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BAP Pacocha

On August 26, 1988, the submarine Pacocha collided with the Japanese fishing boat Kiowa Maru. The B.A.P. PACOCHA was transiting to its home port on the surface, when it was struck on the aft, port quarter by the ice breaking bow of the KIOWA MARU at 1850 on 26 August 1988. Damage was severe because the KIOWA MARU's how was reinforced for ice breaking and had a sub-surface protrusion for that purpose. The PACOCHA was opened like a tin can. The ballast tank and fuel oil tank in the area of impact were ruptured, and a 2 meter by 10 centimeter split in the pressure hull resulted along the weld seam where the pressure hull widens aft of the ballast tanks. Through this split, both fuel oil and water rushed into the "Control Cubico" or maneuvering room, the compartment just forward of the aft torpedo room. The watertight door between maneuvering and the aft torpedo room could not be cloaed because it was warped by the collision. The watertight door to the aft engine room was closed, however.

No collision alarm was sounded and bulkheads were not sealed at the time of impact. Individuals forward of the "Control Cubico", other than those on the bridge, were not aware that there had been a collision. Immediate word was passed that there was a fire in an engine room. The aft escape hatch, the bridge access hatch, the forward escape hatch, and the main induction valves were open at the time of impact.

One of the three individuals who perished in the water was responsible for closing the main induction valve. He failed to do so before abandoning ship. Hence, as soon as PACOCHA's induction mast was below water both engine rooms also rapidly flooded. Fortunately, the watertight door between the forward engine room and the aft battery compartment had been secured. Otherwise, the entire ship might have flooded.

PACOCHA sank to a keel depth of 140 feet in 5 minutes and the KIOWA MARU continued on to port, unaware of what it had hit. The Captain of the ship, Commander Nieva, lost his life securing the bridge access hatch. Divers located his body the following morning inside the deck access door to the sail.

Twenty-three people escaped into the water as the boat sank. Three of them died of exposure prior to the arrival of help two and 1/2 hours later. Three people died in flooded compartments snd the Captain of the vessel died in the sail while closing the bridge access hatch. Twenty-two people survived in the PACOCHA, ultimately retreating to the forwerd torpedo room as the atmosphere in the boat became contaminated.

Pressure in the submarine was elevated from the start and later was calculated to have reached 54 feet of sea water gauge pressure over the next 17 1/2 hours. The United States fly-away McCahn rescue system was activated, but aborted in transit when deteoration of the atmosphere within the PACOCHA led to a decision to use buoyant escape techniques. The escape, completed by the twenty-thrie hour mark, resulted in twenty of the tweenty-two escapee developing symptoms of decompression sickness. All were ultivately treated with recompression therapy. One died, one was severely brain injured, and several had residual injuries from decompression sickness.

In a compressed air environment without replenishment, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide reaches critical levels before the oxygen partial pressure is significantly depleted and requires supplementation. Symptoms of agitation and hyperventilation are common when Carbon Dioxide is elevated. As pressure in the boat increased, the ill effects of Carbon Dioxide would be multiplied.

In dealing with submarine escape and rescue, pressurization of a disabled submarine is easily unrecognized, unanticipated, overlooked or underemphasized. As a result, rescuers may be ill-prepared to deal with tha results and even risk compounding the problems. The PACOCEA is a perfect example. A combination of common sense, use of the best information available, dedication, maximum utilization of available assets, some luck, and supecb leadership by individuals such as Admiral Tirado and LT Cotrina minimized the effects of this unexpected encounter with pressurized submarine escape.

After the captain of the sub died, Lieutenant Roger Cotrina realized that it would be humanly impossible to avoid a tragedy, as the pressure from the water prevented the crew from closing an internal compartment that would have kept them alive. Eight crew members died during the incident, but the twenty-two survivors said it was thanks to the intercession of Mother Maria de Jesus that they were alive and that she helped them to avoid a greater disaster. The Croatian nun was beatified on June 6, 2003, by Pope John Paul II, thanks to the miracle that saved the Peruvian sailors.