Deep Submersible Accidents....

[trymixdiver]

I would be interested in any Deep Sub accident, but i did mention "that resulted in death".

Any that resulted in death would be of interest as i dont think there are any.

WW i will search using the info you gave ad see what comes up.

Andy

I am not refering to the Attack subs or even balistic missle boats, just he research subs, which hold very few people.

IE. Int he Movie the Abyss they show one implode. Also Grey Lady Down ect ...

 

[SubSailor]

Though I've browsed this board off and on for a while this is my first post as I found this thread interesting. I'm not sure what you are looking for in "Deep Submergence" but the USS Dolphin AGSS-555 is in the class of deep submergence and is classified as a research sub as well. She had a flooding back in 02, had several shipmates on her at that time. The Turtle is also deep submergence and I know for a fact of one incident in which she was entangled on the bottom and stuck there for over 12 hours. A very good friend of mine was on the Turtle during this incident. Also lost a Shipmate on the Bonefish. I know of several more but since I can't find records on them it's probably best I keep my mouth shut.

 

[DennisS]

The Alvin sank while being deployed with the hatch open, everyone got out.

 

[Thalassamania]

I believe the ramming incident was either a Nekton or a Perry sub, can't remember which. The fatal accident that I know about involved the Johnson Sea Link operated by Harbor Branch:

"A tragic accident near Key West, Florida in 1973 took the lives of E C Link and A Stover. The men, along with scientists A Menzies and R Meek who survived, where aboard the Johnson-Sea-Link submersible when it became trapped in the wreckage of a scuttled destroyer 360 ft underwater. An anti-snag framework had been added to the submersible and apparently this became clipped into a snap hook on a fishing net snagged in the shipwreck. Strong currents thwarted efforts of divers in freeing the sub. The water temperature was 40F and this contributed to the accident by impeding the action of Baralyme in absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. The divers were in a separate, colder compartment from the scientists and although they added fresh oxygen the two men eventually lost conciousness and died of carbon dioxide poisoning."

 

[Ben Dugger]

I can think of two. The sub from Florida Atlantic Univ became tangled in a cable on a wreck and at least one died aboard. Another was the Pisce II that also became entangled in a cable. I don't believe anyone died but saving them was a harrowing experience. There was a book on this. I think it was called "No Time On Our Side". It's been many years since there and I hope my memory hasn't failed me.

Ben

 

[Akimbo]

There have been at least two entanglement incidents on manned deep submersibles in the North Sea oil patch I am aware of — no fatalities. My younger brother was in saturation at 600' aboard a nearby vessel when they got "the call" on one in 1979. It was his turn in the rotation so did the lockout.

The sub was entangled on a platform and the diving support vessel was a semisubmersible, like 350 x 200' and dynamically positioned — no anchors, computers driving a bunch of propellers to hold station. The “plan” communicated to the sub was to clear the platform when freed, but not to surface until told to.

For everyone topside, the scariest moment was just after they were freed. My brother swims up, exchanges the OK signal with the crew, makes a quick survey, breaks out his knife, and cuts a piece of ½” polypropylene rope wrapped around a prop. He looks at them through the 3’ diameter dome port waving and yelling stop as they wave bye-bye and float up out of sight. Apparently the guys in the sub didn’t realize that this giant meat grinder was spinning above them and, understandably, wanted the hell out of there.

The dilemma was the support vessel couldn’t just turn off all propulsion or they would crash against the nearby platform. They also couldn’t just move out of the way because they still had a diver in the water and a bell with its hatch open dangling ~600' below. Fortunately, the sub surfaced about 200 meters in the clear. I can imagine there was a lot of urgent communications between the diving control shack, submarine support room, and the bridges on both vessels.