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。- j0 `2 m& W1 w
2 k g8 q: G& O+ N* j 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。 ( B# m3 V* ]% S4 L, p 3 E% e- D+ c+ d 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。6 p ?2 j$ T8 l4 D+ M' `* P
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。- A% c3 n( T3 ^. U
' _ \6 \3 t2 ~' _7 _Navy Briefly Loses Contact With Sub Off Florida Coast 6 H- o( A, { S7 _! l) [# n2 Z$ S) A( H: D7 }2 H, B% k1 k
Rescue Effort Under Way When Communications Regained1 f# F- }, F; x2 P, u1 v2 Y
' r* I" |+ H6 q& V8 {/ G' Q; }! `3 CNORFOLK, 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.2 ~; `4 Y5 R* V+ @( l
" R: Q( R* d& e/ C7 QThe 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. + A5 v: `* W. \5 }$ v1 H s: ? 0 I7 S4 o" X% c0 \& R X4 g9 G% dThe communication lag on Tuesday evening was not explained, and Navy spokesman Phil McGuinn said the incident remains under investigation.8 F' Y% j/ `2 N6 d/ v
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McGuinn 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.% k" X' z5 v, s
& Q: q3 b$ y; x, D" {9 KBecause 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.# a( @# H8 H/ |8 \+ S' \
5 }9 j- Q+ c! XThey 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. 4 ~* J& F5 }8 A+ _ h. t h# l# |/ @+ v" H' A7 `+ G8 Z' D5 Y c7 s
"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." ' N$ t6 f; H. E' c7 N/ E / _% y+ U; x% S+ k$ A0 j( W6 ?The 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.1 [5 S; S6 o9 K1 L( 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 92