BREMERTON ― Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Commander Jip Mosman said an "inaccurate procedure" caused a compartment of the USS Louisiana to rapidly depressurize earlier this month, injuring two workers, scattering equipment and dislodging scaffolding.
Noting the shipyard is an "industrial workplace with a lot of moving parts," Mosman said its workforce, the largest in Kitsap County, "cannot get complacent when it comes to keeping ourselves and our co-workers out of harm's way."
"I want all of you to leave work every day and go home to your families, friends and loved ones in the same physical and mental condition as when you came to work," Mosman wrote in the latest issue of Salute, the shipyard's trade publication.
It was the captain's first public comments since the April 2 accident occurred on board the ballistic missile submarine, which has been in Bremerton since 2019 for its midlife nuclear refueling. Mosman said an investigation and a "team learning session" are both continuing into the incident. The two workers were taken to an area medical facility for treatment; five sailors were also evaluated and released the same day.
The problem lay in what's known as the Forward Logistics Escape Trunk, which can be used to escape but also as an opening to transport people and goods on board a sub.
"The depressurization created a loud noise due to the escaping air and dislodged the (escape trunk) and its scaffolding enclosure, injuring two of our shipyard teammates in the process," Mosman wrote.
No other details have been released.
"We are unable to provide any additional information pending completion of a full investigation," according to Anna Taylor, a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard spokeswoman.
The air test is critical to ensure the submarine can operate in the underwater environment. "Air tests consist of closing or sealing the compartment and slowly pressurizing to ensure compartment tightness," Taylor said.
The USS Louisiana's own leadership had just changed hands 8 days before the accident. Navy Cmdr. Michael Kessler, a native of Hauppauge, New York, took command from Lester Patterson, from Gooding, Idaho, on March 25.
Mosman said he was "incredibly proud" of the response to the accident by both the boat's crew and shipyard workers.
"Our team at the scene got straight to work on recovery efforts, working quickly to secure the area, clean up debris and erect new staging and scaffolding," he wrote.
The submarine is among 14 in the Navy that performs what the Navy calls its most important mission. Its patrols keep 20 nuclear missiles out at sea, hidden under the waves, for use if the president ever orders a nuclear strike. Commissioned in 1997, Louisiana came to Puget Sound in 2005. It is the last of the Ohio class submarines to go through a life-extending refueling of its nuclear reactor.
Josh Farley is a reporter covering the military and Bremerton for the Kitsap Sun. He can be reached at 360-792-9227, josh.farley@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter at @joshfarley.