Inquiry Report into Loss of USS Thresher Has Finally Been Declassified and Released.

Bacle

When the effort is no longer profitable...
Founder
D

Deleted member

Guest
This is really interesting, thank you for posting it.
 
The Navy Lied, Thresher Story Update

Bacle

When the effort is no longer profitable...
Founder


Some...disturbing implications to this declassification.

It means the Thresher's crew was alive for, and above crush depth, for nearly 24 hours after they lost contact.

The Navy knew they were alive, and tried to rescue them, then covered the whole thing up when they failed and the sub imploded.

The crew were stuck, alive, in a sub that could not surface and was slowly leaking/sinking.

The Navy lied to everyone about what happened, and not a 'small' lie either.

This...changes everything we thought we knew about the loss of the Thresher.
 

Zachowon

The Army Life for me! The POG life for me!
Founder
I mean.
Surprise surprise, the US military hides a submarine loss from the world, officially on how it got lost.
Nothing new.
 

Battlegrinder

Someday we will win, no matter what it takes.
Moderator
Staff Member
Founder
Obozny
The Navy lied to everyone about what happened, and not a 'small' lie either.

I think you're reading a bit more malice into the Navy's decision then was present.

In practice, this was a small lie, the revealed information doesn't change anything significant in terms of capabilities or hardware, the Navy wasn't trying to conceal its own ineptitude or role in the disaster as it has for other incidents.

It seems more likely they lied to comfort the crew’s families, opting to tell them a version of events that implied thier loved ones died quickly. I can't really blame them for that.

You could argue it was done to make sure the incident wouldn't make it harder to recruit more submariners, however it was already well known that being on a sub meant you might slowly die in a big metal tube, trapped deep underwater with no way out (this is one of the reasons why sub crews have always been volunteer only). That's been a risk submariners knowingly take ever since the Hunley (or at least the Hunley's second crew. Maybe the first one didn't quite know what they were in for).

Any hopes for lawsuits from crew family members?

Almost certainly not. It's hard to sue the government under normal circumstances, sueing the military because of an equipment malfunction or poor design choice, that's not going to happen, because sometimes that's just how it is.

Edit: To clarify, consumers are generally entitled to fairly strong protection in terms of product design and safety standards, and it's viewed as being inexcusable to expose consumers or employees to severe danger.

The military, however, operates under different standards. It carries out missions that are innately dangerous and that have stakes that are far more important than any single persons life, and consumer standards don't and can't apply.

In the civilian world, demanding your employees use equipment that is not rated for the task at hand will land you in jail. In the military, if there's a flight of incoming Zeroes and all you have are some F4 Wildcat, then you launch the wildcats and engage, no matter how outmatched the wildcats are.
 
Last edited:

Zachowon

The Army Life for me! The POG life for me!
Founder
I think you're reading a bit more malice into the Navy's decision then was present.

In practice, this was a small lie, the revealed information doesn't change anything significant in terms of capabilities or hardware, the Navy wasn't trying to conceal its own ineptitude or role in the disaster as it has for other incidents.

It seems more likely they lied to comfort the crew’s families, opting to tell them a version of events that implied thier loved ones died quickly. I can't really blame them for that.

You could argue it was done to make sure the incident wouldn't make it harder to recruit more submariners, however it was already well known that being on a sub meant you might slowly die in a big metal tube, trapped deep underwater with no way out (this is one of the reasons why sub crews have always been volunteer only). That's been a risk submariners knowingly take ever since the Hunley (or at least the Hunley's second crew. Maybe the first one didn't quite know what they were in for).



Almost certainly not. It's hard to sue the government under normal circumstances, sueing the military because of an equipment malfunction or poor design choice, that's not going to happen, because sometimes that's just how it is.
Bingo.

though suing companies that built said hardware is fine. Look at 3M lawsuite
 

Buba

A total creep
sueing the military because of an equipment malfunction or poor design choice, that's not going to happen, because sometimes that's just how it is.
Actually I was thinking about suing the military over the lie, for damages due to "severe mental trauma" or such other legalistic cash cow. Not about lives being lost in an accident.

BTW - I see much sense in what you wrote about why did the Navy lie.
 

Battlegrinder

Someday we will win, no matter what it takes.
Moderator
Staff Member
Founder
Obozny
Actually I was thinking about suing the military over the lie, for damages due to "severe mental trauma" or such other legalistic cash cow. Not about lives being lost in an accident.

BTW - I see much sense in what you wrote about why did the Navy lie.

It is effectively impossible to sue the military over the death or injury of a serviceman in the Line of duty.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top