Navy Loses Signal, Thought Sub Had Sunk
Military Temporarily Loses Communication With USS San Juan Off Florida Coast; Navy Investigating Incident
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Play CBS Video Video 'Sub Sunk' Is False Alarm Families of the USS San Juan's crew can finally relax: The sub checked in at 5:30 in the morning, 7? hours late. It would have been the first "sunk sub" since 1968. David Martin reports.
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This Oct. 18, 2005, photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows a sailor heaving a line ashore as the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS San Juan (SSN 751) arrives for a brief port visit in Souda Bay, Crete. (AP)
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There were no problems with the Los Angeles-class sub, based in Groton, Conn., and the Navy is investigating the incident, the Naval Submarine Force said in a statement.
A carrier battle group was operating with three submarines 100 miles off the coast of Florida when a lookout reported spotting a red flare — the traditional signal for a sub in distress, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. The battle group immediately tried to establish communications with all three subs. Two answered, but the USS San Juan, which was playing the role of an enemy submarine as part of the exercise, remained silent.
At 3:30 Wednesday morning, Martin reports that the submarine center in Norfolk, Va., sent out the rarest and most critical of messages: "Sub Sunk." It has been nearly 40 years since the Navy lost a sub — the USS Scorpion, which went down with all hands in 1968.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates was awakened in the early morning hours and told of the events, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
"The secretary of defense was notified at the time when the Navy felt that they had a sub in distress," he said.
The Navy immediately started searching and also contacted the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office in Norfolk to assist with the efforts. Family members of those on board also were notified.
"Fortunately, the submarine established communications in the early morning hours ... and indicated that there were no problems; hence, units were able to stand down from the search and rescue that was already well under way," the Navy said in a release.
There were about 140 sailors on board, said Lt. Mark Jones, a Navy spokesman in Groton.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 24 CommentsFor all of you too understand the Submarine Force is called the silent service.I completly understand how everyone's families onboard feel about this situation.This is not the Navy's fault.The press again had it's nose into governmnet business where until all the facts come out then report the findings!! I am a Navy Submarine wife and have been for 19 years, and also an Ombudsman.First, the contact sheets your sailors fill out (next of kin, contact & emergency contact) would have that contact information on those. I have seen so many sheets incompleted by the sailors before deployment.If your a parent and are complaining it could possible be that you were not on that contact sheet or very incomplete(such as no number, no address) or not updated spouses numbers which I have seen many times.In addtion, before we all play the blame game, the Sentate and House votes on military spending and recently if you readd the "news" the sentate voted NO to an increase of military spending!!!!! So let's get an education first on ther Submarine community and also the Us Government Politics!! In Closing , I do and would feel very distressed while "waiting to hear from the Navy about our Submarine if this was my situation.There are contact #'s to the base and others to verify such incidences.Praise God that this Sub was located and unharmed.Let's let the navy do it's investigation until we start popping off!!
Posted by NavyChief8
Thank you so much, that really, truly does make me feel better. Thank you for being so kind:)
Posted by moonstar84
Don't worry. they are pro's with the best training in the world. All is well. But you know this.
As for the incident, all we have to go on is the report from one person employed by CBS. I have not been able to find this story via any other news service. I wonder where he got his information?
I suspect that when all the dust has settled, investigators will find that San Juan or another vessel fired a red flare instead of a green one (which signals a successful simulated attack). Since the San Juan was the simulated enemy, her duty was to remain undetected. Guess what? She did her job. And contrary to what some may believe, subs just do not routinely come to the surface and tell everyone they are OK, even in exercises. That compromises what subs are all about. It looks to me like a tempest in a teacup. I'm wondering if perhaps SUBLANT felt compelled to issue a SUBSUNK alert because the news media had already got involved in something they should have let go until an official release was issued. We are not the Russians. We don't try to hide such incidents. Just recall the San Francisco and Greeneville collisions a few years ago.
You are an idiot wiht no actual knowledge.
I am a Navy Sonar Technician. Submaring maintenance (sub safe progaram) is the best in the world and the US military for that matter. What happened is extremely rare. In this instance the sub was acting as "opfor" for a battle group exercise. For wahtever reason they were not able to communicate with the sub. That does not mean the sub couldn't communicate. But there are procedures in place that require the sub to communicate at predetermined times. I think that is what happened here. A red flare was sighted so they assume sub in distress. So the surface ships and other subs attempt to contact them. Whn unable to do so. They take the precaution of assuming something has gone wrong and search for the sub. I won't go into detail as these are classified procedures. But in the end all is well. The sub made contact as is procedure.
Posted by corpse4
Is this a real question? If no, not funny! This is no laughing matter.
Stop the madness and impeach Bush and Cheney.
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See all 24 Comments