10 Sobering Submarine Incidents from the 1960s

Traversing the deep blue sea is no longer a recent venture for mankind since curiosity for what lies below dates back many years. Submersible boat designs evolved much over time. By 1776, the world’s first combat submarine, designed by David Bushnell, was put to task to break the British blockade of Boston Harbor, a challenge that could not be overcome.

On April 12, 1900, the U.S. Navy officially commissioned its first submarine, the USS Holland (SS-1). It wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century that submarine travel became common. January 17, 1955, marked the voyage of the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571).

The year 1960 was a triumphant one for submarine feats. Apart from Lieutenant Don Walsh and oceanographer Jacques Piccard’s successful descent to the bottom of the Challenger Deep were successful under-ice submarine transits, lengthy submergence periods, and innovative scientific studies. Despite the evolution and success of the deep-sea vessel, however, several submarine incidents over the decade resulted in major setbacks or fates much worse.

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10 K-8 (1960)

The vessel K-8 was part of a fleet of Soviet-built submarines under Project 627, dubbed “November class” by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Although the subs were efficient attack vessels, they were incredibly loud, not very stealthy, and posed a threat to the health of the crew on board. Given the lack of radiation shielding, the men inside the sub were constantly exposed to radiation. The fleet suffered several serious incidents during the ’60s, including the incident of K-8 in 1960.

On October 13, while on an exercise in the Barents Sea, trouble arose for the K-8 submarine after developing leaks in some critical piping and the steam generators. When the equipment required to stop the leaks failed, the crew sprang into action and improvised a solution to stop the leaks themselves.

They managed to devise a system where water would directly be taken to the reactor allowing for the reactor to be cooled. Thanks to their efforts, the core did not melt. Sadly, though, the vessel and a number of crew members were exposed to large amounts of radioactive gases, which leaked out. As a result of the exposure, three crew members suffered visible radiation injuries, and others were exposed to high levels of radiation.^[1]

9 K-11 (1965)

The second “November-class” submarine to make the list is the K-11 submarine, commissioned on December 23, 1961. On board the vessel were two pressurized water reactors. In February 1965, during a refueling exercise where the reactor tank lid was being replaced, the lid had to be lifted again because it had been laid incorrectly the first time. Upon lifting the lid with the control rods this time, the beam that would have prevented the lid from being lifted too far was placed in a too-high position. This would eventually lead to the reactor becoming critical. Amazingly, even with monitors detecting radioactive steam being emitted, the mishap went undetected by personnel on board.

On February 12, during normal operations, the reactor once again went critical, this time overheating, emitting radioactive steam, and the lid falling onto the reactor tank. A fire in the reactor compartment ignited. Ultimately, seven crewmen who were exposed to the water used to fight the fire suffered injuries due to radiation exposure.^[2]

8 K-27 (1968)

K-27, the Soviet’s first and only Project 645 nuclear attack boat, was undoubtedly ahead of its time when it first debuted in June 1958. The sub carried with her VT-1 liquid metal-cooled reactors, which were notably smaller and more powerful than the typical water reactors of its time. Even more impressive was the Soviet record set by K-27, which saw her remain submerged for fifty straight days. In all her glory, however, K-27 would suffer a similar fate to many submarines of the decade, laid to rest at the bottom of the ocean.

On May 24, 1968, one of the VT-1 reactors failed. The resultant drop in power resulted in a corresponding and devastating increase in gamma radiation in the reactor compartment. Additionally, gas emitted from the reactor had spread to other compartments. The radiation detector, which was puzzlingly switched off, was stitched on and alerted the crew to the dizzying level of radiation. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the damage had been done as all one-hundred and forty-four crew members were exposed to radiation for over five hours on the journey back to Russia. In the end, nine men died as a result of radiation poisoning.

K-27 was later decommissioned in 1979 and scuttled in shallow water in the Kara Sea on September 6, 1982, posing a great environmental risk to the surrounding ocean as the threat of a radiation leak ever looms.^[3]

7 Sargo II (SSN-583) (1960)

Sargo II was launched on October 10, 1957, and commissioned on October 1, the following year. Under the command of Lt. Cmdr. J. H. Nicholson, Sargo II left her home port of Pearl Harbor in January 1960 to conduct a submerged exploration of the Arctic basin. By February 9, the submarine had journeyed beneath the ice and arrived underneath the North Pole. The Sargo would continue collecting hydrographic and physiographic data of the Bering Straits, the Aleutians, and the Arctic basin until its return to the Hawaiian Islands in March. The Sargo covered more than 11,000 miles (17,702 km), 6,003 of which were under the ice.

While docked on June 14 of that year, an explosion and fire erupted in the stern room. The charging of the submarine’s oxygen tanks was cited as the cause of the explosion. The incident cost one crew member his life. Sargo II remained in the shipyard for the remainder of that summer.^[4]

6 K-19 (1961)

On November 12, 1960, the Soviet Union unleashed its first ballistic missile-equipped nuclear submarine onto the world. Although impressive with its three 650-km range missiles, the vessel was rushed in construction due to the Soviet leaders’ desire to amass a nuclear sub fleet that would compete with the United States. During sea trials and testing, numerous malfunctions occurred. Nonetheless, the submarine departed on its first mission in June 1961.

While traversing the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, the K-19 developed a radioactive leak that would prove disastrous for the vessel. A faulty pressure gauge of one of the nuclear reactors led to damage to the piping of the primary system. This malfunction went unreported by the officer responsible for performing the pressure testing.

