Sec. 1024. SENSE OF CONGRESS RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF U.S.S. THRESHER

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## SEC. 1024 SENSE OF CONGRESS RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF U.S.S. THRESHER ###

(a)Findings Congress makes the following findings: ####

(1)U.S.S. Thresher was first launched at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on July 9, 1960. ####

(2)U.S.S. Thresher departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for her final voyage on April 9, 1963, with a crew of 16 officers, 96 sailors, and 17 civilians. ####

(3)The mix of that crew reflects the unity of the naval submarine service, military and civilian, in the protection of the United States. ####

(4)At approximately 7:47 a.m. on April 10, 1963, while in communication with the surface ship U.S.S. Skylark, and approximately 220 miles off the coast of New England, U.S.S. Thresher began her final descent. ####

(5)U.S.S. Thresher was declared lost with all hands on April 10, 1963. ####

(6)In response to the loss of U.S.S. Thresher, the United States Navy instituted new regulations to ensure the health of the submariners and the safety of the submarines of the United States. ####

(7)Those regulations led to the establishment of the Submarine Safety and Quality Assurance program (SUBSAFE), now one of the most comprehensive military safety programs in the world. ####

(8)SUBSAFE has kept the submariners of the United States safe at sea ever since as the strongest, safest submarine force in history. ####

(9)Since the establishment of SUBSAFE, no SUBSAFE-certified submarine has been lost at sea, which is a legacy owed to the brave individuals who perished aboard U.S.S. Thresher. ####

(10)From the loss of U.S.S. Thresher, there arose in the institutions of higher education in the United States the ocean engineering curricula that enables the preeminence of the United States in submarine warfare. ####

(11)The crew of U.S.S. Thresher demonstrated the “last full measure of devotion” in service to the United States, and this devotion characterizes the sacrifices of all submariners, past and present. ###

(b)Sense of Congress Congress— ####

(1)recognizes the 51st anniversary of the sinking of U.S.S. Thresher; ####

(2)remembers with profound sorrow the loss of U.S.S. Thresher and her gallant crew of sailors and civilians on April 10, 1963; and ####

(3)expresses its deepest gratitude to all submariners on “eternal patrol”, who are forever bound together by dedicated and honorable service to the United States of America.