What Happens When a Submarine Sinks | Last Moments

The beginning of a new series - Last Moments, where we take a look at the ultimate fate of the USS Thresher and ask - what happens to you when you're trapped aboard a sinking submarine.

"The second USS Thresher (SSN-593) was the lead boat of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines in the United States Navy. She was the U.S. Navy's second submarine to be named after the thresher shark.

On 10 April 1963, Thresher sank during deep-diving tests about 220 miles (350 km) east of Boston, Massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard in the deadliest submarine disaster ever. Her loss was a watershed for the U.S. Navy, leading to the implementation of a rigorous submarine safety program known as SUBSAFE. The first nuclear submarine lost at sea, Thresher was also the first of only two submarines that killed more than 100 people aboard; the other was the Russian Kursk, which sank with 118 aboard in 2000."

More on Wikipedia:

[Qxir]

The idea of this new series is to look at chilling stories of people's untimely demises. Let me know what you think and give me suggestions for future videos in the series!

[kevinthedutchcarfan]

Saw someone once comment: "Pilots are always guaranteed land when they have an accident, people in submarines aren't guaranteed a surface" and that's quite scary

[crematedchimera]

Despite being disturbing, I would like to see this become a series. There's a lot you could talk about, when it comes to people's final moments.

[dylangreen]

I served on a submarine. A lot of the stuff we have to survive a sinking still won't do shit past a certain depth. It's just there to make people feel better about us going underway.

[MH-lnpv]

These recruitment videos for the Irish Navy could do with being a bit more positive.

[georgewashington]

I knew submarines were a bad idea, should've stayed with the old ironclads

[mikem]

“...remains on eternal patrol.”
Rest easy, boys.

[redundantfridge]

Submariner here, nice to see you talking about the USS Thresher. For the final question about whether or not someone would die instantaneously from crush death would be, under my own understanding, yes.

When a submarine reaches crush death, pressure that was acting outside the hull immediately effects the inside of the hull, which would compress all air pockets within that space. They would've all been compressed to death in less than a second.

Fun facts: The USS Scorpion proves that Subsafe works, because although it sank, it wasn't under subsafe regulation...for some reason.

Another fun fact: Another submarine suffered the same fate, the ARA San Juan. Same type of issue and everything.

[pengjoon]

Rest in peace the 53 crew mates from Indonesia who went out this way 🙏

[tachvansickle]

Yeah I’m an 8 year veteran of US Navy Submarines. I was on board USS Maine & USS Louisiana. We learned all about the USS Thresher and the accident she had. They didn’t lose their lives in vain, we have a more safe operating program now because of it. Nice video, man.

[EE-hkiu]

Whose here after the Indonesian submarine sunk, Rest In Peace 53 members 😞

[JACCO]

Fun fact: Robert Ballard was contracted by the navy to inspect the wreck of the Thresher and document how the tractor was affecting the ocean around it. The cover story for the mission was that he was searching for the wreck of the Titanic. He finished the mission early and used the remaining funding and time to actually look for Titanic and when he found it for real the Pentagon was hella pissed because it was supposed to have been a top secret mission lol.

[orlandobley]

Can’t imagine what our brothers from Indonesia must have felt. RIP

[CTSH]

I just came back here for as a refresher as 53 people just went missing in a submarine that it thought to have sunk in Indonesia.

Update: some debri and an oil spill have been found around the area they think it sank at. It’s not looking good :/

Update: wreck found in 3 pieces, no survivors, now on eternal patrol

[bassamal-kaaki]

After 3 years from publishing this video and your explanation on the implosion of the submarine, I can’t imagine what happened to the 5 crew members on the imploded titan submersible. Very disturbing and heartbreaking at the same time.

[Jostephus]

Submariner here. Loved the video. In BESS, or Basic Enlisted Submarine School, I remember a long lecture about the Thresher where the instructor read out the last few transmissions. The audio was recorded, but I never heard it. Once a sub crosses the test depth threshold, there would be no noticeable changes, as the hull pops and cracks every time a significant depth change occurs. Even reaching crush depth, the boat may not immediately implode, as the condition of the pressure hull might allow the boat to survive somewhat longer. Once the implosion begins, it would be instantaneous. The only place that might be spared the initial implosion (might being the operative word) is the reactor compartment, due to its design, but no one would take refuge there anyway due to the fact that it contains a critical reactor.

I had a conversation with an old, super salty sailor once, and he mentioned that on his first boat, they had a temporary near total loss of depth control, resulting in an excursion beyond test depth. While the boat obviously never made it to crush depth, they apparently got close enough that when they returned to port, the pressure had caused the outer hull to be compressed to the point that you could see the ribs of the vessel.

I don’t know whether this story is completely true or not. Sailors of all stripes tell “sea stories” of varying truthfulness all the time. Still, it made me think. Hope this helps.

[theewlxer]

Watching this using my Playstation controller

[Lnching]

I can’t even step into a lake without crying if my foot touches seaweed, but these brave souls go hundreds of meters below sea level for testing..

[richsmith]

My uncle was a crewman on the USS Snook we she was lost at sea. I often wonder what his last few moments were like and if he suffered much. I think it would be terrifying.

[crorivpro]

Well done video. I was 13 and my brother in law was a Marine guard at the Portsmouth Navel prison. He arranged it so my sister and I could watch the new submarine being launched. The USS Thresher 593. It was a wonderful sight to see. When I heard of the sinking in 1963 it was like a punch in the gut.