Posted on 01/17/2005 1:11:54 AM PST by presidio9
IMAGINE the thoughts going through the minds of the captain and crew of the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, when it put to sea for the very first time — 50 years ago this morning. Not only did they have to take a new submarine to sea, but also they had to control the splitting of the atom in a small space aboard a submerged submarine — in constant danger from the nuclear fission's tremendous heat and life-threatening radiation.
So it's likely that Nautilus' crew didn't give much thought to the fact that they were ushering in the atomic age's next phase — and altering naval warfare forever — when they cast off their lines and flashed the now-historic message, "Underway On Nuclear Power."
Prior to Nautilus, submarines were powered by a dangerous combination of batteries (for submerged operations) and diesel engines (for surface operations and recharging the batteries.) Because of the noxious fumes, the diesel engines could only run while the subs were on (or near) the sea's surface, making them vulnerable to the enemy.
Naval nuclear power, under the colorful leadership of Admiral Hyman Rickover, ended all that. Nautilus was able to remain submerged for weeks, even months without surfacing. The only thing limiting Nautilus' undersea endurance was the crew's sanity and food supply.
Over the next several years, Nautilus shattered all submerged speed and distance records. For instance, in 1958, Nautilus departed Pearl Harbor with top secret orders to conduct "Operation Sunshine."
A few weeks later, with 116 men aboard, Nautilus proclaimed another record when it broadcast, "Nautilus 90 North." Nautilus had reached the freezing waters of the geographic North Pole.
Besides the Jules Verne-like breakthrough in naval and nuclear engineering, Nautilus was only the beginning. She was followed by generations
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Much water has flown over the Thames since the Nautilus entered service.All five original nuclear powers now have N-subs of both varieties(SSBN & SSN) & India will certainly have atleast 3 in service by 2010.Japan & Brazil have always not abandoned plans for N-boats.
D/E boats have also got better in armament & the introduction of air independent propulsion modules(by Germany,France,Sweden & Russia) which radically increase underwater endurance,while maintaining quietness.
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Besides the Jules Verne-like breakthrough in naval and nuclear engineering, Nautilus was only the beginning. She was followed by generations of nuclear submarines — and, eventually, surface ships. (Today, 11 of the Navy's 13 aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered.)
[snip]
The Aircraft Carrier USS Kennedy, while a relatively new Carrier, is/was not nuclear powered, it should never have been and that's probably the primary reason it's being retired ...rto
She was the sister ship of the America. The last two "CVA's" built.
Relatively new? Her keel was laid in 1967. She's damned near 40 yrs old.
Sailed on her a few times TAD in the mid 70's.
Of course, that 's 30-year-old scuttlebutt.
I understand that that problem underlies the retirements of our 604's and 638's, not mechanical unreliability.
I was told 30 years ago that the reason the nuclear merchant ship NS Savannah was retired was that she practically glowed in the dark -- and didn't make money, either.
She was introduced with old style cargo handling just as containerized shipping was becoming the standard. They tried lashing containers to the deck but was still not profitable. If you get a chance, vist this ship, it is interesting. If it glowed in the dark, we tourist wouldn't be allowed to visit it.....or would we?
It can be seen at Groton, CT. It is worth seeing.
You got that right. Scuttlebutt.
A retired submarine sailor.
I was stationed TDY in Groton in the late 80's as a Master at Arms and used to take work crews into the Nautilus for cleaning duties. Man, those guys who were on it were true American heroes. It's unbelievable how small and cramped those spaces were, just for a couple of hours. To imagine being in them for a few months at a time (and under the ice of the Arctic, too???)
ping
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But now the U.S. soon sent ballistic-missile nuclear submarines to sea, where they could remain submerged (and undetectable by the enemy) for months at a time. This was real strategic deterrence, and no doubt had a hand in preventing the horrors of a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
But some now say that the submarine is a Cold War relic. The Soviet Union is gone and the "Hunt for Red October" is over.
Not so.
