Dear ChicagoCoin,
Most of those who post in anonymous forums such as this rarely include such as extensive information as yours: you are to be commended!
Nonetheless - and regardless of the detail aforementioned, as well as the Smartware aspect - if your hard drive is hardware encrypted, I would humbly suggest the following:
DIAGNOSIS: Faulty USB port (soldered connection(s) within the external case: drop(s), slip(s), fall(s)… normal plugging/unplugging…)
This weak link is the endemic fault within the 2TB/3TB external “book” series… check the numerous postings by Joe_S and fzabkar , as well as hddguru.com for more extensive/detailed information on this problem…