Ultraquiet No More

New USS Hawaii Blog

joel.bubblehead@gmail.com (Bubblehead) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:17:00 +0000

From a ComSubPac news release:

A newly-created internet blog is being facilitated by Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) Public Affairs in conjunction with USS Hawaii (SSN 776) crewmembers to chronicle the submarine’s historic arrival to its new home port of Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
The blog will feature posts from the submarine’s leadership on topics such as the transit from Groton as well as the crew’s activities and training accomplishments. The blog can be accessed through the COMSUBPAC official website (www.csp.navy.mil) or independently at http://usshawaiissn776.blogspot.com/
The public is encouraged to comment on any posts that interest them and to check back for the newest USS Hawaii information and arrival updates.

You can visit the new blog here.

Pirate Catch and Release

carusoteam@gmail.com (Vigilis) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Members of the submarine community (all nationalities) who find this humorous are free to copy and distribute or republish this cartoon without alteration. If you are also a member of PETOP, please use your discretion.

Bump in the Night

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Given the heavy traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, it was perhaps only a matter of time before this happened, which is not to say it is not a serious matter...

The submarine, the USS Hartford, collided with the USS New Orleans about 1 a.m. in the strait, which runs between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the busiest commercial routes for oil tankers.

Al Qaeda's Leadership Opens Up at last!

carusoteam@gmail.com (Vigilis) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:25:00 +0000

Adapted for UQNM by Juan Caruso from original at M.E.

Vanguard & Triomphant Collide!

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:20:00 +0000

UPDATE (2/17/09; 9:12am): Journalist ignorance and arrogance reigns supreme in the coverage of this story ("How could you allow this to happen?! How dare you not be perfect!? You could have destroyed the world!!! etc. etc.) *YAWN* ... meanwhile, beyond the hype, it turns out that events were apparently much less dramatic that has been portrayed by the media & anti-nuke groups:

French and British sailors did not realise their nuclear submarines had crashed into each other until their governments got in touch over the incident, France's defence minister admitted Tuesday.

After the French navy announced on February 6 that Le Triomphant had hit an unidentified object under water, British officials approached them "and said 'well hey, we also had a problem'," Herve Morin said on French television.

Original post follows below....

The British press is reporting that one of their SSBNs, the HMS Vanguard, collided with the French SSBN Le Triomphant in the "mid-Atlantic"...

[Vanguard] was last night towed into Faslane in Scotland, with dents and scrapes visible on her hull. Triomphant limped to Brest with extensive damage to her sonar dome.

Details of course are still sketchy. According to the UK Daily Mail:

During heavy seas in the middle of the night between February 3 and 4, French sailors heard a loud ‘bang’ that all but destroyed the submarine's sonar dome.
This part of the boat should have detected the Vanguard in the first place, but Le Triomphant’s crew of 101 neither saw or heard anything before the collision.
...
Le Triomphant took at least three days to limp back to her home port, although she did not have to be towed.
HMS Vanguard, by contrast, apparently had to be towed back to her home base in Faslane, Scotland.

This makes it sound as if one of the boats was headed to PD and collided with the other which was masked by the wave action of "heavy seas" near the surface. But that of course is sheer conjecture on my part at this point.

I once enjoyed Christmas dinner as a guest aboard HMS Vanguard--a massive, lovely ship that the Brits are very proud of. It would be a terrible blow if she can't return to sea.

Stay tuned.

Nevada CoC

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:51:00 +0000

Congratulations to my good friend, Al, who has been slated to take command of the USS NEVADA (SSBN 733) Blue Crew later this year or early next.

They have no idea how lucky they are in their new Commanding Officer.

The Nevada is home ported out of Bremerton, WA (now known as Naval Base Kitsap) and I intend to be at the Change of Command, so if any readers or fellow submariners have recommendations or "must-sees" in Bremerton, please let me know!

Submarine Coloring for the Kids

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:32:00 +0000

[Cross-posted from "Unconsidered Trifles"] Hmm, let's see...how does that Christmas carol go?

A pair of hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots
Is the wish of Barney and Ben;
Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk
Is the hope of Janice and Jen;
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, shipmates, I'm here to help you keep your sanity until the kids are back in school. I found this link to a fun page where you can print-out sketches of your ol' boat for the young'ins to color.

Enjoy--and Happy New Year!

Sailors blast wear rules for blue cammies

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 22:09:00 +0000

Below is my submission for a Navy Times op-ed ("BackTalk"), I have done a number of these in the past few years (both before and after I left active duty). It's a bit strongly worded, but the rules regarding the NWU prompted my "can't suffer idiots" gene to become dominant.

As a civilian now, I can officially (and legally) say this and not get into hot water with my Chief of the Boat…so here goes.

The Navy leadership is certifiably Stupid. Yes, that was a capital “S”. It was intentional.

