5 ms·

This reminds me of Kursk, the Russian sub. Specifically the third-world government fumbling the response to the missing submarine. Considering the USN had two

This reminds me of Kursk, the Russian sub. Specifically the third-world government fumbling the response to the missing submarine. Considering the USN had two deadly above-surface collisions recently it is either a miracle or speaks to the professionalism of the submariners in avoiding these deadly accidents. (Unfortunately not in this case)

positr0n 9y ago
I'd think surface collisions would happen a lot more than underwater collisions with the same level of professionalism/carelessness due to 1. There are way more surface craft than submarines 2. For a surface crash two boats need to be in the same point in 2D space. For an underwater crash two subs also need to be at the same depth in the water column.
entropie 9y ago
Surface collisons happen more often than one might think.
- dogruck 9y ago
  A couple US Navy ships have recently had them IIRC.
nradov 9y ago
During the Cold War there were multiple underwater collisions with Soviet submarines. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/25/nuclear-submarine-collision-cold-war-cia-scotland https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/25/nuclear-subm... http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/1992-russian-nuclear-attack-submarine-slammed-american-sub-18735 http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/1992-russian-nucle...
- cmdkeen 9y ago
  Usually because the Western submarine was tailing them at the time, a fundamentally risky business. There was a collision between UK and French SSBNs on patrol a few years back, and indication as to how quiet they can be - and SSBNs warrant the absolutely best ASW technology and techniques. An SSK, like the one missing, that has lost power isn't going to be making any sound at all unless the crew are doing it. If it is on the bottom you're essentially going to have to do a sea bed survey. The UK's Holland 1 submarine was lost under tow in 1913 only 1.5 miles outside Plymouth breakwater and remained undetected until 1981.
- fiftyacorn 9y ago
  There were amazing cold war submarine battles during the cold war. Not full fighting, but skirmishing. There was a story of a UK submarine which stole the communications turret off a USSR submarine. It was classified for years - but this sort of thing is slowly being declassified
- nasredin 9y ago
  Not a collision but I always find the "Whiskey on the Rocks" grounding amusing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363
ubernostrum 9y ago
Specifically the third-world government fumbling the response to the missing submarine. Nitpick: I know the connotations it's picked up since then, but the term "third world" still should not be used to describe Russia. As coined, the "first world" was NATO + NATO-aligned nations (so, US and US allies/sphere of influence); the "second world" was the Warsaw Pact + aligned nations (so, USSR and USSR allies/sphere of influence); and the "third world" was the nations not included in the first two classifications, and in which the US/USSR tended to try to cultivate ties or fight proxy wars with each other.

positr0n 9y ago

I'd think surface collisions would happen a lot more than underwater collisions with the same level of professionalism/carelessness due to 1. There are way more surface craft than submarines 2. For a surface crash two boats need to be in the same point in 2D space. For an underwater crash two subs also need to be at the same depth in the water column.

entropie 9y ago

Surface collisons happen more often than one might think.

dogruck 9y ago
A couple US Navy ships have recently had them IIRC.

nradov 9y ago

During the Cold War there were multiple underwater collisions with Soviet submarines. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/25/nuclear-submarine-collision-cold-war-cia-scotland https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/25/nuclear-subm... http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/1992-russian-nuclear-attack-submarine-slammed-american-sub-18735 http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/1992-russian-nucle...

cmdkeen 9y ago
Usually because the Western submarine was tailing them at the time, a fundamentally risky business. There was a collision between UK and French SSBNs on patrol a few years back, and indication as to how quiet they can be - and SSBNs warrant the absolutely best ASW technology and techniques. An SSK, like the one missing, that has lost power isn't going to be making any sound at all unless the crew are doing it. If it is on the bottom you're essentially going to have to do a sea bed survey. The UK's Holland 1 submarine was lost under tow in 1913 only 1.5 miles outside Plymouth breakwater and remained undetected until 1981.
fiftyacorn 9y ago
There were amazing cold war submarine battles during the cold war. Not full fighting, but skirmishing. There was a story of a UK submarine which stole the communications turret off a USSR submarine. It was classified for years - but this sort of thing is slowly being declassified
nasredin 9y ago
Not a collision but I always find the "Whiskey on the Rocks" grounding amusing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363

ubernostrum 9y ago

Specifically the third-world government fumbling the response to the missing submarine. Nitpick: I know the connotations it's picked up since then, but the term "third world" still should not be used to describe Russia. As coined, the "first world" was NATO + NATO-aligned nations (so, US and US allies/sphere of influence); the "second world" was the Warsaw Pact + aligned nations (so, USSR and USSR allies/sphere of influence); and the "third world" was the nations not included in the first two classifications, and in which the US/USSR tended to try to cultivate ties or fight proxy wars with each other.