Posted on 08/26/2006 8:42:31 AM PDT by george76
The Navy debuted its newest nuclear-powered submarine Friday in an Atlantic Ocean swing off the Florida coast, the second in the latest fast-attack class that marks a broad departure from the Cold War-era deterrence boats.
The Texas, which will officially earn a "USS" designator in a commissioning ceremony in two weeks, weighs 7,800 tons, measures 377 feet long and can remain submerged on covert surveillance up to three months. It travels faster than 25 knots underwater and dives farther than 800 feet.
"It's much more effective than any ship I've been on before," said Capt. John Litherland, who has been on more than 50.
"It's not the fastest, but the difference is that it's quiet even at its top speed."
Perhaps the biggest improvement is the ability to travel with a small special forces submarine, nine commandos and their gear. Previous subs would have carried only three Navy SEALS.
That kind of space is premium on a vessel designed to hide and spend most of its life underwater.
Its maximum time submerged is limited only by the amount of food it can carry, because the boat generates its own power and oxygen.
Sailors sleep twelve to a room, on 6 1/2-foot beds with about 3 feet of top-to-bottom sleeping space, the 4-inch deep compartment under it the only place to stow belongings.
That's why they spent four weeks in basic training learning how to fold, crew members joke.
And they've grown to carry less stuff, after training to spend up to six months at a time in the middle of the ocean.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
I don't believe they build them in that manner any more. When I worked for Newport News Shipbuilding, they and Electric Boat were perfecting the modular construction - basically, building an entire compartment and it's systems, then welding them together.
Thar she blows !!
But where was this photo taken? Damn, I never heard of anyone cruising a boomer past a public beach! Although the boomers sortieing from Norfolk had to remain surfaced past Cape Henry, and people at Fort Story could look out and watch them, as I did one day when a boomer was headed out...... very, very sinister-looking boats, they were, even the older Poseidon boats, because you knew what they were.
You were in SSN's? Or are you talking about the original "pigboats", the diesel boats?
I was a rider aboard the USS Pargo, SSN-650, for four days once on a cruise down to Tongue of the Ocean for early trials of the Mark 48 wire-guided ASW torp..... they put me in a six-man with some other JO's, cramped as hell, but that was the Sheraton compared to some of the quartering arrangements on those SSN's. I didn't ride along when the Pargo went back to the Barents a few weeks later for another Presidential Unit Citation.
Alpha Class (NATO desig. :)
That might be. When I worked in these it was Polaris and the George Washington, which is probably medieval tech already.
Britain launches nuclear sub that can hear a ship from across the Atlantic
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