Whoops; my bad, Commodore.
I can't imagine what was going through the families of the USS San Juan yesterday as reports of the missing submarine started to come in. During an exercise with the USS Enterprise battle group the ship gave indications that it was in distress- loss of communications and a red flare. For those of you not versed in submarine exercises, this is bad. This means a multibillion dollar submarine with 120+ crew members is in trouble- think Kursk or Widowmaker. During these exercises the submarines are to check in on a set schedule via radio messages and when San Juan did not check in it raises concern; couple the lack of communication with a red flare and hairs start to raise up on the back of necks and stomachs start to sink. The International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO) in Norfolk, Va., was alerted to assist with the search and rescue effort. ISMERLO, an international organization, serves to facilitate the rapid call out of international rescue systems in the e...