50th Anniversary Of The Sinking Of The Uss Thresher

Sept. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- As we approach the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Thresher (SSN-593), Joseph Valentinetti’s I Am Diving addresses this tragedy of American naval history through fiction based in fact. In writing I Am Diving, Valentinetti explores the unfortunate neglect surrounding the construction and subsequent inspection of the Thresher.

Francis Drury is a man who is “possessed of a strong sense of fairness” and “as an engineer he knew tolerances” and “margins within which variance was acceptable.”  Although he knows that right and wrong are often “shades of gray and human affairs had certain margins of error within which variance was acceptable,” he also knows that “life and death was black and white.”  Compelled by this sense of right and wrong, Drury writes a number of missives to the people who can prevent the tragedy of the Thresher, including the Secretary of the Navy, informing them that there are 112 faults in the Thresher.  Although his wife, Miriam, questions if they will ever listen to him, Drury feels an “obligation” to let them know that Benedict, the corporation servicing the government contract, and for whom he works, is using fraudulent methods to verify the serviceability of the submarine parts that they manufacture; indeed, he implores them to investigate before it is too late.

The history of the Thresher is one of our nation’s greatest disasters—a military sub lost at sea during deep-diving tests in 1963, sending many young men to their watery graves.  Although the families of the Thresher will never see true justice come to pass, Valentinetti memorializes the Thresher through this fictional account as the 50th anniversary approaches and raises awareness about the fraudulence and neglect that surrounded its construction. The author highlights the significance of sub safety and the SUBSAFE program, and provides a message for government officials about listening to the letters of well-meaning civilians.