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2004-03-11 Home Front: Culture Wars

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Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2004-03-11 1:37:45 PM|| || Front Page|| [11136 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The lift was stopped a instant before warhead impact.

Methings the 'instant' was added by the journalist for more effect.... kind of like how the hero always disarms the bomb with 1-3 seconds on the clock.

The Seattle PI article has more details.

Posted by CrazyFool 2004-3-11 1:51:30 PM|| 2004-3-11 1:51:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 the Seattle PI has shown themselves to be idiots in the past (see: Jihadis, Corrie, et al) enough that they should change their name to Seattle UnIntelligencer

Posted by Frank G 2004-3-11 3:30:23 PM|| 2004-3-11 3:30:23 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 SOP all the way. Lemme tellya about the time we had a fully armed Alert Buff go down 5 mi off the end of runway 34...

Posted by mojo 2004-3-11 3:30:35 PM|| 2004-3-11 3:30:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Even if the warhead was impacted, nothing would have happened. Its not like theres a chunk of glowing plutonium duct-taped to the top. Its encased. At worst there would have been a localized spill in the tube - so they'd cap off the tube and then clean it up.

Posted by Yosemite Sam 2004-3-11 3:34:14 PM|| 2004-3-11 3:34:14 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Didn't a BUFF do a serious Broken Arrow off Spain? Or in Spain?

Posted by Shipman 2004-3-11 3:38:00 PM|| 2004-3-11 3:38:00 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Yeah - see http://www.brook.edu/FP/projects/nucwcost/palomares.htm

Bumped the tanker, down she goes. Bad buisness all around, later part of a movie : "Men of Honor"

And James Bond stopped Goldfinger's bomb with - natch - 007 seconds till detonation...

Posted by mojo 2004-3-11 3:53:55 PM|| 2004-3-11 3:53:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Frank, I agree about the Seattle PI.

Posted by CrazyFool 2004-3-11 4:05:21 PM|| 2004-3-11 4:05:21 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Is it just me or does it seem like there is or should be a very detailed checklist that is followed when removing/installing anything related to nuclear weapons? I'll grant Seaman Dumbjohn left the ladder in the tube but just where the fuck was the officer or chief overseeing this job.

Posted by Cheddarhead 2004-3-11 4:52:47 PM|| 2004-3-11 4:52:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 "Impact concussion" can also cause broken toes,smashed fingers,soiled underwear and severe outbreak of Career Interruptus.

Posted by Stephen 2004-3-11 5:42:48 PM|| 2004-3-11 5:42:48 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 I am not a nuclear weapons expert! Having said that I have heard that in order for one of these babies to BOOM the thing has to be armed. A rupture of the missile might cause an explosion but probably would make the warhead reach critical mass. You have to remember that these are designed to re-enter the earths atmosphere.

Posted by Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-3-11 5:56:39 PM|| 2004-3-11 5:56:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Damn my boss for bothering me with work! I meant to say that even if the missile expoded the warhead would not.

Posted by Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-3-11 6:06:10 PM|| 2004-3-11 6:06:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 "If you don't follow the T.O., your ass will be TOssed". How many times have I heard that? Sounds like some definite "career interruptus", with heads rolling all over the place. I was at Holloman AFB when General Ryan's son died in a crash out of George AFB (on a cross-country). It took seven moving companies the better part of a month to handle all the "personnel changes" that took place. John D. Jr. was a popular young officer. His brother, Mike, was my Flight Commander at the Academy in 1964. Both nice guys!

Accidents happen. I've spent several long nights looking for crash sites. When it's truly an accident, the military works like hell to make sure it never happens again, if that's possible. When it's an accident due to human carelessness (i.e., this case), the careless humans are removed. Sounds like that system is still in place, and still working.

Posted by Old Patriot 2004-3-11 6:25:22 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2004-3-11 6:25:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 "Petty officers Robert Steel was topside supervisor, Mark Hammock - topside team leader, and Christopher Hamilton a topside team member."

Where was the Weapons Officer (typically a 2nd tour O-3 or O-4 department head), the Assistant Weapons Officer (a first tour 0-2 or 0-3) and the Missile Division Chief Petty Officer (typically a 10 or more patrol enlisted veteran)? Those 3 guys are in charge of the safe execution of the evolution. They don't do the work, they exist to stare at what is happening and intervene. Never mind the Weapons Facility weenies, ship's force is in charge of the evolution while the weapon is on board, the above 3 should get relieved as well as the ship's commanding officer, executive officer and the ship's duty officer. I made 5 SSBN patrols. I was never a weaponeer, but as Ship's Duty Officer, I looked for the 3 top weaponeer's to be in Hard Hats glued to the evolution. This is not an airplane taking off and crashing. It is a controlled evolution in port. There is no justification for the error. Also, boomers are kept in port for failing inspections, be they nuclear weapons inspections or Operational Reactor Safeguards Evaluations, both of which are VERY easy to fail. A boat or two can be expected to fail an ORSE every year. A mistake on certain supporting paperwork, let alone operational performance, rates a failing grade. The boats already at sea or ready for sea pick up the slack. A Weapons Handling Facilty is another matter, I don't know how they would go about picking up the slack if they "lose their keys".

Posted by Zpaz 2004-3-11 7:11:29 PM|| 2004-3-11 7:11:29 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 The Georgia seems to be a bit of a Bug Boat. She is famous in the submarine force for sinking a tug boat during a personnel transfer in calm open ocean off Midway. The whole thing was captured on tape and is shown to aspiring ship drivers as a cautionary tale. During the evolution the ship maintains course and speed while the tug nudges against the boat amidships. The tug maintains contact while the people jump across. The tug in this case lost power and started sliding aft along the hull. The Officer of the Deck did not notice or was indecisive. He did not order any action. Ohio class boomers have vertical stabilizers on the end of the stern planes. The stabilizer penetrated the tug engine space and the two boats became one as the tug flooded. Everyone might have survivied except the OOD lost his mind at this point and ordered a backing bell. When the Georgia began backing, the drag of the tug slipped the tug off the stabilizer and she proceeded to sink...fast. 3 men died. The last words recorded by someone on the Georgia'a bridge were, "Crap, there goes the mail." S*** happens. Live and learn.

Posted by Zpaz 2004-3-11 8:05:43 PM|| 2004-3-11 8:05:43 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 Don't try to downplay this. We were inches from a Cataclysmic Event That Would Destroy All Life On Earth(tm). Fright stories sell.

This is why the US should not have nukular weapons. North Korea and Iran are much more careful, so it's OK for them.

Posted by Jackal 2004-3-11 9:40:05 PM|| [http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2004-3-11 9:40:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 This happened in November and the Seattle PI is just reporting on it now? Did it take them that long to figure out what a Broken Arrow was?

Posted by tu3031 2004-3-11 11:18:16 PM|| 2004-3-11 11:18:16 PM|| Front Page Top

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