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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE March 23, 1999 COMMITTEE on FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE on INVESTIGATIONS I Ask That a Portion of His Award Win- Mr

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE March 23, 1999 COMMITTEE on FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE on INVESTIGATIONS I Ask That a Portion of His Award Win- Mr 5234 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE March 23, 1999 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS I ask that a portion of his award win- Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. ning article be printed in the RECORD President, the Finance Committee re- President, I ask unanimous consent on and intend to have the remainder of quests unanimous consent to conduct a behalf of the Permanent Subcommittee the article printed in the RECORD over hearing on Tuesday, March 23, 1999 be- on Investigations of the Governmental the next several days. ginning at 10 a.m. in room 215 Dirksen. Affairs Committee to meet on Tuesday, The material follows: The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without March 23, 1999, for a hearing on the SUBMISS: THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THE objection, it is so ordered. topic of ‘‘Securities Fraud On The U.S.S. ‘‘SCORPION’’ (SSN 589) COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS Internet.’’ (By Mark Bradley) Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without At around midnight on May 16, 1968, U.S.S. President, I ask unanimous consent objection, it is so ordered. Scorpion (SSN 589) slipped quietly through that the Committee on Foreign Rela- SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY, TERRORISM, the Straits of Gibraltar and paused just long tions be authorized to meet during the AND GOVERNMENT INFORMATION enough off the choppy breakwaters of Rota, session of the Senate on Tuesday, Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. Spain, to rendezvous with a boat and offload March 23, 1999 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a two crewmen and several messages. A high President, I ask unanimous consent performance nuclear attack submarine with business meeting. that the Subcommittee on Technology, 99 men aboard, the Scorpion was on her way The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Terrorism, and Government Informa- home to Norfolk, Virginia, after completing objection, it is so ordered. tion, of the Senate Judiciary Com- three months of operations in the Mediterra- SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING mittee be authorized to hold a hearing nean with vessels from the Sixth Fleet and Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. during the session of the Senate on NATO. Capable of traveling submerged at President, I ask unanimous consent Tuesday, March 23, 1999 at 10 a.m. in over 30 knots, she expected to reach her that the Special Committee on Aging room 226, Senate Dirksen Office Build- home port within a week. Upon entering the Atlantic, the Scorpion be permitted to meet on March 23, 1999 ing, on ‘‘Internet Gambling.’’ fell under the direct operational control of at 9 a.m.–1 p.m. in Dirksen 106 for the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Vice Admiral Arnold Schade, the commander purpose of conducting a hearing. objection, it is so ordered. of the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Submarine Fleet. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without f On May 20, he issued a still-classified oper- objection, it is so ordered. ations order to the submarine that diverted ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICAN AFFAIRS her from her homeward trek and required Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. THE 1999 JAMES MADISON PRIZE her to move toward the Canary Islands and a President, I ask unanimous consent ∑ Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, this small formation of Soviet warships that had past Friday, the Society for History in gathered southwest of the islands. Under that the Subcommittee on African Af- U.S. Naval air surveillance since May 19, this fairs of the Committee on Foreign Re- the Federal Government awarded its flotilla consisted of one Echo-II class nuclear lations be authorized to meet during annual James Madison prize for the submarine, a submarine rescue vessel, and the session of the Senate on Tuesday, most distinguished article on an his- two hydrographic surveys ships. Three days March 23, 1999 at 10 a.m. to hold a hear- torical topic ‘‘reflecting on the func- later, a missile destroyer capable of firing ing. tions of the Federal Government.’’ This nuclear surface-to-surface missiles and an The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without year, the award was presented to a oiler joined the group. objection, it is so ordered. member of my staff, Mark A. Bradley, At approximately 7:54 p.m. Norfolk time on for an article he wrote on the dis- May 21, the Scorpion rose to within a few feet SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGING of the rolling surface, extended her antenna, Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. appearance of the U.S.S. Scorpion (SSN and radioed the U.S. Naval Communication President, I ask unanimous consent 589). Station in Greece. Her radioman reported that the Subcommittee on Aging of the The Scorpion was a Skipjack class nu- that she was 250 miles southwest of the Committee on Health, Education, clear submarine. In 1968, after a Medi- Azores Islands and estimated her time of ar- Labor, and Pensions be authorized to terranean deployment with the 6th rival in Norfolk to be 1 p.m. on May 27. On meet during the session of the Senate Fleet, the Scorpion was lost with all that day, as the families of the crew gath- on Tuesday, March 23, 1999 at 2 p.m. to hands aboard about 400 miles of the ered on Pier 22 in a driving rain and waited Azores. It had been on a secret intel- for their husbands and fathers to surface off receive testimony on the Older Ameri- the Virginia capes, the captain of the U.S.S. cans Act. ligence mission and the exact cir- Orion, who was the acting commander of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without cumstances of the tragedy continue to Submarine Squadron 6, the Scorpion’s unit, objection, it is so ordered. be debated. Mr. Bradley’s article re- told Schade what the Vice Admiral secretly SUBCOMMITTEE ON EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC counts the events that led to the loss knew: the Scorpion had failed to respond to AFFAIRS of the Scorpion and offers an insightful routine messages about tug services and her Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. explanation of what might have caused berthing location. After an intensive effort President, I ask unanimous consent the accident. to communicate with the submarine failed, Schade declared a SUBMISS at 3:15 p.m. and Our own Senator ROBERT C. BYRD for that the Subcommittee on East Asian launched a massive hunt. and Pacific Affairs of the Committee his masterly work on the Senate, his- Numbering over fifty ships, submarines on Foreign Relations be authorized to torian Ira Berlin for his work on Eman- and planes, the searchers retraced the Scor- meet during the session of the Senate cipation in the American South, and pion’s projected route to Norfolk and found on Tuesday, March 23, 1999 at 12 noon the Manuscript Division of the Library nothing. What most in the Navy, including to hold a hearing. of Congress, for its W. Averell Har- the crew’s families, did not know was that The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without riman project are all past Society for Schade already had organized a secret search objection, it is so ordered. History in the Federal Government for the submarine on May 24 after she had award winners. failed to respond to a series of classified mes- SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND sages and, by May 28, he and others in the TRANSPORTATION As a Rhodes scholar, Mr. Bradley is service’s command believed the Scorpion had Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. no stranger to distinguished awards. been destroyed. Highly classified hydrophone President, I ask unanimous consent He is an accomplished historian who, data indicated to them that she had suffered that the Subcommittee on Housing and in his spare time, serves as the Asso- a catastrophic explosion on May 22 and had Transportation of the Committee on ciate Editor of Periodical, the Journal been crushed as she twisted to the ocean’s Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of America’s Military Past, where his floor. be authorized to meet during the ses- award winning article, ‘‘Submiss: The On June 5, the Navy officially declared the Mysterious Death of the USS Scorpion submarine presumed lost and her crew dead. sion of the Senate on Tuesday, March On June 4, the service’s high command had 23, 1999, to conduct a hearing on ‘‘Man- (SSN 589) appeared. We are proud of established a formal court of inquiry chaired agement Challenges at HUD.’’ him and thankful that he has chosen to by Vice Admiral Bernard Austin (Ret), who The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without apply his talents here in the Senate in also had headed the Navy’s investigation objection, it is so ordered. the service of the nation. into the 1963 loss of U.S.S. Thresher which VerDate jul 14 2003 11:41 Oct 01, 2004 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR99\S23MR9.003 S23MR9 March 23, 1999 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE 5235 had cost the lives of 129 men. After evalu- guarded intelligence operations ever mount- twenty-four hours later, SOSUS and civilian ating nearly 50 days of testimony, the Court ed by the United States. Code named Oper- underwater listening systems ranging from concluded that it could not determine the ation HOLYSTONE, its original purpose was Argentina to Newfoundland picked up the exact cause for the Scorpion’s loss. On Octo- to use specially equipped submarines to pen- shock of an underwater explosion along the ber 28, 1968, the Navy found the Scorpion’s etrate Soviet waters to observe missile Scorpion’s projected route followed by crush- shaattered remains in over 11,000 feet of launches and capture readouts of their com- ing sounds not unlike those recorded during water approximately 400 miles southwest of puter calculations.
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