It was 50 years ago this month ”“ April 10, 1963, to be exact ”“ when the U.S.S. Thresher submarine sank off the coast of Cape Cod.
The vessel was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, and was recognized as the world’s most advanced fast attack submarine when it was commissioned in 1961, according to Associated Press reports.
This top-of-the-line vessel was the next big thing in American engineering: Quieter, and able to go further and deeper than its predecessors.
It had already done well in sea trials when its ill-fated deep-dive testing date came up, when the Navy believes an electrical panel was shorted out by water from a burst pipe and shut down the nuclear reactor.
As a result, the Thresher was left without power and could not resurface. It sank below crush depth, out of rescuers’ reach, and all 129 men aboard were killed when the vessel imploded.
It was the deadliest submarine disaster in the history of our nation.
While these men died in a training accident rather than in battle, their deaths are no less heroic, no less tragic, and they deserve to be memorialized, even half a century later.
Progress is never made without sacrifice, whether it’s in technology, safety or social mores. Think of the Challenger shuttle explosion, the loss of life when the Titanic sank, or of those who were murdered while supporting the civil rights movement. It is often our response to tragic loss that leads us to significant improvements and eventual greatness, and that is what happened with the Thresher tragedy as well.
As a result of this terrible incident, the Navy adopted the SUBSAFE program, which included several design modifications and instituted additional training, among other improvements. Those who take part in the program learn about the Thresher, and the Navy’s designers and maintenance workers listen to audio of the disaster.
We’re glad to see that the families of those who died aboard the Thresher have been able to find some closure over the years by supporting each other and seeing their fathers, husbands and brothers memorialized publicly.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the sinking, memorial events were held earlier this month in Portsmouth, N.H., Kittery and most recently in Sanford, and a 129-foot flagpole has been installed in Kittery to remember those who died.
It’s a fitting tribute to the men who gave up their lives in the name of progress and national defense, and the Navy honors them by learning from the incident ”“ and making sure it never happens again.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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