The Silent Service gallery

[HeyJoe]

100828-N-5216W-012 SANTA RITA, Guam (Aug. 28, 2010) Chief petty officers and chief petty officer selects from the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) perform preservation maintenance on Japanese navy submarine HA-51, a World War II Type C three-man midget submarine, at the T. Snell Newman Visitor Center. Cable is undergoing upgrades at Guam Shipyard for a conversion to the Military Sealift Command. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jennifer L. Walker/Released)

 

[HeyJoe]

100827-N-5620H-025 SANTA RITA, Guam (Aug. 27, 2010) Rear Adm. Robert J. Kamensky, vice commander of Submarine Force, crosses the quarterdeck aboard the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40). Cable is undergoing upgrades at Guam Shipyard for the Military Sealift Command conversion. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Corey Hensley/Released)

 

[HeyJoe]

100906-N-7705S-068 NORFOLK (Sept. 6, 2010) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Norfolk (SSN 714) returns from a scheduled six-month deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Todd A. Schaffer/Released)

 

[Alpha_Echo_606]

01/14/2011
SUB SNOW
Falling snow covers the Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Hampshire on Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Conn., Jan. 12, 2011. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Michael Henderson

 

[snizo]

From what I've gathered it will still be a 12 month unaccompanied tour for those assigned to the ship.

Has this been done before? MSC having control but keeping it a United States Ship?

USS Mount Whitney.

 

[ShadeofRed]

On watch as planesman during an emergency blow, angles and dangles, quick dive, euchre on the mess decks, the midwatch baker bringing food to control even though the CO's standing orders say no food, and standing lookout with the OOD while running silent on the surface at night are some of the "few" good memories I have of the Fast Attack community. I try and forget the sparkle teams, section tracking party, TDU loadouts, port and starboard watch section while in port..... on the whole, yeah, I am definitely happier being on the other side of the equation hunting the sub!

Good pics!

I had completly blocked STP from my memory until reading your post. lol. Being an FT was cool, but that was the worst!


edit: btw NECROPOST! lol /ugh

 

[LFDtoUSMC]

We were going to Alaska for sound trials before Westpac and we threw our shaft seal. It was kind of crazy going back into the engine room (gym equipment is near the shaft aft of the reduction gears) and seeing sea water spraying in from around the shaft ...... Unfortunately Bremerton had no open dry-docks, because we had to surface transit ALL the way to San Diego. That might not sound like a huge deal except for the fact that submarines don't have keels....ugh, lol. Anyway I suppose I'm just feeling nostalgic.

/endthreadjack

Since we don't have a stupid sub questions thread I figured I would post here since this is an active thread.

The last part of your post got me thinking, what kind of sea state can a sub handle on the surface before it becomes way to dangerous? In that type of long trek on the surface what would you do if a storm brought the sea state beyond the safety threshold?

If you can't answer these questions on an open forum I understand.

 

[Spekkio]

We can stay surfaced in practically any sea state. If it gets too bad then we shift the OOD belowdecks and shut the bridge access hatches, which some COs would do automatically for a long open ocean surface transit anyway so you can book it and get ahead of PIM. How bad is too bad depends on sea state, direction and speed of travel, and the OOD and CO's threshold of pain. But you don't sleep well when rolling like that, that's for sure. Even low sea states cause enough rolling and creeking to keep you awake.

The "old school" mentality from what CO has told me was you stay on the bridge no matter what but expensive electrical repairs on some boats from taking on water and some LL from personnel mishaps have shifted that mantra.

 

[Jim123]

The "old school" mentality from what CO has told me was you stay on the bridge no matter what but expensive electrical repairs on some boats from taking on water and some LL from personnel mishaps have shifted that mantra.

Once day, while onboard a DD and transiting through some rough weather, we hit a lot of 40°+ rolls (up to and including one 45°... the magic number!!). Throughout the day we learned that one of the wardroom couches, various random pieces of furniture, bookshelves, and even the two-drawer safe in the helo ops office were not as "secure for sea" as we had thought... It seemed that every hour or two there would be a personnel casualty called away on the 1MC- somebody would lose their footing and end up smacking their head or part of their body on something.

The thing is, when the weather sucks enough to beat up a ship like that, if somebody gets hurt so badly that they require level of medical care, they're still kinda stuck on the ship...

