Fifty years ago today, the nuclear submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank during deep diving tests in the Atlantic off Massachusetts with a loss of 129 officers, crewmen, and military and civilian technicians. The sinking of the submarine is considered to be a watershed event in the implementation of the rigorous US Navy submarine safety program SUBSAFE. The folk sinker Tom Paxton wrote a song about the tragedy, sung here on Youtube by threelegsoman.
Old Salt Blog
a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea , hosted by nautical novelist Rick Spilman
brrr. My dad wanted to be on that boat. Of course many people did. Sometimes it’s good not to get what you want.
I was negative four at the time. Very weird to think about. But then I never would have known, it would have been the older generation – my mom, my dad’s family – that would have had the loss.
as it was my folks say that that was a terrible time for the submarine force, which was and still is a very tight community. Everyone knew someone, everyone mourned.
Wow. Glad that you made it past negative numbers, Bonnie.