USS Thresher (SSN-593)

History of USS Thresher (SSN-593)

The

thresher-class nuclear-powered submarine immediately succeeded the Bonito-class and was the first United States Navy (USN) submarine with truly useful deep-sea diving capabilities. Operating under the service's banner for nearly three decades, the group is remembered (thanks to their nuclear power packs) for their quiet, fast, and exceptionally long-lasting shipsthey became the U.S. underwater operations during the Cold War an extremely important appendage of (1947-1991). The USS Thresher (SSN-593) was the lead ship of the class and was ordered on 15 January 1958. Her construction was assigned to the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, and her keel was laid on 28 May of that year.

Launched on July 9, 1960, the USS Thresher entered service on August 3, 1961, and operated under the slogan "Vis Tacita" ("The Power of Silence").

USS Thresher Tour

On board is a typical crew of 112 and officers. Surface displacement reaches 3,540 tons (short) and underwater displacement reaches 3,770 tons. The overall length is 279 feet, the beam is 32 feet, and the draft is 26 feet. Power comes from a single Westinghouse S5W (Submarine, Gen 5, Westinghouse) reactor unit connected to a Westinghouse geared steam turbine producing 15,000 hp at the rear of the 1 x shaft.

The boat can travel at 33 knots when submerged and about 15 knots when surfaced. The nature of submarine design has changed so much that ships are now faster underwater than they are underwater. 4 x 21" (530mm) torpedo tube centered armament mounted amidships (inclined forward and outward firing).

Her external layout corresponds to the submarine design of the time: the bow section is rounded and the sails are well mounted forward to accommodate diving aircraft. The hull is tubular and slender, while tapering towards the stern. At the stern is a cross-shaped aircraft arrangement to control the submarine, and a propeller can be seen.

Where possible, she used noise reduction technology throughout the build and advanced sonar units were installed in the upper bow.

History

USS Thresher lived a relatively quiet life, participating in drills, tests and training at an early stage. She was a prominent participant in deep sea testing and contributed to the SUBROC Anti-Submarine Missile (ASM) program.

The ship underwent a 9-month "late refit" in 1962 and was returned to service in 1963.

After leaving Portsmouth on April 9, 1963, USS Thresher lost all 129 crew members on April 10 while conducting a deep sea diving test (USS Skylark ASR-20 remained aloft for exercise to help) The wreck is about 217 miles off the east coast of Cape Code at a depth of 8,400 feet. After confirming the loss of the thresher, the Navy retired the name of the thresher (although out of respect for the ship, it was not officially decommissioned, but was permanently on "permanent patrol").

With the loss of the USS Thresher, the class was renamed Permit after the second ship in the group, the USS Permit. Following a review of the Thresher incident, the last three license-level ships were equipped with the "SUBSAFE" feature to increase the survivability of these units at sea.

In US Navy service, the Thresher/Permit class has been replaced by the Sturgeon class.

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ARMAMENT

AIR WING