[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7] [Senate] [Pages 9736-9738] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SENATE RESOLUTION 318--HONORING THE 129 SAILORS AND CIVILIANS LOST ABOARD THE U.S.S. ``THRESHER'' (SSN 593) ON APRIL 10, 1963; EXTENDING THE GRATITUDE OF THE NATION FOR THEIR LAST, FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION; AND ACKNOWLEDGING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE NAVAL SUBMARINE SERVICE AND THE PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD TO THE DEFENSE OF THE NATION Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mr. Gregg, Ms. Collins, Mr. Warner, Mr. Robb, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Levin, and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to: S. Res. 318 Whereas this is the 100th year of service to the people of the United States by the United States Navy submarine force, the ``Silent Service''; Whereas this is the 200th year of service to the Nation of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; Whereas Portsmouth Naval Shipyard launched the first Navy built submarine, the L-8, on April 23, 1917; Whereas 52 years and 133 submarines later, on November 11, 1969, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard launched the last submarine built by the Navy, the U.S.S. Sand Lance; [[Page 9737]] Whereas the U.S.S. Thresher was launched at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on July 9, 1960; Whereas the U.S.S. Thresher departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on April 9, 1963, with a crew of 129 composed of 16 officers, 96 sailors, and 17 civilians; Whereas the mix of that crew reflects the unity of the naval submarine service, military and civilian, in the protection of the Nation; Whereas at approximately 7:45 a.m. on April 10, 1963, at a location near 41.46 degrees North latitude and 65.03 degrees West longitude, the U.S.S. Thresher began her final mission; Whereas the U.S.S. Thresher was declared lost with all hands on April 10, 1963; Whereas from the loss of that submarine, there arose the SUBSAFE program which has kept America's submariners safe at sea ever since as the strongest, safest submarine force in history; Whereas from the loss of the U.S.S. Thresher, there arose in our Nation's universities the ocean engineering curricula that enables America's preeminence in submarine warfare; and Whereas the ``last full measure of devotion'' shown by the crew of the U.S.S. Thresher characterizes the sacrifice of all submariners, past and present, military and civilian, in the service of this Nation: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) remembers with profound sorrow the loss of the U.S.S. Thresher and her gallant crew of sailors and civilians on April 10, 1963; (2) expresses its deepest gratitude to all submariners on ``eternal patrol'', forever bound together by their dedicated and honorable service to the United States of America; (3) recognizes with appreciation and respect the commitment and sacrifices made by the Naval Submarine Service for the past 100 years in providing for the common defense of the United States; and (4) offers its admiration and gratitude for the workers of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard whose 200 years of dedicated service to the United States Navy has contributed directly to the greatness and freedom of the United States. SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF RESOLUTION. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit this resolution to the Chief of Naval Operations and to the Commanding Officer of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard who shall accept this resolution on behalf of the families and shipmates of the crew of the U.S.S. Thresher. Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution that recognizes the contributions and sacrifices to our nation's defense provided by the men and women of the United States Naval Submarine Service and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, and to specifically recognize that ``last full measure of devotion'' shown by the crew of the USS Thresher on April 10, 1963. As you are aware, this year the U.S. Navy is celebrating the 100th year of service to our country by the Naval Submarine Service. From the acquisition of its first submarine, the USS Holland, in April 1900 to the present day, the U.S. Naval Submarine Service has served America bravely, gallantly, and steadfastly. We are all aware of the debt we owe the Submarine Service for their role in World War II when, in the immediate dark days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the ``Silent Service'' took the war to the enemy. Although they lost 52 submarines and more than 3,500 submariners, they accounted for 55 percent of all enemy ships lost and significantly contributed to the final victory in the Pacific. Since that time the Submarine Service has continued to protect the nation through its deterrence patrols and many other missions. In just the past few years the ability of our submarines to provide a stealthy, land-attack capability in support of operations in the Persian Gulf and in Kosovo has proven once again that their adaptability and