Originally Posted by
Jayand
false alarms are actually very common place for EPIRB activiation on other platforms such as Yachts, ships, etc.
False alarms on peacetime/civilian vessels are pretty minor, and might not take much more than a phone call to clear up. It's a somewhat bigger deal when your EPIRB accidentally deploys on a vessel that's trying to hide; bear in mind that, even in peacetime, submarines generally don't want to be located.
What if an automated EPIRB accidentally deploys on a SSBN? Oops, that's your nuclear deterrent compromised, especially if your adversary is then able to home in and start capturing your acoustic signature. What if you've got a SSN snooping around somewhere it shouldn't be? Again, an accidental EPIRB deployment is going to be a pretty big deal.
And for what benefit? If the San Juan incident is what it's starting to look like, it seems unlikely that an automatically-deployed EPIRB would have done the crew much good anyway...