Revealed: American nuclear submarine came close to 'catastrophe' during fatal incident off Devon

UK MailOnline.com ^ | 6/22/2011 | By Daily Mail Reporter

[Lou L]

A U.S. nuclear submarine came within feet of running aground as it left Plymouth naval base, a report has found.

The drama unfolded as the USS Minneapolis-St Paul entered rough seas and tried to take evasive action resulting in five crewmen being swept overboard, two of whom died.

Chief Petty Officer Thomas Higgins and Petty Officer Michael Holtz were attached to the submarine with safety lines and had been helping the habour pilot to disembark when the submarine changed direction.

They died as they were repeatedly pounded 'like rag dolls'

The 2007 Royal Navy report into the incident, released this week under the Freedom of Information Act, said that the 110m-long, 6,000 ton vessel, 'came within less than her own length' of hitting rocks and becoming stuck with 'catastrophic consequences' as she turned to get back into protected waters.

[OA5599]

The collision I was thinking of was in the Pacific in the late 90s but I can’t remember the boat name. The San Juan has always been on the East Coast so I did get that mixed up. It’s bugging me now since a class mate from weld school had just gotten there when the collision occured. I’m getting old.

Hmm. In the late 90s? I don't recall any major collisions. What you described sounds exactly like what happened to my boat in 2005: All ahead full into a sea mound in the Pacific, about 350 miles from Guam.

I looked up the San Juan, and in 1998 it collided with a boomer in the Long Island sound. That I do remember, as I was on the San Fran at the time and it was a hot topic. Didn't remember the boats involved, but I did remember it happening. It was a minor collision. No one was hurt, and both ships returned to port under their own power.

Could you be blending the two incidents?

[Pan_Yan]

I got out in late 1997, it was before that.