capability are vital to the security interests of this nation. A significant supporter of the Submarine Service for the past 100 years and this nation for the past 200 years has been the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Beginning in 1800, the shipyard provided the U.S. Navy with ``ships of the line'' and during the War of 1812 it became a Navy command. But it is the shipyard's contributions to the Submarine Service that I want to talk about here today. In April 1917, the first submarine built in a government shipyard, the L-8, was launched at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and in the ensuing 52 years, the shipyard launched another 133 submarines, including a record 31 in 1944 alone. In November 1971, the last submarine built in a government yard, the USS Sand Lance, was launched at Portsmouth before they took on their new role to overhaul, repair, and refuel nuclear submarines. But during their 52 years of building submarines Portsmouth delivered many firsts to the Submarine Service: First U.S. submarine built with an all-welded steel hull--the Snapper; first U.S. submarine built of high tensile steel--the Balao; first snorkel installed in a U.S. submarine--the Irex; first truly submersible hull developed using dirigible form, a breakthrough in hydrodynamic design--the Albacore; and the first nuclear powered submarine built in a government shipyard--the Swordfish. But the shipyard and the Submarine Service could not have accomplished these important contributions to our nation's security without the unfailing valor and unselfish service of the submarine crews and shipyard workers that put them to sea. Perhaps there is no greater example of our American virtue of standing together for the common defense than the story of the USS Thresher, a nuclear submarine launched at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on July 9, 1960. When she was launched the Thresher represented a new class of submarine for the Navy. The Thresher-class was designed to be the world's first modern, quiet, deep-diving fast-attack submarine. Some of her innovative features included machinery rafts for sound silencing, a large bow-mounted sonar, torpedo tubes amidships and a hydrodynamically streamlined hull. After two and a half years of trials, evaluations, and the development of new fast-attack tactics, the Thresher returned to her home yard. On April 9, 1963, she got underway for a series of deep-diving trials to be held about 220 nautical miles east of Cape Cod. On board was a crew of 129 made up of sailors, officers, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers and contractors. Shortly after beginning her dive, something went horribly wrong and the Thresher and all 129 souls on board were lost at sea. But another example of our American character is the drive to create success from adversity and from the loss of the Thresher came two initiatives that have permitted the Submarine Service to gain unchallenged preeminence in undersea warfare. First was the implementation of the SubSafe program. This standard dictates that every submarine, every hull integrity-related system and every pressure-related part within those systems must be 100 percent certified safe for use aboard the submarine. And since that time, no submarine has been lost because of a similar casualty. Second, a recommendation by the Deep Submergence Systems Review Group, which looked into the cause of the tragedy, was that a curriculum be established to train engineers to design and develop systems specifically for use in the ocean environment--the discipline of ocean engineering. Since that time ocean engineering programs have been established in Florida, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia, Hawaii and the Naval Academy. From these programs have come the engineers who have designed and developed the Los Angeles, the Ohio, the Seawolf and the Virgnia-classes of submarines. Engineers like retired Admiral Millard Firebaugh, a former ship superintendent at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, who earned a doctorate of science degree in Ocean Engineering from MIT and went on to become the program manager for the design and construction of the Seawolf. We in this nation owe a great debt to the 129 crewmen of the USS Thresher, to all who have served aboard submarines over the past 100 years and to the civilians who have accepted the risk and sacrified alongside their submarine shipmates. When I learned that there had never been a resolution passed in this body acknowledging the loss of this gallant crew and expressing our gratitude for their sacrifice, I believed that in this 100th year of the Submarine Service and the 200th year of their home yard, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, it was entirely appropriate and timely of us to do so. I therefore ask unanimous consent that an enrolled copy be transmitted to [[Page 9738]] and accepted by the commanding officer of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on behalf of the families and shipmates of the crew of the USS Thresher, the crews of the Naval Submarine Service and the workers of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________