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Thresher
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Thresher
Thresher U.S. nuclear attack submarine Thresher at sea, July 24, 1961. The Thresher sank on April 10, 1963, with 129 sailors on board.

Thresher

United States submarine
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Article History

Thresher, first of a class of U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines, launched in 1960. On April 10, 1963, during sea trials after commissioning, it sank with 129 persons on board about 200 miles (300 km) off the New England coast. The sinking, considered to be the worst disaster in submarine history, was determined by naval authorities to have been caused by faulty brazing of pipe joints. Seawater is thought to have entered the submarine, short-circuiting electrical systems and shutting down the nuclear reactor, and the powerless boat sank to depths where it was crushed by water pressure. In August 1963, wreckage of the vessel was spotted by the bathyscaphe Trieste at a depth of about 8,500 feet (2,600 metres).

Thresher, launched July 9, 1960, displaced 3,750 tons and was 279 feet (about 85 metres) long. It was the most-advanced attack submarine of the time, capable of greater speeds and dive depths than any previous class of submarine. Thirteen other boats of the Thresher class were launched between 1961 and 1966.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.