reformed_colonial

reformed_colonial t1_j9cs3nm wrote

They are checked periodically for radiation leaks, and to be sure other countries aren't sniffing around. These days, the threat of someone making off with a rusty old Mk 45 nuclear torpedo aren't really a concern, but back during the Cold War it was.

I would imagine that Scorpion/Thresher survey visits are good training for current generation crews on Seawolf-class et al. to brush up their skills.

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reformed_colonial t1_j9crmgw wrote

The wreck of Scorpion? Tons of information about it, but a lot still classified as she carried two Mk 45 nuclear torpedoes.

Really fascinating to read about how the search area was determined and conducted, and then the investigations in to why it sank. Long story short, Bayesian search functions let them find a very small needle in a very large haystack quite quickly; the same method used after the B-52 crash at Palomares.

"Blind Mans Bluff" is a good starting point.

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/uss-thresher-and-scorpion-the-uss-lost-nuclear-submarines

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reformed_colonial t1_j9995cl wrote

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