A common solution for a hot torpedo was for a submarine to turn in the opposite direction, activating the torpedo’s anti-friendly fire mechanism.Īnother theory was that the submarine’s Trash Disposal Unit (TDU) had malfunctioned. Further supporting this theory was the fact that the submarine was found 180 degrees from her known route. One theory proposed by naval experts was that the submarine had been sunk by a “hot run” torpedo, a weapon that suddenly becomes active while still in the torpedo tube. None of the 99 crew had survived.Ī Navy report into the sinking was inconclusive. On October 28, Scorpion was found in 11,000 feet of water, approximately 400 miles southwest of the Azores. Within hours, the service discovered the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS)-an underwater network designed to detect the acoustic signatures of Soviet submarines-had detected the breakup of the Scorpion’s hull as she descended, mortally stricken, beyond her hull’s crush depth. Naval History and Heritage Command Photographīy May 24, Vice Admiral Arnold Schade, Commander of the Atlantic Submarine Fleet, knew the submarine had failed to respond to classified communications messages, but the Navy waited until May 27 to officially declare her missing. The sub was fitted with six 533-millimeter torpedo tubes and carried a mix of both anti-surface and anti-submarine weapons.Ī view of the detached sail of the USS Scorpion on the ocean floor. It displaced 3,000 tons underwater, and was 251 feet long. Scorpion was powered by a single Westinghouse S5W nuclear reactor generating 11,000 kilowatts. This made Scorpion one-third faster than the Skate-class subs, an earlier class of nuclear-powered submarines that used a more conventional hull layout. This, in turn, meant that the teardrop-shaped hull was streamlined for underwater travel rather than for surface travel.Īs a result of this streamlining, Skipjack subs could hit speeds of 33 knots underwater. The use of nuclear power over traditional diesel engines allowed the submarine to spend almost all of its time fully submerged instead of cruising on the surface and submerging near enemy waters. Scorpion and those of her class were part of a new generation of submarines designed for greater speed underwater than on the surface. USS Scorpion was a Skipjack-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The Skipjack class of submarines was much faster than previous generations due to its teardrop-shaped hull.

Us navy submarine lost at sea