Misplaced bolt caused Navy sub debacle
A single misplaced bolt on a Navy submarine caused a propulsion shaft catastrophe that spun into millions in repairs, lost jobs and a missed mission, according to documents obtained by NavyTimes.com.
The bolt was reportedly misplaced during a December 2010 inspection of the Ohio-class USS Georgia submarine, but according to the story, the problem was compounded when engineers left the shaft spinning for days in an effort to solve the problem.
An excerpt from the story:
“This was an avoidable mishap,” wrote Vice Adm. John Richardson in his July 19 letter closing the investigation into the first known instance of main reduction gear damage on a submarine in three years. “Had watch-standing principles of integrity, formality, procedural compliance, level of knowledge, questioning attitude and forceful backup been responsibly adhered to and executed, this incident would not have occurred and the ship would have deployed on time.”
According to the story, the mistake cost $2.2 million and also resulted in two engineers losing their jobs.
While the guided-missile submarine was receiving three months of shipyard repairs, it also missed out on a deployment to Libya last year.
Source: NavyTimes.com