I refer to the recent rules laid out for the new Navy Working Uniform. I remember the restrictions placed on dungarees way back when, and how we looked forward to the (current) utilities when they were new in the late 1990’s. The idea then was the utilities were supposed to be acceptable for off-base wear, at least for routine things like stopping at the bank, the DMV, the grocery, or to pick up one’s kids at school. And it worked…somewhat. The restrictions loosened to a fairly reasonable degree (though not near the degree other services had). Don’t get me wrong, the restrictions were still a bit silly given that we are all adults, but they weren’t overboard.

Now the Navy is returning to the realm of sheer idiocy with the rules for the NWU. For a uniform that is in cut/design nearly identical to uniforms worn by the Air Force and Army, the rules on where they are worn will herald a return to the situations that I found myself in back in Hawaii in the 1990’s.

I had a problem with the local DMV in Hawaii…they never sent the renewal for my car in the mail, forcing me into an in-person visit to register my car with the military exemption. Not a huge deal, I would just swing by the DMV satellite office after I went on liberty one day, on my way home. If I were lucky, the Chief would actually cut me loose early that day by a half hour or so, too. However, since the DMV satellite office was in the local mall, I had to stop by crews berthing first to change into civilian clothes. Again, not a real problem, though I caught flack for obviously going on liberty early (in civvies) as I left the boat (yes, boat…I’m a submariner). But imagine the irony as I stood in the DMV line, ahead of me an Airman in cammies from Hickam, behind me a Soldier in cammies from Tripler AMC, and in the next line a Chief in khaki. Of the four of us, the only one not in uniform…me, the Navy “blueshirt”. Once in the long line I got into a conversation with an Air Force buddy (in cammies), a neighbor who wondered just why it was I had to change. I think my overheard reply annoyed the Chief near us, as I explained, “the Navy is embarrassed at our working uniforms, and doesn’t trust it’s enlisted personnel to wear them right”. Oddly, he didn’t dispute my take on the situation…I don’t think he could.

The newest rules further that attitude…enlisted personnel are children, and cannot be treated as adults by letting them (GASP) wear a working uniform off base. Good grief, imagine if they wore something DIRTY? Or in POOR REPAIR?

I won’t get into the pros and cons of the new uniforms…that’s another discussion entirely. But to the leadership of the Navy, I’d say this…start treating enlisted personnel like adults, and stop making stupid rules that even your Chiefs admit are nearly impossible to enforce. As a service we should be proud of our uniforms…aside from being a uniform, they are a symbol of our service and sacrifice, and something that in one form or another have been worn by honorable, courageous, and committed Sailors for over two centuries. When they are worn properly, they do us credit. When worn improperly, well, that’s part of the job of the Chiefs, officers, and senior enlisted to correct, and if they do their job right they do us all credit, too.

Technorati Tags: Navy, Uniforms

Crossposted at The Online Magazine Formerly Known As Rob's Blog

Quotes from one of my favorite American President and greatest patriot.

noreply@blogger.com (Nereus) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:33:00 +0000

I Stole these from Right mind, But given the times and situation, We all need to reflect on those who came before us and made this nation what it is....

* Thomas Jefferson: When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
*
Thomas Jefferson: The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
*
Thomas Jefferson: It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
*
Thomas Jefferson: I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
*
Thomas Jefferson: My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
*
Thomas Jefferson: No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
*
Thomas Jefferson: The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
*
Thomas Jefferson: The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
*
Thomas Jefferson: To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
*
Thomas Jefferson: I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

New SECNAV a Lawyer?

carusoteam@gmail.com (Vigilis) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:39:00 +0000

Caruso cartoon was lifted from article at Molten Eagle site.

"A date which will live in infamy..."

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:45:00 +0000

Sixty-seven years ago, the devastating surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Station drew the United States into the largest war in world history, World War II. Nearly 2,500 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and civilians were killed, several ships and hundreds of aircraft were destroyed, and the "sleeping giant" that was the United States was aroused to war.

It's an attack that we should never forget, and a war that we should always remember and always hope we never have to repeat.

Technorati Tags: Pearl Harbor

Supreme Court Rules in favor of USN

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:15:00 +0000

UPDATE (11/12/08;10:28pm): For some background on this issue, see Hugh Hewitt's interview of Admiral Locklear from last year.

[Crossposted from Unconsidered Trifles] Finally, the Supreme Court reverses all of the environmentalist misdirections and half-truths regarding US Navy sonar:

Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court, ruling that national security trumps environmental rules, lifted restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar during training exercises off the coast of Southern California.

A divided high court rejected arguments by environmentalists that the judge-ordered restrictions were warranted to protect whales and other marine mammals.

