British Navy Misfire Comes to Light

[racing_kitty]

I'm curious as to when the FOIA request was filed, and why. But that's neither here nor there. From The Sun:

A BUNGLING Navy operator accidentally fired a torpedo at a nuclear dockyard that flew across a jetty and smashed into a fence.

Amazingly no-one was hurt when the 9ft missile, which was not armed, was blasted out of HMS Argyll while the ship was moored in Plymouth's Devonport Naval base.

A newly-released file shows the misfire occurred after the operator attempted the test without a mandatory list of safety precautions to hand in March 2014.

The unarmed Sting Ray torpedo flew over a jetty and into a heavy duty metal fence at the high-security dockyard, which services nuclear submarines. Nobody was hurt.

The investigation found that following the information card instructions would have averted the misfire during what was meant to be simulated testing.

It concluded: “The fact that the maintainer was not in possession of the JIC led to a lapse in correct procedure which in turn culminated in the jettison of the TVT [test variant torpedo].”

 

[Kaldak]

So, the USA runs into other ships, and the British misfire torpedoes. Isn't the Navy having fun.

 

[Red Flag 1]

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[Frank S.]

These damned electronics from Lucas...

 

[Red Flag 1]

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[CDG]

Holy shit. A torpedo??? When I was in, we had a .50 cal misfire in port (Norfolk). The dude running a check on it lost track of how many times the weapon had been charged, and a single round got let off, ultimately destroying a washing machine on a berthing barge across the port.

 

[AWP]

The only one who ever got off with a similar error was John McCain when he launched a missle from his aircraft int another aircraft on the USS Forestal during wartime operations. I don’t recall McCain got sanctioned over the event, as he continued as a pilot until shot down.

Funny how things work out.

I think McCain can take his fair share of lumps for stupid behavior, but starting the Forrestal fire is not among them.

 

[TLDR20]

That is a hell of an AD...

 

[SpitfireV]

One of your Tomcat pilots shot down an RF4 during an exercise in the 80s. Nothing happened to him except I think he was moved to Intel. I think he was up for Admiral at one point too.

 

[8482farm]

If it were a USN flagged ship, the CO would be in serious jeapordy.

Would've been fired for sure.

 

[DA SWO]

One of your Tomcat pilots shot down an RF4 during an exercise in the 80s. Nothing happened to him except I think he was moved to Intel. I think he was up for Admiral at one point too.

Semi correct.
He was grounded, left active duty and became a Reserve Intel Officer.
He was nominated for a Star, but the RF-4 shootdown came out and he retired.
Big difference between a Reserve Retirement and an Active Duty Retirement check.

 

[Red Flag 1]

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[AWP]

Everything I had read claimed that McCain did a wet start of his aircraft and it triggered the horrid event on the USS Forestal.

This link does say something completely different. Posts blame McCain for deadly 1967 fire aboard USS Forrestal.

I heard an interview with his cell make as a POW. He had nothing but good things about McCain and his time as a POW.

ETA. McCain was offered an early release from Hanoi and he refused the offer. It cost him more torture and pain for his choice.

I've read the wet start theory and can't buy it. The rocket hit the A-4 next to McCain's and given how the planes were parked this is a near impossibility.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/025929.jpg

The A-4 doesn't have an afterburner and while a wet start can happen in a non-afterburning airplane, it is very, very rare. Even if it did, McCain's Skyhawk (416) was parked with the exhaust pointing out to sea. During my poser hunt, I corresponded with Dave Dollarhide (417) who was parked next to McCain on the flight deck. He's contradicted McCain in the past, but never said anything about him starting the fire. Given that Dave was the only survivor of his flight of four and one of the dead was McCain's plane captain, I can't see him sitting on his hands if he thought McCain was responsible in any way.

Investigating John McCain's Tragedy at Sea
U.S.S. Forrestal Fire 1967 | A-4 Skyhawk Association

McCain's story has changed slightly from one version to the next, but I can think of several people we on this board have lionized whose stories have changed somewhat over the years. McCain is blamed for releasing his bombs, but considering there were 6 or 8 of them to cook off, him dropping his bombs to the flight deck, where they exploded from the fire like those other bombs is kind of a chickenshit argument to make if people want to blame him for the fire.

My personal thoughts regarding the blame is that he isn't liked and his enemies would like nothing more than to connect him to the fire, making him culpable for the death and destruction. I don't like McCain, but there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that he had nothing to do with starting the fire. Any mistakes he made, or criticism gathered, is nothing more than a smear campaign to place the blame on him....and I don't even like the guy.

 

[8482farm]

Anyhow, an ironic thanks to that event is why we incorporated damage control training in Navy Boot Camp that should've been there in the first place.

 

[SpitfireV]

Semi correct.
He was grounded, left active duty and became a Reserve Intel Officer.
He was nominated for a Star, but the RF-4 shootdown came out and he retired.
Big difference between a Reserve Retirement and an Active Duty Retirement check.

Yes but he wasn't court marshalled, charged or punished in any way (except that he had to move to something non-aircrew). This left him free to do whatever he wanted essentially and the fact that he got to the point where he even stayed in the navy pretty much confirms what I said- he had next to no repercussions.

 

[Gunz]

Always assume your torpedo tube is loaded.
Always point your torpedo tube in a safe direction.
Keep children and animals away from your torpedo tube.
Do not operate your torpedo tube while drinking alcohol.