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。 . B* Y8 @. [2 P/ n" R4 H& ? # |) ]! X! O! y: V3 x 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。 9 Y8 g% S7 W' x/ M* e+ a0 b' f& w2 i. [
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。; N6 k7 X& q2 d6 K7 o8 L0 m
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。* J, t2 r+ [& C2 a9 F
! A2 V; T% b1 N$ ]5 \: r2 T
Navy Briefly Loses Contact With Sub Off Florida Coast * i5 c, \3 p0 m9 M . k% u! D( p7 | L# {1 ?3 `0 T, z9 ~Rescue Effort Under Way When Communications Regained6 v% Z2 n f6 V7 G
. J0 T: ?6 i( D; I& y) k' e
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.: Z s! _. |" Y+ N6 e& G& ~9 `
1 P1 h* y1 r+ `8 o- g. w& L
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. w' T2 v! B+ ]5 q2 ^5 B: U 2 r( J7 F8 J# t) ~7 RThe communication lag on Tuesday evening was not explained, and Navy spokesman Phil McGuinn said the incident remains under investigation.5 n3 k" I# V: G0 N, V, M0 R V: f
1 [3 \; o8 M6 w8 @
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.# s$ _6 v2 r' Y) _
, w' U2 N. i7 Z9 [& Z8 y1 ]9 ~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. 5 [' v3 R" e4 D" l! D: Z* n9 [5 K: }9 G
They 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. |) U6 K* q9 j5 P% d q* W0 f9 ]/ x+ G* D' b1 x
"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." ' G- k6 E3 e% X- Y, ~4 d" Z5 p+ p7 J: B4 u z& L
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., g0 G8 M8 c. 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 95