SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A retired U.S. Navy nuclear submarine commander is offering his perspective on Tuesday's torpedo attack that sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, the first time the U.S. has used a submarine to sink a battleship since World War II.
David Marquet spent over 30 years with the Navy and in the Submarine Force. He spent 14 years on submarines and served as captain of the USS Santa Fe, which was once stationed in Pearl Harbor and is now home-ported in Point Loma.
He's also the author of 'Turn the Ship Around!', a book about leadership.
"In the United States, we haven't done this since, since World War II. But that shouldn't leave you the impression that we don't practice a lot," Marquet said.
The submarine force, often referred to as the "Silent Service," lives up to that name, Marquet said.
"We like that. We like not being visible. That's the whole idea," Marquet said.
He said sailors practice torpedo launches regularly, using exercise warheads that don't have the mechanism that creates an explosion.
"Every submarine in the fleet shoots multiple torpedoes with exercise warheads every year. We practice the system end to end all the time," Marquet said.
Marquet said submarines often go silent and undetected below the surface, deploying as part of a carrier strike group. In peacetime, they can collect intelligence and observe enemy operating patterns.
In wartime, their role expands significantly.
"In wartime, we sink ships, we also launch missiles, so they might be in position to launch Tomahawk missiles," Marquet said.
The attack on Tuesday killed at least 87 Iranian sailors, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. submarine that launched the torpedo has not been disclosed for military security reasons.
Despite the readiness, Marquet said the hope is always that such force never has to be used.
"We practice this, we always sort of hope that we don't have to do it. Because that means deterrence has, has failed," Marquet said.
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