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Further Reading

SSN-585 Skipjack

Skipjack Class was the first "top to bottom" new attack submarine design using nuclear propulsion. In 1954 the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear powered submarine, was launched. Nuclear power enabled this submarine to become the first true "submersible" - able to operate underwater for an indefinite period of time. In 1958 the the USS Albacore entered service with a "tear drop" hull design to reduce underwater resistance and allow greater submerged speed and maneuverability.

The first submarine class to combine nuclear power with the new hull design was the USS Skipjack. Deep-diving and high speed capabilities were the result of HY-80 construction and a new reactor design, the S5W. This reactor became the US Navy's standard until the Los Angeles class joined the fleet in the mid-1970's. USS Skipjack was also unique in that it was the first nuclear submarine with a single shaft. Placement of the bow planes on the sail greatly reduced flow noise at the bow-mounted sonar. Personnel serving on Nautilus, the first Seawolf, and the SSN-578 Skate class saw the breaking of submarine construction "rules" on the Skipjacks (single versus double hulls, one main propulsion shaft instead of two) as radical and even dangerous--although the results of these dramatic changes made the platform far quieter.

In the late 1950s the enthusiasm for SSNs within the Navy and the submarine force was far from universal, outside the small but growing cadre of Rickover-trained disciples. Most viewed the SSN as a somewhat faster SS whose greatly increased procurement, training, and maintenance costs made its justification questionable. Indeed, the increased cost and trouble of an SSN did not compete well with those of the tried-and-tested SS if all that was expected of the SSN was to perform the mission set of the SS a little faster.

USS Scorpion, a 3500-ton Skipjack class nuclear-powered attack submarine was built at Groton, Connecticut and commissioned in July of 1960. Scorpion was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and took part in the development of submarine warfare tactics. In one particular operational exercise, Scorpion was tasked to operate against Task Force Bravo -- an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) group centered on an ASW carrier (CVS). Operating at periscope depth, the Scorpion raised its radar mast and radiated. Every electronic support measures [ESM] set in the task force was tuned exactly to Scorpion's frequency. Two escort ship -- the "pouncers" of that period's doctrine -- broke off from the group and raced toward their ESM intercept. The Scorpion's masts were lowered and the Scorpion corkscrewed down to test depth, leaving the world's biggest "knuckle" of turbulent, bubble-filled water remaining as a sonar-reflective column. Proceeding toward the battle group, Scorpion slowed, came back to periscope depth, and simulated shooting both units as they raced past toward their target.

Scorpion also made periodic deployments to the Mediterranean Sea. SSN 589 SCORPION was lost on 22 May 1968 with 12 officers and 87 enlisted men -- one of the worst casualties in the Navy's history. Its destruction occurred only five days before its scheduled return to Norfolk. The crew left behind 64 widows and 99 children. Some wives, pregnant at the time, later gave birth, adding to the number of children who lost fathers. The Sailors represented 25 states, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Of the 12 officers and 87 enlisted men who perished, most were younger than 25. The agony of the families began on May 27, 1968, as they waited dockside in Norfolk, Va., for the Scorpion's scheduled return. When it didn't arrive the families were sent home, only to learn from inquiring news reporters that the submarine was missing. Countless night-long vigils ensued at crewmembers' families homes until the ship was officially declared "presumed lost at sea" on June 5. The submarine would later be found in mid-October.

After two investigations, the US Navy says it still does not conclusively know what led to the Scorpion's destruction. Based on prior experience with such problems and an analysis of the accoustic signature of the Scorpion loss, the Navy initially concluded that the most probable cause of the loss of the Scorpion was the launch of an inadvertently activated torpedo, which turned and struck the submarine. A six-month search eventually located the Scorpion's wreckage some 400 miles southwest of the Azores. Investigation of the boat's wreckage on the ocean floor found no evidence of torpedo damage. A six-month expedition in 1969 by Trieste II found no direct evidence to support the theory that the Scorpion was destroyed by a torpedo. While some portions of the Scorpion's hull were never found, the wreckage that was examined did not exhibit the conditions expected from the hydrostatic implosion of a submarine hull structure.

Photographs taken at a depth 10,000 feet, 400 miles southwest of the Azores included a stern view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS SCORPION (SSN-589) showing the upper portion of the rudder (with draft markings) and the port stern plane. The impact with the ocean floor caused the after portion of the engine room section to be telescoped into the machinery room. The ribs of the stern planes could be seen due to the deformation of the metal covering then and display the massive force which was imparted to the ship upon impact with the sea bottom.

In 1970 a Navy panel completed a classified report that disavowed the Court of Inquiry's conclusion. Instead of an accidental torpedo strike, the new group suggested a mechanical failure caused an irreparable leak that flooded the submarine. That report said the bulk of the evidence suggested an internal explosion in the sub's massive electrical battery caused the sub to flood and sink. The large number of accoustic signals detected from the loss of the Scorpion was characteristic of a submarine going through deep depths after experiencing substantial flooding, rather than an intact submarine passing through collapse depth. At the time of its loss, the boat had a history of unresolved maintenance problems, poorly functioning safety systems, and had received an extremely abbreviated overhaul prior to its final mission.

In 1990 USS Scamp (SSN-588) became the first nuclear powered submarine to be dismantled as part of the U. S. Navy's Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. This program led to a safe and effective process for disposing of decommissioned nuclear powered submarines.