Photo By Emiley Murphy | A photo from the Northern Virginia Daily on April 15, 1963, shows the American Flag at...... read more read more
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Every Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) employee is familiar with the tragic loss of USS Thresher (SSN 593) with all 129 lives aboard lost. The haunting recording that captured the sound of the hull collapsing is a stark reminder of why we now have the programs in place to best ensure the work we do will keep people safe. This time on Heritage Hour, we look back to that fateful April of 1963 and get a glimpse of the news and information NNSY employees would have received.
The local afternoon paper Suffolk News Herald, would have been available to shipyard workers once they returned home for the day. The headlines on April 11th read “Miracle of sea only hope for lost A-Sub”, referring to the slim hope held at the time that the submarine had surfaced in stormy weather and was simply unable to communicate with the rest of the Fleet. However, the article included that Adm. George W. Anderson, Chief of Naval Operations at that time, was not optimistic and there was no chance of rescue if the submarine gone down. Later that night, Adm. Anderson would announce the ship had been given up as lost.
The court of inquiry converged quickly, the Suffolk New Herald reported in the days that followed. The testament of USS Skylark’s (ASR 20) navigator Lt. James D. Watson on the last transmissions and sounds from Thresher occurred only three days after the loss. The court paused for Easter Sunday but reconvened that Monday to try and recreate what happened. As the days continued on, the newspaper’s reports began to shift from what had happened to those who had been involved. The next two days focused on Lt. Raymond A. McCoole, who had taken leave just before the submarine departed the shipyard, and Lt. Cdr. Stanley W. Heckler, skipper of Skylark who was cited for not reporting in a timely manner when Thresher indicated a problem. After April 17th, only a short week later, the paper moved on to focus on more local events.
At this time, the Service to the Fleet was a weekly publication. When reviewing the issue released at that time, there was no mention of the loss the week it occurred, nor was there any in the next week. The first article regarding the incident appeared a month later on May 10th and reported on the continuing search for the wreckage of the lost sub. As Thresher was lost during sea trials with shipyard workers aboard alongside the ship’s company, the editors at the time no doubt were aware of the information being conveyed in the mainstream news, including reports of relatives claiming those lost had expressed concern on the submarine’s readiness. Instead, it was only after the mainstream media had moved on to newer stories that Service to the Fleet reminded the workforce that the search for answers had not ended and would not end until all possibilities had been exhausted.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2024 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 467269 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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