In 1963, the World’s Most Advanced Submarine Sank Off Cape Cod — A Single Brazed Pipe Joint Killed All 129 Men Aboard

In 1963, the World’s Most Advanced Submarine Sank Off Cape Cod — A Single Brazed Pipe Joint Killed All 129 Men Aboard

On April 10, 1963, the USS Thresher (SSN-593) — the lead ship of a new class of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered fast attack submarines — was conducting deep-dive tests off Cape Cod when she radioed the surface rescue ship USS Skylark to report “minor difficulties,” followed by a garbled transmission suggesting loss of control before contact was lost and the submarine sank past crush depth. All 129 sailors and civilian personnel aboard were killed. The…