The USS San Francisco plowed into an underwater mountain the other day. She went from flank speed (over 30 knots) to 4 knots instantaneously. One sailor was killed and over thirty injured.

I got an unclassified sitrep from a mailing list I’m on. It conveys some of the drama involved. That this boat came back to port is a testament to the quality of our fleet.

===
Sent: Mon Jan 10 02:17:01 2005
Subject: USS SAN FRANCISCO SITREP -2100W/9 Jan 05

Fellow Flag Officers this is my second unclas update on the SAN FRANCISCO incident for your situational awareness:

At 10 January 1634 local (100134 EST) the USS SAN FRANCISCO returned safely to Apra Harbor, Guam. The ship moored with her own line handlers in a normal submarine configured mooring (AFT draft is 27′-10” (normal AFT draft is 32′) and FWD Draft is above the draft marks with the waterline at the point the towed array faring begins; 0.8 degree STBD list and 1 degree Down bubble indicating by naval architecture calculations that 1 A/B and
2A/B MBTs are most likely flooded). The severely injured Machinist Mate
(Engineroom Upper Level Watch at time of grounding) was evacuated immediately and transferred by ambulance to Naval Hospital Guam where a fully staffed medical team was standing by. He is conscious and in stable condition. Approximately fifteen additional injured personnel requiring medical care subsequently departed the ship and were transported to the hospital after taking a moment to meet with family members.

Crewmembers from the USS CORPUS CHRISTI, HOUSTON and FRANK CABLE assisted in linehandling and various return to port evolutions such as propulsion plant shutdown, shorepower cables, and rig for surface. Standing by on the pier was a full complement of watchstanders from USS CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI (and SAN FRANCISCO stay-behinds) to satisfy all watchstanding requirements for reactor plant shutdown with follow-on inport forward and aft watchsections.

Following the grounding on 8 January, the ship transited on the surface at
8kts with surface escort, USCGC GALVESTON ISLAND to Apra Harbor, Guam. Due to deteriorated weather conditions on the evening of 9 January, the Commanding Officer shifted bridge watchstations to control and shut bridge access hatches to maximize watertight integrity in light of reserve buoyancy concerns. The ship maintained stability throughout the surface transit with continuous operation of the Low Pressure Blower on the Forward Main Ballast Tanks. SAN FRANCISCO has experienced no reactor plant, propulsion train or electrical system degradations as a result of the grounding. The Commanding Officer shifted the Officer of the Deck’s watch to the bridge on 10 January in preparation for piloting into Apra Harbor.

The critically injured Machinist Mate (Auxiliaryman) passed away yesterday afternoon as a result of his injuries. The MM2 was in Aft Main Seawater Bay at the time of the grounding and his body was thrown forward approximately
20 feet into Propulsion Lube Oil Bay. He suffered a severe blow to his forehead and never regained consciousness.

Emergency medical personnel, including a Naval Hospital Guam surgeon, Undersea Medical Officer and Independent Duty Corpsmen, arrived on the ship via helicopter transfer to provide immediate medical care and prepare the crewmember for medical evacuation on the morning of 9 January. Unfortunately, the sailor’s condition deteriorated and he died onboard while under the care of the embarked physicians. Just moments prior to the sailors death, I spoke with the Sailor’s father in preparation for their pending travel from Ohio to the West Pacific to see their Son. Since then I have passed on to his Dad my condolences on their Son’s death and reassured them their Son’s remains would be treated with utmost respect and dignity. His father expressed great gratitude for the extraordinary efforts made by the Navy to save his Son’s life. He told me his Son loved the Navy, having just reenlisting earlier this year and wanted to make it a career. That when he called home he always talked about the many friendships and the wonderful camaraderie the crew of SFO exhibited. Prior to sailing, he was really excited about the pending ship visit to Australia. The parents are considering traveling to Guam, with Navy support, at some point to meet the crew and partake in a memorial service for his Son.

For the remainder of the transit, the embarked medical trauma team administered medical care to the other injured personnel. Their careful attention and evaluation augments the ship’s Independent Duty Corpsman’s heroic efforts since the grounding.

Submarine Squadron Fifteen COMMODORE, Captain Brad Gerhke and Captain Paul Bushong, Commanding Officer of the Submarine Tender USS FRANK CABLE have mobilized their assets, staffs, crews and local Navy Community to provide comprehensive support to the SAN FRANCISCO. Professional counselors, medical personnel and Navy Chaplains are scheduled to meet with the entire crew to provide grief counseling and assistance throughout the next several days and as required over the long term. Brad has been meeting frequently with the SFO families and they are doing remarkable well. The entire Navy community in Guam has come to the SFO’s families’ assistance. I have talked to Kevin Mooney’s (SFO Skipper) wife, Ariel. Her state of mind is positive and resolute, with a courageous and upbeat view of the trying days ahead.

