Submersible Accidents - Stories of Other Dangers

Equipment Failures
Diving Saucer (SP-350) in 1959 suffered a battery short-circuit.  The standard ascent weight was dropped and the sub ascended until gas in the battery box exploded.  The sub began descending, an emergency weight was dropped and the sub surfaced.

In 1966, DeepJeep accidentally dropped its electromagnetically secured ballast plates.  The sub began ascending to the surface where 5 or 6 ships were operating.  The operator somehow (water ballast?) stopped the ascent at 30ft.

Natural Conditions
Abrupt water density changes can affect buoyancy trim, for example when moving from salt to fresh water.

Undersea currents can overwelm the propulsion and control of small submarines.  Currents may run several knots or more.  The NR-1 encountered very strong "tidal wave" like currents which struck the boat periodically on the bottom of the Atlantic.  The crew was later able to estimate the schedule of these undersea waves and prepare for them by trimming the boat heavy and sitting on the bottom to ride them out.

Introduction

Accident Statistics

Entanglements

Collisions

Observations and Conclusion