Navy releases hundreds of documents from investigation into sinking of Thresher
 

Navy releases hundreds of documents from investigation into sinking of Thresher
By: Staff Writer - War is Boring - 09-25-20
Re: https://warisboring.com/navy-release...g-of-thresher/

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The Navy this week released hundreds of pages of previously undisclosed documents of testimony from the classified investigation into the sinking of the USS Thresher, which nearly 60 years later remains the worst submarine disaster in U.S. history.

The documents — the first 300 pages of the more than 1,700 pages of testimony from the Court of Inquiry — include witnesses and exhibits, findings of fact, opinions, recommendations and initial testimony, and provide insight into what Navy officials knew and their decision-making at the time. Up until this point, only 19 pages of testimony had been made public.

The Navy alerted the families of the Thresher crew members last month that it would be releasing the records. Some of the families have said they’ve been waiting decades to find out more about what happened.

All 129 men aboard — 112 sailors and 17 shipyard personnel — died when the submarine sank during a deep dive test on April 10, 1963, about 220 miles east of Cape Cod. The Navy has said the most likely explanation is that a ruptured seawater pipe in the submarine’s engine room caused catastrophic flooding and ultimately caused the submarine’s nuclear reactor to shut down.

“The Navy is committed to transparency with the families of those lost and the public regarding the loss of Thresher,” Rear Adm. Bill Houston, director of the Navy’s undersea warfare division, told reporters this week in advance of the records being released. “While the Navy stands by the initial determinations of the Court of Inquiry, and does not believe that records related to Thresher will shed additional light on her loss, the Navy is actively processing records to be publicly released.”

The Navy’s release was prompted by a lawsuit by a retired submarine commander, Capt. Jim Bryant, who has questioned the service’s official account of what happened. Earlier this year, a federal judge sided with Bryant and ruled that the Navy had to begin releasing the records, which are now available for viewing in an electronic reading room set up by the Navy.

Bryant, in a phone interview Thursday, commended the Navy for the release and said the records give “a lot of the flavor of what they were thinking back then.”

“A lot of that needs to be studied. The decision-making at the time needs to be studied. That’s very valuable,” he said. “Naval historians are going to love it.”

Bryant said he and his research team still are combing through the documents, but his initial reaction is that the records will shed light on some of the questions he’s sought to answer, such as whether inadequate training was a factor in the Thresher’s loss.

The Navy, around 2012, planned to release more documents on the Thresher’s sinking but ultimately decided against it, saying the information was mostly technical in nature, didn’t contribute to any better understanding of the loss and would cause unnecessary trauma to the remaining descendants. Houston said he would not comment on previous decisions by Navy leaders with regards to the documents or Bryant’s lawsuit.

Following the loss of the Thresher, the Navy created a program that developed new submarine safety standards, known as SUBSAFE, that still exists today. No submarine certified under the program has been lost.

In addition to SUBSAFE, the Navy significantly enhanced its Undersea Rescue program, providing the capability for worldwide deployment of deep-sea submarine rescue platforms.

“The loss of Thresher was a defining event for the submarine service,” Houston said. “From day one, every new submariner checking onboard discusses the impact of Thresher to the submarine force, and the significant improvements that transpired as a result of her loss.”

Last year, a memorial to honor those lost aboard the Thresher and the safety changes that followed was erected at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Personal note: I recall that whole event. I was in boot camp then when we heard about the Thresher being lost. I called my Mom from boot camp to talk and let her know how I was doing and she said you had not ever sign up for submarine duty as she too had heard about the Thresher incident. I didn't tell her but I had already signed up for VN duty since many of my guys in school were doing.

Once I left boot camp I went through survival school and then went overseas. Hoping to run into some my school chums or my brother.

Wow that was some time ago - most are gone now so I carry the torch for them and all those that served in the service. But I recall those days like they were yesterday - but I can't remember what I did yesterday now. That's old age can't help that but try to take care of the wife and my kids and grand-kids. So many men didn't get that chance and I have to honor them by trying to do my best. As they never got the opportunity to which I regret and I miss many of them.

Boats