The ship’s Main Ballast Tank damage and deformation has degraded maneuverability and mandated the use of two tugs to moor in Apra Harbor. A Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard/NAVSEA Material Assessment Team comprised of a structural engineer, MBT vent expert, air systems expert and naval architect arrived in Guam with special ship salvage and recovery equipment to stabilize the ship pierside as soon as possible. The team, led by Captain Charles Doty, commenced a seaworthiness and repair assessment upon the ship’s arrival. Once additional buoyancy measures are in place and tested satisfactory, the Low Pressure Blower will be secured to allow divers to enter the water to conduct an inspection.

While this grounding is a tragedy, with a through investigation led by Cecil Haney, we will find out all the facts and then ensure we learn from the mistakes. But, I too believe we have much to be thankful for today, and much to be confident in. An operational warship has returned to port on her own power with all but one of its crew after sustaining major hull damage. The survival of the ship after such an incredibly hard grounding
(nearly instantaneous deacceleration from Flank Speed to 4 KTS) is a credit to the ship design engineers and our day-to-day engineering and watchstanding practices. The continuous operation of the propulsion plant, electrical systems and navigation demonstrates the reliability of our equipment and the operational readiness of our crews as a whole. The impressive Joint and Navy team effort which resulted in SFO returning to port safely says volumes about the ingenuity and resourcefulness of all our armed services. For all who participated in this effort, thank you and your people. We are all eternally grateful to each of you.

Very Respectfully

====

Here’s a bonus link with other accounts. And another.

Got this spam today. Funny how Rebecca Anderson (rebeccaanderson@ukswp.com) claims to live in London, while her WHOIS record puts her in Albany, NY.

There’s an especially toasty place in hell for people like Rebecca (rebeccaanderson@ukswp.com). In the meantime, it would be unfortunate if Rebecca ( rebeccaanderson@ukswp.com) or her friend Thomas (thomasbaker@mail2consultant.com) got put on a few spam lists themselves.
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The USS Parche, SSN-683, was the most famous submarine you never heard of. It completed some of the most daring, unbelievable missions during its thirty year lifetime. At the time of its decommissioning last fall, it ranked as the Navy’s most decorated ship, bar none: nine Presidential Unit Citations, thirteen Navy Expeditionary Medals, and ten Navy Commendation Medals.

A few of Parche’s incredible missions were first revealed in the riveting book Blind Man’s Bluff. Tom Clancy’s got nothing on the real life sailors of our Silent Service.

The Bremerton Sun covered the decommissioning and offered a glimpse into the history of this storied submarine.

A Silent Warrior’s Final Day
By Chris Barron, Sun Staff
October 20, 2004

On a dark and gloomy rain-filled day, a shroud of secrecy permeated the air on the Bremerton waterfront.

It was the perfect setting for the final day in the top-secret career of the Bangor-based USS Parche, one of the world’s most prolific spy submarines.

By the time its life ended Tuesday in a decommissioning ceremony at the Bremerton naval base, the Parche was the most highly decorated ship in Navy history — even though most Americans have never heard of it.

Commissioned in 1974, the Parche spent 30 years and 19 deployments as America’s top espionage sub, reportedly tapping the undersea military communication lines of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, plucking lost Soviet weaponry from the ocean floor and gathering intelligence on other enemies afterward.

The Parche (pronounced PAR-chee) was officially designated by the Navy as a “research and development” submarine. And it did plenty of that, testing new sonar and undersea warfare technologies.

But its highly classified missions, none of which have ever been officially confirmed, are the most intriguing aspect of its history. Many of those missions were deemed to be of “vital importance to U.S. national security,” earning the submarine an unprecedented nine Presidential Unit Citations. The vast majority of ships never receive even one.

For being the most decorated ship ever, shouldn’t more people be made aware of what it accomplished?

“Those that need to know, know,” said a matter-of-fact Rear Adm. Ben Wachendorf, who commanded the Parche from 1988 to 1993.

Wachendorf, now U.S. defense attache in Moscow, traveled from Russia to be at Tuesday’s ceremony.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” he said. “It means a lot to be able to say goodbye to an old friend.”

In fact, all but one of the Parche’s nine former commanders were present at the Parche’s decommissioning. In addition, about 130 former crew members, most belonging to the USS Parche Association, were on hand to witness the sub’s inactivation.

Those who returned to see their sub one last time said it was not only the camaraderie of submarine life that made Parche special, but also the exotic and extremely challenging missions it completed, which often involved excruciatingly long periods spent submerged with dwindling food and supplies.

“It’s the end of the life cycle,” said Manchester resident Will Longman, chairman of the Parche Association. “It’s very meaningful. The camaraderie does not go away. And the uniqueness of Parche imparts its own special camaraderie.”

The Parche also was the last of the Navy’s 37 Sturgeon-class fast attack subs to be deactivated — though it barely resembled any of the other ships of that class.

