Shipyard remembers Thresher tragedy

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The 32nd anniversary of the sinking of the nuclear submarine Thresher, whose crew of 129 died when the submarine was crushed deep in the Atlantic Ocean, was remembered yesterday.

The Thresher was operating out of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, on sea trials off the coast of Massachusetts.

A 1993 Navy report agreed with long-held suspicions that a pipe gave way, creating an explosive rush of ocean water that flooded the engine room and doomed the sub.

The report pointed to design problems and mistakes at the shipyard, where the Thresher was built in 1960. But it said the sinking was not caused by the “intent, fault, negligence or inefficiency” of anyone in the Navy or at the yard.

A memorial service was held at Albacore Park in Portsmouth.