The Navy's 14 nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines, each outfitted with 24 Trident nuclear-tipped ICBMs, continue to provide the U.S. with our strategic nuclear-strike and deterrent capability as they lurk in undisclosed depths around the world.
Meanwhile, nuclear subs provide the stealth and firepower needed in today's 24/7 battlespace. In fact, the Navy's 53 nuclear-powered attack submarines are some of our best spies. Operating close to shore, intelligence gathered by subs can provide timely information about the enemy's intentions and capabilities — without the risk of an international incident.
(As a result, over the last 10 years, submarine intelligence operations have doubled, while the sub force has declined 40 percent.)
In addition to hunting ships and other subs with torpedoes, American attack submarines, carrying (pilotless) Tomahawk cruise missiles, can strike land and sea targets without warning from hundreds of miles offshore. And four additional ballistic-missile submarines are currently being converted to carry large numbers of Tomahawk, too.
Nautilus was decommissioned in 1980 after 25 years of service, logging only half a million miles. Today, nuclear-powered warships have safely steamed over 119 million miles — nearly 5,000 trips around the world.
The Navy itself operates 103 nuclear reactors — equaling the number of civilian commercial nuclear reactors in the U.S. And its nuclear-safety record has been exemplary.
Nuclear power enhances our Navy's ability to sail quickly to trouble spots, and arrive ready for action. The Navy's 82 nuclear-powered warships are the mainstay of our forward presence and power projection strategy across the globe.
But perhaps most important, Nautilus is a testimony to the American pioneering spirit and boundless technical ingenuity. It should remind Americans of the importance of the endless pursuit of excellence and innovation — not to mention the tremendous professionalism and bravery of U.S. servicemen and women past and present.
Such service is not without risk.
The recent collision of the American nuclear attack submarine USS San Francisco with an unplotted undersea mountain in the western Pacific off of the island of Guam (killing one sailor and injuring at least 60 others) is a stark reminder of the dangers of the American Navy's "Silent Service."
But submarine duty remains essential to America's national security in these dangerous times. So, to our brave submariners on this important anniversary: Run Silent, Run Deep — and thanks for a job well done.
Ping
I had the uncomfortable, but very memorable experience of meeting Admiral Hyman Rickover back in 1968. I was an ETN-2 trying to repair an essential piece of equipment on one of his boomers and he was looking over my shoulder asking how long it would take before they could get underway on their shake-down cruise.
I thought the Savannah had been broken up.
On second thought, it wasn't Savannah that I heard that "glow-in-the-dark" comment about, it was the Soviet nuclear icebreaker Lenin. Again, scuttlebutt, but that's what I heard.
Tom Clancy said something in Hunt for Red October about that problem, and how it limited the career lives of American nuclear submarines.
Land-based Missiles are susceptible to first strikes and Bombers can be shot down. If the Russians had been able to find our Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines, there would still be a Soviet Union today. Instead, they went bankrupt looking for us.
Never saw her myself while on duty, but my SOSS occasionally picked up Skate while she was exercising. Those boats were all pretty noisy.
Rickover once toured a Soviet facility, and as was his usual style, he detached himself from the official group and investigated on his own. Before he was found and forced to return to the group, he had determined that the Soviets did not understand shielding. When he returned, all information about reactor shielding became highly classified.
Unlike ours, the Soviet/Russian boats are highly radioactive, and they tend to burn out their crews very early.
On the lighter side, I used to drive our Nuc-trained personnel crazy when they would hear me explaining to some new kid how his dosimeter would protect him by absorbing excess radiation.
That, and building Typhoon's that they could hide under the ice where Keflavik couldn't see them (they thought) and SUBLANT couldn't find them (they thought). Just as well the Cold War ended. We'd all have wound up losing some boats screwing around under the ice. Even the Canadians thought they were going to have to buy half-a-dozen off-the-shelf nucs to patrol under the ice, which they cancelled eventually. They were shopping for French Rubis-class boats, don't know anything about them except that they were the first cash-and-carry nukey-boats, and amazingly compact at 2700 tons or so, compared to over 4000 for a 604.
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