Review: Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the USS Scorpion

[Subnuts]

I wrote this review for epinions.com earlier today. Here it is, completely unembelished, except for a few typo corrections.

Introduction
On May 22nd 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Scorpion disappeared without a trace somewhere in the North Atlantic. After the Scorpion failed to arrive at Norfolk on the morning of the 27th, the Navy undertook the largest search operation in history.

The wreck of the Scorpion was finally discovered in November 1968, 450 miles southwest of the Azores Islands. The hull had been shorn into three sections - the last third shoved 50 feet forward into the auxiliary machinery space, the sail had been torn off, and the escape hatches in the bow and stern were missing, as if they’d been blown off by an internal explosion. 99 men went down with the Scorpion, and to this day, no one really understands why.

About the Book
In Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion, journalist Stephen Johnson attempts to bring some clarity and understanding to this most mysterious submarine disaster. Although a definitive explanation for Scorpion’s loss is obviously impossible, Johnson thoroughly debunks the theory that she was sunk by one of her own torpedoes, internally or externally. In his forensic deconstruction of the Scorpion’s final 18 months, Johnson also provides a look inside the 60s nuclear submarine fleet that’s as troubling as it is fascinating.

Background
A bit of historical background is in order. In April 1963, the submarine USS Thresher sank after suffering an electrical failure, probably the result of a failure in a seawater piping joint. The reactor shut down, and the Thresher lost forward momentum. Unable to blow it’s main ballast tanks against great water pressure, the Thresher slid below crush depth, killing all 129 aboard.

Shortly afterward, the Navy implemented a plan called SUBSAFE that would reduce the number of potential failure points in a submarine’s piping system, and include the installation of an EMBT (Emergency Main Ballast Tank) blowing system. Easier said than done. The average time to SUBSAFE a boat was an unacceptably long 30 months. Scorpion’s sisters proved especially troublesome, and Scorpion was the only nuclear sub in the entire Atlantic Fleet without an EMBT blowing system at the time of her loss.

Commentary
In his extensive research and interviews for Silent Steel, Johnson reveals that while capably commanded, Scorpion was far from being a "happy boat." In interviews with both former crewmembers and in letters written before her loss, Johnson learned that the Scorpion was a maintenance nightmare by 1968, and the morale off her crew had hit rock bottom. During her final deployment, Scorpion leaked copious quantities of hydraulic and lubricating oil, her radio and navigation equipment were in shambles, numerous small equipment fires occurred, and at one point, one of the air conditioning compressors "exploded."

While none of this information seems to outwardly explain Scorpion’s loss, it does raise some interesting points. A submarine is not simply a people tube that goes underwater. Much like a manned spacecraft, a nuclear submarine is an extremely complicated assembly of interlocking systems that have to work perfectly, and if they don’t work perfectly, disaster will occur at some point. A small failure could cause numerous unrelated failures, with fatal results. Johnson explores this fact in unexpected detail, and I’d advise anyone interested in submarine safety to study those parts closely.

Criticism
Most material on submarine disasters is rather sterile and distanced, and lacking in human element. Silent Steel stands out from the crowd in that the officers and crew of the Scorpion are actually allowed some development. These character building moments usually amount to two or three paragraph vignettes, and photographs of the crew are scattered throughout the book. It’s not exactly the stuff that’ll endear it to Hollywood, but it’s enough to remind the reader that more than just steel and hardware went down with the Scorpion.

The weakest part of Silent Steel (besides the cliche title) revolves around the search for and discovery of the wreck. While an essential part of the Scorpion story, those sections of the book plod along rather unnecessarily and don’t contribute much to the central narrative. It’s also somewhat inevitable that anyone expecting answers is going to be frustrated by the number of potential disaster scenarios presented within.

While Stephen Johnson’s writing style is surprisingly literate and easy-going, he describes the inner workings of the boat’s propulsion systems, batteries, the Mk 37 torpedo, and the Trash Disposal Unit in in-depth technical terms. I find this sort of information fascinating, and it’s important to understand how it relates to the Scorpion disaster, but I have a feeling it’ll drive submarine newbies up a wall.

Conclusion
Except for a few small recovered artifacts, the broken hulk of the Scorpion remains at the bottom of the Atlantic, it’s location a national secret. Even after 38 years, the cause of her demise remains unknown. It’s safe to write off a torpedo explosion - her hull is still mostly intact. But why are two of her antenna and one of the periscopes raised? What became of the intact body discovered near the wreck, wearing a bright orange lifejacket? Why are the escape hatches missing? It’s entirely likely we may never know.

Silent Steel is a fitting tribute to the 99 men who died on Scorpion. It’s perhaps to closest thing to closure the families of the sailors will ever see, which is sad to say still far from being definitive. Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed - the notion that Scorpion was sunk by the Russians is glossed over in a single paragraph. For everyone else (i.e., normal people), this book will provide a fascinating look at one of the most inexplicable naval disasters of the 20th century.