Nuclear sub
lapses spur
Pearl review

With a diver injured and
a sub put in danger of sinking,
the Navy calls a stand-down

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

Three accidents involving nuclear submarines over the past six months led to yesterday's actions halting all work at the Pearl Naval Shipyard for a day while workers reviewed safety procedures.

Capt. Jeffrey Conners, commander of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and the Intermediate Maintenance Facility, said, "None of these problems involved nuclear systems on the submarines."

He said the daylong "safety stand-down is one of the tools used by the Navy to correct problems before they become more significant problems."

The three accidents involved:

The USS Los Angeles, where an ensign had to stop the closing of a torpedo loading hatch because proper safety procedures were not followed.

The USS Columbus, where a Navy diver was injured while removing the submarine's propeller under water. The equipment the diver used to loosen the nut on the propeller broke loose, striking the diver on the head. The diver had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of a scalp cut.

The USS Key West, where the removal of a protective cover for a sea water system valve was not properly followed. The Navy emphasized that other safety measures prevented the sub from sinking.

The shipyard, with a labor force of nearly 3,400, is the largest civilian employer in the state.

"Communication among the different shipyard workers and ship's crew is essential to ensure work is performed safely," according to a written statement issued from Conners' office.

"While each of these events individually were relatively minor," the fact that they occurred in a short period of time prompted the stand-down "to focus attention on the need for everyone in the shipyard to pay particular attention to communication and safety procedures."

The nuclear submarine USS Chicago also reportedly suffered an electrical maintenance problem. However, the Navy said that problem was not related to the other three.