USS Scorpion 1968

[elxaime]

Just curious whether folks think this story has validity...that the loss of USS Scorpion was due to Soviet action in retaliation for the sinking earlier by the US of one of their own subs.

http://www.historynet.com/the-uss-scorp ... at-sea.htm

[Rory Noonan]

It’s pretty contentious. I came across this theory a few times while researching for The Silent Service; the most reliable sources seem to refute it (Norman Polmar in particular who is a very reliable source).

The other theories seem to make more sense and don’t rely on as many ‘moving parts’ compared to a widespread conspiracy.

[elxaime]

How likely is it that the USN torpedoes of the era would loop around to hit the sub that launched them? I thought this was a WW1/WW2 type thing, Hollywood movies aside. Is that sort of thing still possible in 2018?

[OldSarge]

ORIGINAL: elxaime

How likely is it that the USN torpedoes of the era would loop around to hit the sub that launched them? I thought this was a WW1/WW2 type thing, Hollywood movies aside. Is that sort of thing still possible in 2018?

The torpedoes at the time had a safety switch that would activate on a hard turn to prevent that from happening. Of course, the switch could fail.

An excellent book "Blind Man's Bluff" contains a chapter "Death of a Submarine" that details the events surrounding the loss of the USS Scorpion and her crew. It also covers the search for the Scorpion. The Scorpion's torpedo room is still intact and did not implode with the rest of the sub, suggesting the compartment was already flooded when the sub hit crush depth. The Mk37 torpedo had batteries that were known for overheating and producing cook-offs and a theory posited by Dr. John Craven (and discussed in the book) is that the torpedo exploded in the tube.

[elxaime]

Wow - thanks, came to the right place...you guys know your stuff!

[Rory Noonan]

Yup Blind Man's Bluff presents the most believable story IMO

[i224747]

This documentation is based on the book "Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

Link => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGSJEp0cXA

[AdmiralFatcat]

I was in the Navy and served in submarines in 1968. I went through sub school and another school with one of the men on the Scorpion when it was sunk. This brings back a few unpleasant memories of those days.