Metallurgist admits she faked steel-test results for Navy subs

A metallurgist in the state of Washington pleaded guilty to fraud on Monday.

Elaine Marie Thomas, 67, of Auburn, Washington was the director of metallurgy at a foundry in Tacoma. She had been faking the results of steel strength tests for decades. The steel was used to build US Navy submarines from 1985 to 2017.

Elaine’s foundry provided the Navy with steel castings used to make submarine hulls.

She had falsified strength and toughness tests for up to 240 productions of steel between 1985 and 2017. That’s half of the steel produced at her foundry for the Navy.

Authorities have not disclosed which subs were affected, and there has been no indication that any of the sub hulls had failed.

However, authorities have said the Navy will incur increased costs to ensure the vessels remain functional.

The foundry was acquired by Bradken manufacturers in 2008. There was no evidence suggesting the company’s management was aware of the fraud until May 2017.

Only after May 2017 was a lab employee able to find that the test cards had been changed, apart from the other discrepancies in the record.

In 2020, Bradken agreed to “take remedial measures.” It also entered into a civil settlement, “paying [about $10.9m] to resolve allegations that the foundry produced and sold substandard steel components for installation on US Navy submarines.”

Thomas’ given reason for the fraud was rather strange. According to the Associated Press, Thomas thought it was “stupid” for the Navy to require the tests to be conducted at -100F.

Thomas’ attorney suggested that she never intended to compromise the integrity of any material. She was also relieved to find out that the submarines “were not compromised.”

Elaine Marie Thomas is now set to face up to 10 years in prison, apart from the $1m fine. Her sentencing is scheduled for February 14, 2022.

She maintains that her offense was not “motivated by greed,” and she regrets having done what she did.