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Neptune Papers - Federation of American Scientists

-- Neptune Papers -- Neptune Paper No. 3:Naval Accidents 1945 - 1988byWilliam M. ArkinandJoshua HandlerGreenpeace/Institute for Policy StudiesWashington, 1989 Neptune Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945-1988iTable of Weapons Reactor of Routine Naval of Naval Accidents: 1945 - A: Sources and B: Ship Type 1: Number of Ships by Type Involved in Accidents, 1945 - 2: Naval Accidents by Type of Event, 1945 - 3: Surface Ship Explosive Mishaps, 1985 - 4: Naval Nuclear Weapons Incidents, 1965 - 5: Nuclear Weapons and Reactors Lost in the 6: Accidents Involving Nuclear Powered Ships and Submarines, 1954 - 7: Submarine Force Mishaps, 1983 - 1: Naval Accidents by Year, [Note.]

logistic support ships, 142 involved minor military ships, and 75 involved amphibious warships (see table 1). Seventy-five accidents were actual sinkings, 60 of military vessels, and 17 of civilian boats. The accidents have resulted in over 2,800 deaths, with U.S. and Soviet fatalities constituting about 65 percent of the total.

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Transcription of Neptune Papers - Federation of American Scientists

1 -- Neptune Papers -- Neptune Paper No. 3:Naval Accidents 1945 - 1988byWilliam M. ArkinandJoshua HandlerGreenpeace/Institute for Policy StudiesWashington, 1989 Neptune Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945-1988iTable of Weapons Reactor of Routine Naval of Naval Accidents: 1945 - A: Sources and B: Ship Type 1: Number of Ships by Type Involved in Accidents, 1945 - 2: Naval Accidents by Type of Event, 1945 - 3: Surface Ship Explosive Mishaps, 1985 - 4: Naval Nuclear Weapons Incidents, 1965 - 5: Nuclear Weapons and Reactors Lost in the 6: Accidents Involving Nuclear Powered Ships and Submarines, 1954 - 7: Submarine Force Mishaps, 1983 - 1: Naval Accidents by Year, [Note.]

2 Some changes in formatting and page number have occurred in converting this reportfrom an older DOS-version of Wordperfect to Word for Windows 98] Neptune Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945-19881 IntroductionThe sinking of the soviet Mike class submarine and the explosion and tragic loss of lifeaboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) in April 1989 are reminders that peacetime navalaccidents are a fact of life. Since the end of World War II, the world's navies have had over 1,200documented major accidents, resulting in dozens of ship sinkings, hundreds of explosions andfires, costly repairs and early vessel retirements, and major loss of The accidents haveoccurred in shipyards and ports, in harbors and coastal waters, and on the high seas throughoutthe world.

3 Many of the accidents were spectacular and are well known. The majority, however,are obscure and little comprehensive historical record of naval accidents does not exist. Official secrecy,particularly that of the soviet Union, as well as sporadic news media interest in reporting routineaccidents, are major impediments to compiling a complete record. Without full documentation, itis difficult to determine fluctuations or variations in the frequency or types of accidents. Changesin the naval accident rate, furthermore, are not necessarily related to higher or lower operatingtempos.

4 No doubt safety practices, damage preparedness, ship control technologies, and aids tobetter seamanship have improved greatly since World War II, but this has not eliminated accidents occur in a unique environment. The oceans can be violent andunrelenting. The nature of naval operations, maneuvering in close quarters in a borderlessmedium, the presence of explosives and other combustible materials, the fact that ships aredangerous places, full of moving machinery and electrical equipment increases the potential foraccidents, whether brought on by "acts of God" or human error.

5 There are also numerousaccidents ( , western- soviet , and others between unfriendly nations) which haveresulted from aggressive or even hostile maneuvering, a reminder that routine seagoing activitycarries with it unequalled potential for crisis or crisis must also be noted that the Navy and the soviet Navy, and to a lesser degreeBritish, French, and Chinese navies, routinely operate warships and submarines with nuclearweapons aboard. All five nations also have nuclear-powered ships. This brings an addeddimension to naval accidents, namely the potential for nuclear weapons or reactors beingdamaged, destroyed, or lost.

6 The number of nuclear weapons and reactor accidents is a well-guarded secret of the military establishments, but the information available indicates thatnumerous serious accidents have taken place. This report concludes that there are some forty-eight nuclear warheads and seven nuclear-power reactors on the ocean floor as a result of purpose of this study is to establish a database of information about naval accidents,and then to investigate that record in order to assess the risks of naval activity during peacetimeand crisis periods. This assessment will help answer questions about public safety surroundingthe controversial nuclear ship visits to foreign (and domestic) ports.

7 Finally, while naval armscontrol focuses on the large issues of the types and numbers of nuclear weapons, the day-to-daycosts and potential dangers are little recognized or understood, and the long-term implications ofnaval nuclear propulsion are hardly even raised. 1 This report does not include accidents or damage to ships resulting from wars or military conflict, although it doesinclude operating accidents that occurred during those conflicts which were not a result of Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945-19882 OverviewThis report documents 1,276 accidents of the major navies of the world between 1945and 1988.

8 By frequency of occurrence, 406 accidents involved major surface combatants (notincluding aircraft carriers), 359 involved submarines, 228 involved aircraft carriers, 182 involvedlogistic support ships, 142 involved minor military ships, and 75 involved amphibious warships(see table 1). Seventy-five accidents were actual sinkings, 60 of military vessels, and 17 ofcivilian boats. The accidents have resulted in over 2,800 deaths, with and soviet fatalitiesconstituting about 65 percent of the total. The majority of accidents occurred in the AtlanticOcean (624, or 49 percent), not including the Mediterranean Sea, 318 (or 25 percent) occurred inthe Pacific, 110 (9 percent) occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, and 34 occurred in the the 1,276 accidents, 799 have involved naval ships of the United States.

9 Thispreponderance of accidents does not mean a higher accident rate than other navies,particularly the soviet Navy. Many hundreds more soviet accidents are known to have occurred,but due to inadequate data and excessive secrecy, we have been unable to document their specificdates or accidents are divided into 12 major categories by cause (see table 2):- Collisions: The most prevalent type of major accidents has been collisions, of whichthere have been 456 documented cases, 190 between military ships, 184 between naval vesselsand civilian ships.

10 There have been 51 collisions involving aircraft carriers. There have also been36 confirmed snaggings of submerged submarines by fishing trawlers or nets, and 82 collisionsby ships with docks during mooring or unmooring, or with unidentified Fires: There have been 267 documented major fires aboard ships, although many moreare suspected as having taken place. In addition, hundreds of minor fires have occurred at sea,during ship construction and overhauls. These have by and large not been included in thechronology. Fires are by far the most prevalent cause of ship damage, but their regular occurrenceprecludes a comprehensive statistical analysis.


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