A chain of reactions was set into motion that resulted in a fire, which was extinguished, but a coolant system was lacking for the failing reactor core. In desperation, the crew, donning gas masks and raincoats, put themselves in harm’s way and improvised a cooling system using the drinking water available on the sub. The actions of the crew prevented the melting of the fuel and potential steam explosion, and the sub was evacuated and towed back to home base.

Unfortunately, eight crew members who had fixed the leak died as a direct result of radiation poisoning. Even more unfortunate are the deaths of twenty-two out of 139 original crew in 1961 in the years following the incident.^[5]

5 INS Dakar (1968)

In 1965, the Israeli Navy purchased the HMS Totem (along with two sister submarines) from the British Navy. The HMS Totem was a T-class submarine built in 1944 to fight during the last leg of World War II. After some modifications, she was commissioned by the Israeli Navy on November 10, 1967, with the Israeli Navy ensign being hoisted and the Hebrew name Dakar given. After a two-month stay in Portsmouth, Scotland, the Dakar set sail for Israel on January 9, 1968. Sadly, it proved to be an ill-fated journey.

Six days after setting sail, the Dakar arrived at Gibraltar on the morning of January 15. That midnight, the sub left Gibraltar, never to be seen again. Dakar should have crossed the Mediterranean submerged, radioing in her position as was standard procedure, and arrived at home base on February 2. However, the last known transmission from the Dakar was received on January 24.

A search and rescue mission was launched on January 26. A day later, a radio station in Cyprus detected an SOS call from Dakar’s emergency buoy, and a search of that area turned up nothing. On February 4, the search was called off. Israel declared that all 69 missing sailors were presumed dead.^[6]

4 K-129 (1968)

The year 1968 (as evidenced by the number of list entries from that year) has been described as “the worst-ever peacetime year in submarine history.” K-129, or PL-574 as it was called by the Soviets, was a nuclear ballistic submarine with some very impressive firepower. K-129 was outfitted with three R-21 ballistic nuclear missiles capable of one megaton of power, sixty-five times greater than the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Let that sink in. For its time, the submarine was historical, able to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike from an undetectable position if the need arose.

Before March 8,1958, the vessel’s captain received orders to maintain silent mode for two weeks while on combat patrol in the Pacific unless having been engaged in war. Concern arose when there was no radio transmission from the submarine by the end of the two weeks, and the matter was reported to Soviet Navy Central Command. The vessel never made her scheduled return to port on May 5. Neither K-129 nor her crew were even seen or heard from again.

Official reports suggest the submarine slipped below its operating depth, flooded, and sank. Additional theories suggest a missile explosion, a collision with another submarine, and a hydrogen battery explosion. The Soviets were never able to recover the wreck. A total of 98 men were lost.^[7]

3 USS Scorpion VI (SSN-589) (1968)

The USS Scorpion was a Skipjack-class attack submarine that not only participated in NATO and U.S. Atlantic and Mediterranean operations but was also deployed for special operations. After completing successful special exercises and transatlantic and European patrols, a number of crewmen would receive recognition for their service during these missions.

After operating with the Sixth Fleet in May 1968, the Scorpion made its way home to Norfolk, Virginia, indicating its position at approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) south of the Azores. Six days later, however, the vessel was reported as ‘overdue,’ and U.S. forces initiated a major search effort, including the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force. Sadly, on June 5, the USS Scorpion was declared “presumed lost.”

All 99 hands on board perished with her. By October that year, the wreckage was discovered about 400 miles (644 km) west of the Azores. Even with all the data and photographic evidence collected, the cause of the incident has never been determined.^[8]

2 B-37 (1962)

B-37 was a Project 641/Foxtrot-class Soviet diesel submarine of the Soviet Navy’s Northern Fleet. The submarine was moored at the pier in the Yekaterininskaya harbor of the Polyarny settlement base. There, on January 11, 1962, the crew undertook routine inspection and turning of the weapons as they were preparing for a long cruise at sea.

All went well until 0822 hours when a sudden fire broke out on the submarine, leading to an explosion of the torpedo fighting compartment mere minutes afterward. All ammunition from the eleven torpedoes onboard was detonated. The vessel was completely demolished through the forward bulkhead. The cause of the fire and subsequent explosion is still in question. Still, one theory is that a torpedo was mechanically damaged as it was being loaded onto the submarine.

The accident resulted in the deaths of everyone onboard the B-37, everyone on the dock, and all at the torpedo technical base. The death toll is 122. The victims were buried at the Polyarny cemetery.^[9]

1 USS Thresher (SSN-593) (1963)

The USS Thresher’s legacy is a devastating one. The submarine is embedded in history as the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine to be lost at sea. The vessel was launched on April 30, 1961, from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine. It was the lead nuclear attack submarine in her class. The Thresher had a sonar “dome” fifteen feet in diameter and was fitted with what is considered the most advanced sonar ever.

On April 10, 1963, nearly two years after its launch, the Thresher initiated deep-diving tests alongside the USS Skylark (ASR-20) approximately 220 miles (354 km) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Some time into the tests, the Skylark started receiving muddled messages from the Thresher. Some of the Skylark’s crew recall receiving one distinct message referring to a “minor problem” from the Thresher. One officer even recalled hearing what sounded like a compartment collapsing. As time went by, the messages stopped incoming. The Thresher was presumed lost. One hundred and twenty-nine men died that day.

The remains of the vessel were later recovered. It was proposed that the accident was caused by faulty piping, which most likely caused a loss of power and the inability to blow ballast tanks quickly enough to escape a deep-sea grave.^[10]