Sub Ships Out Amid Safety Allegations

The U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine Guardfish shipped out Tuesday under a cloud of controversy after several sailors alleged that the vessel was unsafe and had a leaky reactor.

Tuesday’s departure was a day later than planned. However, Navy officials said the delay had nothing to do with recent disclosures by crew members alleging that the attack sub was unsafe.

“It’s not unusual for schedules to slide,” said Lt. Susan Haeg, a spokeswoman for the submarine base at Point Loma. “They elected to wait another day. They are not going to leave until they are ready. . . . The mission is not urgent. The Navy simply doesn’t tell anyone to sail until they are ready.”

More than eight sailors, who requested anonymity, told the San Diego Union in a story published Monday that the captain violated numerous Navy regulations by taking the 127-member crew to sea in an unsafe vessel.

Rear Adm. Karl L. Kaup, a Navy submarine group commander, was scheduled to be aboard the Guardfish Tuesday, a plan the Navy said was made several weeks ago. Kaup usually ships out twice a month with the submarines in his command, Haeg said. The Guardfish was to conduct local operations.

The exact departure and arrival times of submarines are classified, and the Navy declined to be more specific about the Guardfish’s schedule.

Several sailors told the Union that the 26-year-old Guardfish nearly sank during a training mission off the California coast last month because of a malfunctioning valve that allowed thousands of gallons of water to pour into the vessel.

Cmdr. Paul M. Higgins, commanding officer of the Guardfish--which is scheduled to be retired this summer--was unavailable for comment. Higgins has held his post for several months.

Navy officials say that the recent flap has more to do with disgruntled crew members than safety violations. Despite the apparent malaise plaguing the vessel, Haeg said that all the crew members had shown up for duty.

“Sounds like there’s an unhappy crew but that’s about it,” Haeg said. “Yes, the sub is safe. Absolutely. They would not go out to sea if it wasn’t.”

This incident is the second time in less than a year that disgruntled sailors have complained to the news media.

Last August, four sailors aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier Nimitz told a Seattle television station that crew members aboard the Bremerton-based vessel had flouted safety regulations. The four sailors also threatened to sabotage the vessel’s reactors to draw attention to their complaints.

After an investigation, Navy officials said several sailors aboard the Nimitz cheated on exams covering their technical knowledge--an act that neither endangered the ship nor was widespread. The four whistle-blowing sailors were reassigned.