U.S. Navy
Submarines, airships, ammunition, ships, and operating systems the U.S. Navy changed after accidents and loss.
Investigations
The Lines Were in the Fire
When LST-353 exploded at Pearl Harbor in 1944, nearby landing ships needed to separate. Fire made some of their forward mooring lines unreachable, helping turn one explosion into a harbor-wide disaster.
They Found the Bomb Twice
After the 1966 Palomares nuclear accident, Alvin found the missing bomb 2,550 feet underwater—then it vanished again during recovery. The Navy had to find it twice.
They Thought They Had Ten Minutes
USS Forrestal’s firefighters believed they had about ten minutes before a burning bomb could explode. The Korean War-era weapon detonated after roughly ninety-four seconds.
The Bearing Was Right
Fourteen U.S. Navy destroyers raced down California in fog. The new radio bearings said they were still north of Point Arguello. The flagship turned east anyway—and seven ships hit the rocks.
The Sledgehammers Broke First
When USS Pueblo came under fire in 1968, its crew tried to destroy classified gear with an incinerator, shredders, axes and sledgehammers. The tools were far too slow.
Twenty-Four Feet from Air
USS Tang was sunk by its own torpedo in 1944. For a few minutes its escape trunk was only 24 feet below the surface—until the crew deliberately sank the bow.
Too Deep for the Rescue Bell
USS Thresher could dive deeper than the Navy’s existing rescue bell could reach. When the nuclear submarine vanished in 1963, the disaster changed how America built, certified and rescued submarines.
The Airship Had No Life Jackets
USS Akron could carry airplanes inside its hull and recover them in flight. When the giant Navy airship crashed into the Atlantic in 1933, its men entered the water without life jackets.
The Men Who Wouldn’t Turn Left
Three weeks after the Port Chicago explosion killed 320 people, Black sailors were ordered back to ammunition loading. Their refusal led to a mass mutiny trial—and exoneration 80 years later.