On January 8, 2005, the United States Navy, normally pretty safe drivers of large grey boats, managed another one of those “Naval Oops Moments” we keep writing about when the nuclear powered submarine, USS San Francisco (SSN-711) (Los Angeles Class attack sub), managed to collide at full speed with an underwater mountain off the coast of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Operating at a depth of 525 and sailing at flank (maximum, but classified) speed, it is a true testament to the brilliance of the designers and builders of the sub that the boat and its crew were not lost. Only 1 man was killed, and while that death is tragic, the fact that more of the crew were not killed is borderline amazing.
Digging Deeper
The boat (submarines are called boats, even though the modern variety are pretty big ships in their own right) was seriously damaged, with the forward ballast tanks ruptured. The excellence of the crew in coping with the damage and making the correct decisions allowed the stricken sub to gain positive buoyancy and reach the surface after a harrowing struggle for survival.
