1968 — May 21, last com., US nuclear submarine Scorpion, on bottom ~400M W. of Azores–99

–99 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 416.
–99 Mabeus. “50 Years Ago…Scorpion Sank with 99 Crewmen.” Virginia-Pilot, Norfolk, 5-28-2018.
–99 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 513.
–99 USN. “USS Scorpion Family Members Mark the 40th Anniversary of…Loss.” 5-29-2008.
–99 Wikipedia. “USS Scorpion (SSN-589).” 6-21-2020 edit. Accessed 7-22-2020.

Narrative Information

Cornell: “The nuclear-powered submarine Scorpion, homeward bound after maneuvers in the Mediterranean, surfaced about 250 miles west of the Azores at midnight on May 21 and radioed its position to Norfolk, Virginia. That was the Scorpion’s last message. The submarine and its 99-man crew disappeared into the ocean. On October 30, while making measurements of the ocean bottom 400 miles southwest of the Azores, the underwater metal detectors and deep-sea cameras of the naval oceanographic vessel Mizair spotted what is now thought to be the wreckage of the Scorpion in 10,000 feet of water. Some oceanographers now think the Scorpion could have been a victim of an ‘underwater wave,’ a sudden change in undersea currents that can plunge a submarine hundreds of feet in seconds, thus taking it far below its safe operating depth.” (Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 416.)

Sources

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Mabeus, Courtney. “50 Years Ago, Navy Sub USS Scorpion Sank with 99 Crewmen.” Virginia-Pilot, Norfolk, 5-28-2018. Accessed 7-22-2020 at: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/05/28/navy-submarine-uss-scorpion-mysteriously-disappeared-50-years-ago.html

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

United States Department of the Navy. “USS Scorpion Family Members Mark the 40th Anniversary of the Submarine’s Loss.” 5-29-2008.” Accessed 7-22-2020 at: https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=37466

Wikipedia. “USS Scorpion (SSN-589).” 6-21-2020 edit. Accessed 7-22-2020 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Scorpion_(SSN-589)