History is Our Stories ~ USS Bonefish (SS-582)
21 years ago, on 24 April 1988, the USS Bonefish (SS-582), a Barbel-class submarine in the US Navy, suffered a fire in the battery well. While the sub was submerged, seawater began leaking onto cables and electrical buses in a battery supply cableway. Electrical arcing between cables caused an explosion which flashed into a fire within minutes. Temperatures in the battery spaces reached 1,200 degrees. The heat melted crewmembers' shoe soles in the spaces above. Bonefish was surfaced and its crew ordered to abandon ship. Eighty-nine crewmembers were rescued by whaleboat and helicopter crews from USS Carr and the USS John F Kennedy (CV-67).
Three sailors — Lt. Ray Everts, 1st Class Petty Officer Bob Bordelon, and 3rd Class Petty Officer Marshal T. Lindgren — were killed -- may they rest in peace.
Blogger friend, Chaotic Synaptic Activity, has been doing a series chronicling the tragic event and the personal stories of those involved. It is a riveting series and I encourage you to go read it. The series has taken a great deal of time and skill to tell.
http://www.chaoticsynapticactivity.com/2009/04/24/a-date-with-destiny-part-viii/
1 comment:
FG;
Thank you. The post got great traffic, and, while not on my blog, but on others who also linked, several comments from people who had served with LT Everts came up.
Just pointed some guys your way based on a meeting yesterday, as an example of how the blogs help pay tribute to those we serve.
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