Slashdot Mirror

Col. Sanders had the same problem.

"When the Navy conducted tests on another Thresher-class vessel, it found that the pressure drop across the component at high flow rates caused entrained moisture to accumulate on the strainers and form enough ice to block the air flow. Venturi cooling, as this phenomenon is called, was thought to be the reason that the Thresher's attempts to blow its main ballast tanks were ineffective." source.

"Thresher's inability to blow the ballast tanks had nothing to do with the reactor shutdown. It was a separate problem that unfortunately reared it's head at the wrong time. The blow system had plenty of capacity and it can be manually operated. That was not the problem. When the high pressure air that was used to blow the tanks left the storage banks, it passes through the control valves that keep it in the banks under pressure. Anytime a compressed gas expands, it cools rapidly. As the very cold air passed through the valves, frost began to form due to the presence of moisture in the air. It very quickly built up (a matter of a few seconds) and froze solid in the valves. The solid ice stopped the air just as effectively as shutting the valves, thus the Thresher was unable to blow her tanks. This problem was discovered in one of the Thresher's sister boats when a test was conducted alongside the pier. Everyone involved was shocked at what happened. This discovery resulted in an immediate redesign of the whole ballast tank blow system. The valves were redesigned and moisture traps were installed in the air lines. The new design was completely effective and it eliminated the problem. Unfortunately, it was far too late for the Thresher's crew." source.

Can anybody point to any actual accidents in the US Navy nuclear program that did not involve somebody shooting at a sub??
(note http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rlmckinl.htm does not count due to it being a suicide)

this is how you do "safe" nuclear.

Do you believe everything you read? when ive seen multiple sources yes
Do you think the USN goes around broadcasting all it's "unusual events"? of course not

Can you possibly fathom the subtle concept that the Navy finds valid security reasons or other, less-authentic excuses to suppress the information? but the accident reports have to be filed the existence of the reports is not

Quick quiz: how many USN nuclear reactors are now on the bottom of the world's oceans? dunno but "lost source" means that the reactor is "intact" and may be functional

If you can provide a .mil url listing actual reports of naval reactor accidents then i will concede the point otherwise .... (oh and btw basically zero includes this case http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rlmckinl.htm)

Generals never risk their lives? http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dfpratt.htm

OK, it's pretty unlikely that Gen. Lord will be participating in any airborne invasions, but you never know...

Actually Remembrance day WWI not WWII. The poppy is a reference to "In Flanders Fields". The battle of Vimy Ridge and the battles of the Flanders were defining moments in Canadian history and the transition from British colony to nation.

They acted completely appropriately for the first one. What they did next is what infuriated everyone.

They found the first one at 9 (story). At noon they announced to the public that it was a false alarm. Consequently, we can infer that they likely knew it was a false alarm no later than 11. Then they find another at 1pm. Might you expect the bomb squad to notice a trend and act accordingly - maybe tone down the paranoia? They had 2 hours to think about it! THAT's the thinking that I expect public officials, the ones in the know, to do. Call the chief of police and say, "hey, let everyone know that these things are harmless."

Instead, they scream their heads off comparing Turner Broadcasting's Lite-Brite stunt to actual terrorist bombings that actually kill people, and that they got SCARED (by Lite-Brites), and that they spent $750,000 (blowing up Lite-Brites) and ohmygod who's gonna pay for it?

Land of the brave, indeed.

Err, the first person killed in an aircraft crash was an Army officer the Wrights were showing their aircraft to. They were actively trying to sell it as a military vehicle. This is the story of Lt. T. E. Selfridge, the first military casualty of an aircraft mishap. Orville was piloting the aircraft, and Selfridge was killed when the wing warped and the propeller broke.

This article talks about the Wrights' courting of the military, without bothering to mention Selfridge's death. Interesting, what? Can't be tarnishing the names of the Holy Brothers Wright...

The rest of your post is right on.