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。 & c4 H8 f& N+ Y* ^ & h: A& G7 w; a) T" 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。# m8 c) D$ E+ R& S$ W+ S$ o0 ?
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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。; b& R, t4 a8 |
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。 ( n1 l( w, f2 o; u N - O5 ~+ f) |: wNavy Briefly Loses Contact With Sub Off Florida Coast 9 k8 Y5 f" `( c# o/ n Y* r6 P; P7 o4 C- A% P/ }) G+ z$ T
Rescue Effort Under Way When Communications Regained ! @$ M) w0 a' \2 n3 j % F. B: ^% h" v# GNORFOLK, 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. & }/ R3 O5 i/ F0 W) Y" Y) i& ]% e/ D% D% Z2 j2 H. M" e4 _
The 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.) g" O2 L1 @" u& j( c1 \/ |9 Y
9 e) @2 [" E3 [0 d7 X& oThe communication lag on Tuesday evening was not explained, and Navy spokesman Phil McGuinn said the incident remains under investigation. - X: K- `8 j: a2 C" G n/ q7 L. I 8 Z4 X0 e# K" L9 SMcGuinn 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. 3 I6 I7 [# W: M1 Z' `& ?4 [% E" C" d' q8 J& {! E8 }
Because 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. 3 M+ X* Y) M/ R" T! P & {/ v% _' ]3 r& o" ~5 C5 g1 NThey 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." N8 p- d6 N! ]- _' D- B1 j
+ a- y4 Y) E; e- c' A"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."0 s3 i! N& e/ q, q1 w% `
; K; {6 t$ O* PThe 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." h* a) P3 k& D6 q1 L0 q0 u
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