OceanGate’s tragedy was not the first submarine incident.

OceanGate Was Far from the First Submarine Tragedy

On June 18, an OceanGate submersible imploded in the northern Atlantic Ocean, tragically taking the lives of all five passengers on board.

The news of this ill-fated vessel, which was en route to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, captured the attention of the world for nearly a week.

While accidents involving submarines and submersibles are rare in the twenty-first century, they have occurred, sometimes with devastating consequences.

One such incident took place near Hawaii on Feb. 9, 2001, when the nuclear submarine USS Greeneville rapidly ascended from a depth of 400 feet.

Upon reaching the surface, the submarine collided with the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishing boat carrying 35 unsuspecting passengers, resulting in the loss of nine lives, including four high-school students.

The impact of the Ehime Maru disaster serves as a stark reminder that the effects of such tragedies can be felt for many years.

As the 20-year anniversary of the disaster approached in 2021, the former commander of the USS Greeneville, Scott Waddle, penned an open letter of apology to the families of the nine victims.

According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, Waddle took full responsibility for the accident, expressing deep remorse and acknowledging his failure to prevent the collision.

The Ehime Maru incident stands as the only fatal accident involving a U.S. submarine in the twenty-first century, but other nations have also experienced similar maritime tragedies.

On Oct. 25, 2017, the Argentine submarine ARA San Juan disappeared after leaving its base at Mar del Plata, resulting in the loss of all 44 crew members. The wreckage was discovered a year later in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

An ongoing investigation by the Buenos Aires Times revealed that five Navy officers faced criminal charges in connection with the incident.

The ARA San Juan disaster ranks as the second-costliest submarine tragedy of the twenty-first century, following the explosion of the Russian Oscar II class Kursk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea on Aug. 12, 2000, which claimed the lives of all 118 crewmen on board.

Throughout history, the Earth’s oceans and waterways have claimed countless lives, and recent events serve as a stark reminder of this age-old danger.

Source: The Western Journal

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