The environmental interests ``are plainly outweighed by the Navy's need to conduct realistic training exercises to ensure that it is able to neutralize the threat posed by enemy submarines,'' Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

Veterans Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:22:00 +0000

If you value your freedom...take time to thank a veteran. Today is Veterans Day, a time to remember all who served this great nation.

Technorati Tags: Veterans Day

More Information On Russian Submarine Fatalities

joel.bubblehead@gmail.com (Bubblehead) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Following up on WillyShake's report below:

Russian media sources are reporting that 20 sailors and shipyard workers were killed during "testing" after a "fire extinguishing system unexpectedly went off". From a BBC report on the incident:

Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman Igor Dygalo said both sailors and shipyard workers died in the incident, which occurred during sea trials.
He said the submarine itself had not been damaged and there had been no radiation leaks...
...The submarine, whose name and class have not been revealed, has been ordered to suspend sea trials and return to port in the far eastern Primorye territory, Capt Dygalo said...
...There were 208 people on board at the time, 81 of whom were servicemen.
Twenty-one injured people have been evacuated from the submarine, sources at the fleet said.
Reports say the incident occurred in the nose of the vessel. The nuclear reactor, which is in the stern, was not affected.

The first linked article says that the sub is "now moving to a temporary base. It is being escorted by an anti-submarine ship and a rescue vessel."

The number of civilians on board indicates that the BBC report is correct that this seems to have happened during sea trials. I mentioned late last month that the Akula-II submarine RFS Nerpa, rumored to be heading to India on lease after shakedown, was out on sea trials. As I doubt that the Russians would have enough shipyard resources to have two boats out on sea trials in the Pacific simultaneously, I'd guess that this is the affected boat. This AFP article on the new incident reaches a similar conclusion.

Russian submarines operate with much smaller crews than American boats, so I would imagine that they rely more on automatic fire suppression systems than our boats do. (The Russians have lost at least one submarine to fire relatively recently, so I imagine they have a special interest in designing robust fire extinguishing systems.) Most naval fire suppression systems would probably use either CO2 or a Halon-like chemical, both of which would displace oxygen in the environment. While you have to take everything the Russians say with a grain of salt, I could imagine the fire suppression system emptying its contents into the torpedo room, and the inexperienced crew following their fire procedures and isolating all compartments; this could have resulted in the O2 concentration in the Torpedo Compartment dropping below that required to support life. If so, this is quite a tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the families and shipmates of the fallen mariners.

Update 1006 09 Nov: I'm updating this story over at The Stupid Shall Be Punished.

Russian Sub Incident in the Pacific

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:08:00 +0000

[Crossposted from Unconsidered Trifles] The details are still sketchy, but it appears the Russians have yet another fatal sub incident on their hands.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least 20 people have died and 21 been injured in an accident on board a Russian nuclear-powered submarine in the Pacific Ocean, a Russian naval spokesman said on Sunday.

Radiation levels on board were normal, he said.

Russia's navy has suffered a string of fatal accidents, including the loss of the Kursk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea in August 2000. All 118 sailors aboard died.

"More than 20 people were killed on a nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean during routine testing as a result of the unsanctioned functioning of the fire extinguishing systems," the navy spokesman, Igor Dygalo, said by telephone.

Dygalo did not give the name of the submarine or specify where it was located. There were 208 people on board at the time of Saturday's accident, some of them from a shipbuilding company, he added.

"The reactor section (of the submarine) is working properly," the spokesman said. "The radiation levels on the ship are normal."

A Russian destroyer, the Admiral Tributs, was providing assistance and taking some of the injured crew from the submarine to port, Dygalo said.

He did not say where the ships were but the Tributs is normally based at Vladivostok, Russia's main Far Eastern naval port, according to Russian media.

President Dmitry Medvedev has been informed about the accident, Russian news agencies reported.

The state-owned RIA news agency quoted a highly placed official in the Pacific Fleet as saying the accident happened in the bow of the submarine.

Be sure to stay tuned here as well as to Bubblehead's blog and The Sub Report for updates and further insights.

Secret of Submarine Speed

carusoteam@gmail.com (Vigilis) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:41:00 +0000

Cross-posted from Molten Eagle.

noreply@blogger.com (WillyShake) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Any of my fellow sub bloggers read Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers?

Looks like an interesting read, mostly because it combines three of my enthusiams--diving, WWII history, and subs.

Eager to hear your thoughts about the book.

August 2008 Submarine Blogger roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Nereus) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:38:00 +0000

The August Listing of Active Bloggers Posted At
Right Ascension of Aries

SiteMeter Causing Blog and Website Internet Explorer Failures

noreply@blogger.com (esryle) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:04:00 +0000

For all fellow Sub bloggers and Submarine website Owners. If you are seeing Internet Explorer failures when trying to view your website, You are also most likely using Site Meter as your tracking and stats counter. You need to log in to your control panel and temporarily remove the Site Meter Code.

