USS Scorpion (SSN-589)

USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was a Skipjack-class submarine of the United States Navy and the sixth vessel of the U.S. Navy to bear that name. Commissioned in 1960, it was one of the fastest attack submarines in the world during its service. The submarine was lost with all 99 crewmen in May 1968 under mysterious circumstances in the Atlantic Ocean, becoming one of only two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has ever lost, the other being USS Thresher (SSN-593).

Design and construction

Ordered in late 1957, the vessel was built by General Dynamics Electric Boat at its yard in Groton, Connecticut. Its design was based on the revolutionary Skipjack class, which incorporated the new teardrop hull form and a single S5W pressurized water reactor for propulsion, allowing for unprecedented underwater speed and maneuverability. The submarine's construction involved advanced techniques and materials to withstand deep diving pressures, and it was launched in December 1959, sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth S. Morrison, the wife of a senior Electric Boat manager. Following sea trials, it was commissioned into the United States Atlantic Fleet in July 1960 under the command of Commander Norman B. Bessac.

Operational history

Following commissioning, the submarine was assigned to Submarine Squadron 6 and based at Norfolk, Virginia. Its early service included extensive training exercises and weapons testing, participating in NATO exercises and conducting intelligence-gathering patrols, known as Operation Holystone, during the Cold War. In early 1967, it underwent a lengthy overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which was completed in February 1968. Its final operational deployment began in February 1968, which included a Mediterranean Sea tour with the Sixth Fleet, where it conducted surveillance on Soviet naval units, particularly monitoring activity around Gibraltar and near the Azores.

Disappearance and loss

After completing its Mediterranean assignment, the vessel was ordered to return to its home port. The last confirmed communication was received on 21 May 1968, when it reported its position about 50 miles south of the Azores. When it failed to arrive at Norfolk, Virginia on 27 May, the United States Navy declared it overdue and initiated a search. An extensive naval and aerial search found no immediate sign of the submarine or its 99 crewmen, which included Commander Francis A. Slattery. The loss was publicly announced by the Pentagon on 5 June 1968.

Search and discovery

The search effort was one of the largest in naval history, coordinated by the United States Atlantic Fleet and involving ships like USNS *Mizar* and numerous aircraft. Using data from the Navy's Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) hydrophone arrays, analysts identified an acoustic event consistent with an implosion on 22 May 1968. This data guided the search to a site approximately 400 miles southwest of the Azores. In October 1968, the *Mizar*'s deep-tow cameras located the wreckage on the seafloor at a depth of about 9,800 feet (3,000 m), scattered across the Sargasso Sea portion of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Investigations and theories

A formal Court of Inquiry, led by Vice Admiral Bernard L. Austin, was convened to investigate the loss. The initial 1969 investigation concluded the cause could not be definitively determined but suggested a probable catastrophic failure, possibly involving a torpedo malfunction. Later analyses, including a 1970 study by naval engineer John P. Craven and a major 1993 review by the Deep Submergence Group, have proposed several theories. These include a battery explosion in a Mark 37 torpedo, a failure of the trash disposal unit, or a sudden catastrophic hull collapse. Despite these inquiries, no single theory has been universally accepted, and the exact sequence of events remains a subject of debate and speculation within the United States Navy and among historians.

Legacy

The loss, alongside that of USS Thresher (SSN-593), led to major safety reforms in the United States Navy's submarine force, most notably the creation of the rigorous SUBSAFE program to ensure the structural integrity and recovery capabilities of nuclear submarines. The wreck site is considered a war grave and is protected from disturbance. The crew is memorialized at the USS Scorpion Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, and their names are inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The event remains a poignant chapter in Cold War history and naval mystery.