USS San Francisco Pictures

Update: Welcome Mudville Gazetteers!  I'm moving the photo link to the top of the post: PHOTOS

I'm just a diver fascinated with undersea technology.  Since the collision of the US attack submarine San Francisco with an uncharted underwater seamount, I have been getting emails from my "bubblehead" friends (ex-submariners) with pictures of the USS San Francisco in Guam that have been floating around the internet.  There's actually a pretty well established community of submarine bloggers, and many have posted on the incident:

SubmanDave provides a quick Q&A for the uninitiated

Bubblehead fisking DefenseWatch conspiracy theories

Bothenook relates a firsthand debunking

Submarine Brotherhood relates a firsthand account of the incident

Rob's Blog provides a reality check on the collision (warning: annoying background music)

Alexander at Hamilton's Pamphlets offers some perspective on the fate of Cmdr Mooney (the skipper)

I have no idea who took the photos (and since I got them via public email from guys who purportedly understand security clearance issues, I will post them and assume they are not classified).  Besides, I'm only posting them at medium resolution (640x480).  Here they are:

USS San Francisco post collision photos (same as above)

Some of the photos are duplicates of ones from the NavSource Online website.  Check it out, there are some archive shots of the (undamaged) sub.  I think this comment from the sub's Diving Officer of the Watch (from Submarine Brotherhood)sums it up:

....from flank speed to less than 4 knots in less than 4 seconds....For you guys that don't understand that, take a Winnebego full of people milling around and eating, slam it into a concrete wall at about 40mph, and then try to drive the damn thing home and pick up the pieces of the passengers.

It is a testament to the durability of the Los Angeles class submarines that the USS San Francisco made it back to Guam under her own power.  My deepest condolences goes out to the family and crewmates of MM2(SS) Joseph Ashley, who died from injuries sustained in the collision.

UPDATE: I have received some feedback (email and comments) expressing concern regarding the first four photos in the album.  I also felt that concern when I first thought of posting them.  However, prior to posting, I was able to track down each of the "sensitive" photos on other public sites on the net.  This made me comfortable that I wasn't the one "breaking" these photos into the public domain.  I also cranked down the resolution on the photos, in order to minimize the details (something these other sites haven't necessarily done).

UPDATE: Chapomatic, another sub blogger, has some thoughts on command and being fired.

UPDATE: My wild submarine ride

Comments

[liberty]

I am not in the Navy... but when I was looking at these pictures a freind who is (SS) was pretty upset about the first four pictures. He said that none of the pictures showing anything that was later covered by the blue tarp should have ever been released. Maybe he is wrong - but I thought you may want to know that.

Don't get him started on the fact that good mens careers are destroyed by the fact that somebody can't keep their maps up to date...

[Rob]

I know it's been many months, but you'll be glad to know I turned off the music :)

[Dive Alabama]

Thanks so much we love your page it is cool!

[agent in yiwu]

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[ClubPenguinCheats]

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