Navy Conducts First Escape Exercise From Nuclear Sub

NavyNewsStand ^ | 12/5/6 | Cynthia Clark, MC1 (SW) USN

[SmithL]

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (NNS) -- Seven personnel practiced locking out from the attack submarine USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) and ascending to the surface wearing special suits that are designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine Dec. 2 during ESCAPEX at the Navy’s Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility in Ketchikan, Alaska.

While several foreign navies practice the maneuver routinely, the U.S. Navy had not conducted it in more than three decades, and never from a nuclear-powered submarine.

The Navy’s renewed interest in submarine escape comes as U.S. submarines operate more frequently now in shallow coastal waters, said Submarine Development Squadron (CSDS) 5 Commander Capt. Butch Howard, who oversaw the exercise.

“Today, submarines spend a greater amount of time in the littorals or shallow water, which supports the overall concept of escaping from a possible distressed submarine,” said Howard. “It’s imperative that our sub crews be familiar and comfortable with this operating procedure no matter how remote the potential for its use.”

The MK10 Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment, or SEIE, allows survivors to escape a disabled submarine at depths down to 600 feet, at a rate of eight or more men per hour. It is designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine and provides protection for the submariner on reaching the surface until rescued. The assembly is comprised of a submarine escape and immersion suit, an inner thermal liner and a gas inflated single seat life raft, all contained in an outer protective stowage compartment.

For the exercise, Los Angeles embarked six U.S. Navy divers, as well as a British diver from the Royal Navy. The submarine submerged to 130 feet, where each of the seven divers donned the SEIE suits, entered the escape trunk, and ascended.

[Bottom_Gun]

Ohh this brings back memories! My class was one of the last to go through the old tower, before it was condemned. My first boat being a FBM in Scotland, I always thought that trying this with a Steinke Hood in the north Lant, at those water temps we'd be toast, if we were able to do it.
The new tower in Groton is coming along nicely, we left Groton for VA two weeks ago, and they plan to have it on line by this summer. Those new suits look like they'd be fun to try :)

[OCCASparky]

Let's put it this way--nukes didn't since we didn't go to Sub School in my day, and even Groton stopped doing it a while back.

Face it--the dive towers are just a curiosity or a reference point on sub bases anymore.