That’s because its hull was extended by 100 feet to accommodate extensive classified modifications in a four-year stay at Mare Island Naval Shipyard near San Francisco in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1994, the Parche and its crew of 190 moved from Mare Island to Bangor. It had already earned six Presidential Unit Citations by that time and earned another three after its transfer to Bangor, including a ninth for its final deployment that ended in late September.

The Parche’s final resume also included 13 Navy Expeditionary Medals and 10 Navy Unit Commendations — all unprecedented numbers.

“Parche has had a career unmatched in the annals of submarine history,” said Rear Adm. Paul Sullivan, commander of the Pacific Fleet submarine force.

“Parche has gathered enough citations that are just truly remarkable … based on her superb performance in critical national tasking.

“She now ranks among the most legendary vessels to ever have sailed under our flag.”

Sullivan compared the Parche’s storied past to other historic Navy vessels, such USS Constitution, USS Monitor, USS Missouri and USS Nautilus.

“And now there is Parche,” he said.

The ship figured prominently in “Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage,” a nonfiction book published in the 1990s, which described how it spent its Cold War days spying on the Soviet Union.

It’s also been reported the sub, with a claw-like device, was able to pick up lost Soviet missiles or bombs from the sea floor. Later, it reportedly deployed unmanned drones to complete many of the espionage tactics.

Following the Cold War, the Parche continued its highly classified missions, with many observers citing an even higher sense of secrecy. It’s said the Parche spent plenty of time in the Persian Gulf, gleaning intelligence on Iraq and Iran, and traveled through the Western Pacific keeping tabs on China and North Korea.

Capt. Richard Charles, the Parche’s first commander, traveled from Mobile, Ala., for Tuesday’s ceremony. He took command while the sub was being built and went on its first deployment, a five-month journey in the Mediterranean Sea. After that, the sub transferred to the West Coast and began its spy missions a few years later.

“Those guys in the Pacific had all the fun,” Charles joked. “I just built it.

“It’s always sad to see a ship retire, but after a while, they are like you and me; they wear out.”

Ironically, the name of the Parche’s last at-sea commander, Capt. Charles Richard, was a mirror image of the sub’s first. Richard was relieved in a change-of-command ceremony Tuesday after leading the Parche on two post-September 11th deployments, including one that lasted 122 days in 2002.

“Being commander of this ship was an extraordinary experience and I was fortunate to be given the experience,” he said. “I hope that each man who has served aboard this ship will look back and swell with pride knowing that he answered his country’s call.”

Following the ceremony, the Parche, probably one of the least known subs to the general public because of its highly classified missions, silently shifted over to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. There, it will be torn apart and recycled over the next few years.

And it’s probably the first time in the Parche’s history that its whereabouts will be known.

“That just proves our success that nobody knows what we do,” said Bremerton resident Curt Mathews, who retired off the Parche last year. “It’s kind of fun. People say, ‘The Parche? I never heard of it?’ Well, that’s good.

“And we like it that way and that’s why we were successful in all of our missions.”

Malcom Gladwell, author of the fantastic book The Tipping Point, was interviewed in this month’s Fast Company magazine.

If you’re interested in marketing, or how society in general works, read this book. There’s a reason that every copy is checked out of the local library, with another eight holds on those.

He’s so dreamy!

I’ve had a little audio project I’ve been working on which could only be rescued by an old copy of Cool Edit I have. I am a Linux-head by nature, but the audio drivers in Fedora gave me nothing but a 60Hz buzz when I tried recording. Thus, whatever I had to do, had to be done in Windows. And that’s where Cool Edit comes in.

Way back when, CE was shareware. I normally steer clear of shareware, because its usually “crippleware” too. CE was different. Though the free version had some features restricted, it let you pick which ones. Kind of nice. When I paid them money to register my Cool Edit 96, I could honestly say it was the best software bargain I’d ever seen.

Then one day Adobe was looking for an audio suite to buy. Somehow, they wound up buying Syntrillium. Overnight, the name changed to Adobe Audition and the price went through the roof. In short, Adobe seriously messed up a good thing.

I’m wishing now that I had purchased a copy of Cool Edit Pro back when the getting was good. Now that Adobe has gobbled it up, I don’t feel like giving them any of my money.

As we were heading out yesterday afternoon, Kelly looked up and said “it smells like its gonna snow.”

I rolled my eyes. That’s ridiculous! “Smell snow?” Come on!

“Honey, it’s too warm to snow,” I scoffed. Besides, I hadn’t heard it mentioned on any of my weather sources.

Imagine my surprise this morning when she looked out and gleefully announced “I see snowflakes!!”

It smells like I’m eating crow.

One benefit to living on the farthest side of town from your office is that everything’s on the way.

Now that Mark Pilgrim isn’t blogging anymore, I wonder if I could steal his number one Google rank for a search on Mark.

Come on, Mark. Help a brother out!