Thresher Sinking Atlantic Ocean (1963) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Thresher Sinking Atlantic Ocean (1963) - Essay Example The disaster is also blamed on an electrical fault that saw vital pumps stop working. Known to be the worst submarine accident in U.S. history, engineers have learnt a lot from the event. Engineers have learnt the importance of upholding standards and procedures, testing procured materials, and prioritizing safety over other factors when it comes to designing and building products. Sinking of the Thresher in the Atlantic Ocean in 1963 Introduction Engineers are credited for designing different machines, equipment and structures that serve to overcome certain specific problems. As they undertake their works, engineers go to great depths to ensure that whatever they design work as efficiently as possible. Understanding the risks that their designs may pose to the public and infrastructure, they often do a lot of calculations and incorporate safety measures wherever they can in their designs. Furthermore, they are tasked with choosing materials that have properties that match the functi ons for which they are to be used. In as much as engineers do their best to ensure that what they design and make work without failing, this is not always the case. Sometimes, engineering systems fail leading to massive losses. One case of failure that resulted from an engineering error is the sinking of Thresher submarine in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Navy at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Bentley, 1975). The submarine, which was at its time, the most advanced, was engaged in several sea trials in the Caribbean sea and the Atlantic Ocean between 1961 and 1962 only to prove its prowess as a war machine. The machine was so technologically advanced that it was rated the fastest and quietest submarine ever to be built in the world then, specifically dedicated to searching and destroying Soviet submarines (Bentley, 1975). Its sonar system had the capacity to detect ships and other submarines as far away as other submarines could not detect. Furthermore, it was installed with a highly technical weapons system which included the newest anti-submarine missile that the U.S. Navy had – the SUBROC. Apart from these amazing characteristics, the Thresher could dive far below any other machine of its ilk. Having been hit by a tug that damaged its ballast tanks while moored at Port Canaveral, Florida, it was necessary for the Thresher to undergo repairs, have its systems examined and before it could be fully certified for use during operations. After the submarine was finally certified to be operational, it was set to undergo routine tests on April, 9, 1963 (Bentley, 1975). Under the command of Lieutenant Commander John Wesley Harvey, the ship left the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine in the company of a rescue ship, Skylark, at 8 am. The rescue vessel accompanied the Thresher so that it could provide rescue services to those onboard the submarine in case of any problem. The Skylark had the capacity to provide rescue services to the submarine up to a maximum depth of about 850 feet (Bentley, 1975). The submarine