Navy agrees to brief 2 lawmakers on reportedly damaged missile

By Mike Carter
Seattle Times staff reporter

	Jay Inslee
	E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

Rear Admiral Charles Young, the director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, responded to a demand for the briefing by Reps. Norm Dicks and Jay Inslee after the Navy refused to publicly acknowledge any incident at the base. Scott Baker, a spokesman for Inslee, said the admiral was tentatively set to meet with the congressmen on Thursday.

The demand for the briefing came after Dicks and Inslee said they were not satisfied with the Navy's public response to their request earlier this week that the Navy release information about the incident in the wake of media reports.

Yesterday, the Navy essentially said it would not acknowledge anything had happened and, even if it had, it wouldn't be discussed because of security concerns.

Dicks, the No. 2 Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, took one look at the Navy's written response and called Rear Adm. Charles Young, the director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, and asked for the briefing, said George Behan, a spokesman for Dicks.

Inslee, whose district includes Naval Submarine Base Bangor, said he was "very troubled" by the circumstances of the reported incident, particularly because local emergency-services officials were not notified.

"Congressman Dicks and I intend to discuss these allegations with the Navy in the upcoming days, and work to ensure that a comprehensive safety system exists to prevent any incident, such as those alleged ... in media reports, from occurring," Inslee said in a prepared statement.

Two additional sources familiar with the incident confirmed yesterday that the nose cone of a Trident I C-4 missile was gouged as it was hoisted into a protective sleeve.

Workers had mistakenly left a ladder inside the sleeve, which tore into the tip of the 34-foot missile. There was no damage to any of the warheads inside the missile.

Other sources confirmed they were sent home from their jobs the next day after being told that a missile had been damaged while it was being offloaded from the USS Georgia, an Ohio-class submarine that was berthed at the Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific (SWFPAC).

Weeks after the November incident, the entire command staff at SWFPAC, including the commanding officer, executive officer, weapons officer and command master chief, were relieved of duty.
 
Both Dicks and Inslee were told of the command changes, their staffers said. At the time, the Navy cited a "loss of confidence" in Capt. Keith Lyles and his subordinates.

Behan said Dicks never inquired further and that the congressman was never told of a missile mishap. When Inslee asked for additional information, he was told "it was a personnel matter and that the Navy would not discuss it further," said Scott Baker, Inslee's assistant press secretary.

"At the time, we had no reason to be suspicious," Baker said. "We are concerned now."

In its response yesterday to written questions submitted by The Times, the Navy stated that "there has never been a Trident weapons-system accident" at either SWFPAC or its sister facility on the East Coast.

Pamela Sims, a spokesman for Navy's Strategic Systems Programs Office in Washington, D.C., declined to elaborate.

One source, who had been briefed on the Navy's investigation into the incident, said a mishap would likely be labeled an "accident" only if there was a release of radiation.

A lawsuit filed by anti-nuclear activist Glen Milner has turned up three other minor incidents involving damage to Trident missiles since 1991. The Navy categorized the incidents as a "jolt" or "bump."

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company