Try this one: http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/US/01/16/nailgun.accident.ap/story.xray.kusa.jpg Some of you may have seen it.
They have released pictures of the USS San Francisco (SSN-711)which ran aground on Jan. 8 this year. For anyone who missed it, apparently the sub was travelling at approx 30 knots and at a depth of 400 ft when it hi an "uncharted undersea mountain". Pictures of the sub in dry dock can be seen at the following website. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?p=news&g=events/ts/012805ussubmarine&e=1&tmpl=sl&nosum=0&large=0&t=1106841399
Thanx for the site Bill! But I always thought they checked the nearby area by sonar but maybe the person was sleeping or something??
I would have thought that also Kai. At the very least you would think that something the size of an underwater mountain would have been picked up on a passive sonar. Something that I had forgot to mention was that the Captain of the boat has been relieved of command pending the completion of the accident investigation. In other words, his career is over, what remains to be seen is who elses career is over at the end of the investigation. I would be willing to bet that the OOD (Officer of the Deck) and whoever had the conn will also be through at the least.
I'm no submarine guy, but how would a passive sonar pick up an inert object like a mountain? As far as I know passive sonar basically just "listens". If the object doesn't generate noise it won't be seen. Also, if the sub is running silent (as they may have been I guess), they can't very well travel around with active sonars broadcasting?
I'm no submarine guy, but how would a passive sonar pick up an inert object like a mountain? As far as I know passive sonar basically just "listens". If the object doesn't generate noise it won't be seen. Also, if the sub is running silent (as they may have been I guess), they can't very well travel around with active sonars broadcasting? </font>[/QUOTE]After reading this and rereading what I wrote the only thing that I can say is that I have no idea what I was thinking this morning. You're entirely right a passive sonar is basically just listening and not broadcasting. Sorry about this...
The San Francisco, limped back to Guam after smashing into the mountain, which was not on its navigational charts. The accident, which killed one sailor and injured 60 others, occurred on Jan. 8 about 360 miles southeast of Guam. Navy officials said the submarine's crew had to take emergency measures to blast to the surface and then keep the vessel afloat. Commander Davis also said no decision had been made about repairing the submarine or what that might cost. After the crash, sailors had to run an air blower for 30 hours to limit the water pouring in through holes in the forward ballast tanks and keep the vessel from sinking too low to maneuver. Military officials have said that the submarine's main chart was prepared in 1989 and did not show any potential hazards within three miles of the crash site. Satellite images taken since then show the wedge-shaped outline of the undersea mountain. But officials have said the agency that prepared the charts had never had the resources to use the satellite data to improve them. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1330335/posts More on this: Similar accidents have happened before, in part because submarines typically do not use their active sonar systems, which emit loud pings, to navigate. Instead, submarines try to operate silently, relying on undersea charts, checks with navigation satellites and passive sonar systems that pick up the noises of other vessels. http://www.defencetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=436d7d52d11c84870798883415bcc8c1&p=37856#post37856
