The Diesel Submarine Threat

Fox News Live ^ | 1/28/04 | Sherry Sontag

[Rebelbase]

Fox news has Sherry Sontag on the tube, the author of Blind Man's Bluff, a book about Cold War submarine espionage.

Sontag is saying that the US has lost the ability to track shallow water diesel/electric subs, therefore its a threat.

She advocates creating a diesel/electric fleet for use in training our nuke subs in how to find and track the electrics.

Whats the deal? I thought our nuke boats could track anything?

[bmwcyle]

I wish I could go into it but we could get away from the surface pingers. The helo dipping sonar was a problem. Most of the pingers are the surface type.

[Bottom_Gun]

I'll second the motion...with "The Hunt for Red October" running a close second for us newer bubbleheads *L*

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Sontag is saying that the US has lost the ability to track shallow water diesel/electric subs.

Not true. Our boats are linked to quite a sophisticated array of satellite based tools...one of which is a Magnetic Anonmaly Detector. This will detect one of these deisel boats rather nicely.

[blam]

"The Nautilus is a floating museum just outside the Sub Base in Groton, CT. It's the only (and the original) nuke boat on display, as far as I know."

Are all those other 'captured' smaller boats on display there? Haven't been there since the early 60's.

[MississippiMan]

There are probably people here who know far more than I, but I know there are some VERY quiet diesel boats out there. (Kilo class?) Do note, of course, that what's diesel are the generators. They get close enough to the surface to get an air intake tube up, run the generators to charge the batteries, then submerge. The propulsion is electric.

MM

[aculeus]

Male cow excrement alert.

Zoological oxymoron alert back atcha.

; )

[Jonah Hex]

First night out on sub sea trials, we always showed "Das Boot" and "Gray Lady Down". A double-feature guaranteed to turn newbies a little paler...

[blam]

"I'll second the motion...with "The Hunt for Red October" running a close second for us newer bubbleheads *L*"

Ditto

Our ( USS Jallao SS-368) 'crush depth' was 410 feet. We frequently went deeper.

[Oberon]

They were scrapped years ago.

There's at least one such boat remaining, and I think I can find reference to another. Check THIS out.

[AppyPappy]

I had a frat bro who was in the Navy (surface) and he swore that all you needed was a ship that could outrun a torpedo. I think he eventually bought one to go bass fishing. Everytime we saw him, he would remind us that he could "outrun a torpedo in this baby".

That's what we need. Bass boats with active pingers.

[blam]

"Do note, of course, that what's diesel are the generators."

We had four 1600 HP GMC engines connected to the electric generators. Note: snorkeling in a rain storm is an ear killer. (The pressure is constantly changing because each time rain hit the snorkel, the snorkel valve would close..and the engines are still running, sucking all the air out)

[Louisiana]

We need an excuse to manufacture diesel subs, so we can sell them to Israel, Tiawan, Austrailia, S.Korea, etc.

[bmwcyle]

It all depends on how close you shoot.

[Louisiana]

Scratch Australia, I forgot they made their own.

[AppyPappy]

I guess you could lob beer cans at it when you found it.

[blackdog]

Arabs in submarines? Sheesh.......

Another hint......Fly commercial only at night. Arabs can't find a giant airport under instruments without ATC vectors. Don't even ask them for a SID or STAR, or even a decent readback.

Arabs wanting to crash planes into things will only do so in daytime VFR conditions.

We're all snug as a bug if the weather is foul or it's night-time.

[Oberon]

Yes, and HERE'S another.

These D-E subs are still out there. They could be pressed back into service, if someone wanted to deal with all the red tape.

[Oatka]

If you ever get up that way, the USS Cobia (SS245) is on a walk-through display at http://www.wimaritimemuseum.org/sub.htm

I served on her in the early 50s and we consistently slid through the destroyer screens and took out the oilers.

On a later snorkel boat (USS Picuda SS382) we accidentally left the snort mast up and went through a screen undetected. The darn thing left a wake like an outboard motor. The skipper said he was going to ask what comic books the lookouts were reading. (Idiot ensign "forgot" to lower the mast on battle stations.)

[lentulusgracchus]

I thought our nuke boats could track anything?

Diesel-electric boats running on batteries have always been the toughest nut to crack. It's always been the U.S. nukey-boat commander's quiet nightmare, that someday an opposition target he was stalking would lead him right past a lurking diesel boat sitting there, dead silent, with its tubes flooded and inner and outer doors open, just waiting for the American boat to come by, slip into our guy's baffles and let its fish swim quietly out of their tubes.

[RightWhale]

during 1884 to 1990

Incredible! Possibly the oldest living submariner! Bet you have some stories. :)