Date of Accident: 20 September, 1977
Returned to Service: Yes
USS Ray struck a coral mountain while travelling submerged in the Mediterranean. The grounding was due to a combination of equipment failure and crew inexperience. Ray's sonar equipment was destroyed and the auxiliary diesel engine was knocked off its mounts. Repairs required a year of work at Charleston Naval Shipyard, SC. Total cost of the repairs was not disclosed.
Ray would go on to serve for nearly 20 more years, finally being decommissioned on 16 March, 1993.
No men lost.
Return to Détente, MAD and Peristroika
Return to Peacetime Submarine Accidents