Shipyard to Honor USS Thresher Victims

At 9:17 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, Portsmouth area residents will hear the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard's whistle sound to remember the 50th anniversary of loss of the USS Thresher submarine and its crew of 129 sailors and civilians.

Deb White, the shipyard's public affairs officer, said the whistle will sound at the exact time 50 years ago on April 10, 1963 when the USS Skylark lost radio contact with the USS Thresher during its deep sea diving trials off of Cape Cod, Mass.

A ship's bell will be tolled 129 times, once for each man lost on board the Thresher, followed by gun salute by the Shipyard Honor Guard and Taps played by Traip Academy students" wrote White.

Gov. Maggie Hassan has also ordered flags to be flown at half staff on Wednesday across New Hampshire to honor the men who were lost in what was the Navy's worst nuclear submarine disaster.

“The loss of the USS Thresher, which was designed, built, and commissioned at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, was a tragedy for the Navy, our Nation, and especially for the families of her honorable crew,” Governor Hassan said. “As we mark 50 years since that tragic day, our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of those 129 gallant souls, whose sacrifice we can never truly repay," said Hassan in a prepared statement.

Wednesday's ceremony at the shipyard and the governor's order follows two other remembrance events held last weekend where family members, Navy submarine veterans and political dignataries honored the memory of those who were lost.

More than 950 people, including U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, and U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-NH, attended the 50th annual USS Thresher Memorial service at Portsmouth High School on Saturday which was followed by a wreath laying ceremony from the new Memorial Bridge.

On Sunday morning, the USS Thresher flag pole memorial was dedicated at the Kittery, Maine, Traffic Circle.