Did the USS scorpion destroy itself with its own torpedo?

Answer 1

Poorly manufactured torpedo(s). The above answer is doubtful. The torpedo was probably well-manufactured and worked as designed. As Scorpion quickly altered its course to chase the Soviet submarine, one or more of its homing torpeoes may have been detonated by the sudden turn. These were highy maneuverable submarines, and a National Geographic reporter at the time mentioned that they had streetcar straps hanging from the overheads so that the crew would not fall over when the sub turned. It was the teardrop-shape hull first used by the three subs of the Barbel class; smaller than Scorpion with diesel-electric (slower but quieter) instead of nuclear propulsion. Next came the nuclear-powered Skipjack class, with six submarines of which USS Scorpion was a member, and five others which were lengthened for Polaris missiles. They became the George Washinton class; the US Navy's first ballistic missile subs. Their greater length-beam ratio would have prevented them from making the sharp turns of the Skipjacks and Barbels. Among the other five Skipkacks and three Barbels, this writer speculates that the torpedo problem may have been corrected after Scorpion's loss, or perhaps they were never required to make such a sharp course correction as Scorpion. The torpedo itself was probably not At Fault. It was simply that no one foresaw the danger this torpedo might present to the world's most maneuverable submarines. Or if anyone foresaw it, they were not listened to.