Submarine Questions of the Week - 4/14/2010

...............Background
.
Submarines are inherently hazardous vessels. After the most recent loss of a Space Shuttle (Columbia, in 2003) NASA's Accident Investigation Board identified SUBSAFE as "successful safety programs and practices that could be models for NASA"[3]. Following their recommendation, a number of information exchanges and conferences were held between the Navy's SUBSAFE personnel and NASA.
.
From 1915 to 1963, the United States Navy lost 16 submarines to non-combat related causes. Since SUBSAFE began in 1963, only one U.S. submarine, the non-SUBSAFE-certified USS Scorpion (SSN-589), has been lost. [2]
.
Prior to 1915, however, submarines of all nations were largely experimental. Hazards identified on these early boats involved retrofitting safety modifications, when possible, to a prototype or two and incorporating improvements into the design of future classes.
.

Submarine fatalities and heroism after 1900, were decidely better than the Hunley's experience had been in the 1860s, but even in peacetime was not without tragedy.
.
Gasoline explosions were not even the major hazard for early subs. Inadequate (by today's standards) senors to detect surface shipping and limited communications capabilities placed low profile submarines at risk of collision even when on the water's surface. For submerged subs, collision risk was very dicey.
.
The sinking of one such submarine [not an S-Class] with a loss of all hands resulted in a pre-1915, design edict for submarines of another country's navy: Submarines must now be built with watertight hatches both above and below the conning tower.
.
QUESTIONS of the WEEK:
.
1 - What year did the underlying submarine collision occur?
.
2 - Which two vessels collided?
.
3 - Where did the tragic collision occur?
.
ANSWERS CONFIRMED with interesting photo NEXT SATURDAY.
Submarines are always silent and strange.