Tri-Service
Captain Loses Job After Nuclear Sub Accident
A US submarine commander has been sacked after grounding a guided missile submarine as it returned to port after routine operations.
At least $1 million of damages were caused when the $2 billion nuclear-powered USS Georgia, which is armed with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as torpedos, hit a channel buoy and then grounded as it headed for Kings Bay, Georgia.
Captain Dave Adams, CO of the Ohio-class boat's "Blue Crew", was relieved of command on Monday by Rear Admiral Randy Crites.
USS Georgia has two crews - 'Gold' and 'Blue' - which alternate in operating the vessel to maximise her time at sea.
Captain Adams wrote in a statement to The Brunswick News:
"The actions that hazarded Georgia upon a scheduled return to port in the dark on the morning of 25 Nov were mine alone.
"I ask that my lapses not be used to denigrate the terrific service of the sailors and families of Georgia Blue."
"After 30 years of serving in the world's finest Navy, my only regret is that I will miss sailing with them again to stand against our nation's enemies."
The US Navy, meanwhile, said in a statement that Cpt Adams had been dismissed due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command based on facts and circumstances revealed in a command investigation into the Nov 25, 2015, incident in which USS Georgia was returning to port, struck a channel buoy, and then grounded". It added:
"Commanding officers are held to the highest standards of professional conduct and accept the responsibility of command with full regard for its consequences."
Last month, it said the damage to the vessel, which was commissioned in 1982 as a ballistic-missile submarine before being converted to a guided-missile boat in 2004, was limited to the exterior and that there was no water intrusion.
Cpt Adams has now been reassigned to Submarine Group 10. An investigation remains open.
It comes after the US Navy's new Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John M. Richardson, spoke about the importance of introducing a new fleet of nuclear-armed submarines - despite the cost being estimated at $100 billion. He said:
"This is foundational to our survival as a nation."
America is planning to replace its current fleet of 14 ballistic missile submarines, which began service in 1981, with 12 next-generation subs.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the overall price tag could rise to $348 billion by 2024 after related upgrades and replacements, however. But Adm. Richardson told the Associated Press:
"From a security standpoint in this day and age, a world-class nuclear capability [is necessary to be considered a great power].
"We could be threatened or coerced by another nation who could hold this nuclear threat over our heads [otherwise]", he added.
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