes time to be done correctly,” Houston said. “But the Navy knows this is the right thing to do.”
He declined to comment on Bryant’s lawsuit prompting the documents’ release.
The first batch of documents released this week includes witness and exhibits lists, findings of facts, opinions, recommendations and initial testimony. Families were notified in a letter sent last month from Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of Naval Submarine Forces, that the Navy was working to declassify the documents and make them public.
Thank you, CAPT Bryant. The Cold War is long over and the very word “SOSUS” is no longer classified. High time to shed light on this tragedy. Read the entire article here: Military.com
BZ to Captain Bryant. Not sure yet why Big Navy waited so long and that it took a court order to get this done. You are correct ‘Ed that part of the Cold War is over and SOSUS was not so much a secret well before Tom Clancy was publishing his books.
The Thresher story is close to home in that we had a FIRST Cousin that was serving in the Submarine Service at that time. And he was deployed at sea when it happened. It was very tense for a fews days there until the announcement was made as to which boat was lost. Aunt M______ didn’t believe that Cuz was truly safe and alive until he came home on Liberty a few months later. His boat had no contact the whole time and when they came back into port, he just grabbed a bus and came home. No phone call or letter, just showed up at home with his sea bag and sailor suit on. Needless to say the fatted calf and other good things to eat were prepared, there was a joyful reunion and a Thank You Lord Prayer Service at the Family Church.
I believe that there was defective silver soldering used on the piping which caused a dominoe effect that contributed to the sinking and loss of life. The Sub safe system was put into play after that. Read that a few years ago in USNI Mag.
“Not sure yet why Big Navy waited so long…”
I’m sure Big Navy wasn’t even thinking about it. But since there are no more boats of that class still in service, I’m sure ultimately the bosses decided it’s no big deal to release the info. I know a little about the circumstances and i can’t think of any big national secrets that will be revealed.
I would think it is because declassifying things takes a lot of man hours and therefore money. Without a nudge from someone, there probably isn’t a lot of impetus to dig up and declassify old classified documents. Especially since the sub-service is probably one of the most secretive compartments in the USN.
I wonder how long it will take for all the details of USS Scorpion to come out, or if they ever will.
I wonder how long it will take for all the details of USS Scorpion to come out, or if they ever will.
Back in the early 80’s, a now-deceased fellow who worked for me, who was a lieutenant commander in a Naval Reserve intelligence unit, told me that the Scorpion was sunk by the Soviets in retaliation for our sinking one of theirs a few months earlier.
I’ve never seen confirmation of that although the Russians did lose a sub in the Pacific in March 1968 a couple of months before Scorpion went down.
I’ve heard that rumor floating around the internet, but K-129 was sunk by the Russians, either via accident or foul play. Supposedly there was a lot of convoluted diplomacy going on to cover up the bullshit that cost the lives of 180 good men.
Whole different class of metal, from which they make Submariner balls.
Many times, I am thankful I joined the Army. But just as many times, I am thankful for men such as these.
My high school in Connecticut was where Lt. John Smarz, went. They had a plaque in his honor posted in the main entrance… unfortunately in a spot nobody could really see it, behind the many football and soccer trophies the school earned over the years.
I was shocked when I saw that at the time… you never know how you’re connected to history.