 

[ShadeofRed]

The thing is, when the weather sucks enough to beat up a ship like that, if somebody gets hurt so badly that they require level of medical care, they're still kinda stuck on the ship...

Reminds me of the nuke that was killed roving ERLL on the San Francisco. I would assume on a carrier there is more capability to handle a medical emergency than a sub or small boy. But that's a true statement, if you are in bad enough condition that you need an airvac, chances are you aren't going to make it :/

"It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end."

 

[BusyBee604]

We can stay surfaced in practically any sea state.

Hypothtically true; however, although the vessel can handle extremely rough weather/wind/waves, a point comes where it becomes very dangerous for the crew i.e., flying dishes/tools, falls on slippery decks, inability to prepare meals, danger of being swept overboard to unsecured personnel, and importantly seasickness, which seriously affects crew efficiency & morale thus, safety!

***DISCLAIMER: I am a qualified 'Dolphinized' Sub Sailor, but my sub experience was on USS CAVALLA (SSK-244), a WWII diesel-powered "guppy-snorkel" in the mid-'50s, and one of the first in a long line of anti-submarine (killer) boats. Any opinions/experiences I share here may not necessarily apply to modern nuke boats. Just a historic perspective!

The last part of your post got me thinking, what kind of sea state can a sub handle on the surface before it becomes way to dangerous? In that type of long trek on the surface what would you do if a storm brought the sea state beyond the safety threshold?

Obviously, the solution is to "pull the plug"! It was only a temporary solution for us (24-48hrs. due to battery depletion). At depth below 75-100 ft. things were quite calm even with raging seas on the surface. Of course unplanned submerged operations may affect mission, safety is Job 1!

BzB

 

[BusyBee604]

View attachment 11978 View attachment 11979View attachment 11980 View attachment 11981
***DISCLAIMER: I am a qualified 'Dolphinized' Sub Sailor, but my sub experience was on USS CAVALLA (SSK-244), a WWII diesel-powered "guppy-snorkel" in the mid-'50s, and one of the first in a long line of anti-submarine (killer) boats.
BzB

Photo ID for the four SSK-244 thumbnails above:

1. Entering Tokyo Bay for Japanese surrender ceremony (Sept. 1945)
2. Heading up the Thames River to dock at home port NSB New London CT. I was aboard as ET2 at this time (1955)
3. At home on dry land, as a Submarine Memorial/Museum at Seawolf Park in Galveston TX (2013)
4. Sail showing WWII awards. Note PUC (top left), awarded for sinking Japanese carrier IJN SHOKAKU in June 1944... then the last surviving of the Pearl Harbor raiders. CO LCDR Herman J. Kossler awarded NC for this action!

LCDR H. J. Kossler
BzB

 

[Spekkio]

No "slippery decks" on the nuke boats as you only go on topside decks during BSP/BSCs in a channel in low sea-state and very slowly at that. The Minneapolis St. Paul learned the hard way not to have personnel topside outside of a channel -- lost a few Sailors to the ocean, including the COB.

Practically everything on a sub is bolted and strapped down. It's also tested by the CO after the initial dive doing 25 deg angles and dangles (usually breaks a few dishes, even though the cooks get notified in advance unlike everyone else). Stowage for sea is an important aspect of basic submarining. The USS Hartford rolled 90 degrees during her collision and no one died from adrift gear.

When the sea state is really bad you can feel it down to quite a bit of depth, although it all depends on where in the ocean you are and where the layer is. If it's bad enough that you can't possibly serve meals, you'd probably have to go deeper than anyone would be comfortable going with a controlled seawater leak in the shaft seals to avoid rolling around.

 

[Sub King]

BZB, your comment about sea sickness affecting morale and safety is a NO SHITTER.

Coming out of Halifax NS on a maneuvering watch, the sea state was so bad that the Steam Generator water level alarms were constantly going off. For some reason I did not get sick, but as Engine Room Supervisor, I ended up doing the lion's share of the work during my watch because the other engine room watchstanders were nearly out of commission due to puking and nausea. Even the crusty chief who had been on subs for 15 yrs had sat on the ground slumped over a blue bucket filled with chem wipes and eventually his last meal. A memory I often gave him shit about.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

the sea state was so bad that the Steam Generator water level alarms were constantly going off.

I have seen this happen on carriers before, if it was that bad for us I hate to think what it would have been like for a sub on the surface