Date of Loss: 13 March, 1986
Returned to Service: No
In the first major accident involving a U.S. nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine, USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636) ran aground in the Irish Sea, causing rudder and ballast tank damage. Details remain classified by the Navy. However, the damage was so severe that she was decommissioned and scrapped. This also allowed the U.S. to easily comply with the missile limits under the SALT II Treaty with the former Soviet Union.
No men lost.
Return to Détente, MAD and Peristroika
Return to Peacetime Submarine Accidents