一艘载有大约140名官兵的美军潜艇，在佛罗里达州对开海域游弋时，一度与美军控制中心失去联络。海军担心潜艇沉没，于周二晚启动应变机制，派出战机和船只进行大规模的搜索行动，到14日清晨终于发现它的踪影，证实只是虚惊一场。当局现正调查潜艇一度失去联络10个小时的原因。 7 H% n# `! ~8 Q$ e& \3 b7 V" s! K1 U) x7 U
海军证实，已于14日早上重新与一度失踪的洛杉矶级潜艇圣胡安号取得联络，并确定潜艇并无出现重大问题。潜艇上的无线电通讯系统可能出现故障，才引发这宗事故。据美国哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）报道，事发时，一支航空母舰战斗群和三艘潜艇正在佛州对面100哩的海域，进行演习，圣胡安号扮演敌军潜艇的角色。突然，有人见在海上闪出红光。传统上，这是潜艇发出求救讯号的方式。 . s/ c9 ], t( Q. f& B9 C 7 k, f5 z& ~9 x4 Q2 \$ F* r1 }( k7 h 航空母舰战斗群上的指挥官马上尝试与三艘潜艇联络，两艘作出响应，但圣胡安号却失去踪影。在美国东岸时间14日凌晨3时半，位于维珍尼亚州的诺福克潜艇中心发出一段罕有的重要讯息：潜艇沉没！由于事态严重，国防部长罗伯特．盖茨也接获通知，军方高层整晚留意事态发展。海军也开始派人通知圣胡安号上140名官兵的家人。 Z; l) D4 S' O 到清晨5时许，控制中心才与圣胡安号再次取得联络，各方都松一口气。由13日晚7时至翌晨5时，圣胡安号与外界失去联络十小时。派驻艇上的军官表示，所有人都安然无恙，根本不知道发生了这件事。当局正调查引致这宗事故的原因，并安排于15日与其中三十名军人家眷见面，向他们作出解释，保证圣胡安号运作正常和安全。美国对上一次发生严重的潜艇事故是39年前，即1968年，潜艇蝎子号在美国东北部对开海域沉没。 3 b' C; }( X) s* |0 K" u P H* w2 w/ o4 \% m1 j( X ^9 _
Navy Briefly Loses Contact With Sub Off Florida Coast) T8 ^3 i; x" S! w& d# R
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Rescue Effort Under Way When Communications Regained 7 J3 l" l7 U+ a1 q* ?6 ^. @7 c6 G% W" D" ]& q0 p- ~- ~3 r) ^
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Navy said it lost communication with a submarine off the Florida coast for several hours Tuesday night and began rescue efforts before communications were re-established early Wednesday., r" \0 n' p6 v1 [; g
$ o i% P$ [) |' d" @0 Z; jThe Naval Submarine Force said in a statement that there were no problems with the USS San Juan, a Los Angeles class submarine is based in Groton, Conn.6 W0 j9 `2 q! O! z8 H- @/ Z5 Y8 h: [
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The communication lag on Tuesday evening was not explained, and Navy spokesman Phil McGuinn said the incident remains under investigation.6 }. [3 x8 O$ D$ X% a) u: l- R( _
: R- H5 C5 W9 WMcGuinn said units of the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group saw a red flare in the vicinity of the missing submarine Tuesday night and activated missing submarine procedures. # e* I% a ^/ q' u+ C% E , s0 J; v$ D' Y. l# zBecause the Navy maintained communications with two other subs in the area and observers spotted the signal flare, commanders believed the San Juan had gone down. , k0 {1 Q) B# i& _- A( h Q* Q! ^' l; G" v, v- sThey began search-and-rescue missions, alerted the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office and notified crew members’ families about the possibility of a lost submarine, officials said.& c' O. Y9 a" U5 ^8 p; S6 a
/ _" q, s% B% ^"We had a false alarm," Lt. Cmdr. Chris Loundermon, public affairs officer at submarine force headquarters in Norfolk, told Navy Times. "We're investigating the details of what happened."3 S o% F8 Z5 }/ U- ?2 A% s" n+ Y3 f
/ |! v0 v# i. W! n7 P w' FThe initial reports went to the top of the chain of command: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were notified.& b+ o# \3 [8 h
图片附件: [「圣胡安」号潜艇] San Juan.jpg (2007-3-15 09:20, 32.65 KB) / 下载次数 91