Sub That Sank Tug to Keep Operating
A nuclear submarine used in a Paramount Pictures thriller before a fatal encounter with a tugboat and a confrontation with a fishing trawler will continue routine operations until investigations into the accidents are complete, Navy officials said Tuesday.
The USS Houston will be assigned to its home port in San Diego for at least two months while the Navy and the National Transportation Safety Board look into the incidents, said Lt. Sonja Hedley, spokeswoman for Commander Submarine Group 5.
On June 14, during routine operations off Long Beach, the 6,900-ton sub snagged the tug Barcona’s 1,000-foot tow cable and pulled the boat under in 2,500 feet of water. Tug crewman Bryan Ballanger was killed. Two others were rescued.
Two days later, outside Los Angeles Harbor, the sub cut through the nets of a fishing trawler, the 33-foot Fortuna.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
