US NAVY ACCIDENTLY SINKS A TUGBOAT

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Comment by Capt Chuck Creel on April 24, 2010 at 10:44pm

6 years on a nuc/boomer sub and NEVER saw a pilot come aboard to enter or leave holy loch scotland.
SSBN 627

Comment by Mark (Voodoo Acrobat) on April 14, 2010 at 4:57pm

I was aboard USS Puget Sound when pilot tugs were guiding us into port at Malaga, Spain. The tug tied to our stern turned with his starboard side to our stern as the forward tug was pulling us. The thing just got pulled over on its side and went down like a hot rock!

No loss of life, thanks goodness. The worst of it was we had to stay aboard at anchor off Malaga for an extra day while the preliminary investigation was conducted. You could practically smell the sangria from the decks!! Painful for us Liberty Hounds!!

Comment by zeehag on April 14, 2010 at 11:41am

as far as i know, navy has met with a few boats in san diego=-they have right of way, so we get screwed , literally..oh well.....like we are spozed to know when they are going to surface--most times cant even see the dang things lol....

Comment by Steve Knight on April 14, 2010 at 10:57am

The sub had accelerated after first contact with the tug and right full rudder was applied to try and swing the stern out of harms way. It also looks like suction from the hull and screw trapped the tug until it fetched up on the starboard dive plane where hydraulic pressure kept it pinned. At slightly over 6,000 tons I suspect it would take a few shiplengths for the sub to coast to a stop. I'm guessing the tonnage of the tug at around 220.

Comment by Terri on April 14, 2010 at 10:45am

Read up more on this. There was loss of life, they never recovered Chief Engineer. *******This accident happened shortly before i reported to the USS Nevada (SSBN-733). The Tug pulled alongside the submarine to do a personnel transfer, and the engine died. the Submarine went hard starboard to try and sweep the stern to the left of the tug, but it was too late. going to all stop wouldn't have done anything, as it takes a sub a quarter mile to stop. as a result, topside procedures were changed to raise a "tug catcher" cleat near the rear of the boat in case they need to throw a line. 3 months ago kennethrobinson123
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the tug shought have back off the sub a long way before the sub got under way looks like a lot of people that didn't know that they were doing. and to think they were going to sea. Good Lord help us. 3 months ago scanman2012
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Why was that tug getting so close to the stern when the prop was turning, stupid yanks 4 months ago Xantec Comment removed Strijderss Eugene Register-Guard, March 24, 1986:
A tugboat accidentally struck a Trident submarine off Midway Island and sank, and two of the tug's crewmen were missing, the Navy said Sunday. The Navy tugboat Secota, based at Midway , was sent Saturday to the USS Georgia three miles south of the mid-Pacific island (continued

Comment by Terri on April 14, 2010 at 8:00am

Ya know..me being fairly new at this "boating" stuff...wouldn't it have been a good idea to stop or slow the sub down and maybe get ready for the MOB possibility a little sooner instead of waiting till the boat was half sunk? ...Thinking maybe would have been a good time to do the "DIVE!!!! DIVE!!!!" thingy... :-)