Mysteries of the Sea: What Sank the USS Scorpion?

Did the US Navy Cover Up Its Own Failings or Even a Deadly Encounter With the Soviet Union?

1968 was a tragic and peculiar year for the world’s navies, with the loss of four submarines bringing tragedy to Russia, Israel, France and the United States. The year began with the loss of the Israeli submarine the INS Dakar on January 25 and just two days later the French submarine Minerve was lost. The wreck of the Dakar was found in 1999 located between the islands of Cyprus and Crete, the Minerve was not discovered until 2019, laying 28 miles south of Toulon. There was no link between their sinking. On March 8, the Soviet Union lost K-129. While no official reason was given, the unofficial position of the Soviet Navy was that the boat had been struck by the American submarine USS Swordfish. The Swordfish had received emergency repairs for a bent periscope soon after the loss of the K-129.

In May, this tragedy would come to the United States with the mysterious disappearance of the USS Scorpion. While the position of the US Navy is that the cause of the sinking remains unknown, favouring an accident, some contend that a cover-up ensured that the real reasons behind the loss of 99 crewmen remain hidden.