Story Here:

Site Meter causing Internet Explorer failure

Took me awhile to figure that out as TheSubReport.com was compromised as well. Man, I thought the CIA was after me for sure this time and I was on my way to Club Gitmo.

Hey CIA/Men in Black guys, I didnt say anything about USS Houston. Look at Joel at TSSBP, he released the details before I did, It wasnt me...lol

Hopefully Sitemeter will have their problem figured out shortly and you can restore the page element later.

Eric

TheSubReport.com

USS Houston Radioactive Leak Reported

joel.bubblehead@gmail.com (Bubblehead) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:43:00 +0000

It's just my luck... on the day that my normal blog, The Stupid Shall Be Punished, is unavailable for posting after being erroneously identified as a potential "spam blog", we get a story about submarines and nuclear power that shows up on the front page of CNN.com. Excerpts:

Water with trace amounts of radioactivity may have leaked for months from a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine as it traveled around the Pacific to ports in Guam, Japan and Hawaii, Navy officials told CNN on Friday.
The leak was found on the USS Houston, a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, after it went to Hawaii for routine maintenance last month, Navy officials said.
The problem was discovered last month when a build-up of leaking water popped a covered valve and poured onto a sailor's leg while the submarine was in dry dock...
...Officials with knowledge of the incident could not quantify the amount of radiation leaked but insisted it was "negligible" and an "extremely low level." The total amount leaked while the sub was in port in Guam, Japan and Hawaii was less than a half of a microcurie (0.0000005 curies), or less than what is found in a 50-pound bag of lawn and garden fertilizer, the officials said.

While us nukes know that this really isn't that big a deal, we really can't talk about it in the open like this. All of us know where the leak came from (it's obvious they weren't using the "drum" this time) but any discussion of coolant discharge is pretty much covered by NNPI, so we can't go there. For example, until this post, there's only one Google return for the search "coolant discharge log"; luckily for me, it's from an official Navy site (Vol. VI, Chapter 25, Para. 25.2.4 of the JFMM), but it only says that the discharge log can be used to determine the number of days in-port or in drydock for URO periodicity determination -- that brief mention at least allows me to mention that such a document exists.

Pretty much all we can do is confirm that the amount of radioactivity reported discharged in port is very, very small and wouldn't be likely to cause any problems. I can also add that, in my experience, the discharge log is one of the most closely audited pieces of administration on the boat, so you can be pretty sure that the numbers the Navy is putting out are right.

TSSBP On Short "Spam Blog Verification" Hiatus

joel.bubblehead@gmail.com (Bubblehead) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:14:00 +0000

The Stupid Shall Be Punished has been temporarily locked while the Blogger humans verify that it's not an objectionable blog. I'm not sure if it was some 'bot algorithm, or some skimmer, that generated the action, but they claim I'll be up and able to post again within two business days.

Until then, there are lots of other submarine blogs that you can check out over on the sidebar.

Aussie Submarine In Successful SINKEX

joel.bubblehead@gmail.com (Bubblehead) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:40:00 +0000

The breathless and somewhat misleading headlines in the Australian media notwithstanding (here and especially here), there's a great video that just came out of HMAS Waller (SSG 75) sinking an unidentifed U.S. hulk with a Mk 48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo. Check it out:

This SINKEX occurred off the coast of Hawaii in conjunction with the upcoming RIMPAC 08 exercises. It brings a tear to an old submariner's eye to see a skimmer's bow slipping silently beneath the waves...

Submarine Cartoon

carusoteam@gmail.com (Vigilis) — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:55:00 +0000

(Cross-posted from Molten Eagle)

HMS Superb Grounds In Red Sea

joel.bubblehead@gmail.com (Bubblehead) — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:54:00 +0000

(Cross-posted from The Stupid Shall Be Punished)

The British Swiftsure-class submarine HMS Superb (S 109) grounded while running submerged in the northern Red Sea on Monday, the Royal Navy announced yesterday.

The 272-foot vessel had passed through the canal and was in the northern Red Sea when she grounded. No other vessel was involved.
An MoD spokesman said the submarine's nuclear reactor was "completely unaffected" and there was "no environmental impact" from the collision.
"There were no casualties and the submarine remains watertight, is safe on the surface and able to operate under her own power," he said.
The vessel is in international waters but unable to dive because of the damage to sonar equipment.

The Sub Report has many more links to this breaking story. The most recent similar accident, the grounding of USS San Francisco (SSN 711), is of course very familiar to American submariners, and I'm thankful that this grounding seems much less severe in terms of casualties.

Staying at PD...

new bubblesphere blogger roundup posted

bothenook@yahoo.com (bothenook) — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:41:00 +0000

over at the Geezer's Corner