What happens to a submarine sunk by depth charges?

[WinfieldNC]

As already mentioned the U-352 is pretty intact. I took this is June 6th, 2019.

 

[Storker]

As a former submariner all of the outcomes suck

I'd guess that anything which fills the hull with water and takes it to the bottom would suck majorly for those involved.

 

[Bob DBF]

Yes, magnetometers found the Thresher, but they were towed underwater by a search ship, not deployed by an airplane. The water was about 3000m deep and the wreckage was strewn all over. Photographs by the towing sled were the primary identification. The search area was narrowly defined by SOSUS (acoustic surveillance) records. The Scorpion was found the same way, photographically, with a small search area defined acoustically, but magnetometers were not used.

And thank Dr John Craven and his mathematical theories on finding objects on the ocean floor. His track record on finding sunken objects got his theory used first, otherwise could have taken a lot longer, if ever, to find the Scorpion as the consensus said was it was elsewhere. The Silent War covers this and other interesting stories not covered in Blind Mans Bluff, both are required reading about the Cold War.


And for @tursiops, Water Baby is a volume on Alvin that is very thorough.


Bob

 

[Akimbo]

Photographs by the towing sled were the primary identification. The search area was narrowly defined by SOSUS (acoustic surveillance) records. The Scorpion was found the same way, photographically, with a small search area defined acoustically, but magnetometers were not used.

Just to expand a bit, the position of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) was relatively well known because she was on a post-overhaul test dive so the USS Skylark (ASR-20) (ASR = Auxiliary Submarine Rescue) was monitoring her, including voice communications. Of course this was long before the military had GPS so navigation wasn't nearly so precise as today. It still took some time to define the debris field because she imploded way off the bottom. As mentioned, the Trieste I did the detailed survey -- the same Trieste that went to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960. More reading: Declassify the Thresher Data

The USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was much harder to find because she was returning home from the Med (Mediterranean). SOSUS (SOund SUrveillance System) was crucial in locating her because no surface ships were monitoring. The Trieste II surveyed and documented the wreckage. I was assigned to the Trieste toward the end of her major refit after returning from the Scorpion operation. Shipmates had a lot of interesting sea stories.

I left the Trieste shortly before she was sent to survey the K-129, a Soviet diesel boat lost in the Pacific. Very few people on the that 9-month project knew what they were really doing. The cover story was a "scientific mission". It was pretty obvious once the "Project Jennifer" story broke, which was the name incorrectly given for Project Azorian. The Soviets had no idea where in the Pacific that the K-129 was lost. SOSUS data gave the US the probable search area and the submarine Halibut (SSGN-587) actually found her after deploying a ROV. The same Halibut that supported saturation divers that tapped the Soviet phone cable in the Sea of Okhotsk.

 

[tursiops]

And for @tursiops, Water Baby is a volume on Alvin that is very thorough.

Yes, I worked with the author, Victoria Kaharl.

 

[Bob DBF]

More reading: Declassify the Thresher Data

From the article:

• 0918.4: SOSUS and the Skylark detected hull collapse at a calculated depth of 2,400 feet, 450 feet below the crush depth of 1,950 feet (150 percent of test depth), creating a bubble pulse with an energy release equivalent to 22,500 pounds of TNT. The hull collapsed in 47 milliseconds (~1/20th of a second), too fast to be cognitively recognized by those on board.

I would bet the situation was cognitively recognized well before the final 47 milliseconds.

Until a boat was SubSafe-certified, she was restricted to operating at half her test depth.

I personally know that is factually in error.


Bob

 

[Akimbo]

And for @tursiops, Water Baby is a volume on Alvin that is very thorough.

Yes, I worked with the author, Victoria Kaharl.

Here is a link for those who are wondering what these guys are talking about:
Water Baby: The Story of Alvin by Victoria A. Kaharl

 

[Jared0425]

I got my story a little mixed up. I remember a P-3 Orion being used to locate the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. I also recall Ballard using MAD data along with ANGUS and Argo to locate and verify Scorpion as it was only visited by a sled and a Bathyscape once lost. As in 68, Ballard (at least publicly) stated that the cause is still unknown.

I just used Wikipedia on the loss, and saw how she was found. SOSUS didnt have a good bearing on it, but her check in and operational diverting gave a decent idea of where she was at.

Makes me think maybe the Soviets heard something since they were in the area...

A very interesting story to be researched minus the conspiracy nonsense.

 

[GJC]

Apparently there is a group searching for every lost US sub from WWII:

Lost 52 Project | New York, NY 10028

 

[NAM001]

any underwater explosion becomes a shaped charge. the shape portion is due to pressure under the target being greater than above and directing the explosive force upward. In ww2 they used magnometer devices to detonate torpedos but they failed so much,, sub CO's were told not to use that mode as they too often detonated from sea state prior to getting to the target. MK 14's had that problem along with a faulty firing pin used for direct target hit detonation, that was fixed in the later half of the war.

There are many ships locations that are known by the government, and their locations are on secret charts. normal unclassified nav charts will not contain the locations.