Nuclear sub USS Miami (SSN-755) catches fire at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
19 replies, posted
[quote]KITTERY, Maine — Multiple firefighters were reportedly injured while battling a fire aboard the USS Miami nuclear-powered attack submarine Wednesday evening at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, according to a shipyard official and emergency radio communications.Firefighters were initially called to the Shipyard just before 6 p.m. for a report of a fire on a ship in dry dock. According to emergency scanner traffic, fire crews encountered heavy smoke and fire and two firefighters were taken from the scene with injuries. Two additional firefighters were later reported as requiring transport from the scene.
Shipyard public affairs specialist Gary Hildreth said the fire is located in the forward compartment of the ship and all nonessential personnel were ordered to evacuate.
The submarine's reactor was not operating at the time the fire started and was not affected by the blaze, shipyard spokeswoman Bridget Church said.
Church said state, local and federal authorities have been alerted to the situation. She could not say just before 9 p.m. whether the fire was still burning.
Four injuries were reported, according to shipyard officials. One individual was treated and released at the scene. Three individuals were taken to a local medical facility for further medical attention, and all three were treated and released, the shipyard officials said.
Kittery Police Chief Paul Callaghan said the Police Department has not received any requests from the shipyard to evacuate residents living in the area. He said the fire aboard the USS Miami is not posing a danger to the general public.
Callaghan said Kittery firefighters are on standby at the shipyard's fire station.
The USS Miami (SSN 755) and her crew of 13 officers and 120 enlisted personnel arrived at the Navy Yard on March 1 to undergo maintenance work and system upgrades.
It is the third vessel named for the city of Miami and the fifth so-called improved Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine, according to the Navy. The Miami was commissioned June 30, 1990, and its home port is Groton, Conn.
The submarine's commanding officer is Commander Roger E. Meyer, who assumed command on Sept. 20, 2010. The Miami's host community is Sanford.
As of 7:30 p.m., black smoke visible from Prescott Park in Portsmouth, N.H., continued to billow from the dry dock. A Portsmouth fire truck was on standby at Peirce Island.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.[/quote]
[URL=http://www.portsmouthwebcam.com/index.php/memorial-bridge]Here's a live timelapse of it[/url]
[URL=http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120523-NEWS-120529865]Source[/url]
Oh shit, that's bad. At least no one was killed.
So, torpedoes on board? The reactor is fine, no fire is going to get through that containment. But a fire in the torpedo room could cook off a torpedo.
I'm surprised the shipyard doesn't maintain its own fire control personnel. Wonder what caused the flame, didn't see it in the article if it's there.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;36073025]So, torpedoes on board? The reactor is fine, no fire is going to get through that containment. But a fire in the torpedo room could cook off a torpedo.[/QUOTE]I'm pretty sure they don't have torpedoes loaded in while it's undergoing maintainence and upgrades. Even if it did, the armory is designed to not let fires in or out.
[QUOTE=Arachnidus;36073055]I'm surprised the shipyard doesn't maintain its own fire control personnel. Wonder what caused the flame, didn't see it in the article if it's there.[/QUOTE]
There have been rumors going around it was going to be shut down soon, so I could imagine stuff like on site fire crews being layed off.
It's a good thing no one died, I really am wondering what actually caused the fire. I would guess a welding accident, but can't be sure.
After the latest NCIS finale and the episodes leading up to it, fire on board a navy vessel is really scary.
[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;36073091]I'm pretty sure they don't have torpedoes loaded in while it's undergoing maintainence and upgrades. Even if it did, the armory is designed to not let fires in or out.[/QUOTE]
And the propellant of the torpedoes is this stuff:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_fuel_II[/url]
Which requires a hell of a lot of heat to even begin to get unstable.
The tomahawk propellant is a fair bit more vulnerable:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TH-dimer[/url]
But still pretty safe and, as was said, munitions storage isn't going to be easy to breach.
The fuel necessary to the Harpoon missiles to maintain flight (after the solid rocket booster gets it airborne) seems to me to be the most likely candidate for danger(assuming there was one):
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teledyne_CAE_J402[/url]
(The engine of the harpoon missile system)
I can't find any documentation suggesting that the harpoon runs on anything other than standard jet fuel.
subs are designed to withstand fires
nothing wil happen
[QUOTE=meppers;36073418]subs are designed to withstand fires
nothing wil happen[/QUOTE]
You have no fucking idea just how wrong you are, one of those gets a good fire going inside and can't control it in time, whole sub is fucked within minutes.
[QUOTE=meppers;36073418]subs are designed to withstand fires
nothing wil happen[/QUOTE]
The only thing arguably worse than a fire on a ship that is out at sea, is a fire on a submarine that is out at sea.
For a second I thought this was Portsmouth, as in the UK, because the other day all you could hear were sirens for about 12 hours.
We are all going to die.
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36074446]The only thing arguably worse than a fire on a ship that is out at sea, is a fire on a submarine that is out at sea.[/QUOTE]
There is no arguing.
I thought it was portsmouth in the uk. Damn americans couldn't be orginal with naming their towns and cities.
[QUOTE=BloodRayne;36080070]I thought it was portsmouth in the uk. Damn americans couldn't be orginal with naming their towns and cities.[/QUOTE]
The english named all those american places.
[QUOTE=BloodRayne;36080070]I thought it was portsmouth in the uk. Damn americans couldn't be orginal with naming their towns and cities.[/QUOTE]
Certainly beats Innsmouth any day of the week. :v:
[sp]Kudos if you get the reference without Google.[/sp]
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36081429]Certainly beats Innsmouth any day of the week. :v:
[sp]Kudos if you get the reference without Google.[/sp][/QUOTE]
Outsider.
[QUOTE=Jetblack357;36084263]Outsider.[/QUOTE]
Beats being a half-human half fish thing any day of the week. :v:
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36081429]Certainly beats Innsmouth any day of the week. :v:
[sp]Kudos if you get the reference without Google.[/sp][/QUOTE]
It'd be pretty hard to find a facepuncher that doesn't know what Innsmouth is
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