Rabu, 22 Desember 2021

USS Thresher Was Doomed From the Start—Here's Why

Nearly six decades ago, the U.S. Navy experienced one of its worst accidents of the postwar era. The nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Thresher sank to the bottom of the Atlantic in the spring of 1963, along with the 129 souls onboard. Although charges of a coverup were leveled at Navy officials, a release of previously secret documents in 2020 and 2021 dispelled those claims and reinforced a popular belief among naval experts: that a number of factors came together to sink the ship, ranging from inadequate training to poorly designed equipment.

The two decades after World War II were a time of major upheaval for the Navy's submarine fleet. Desperate to get submarines into the water to challenge the Soviet Union, the service also began incorporating new technologies at a breakneck speed.

Nuclear power—which allowed submarines to spend far more time underwater and operate at previously unheard-of speeds while fully submerged—was the primary technology. This prompted a shift away from the traditional submarine hull shape, which was optimized for sailing on the surface, toward a shape better-suited for underwater efficiency. This shape, known as the "teardrop" hull, featured a bulb-shaped bow; a long, featureless hull; and a tapered stern that ended in a propulsor (at the time, a propeller screw).

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