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Three days before the New Year at the shipyard N82, which is the Kola Peninsula, there was a state of emergency - on fire standing in the dock, the submarine. In reality, Russia almost a day on the verge of the largest man-made disaster since Chernobyl, 6 km from Murmansk with a bright flame burning nuclear strategic missile submarine K-84 "Yekaterinburg", which was carrying nuclear missiles, torpedoes and two nuclear reactors. And all the efforts of fire fighters during the long hours did not give the result. In early December K-84 was set for the inspection of the floating dock...

Russia will start producing six submarines and one aircraft carrier annually starting in 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday. “By 2013, production capacity [at Russian shipyards] will allow us to build six submarines and an aircraft carrier every year,” Rogozin told reporters, adding that the number includes both nuclear and diesel-powered submarines. As a result, the production output will surpass that of the Soviet era when Russia built an average of five submarines annually, he said. Rogozin earlier said the production had been bogged down in the past by a lack of financing, outdated equipment and a...

Underscoring its desire to keep U.S. aircraft carriers from the Persian Gulf, a senior Iranian military commander today announced his possible plan to ambush the American fleet. Chalk this one up to more bluster, or part of a mounting back and forth rhetoric headed nowhere good, either way - Tehran plans to rely on its subs. Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army's Self-Sufficiency Jihad, Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri told Fars that Iran has the finest electic diesel submarines in the world, and that while the U.S. has focused on Tehran's "astonishing surface capabilities," it has forgotten about the underwater threat....

The U.K. is stepping up its preparations for a military strike on Iran, the Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the U.K. is increasingly concerned over Tehran's nuclear program, and is preparing to deploy Royal Navy ships in the coming months to assist a possible U.S. attack on key facilities in Iran.

HARTFORD, Conn. ---- For Ensign Peggy LeGrand, the biggest concern about serving on a submarine is not spending weeks at a time in tight quarters with an entirely male crew. What worries her is the scrutiny that comes with breaking one of the last gender barriers in the U.S. military. "I have a feeling more people will be focused on us. Our mistakes and successes will be magnified more than they deserve," said LeGrand, 25, a Naval Academy graduate from Amarillo, Texas. LeGrand is among a small group of female officers who are training at sites including Groton, Conn., to...

An American nuclear submarine came within metres of crashing into rocks off Plymouth with 'catastrophic' consequences, according to a long-awaited report. The nuclear powered submarine came close to a disaster during the incident in which two of their sailors were killed. A Royal Navy investigation report says the USS Minneapolis-St Paul became dangerously close to grounding on rocks in the River Tamar near Plymouth, Devon, and blamed human failings. The submarine "came within less than her own length" of hitting rocks as rescuers desperately tried to save five crew members who were swept overboard in freezing waters. Three were plucked...

Canada’s only fully operational submarine hobbled back to CFB Esquimalt after hitting the ocean floor Saturday. The accident means all four of Canada’s subs are not in any shape to sail: HMCS Victoria is back in the water but is undergoing extensive testing, HMCS Windsor is undergoing repair and maintenance in Halifax, and HMCS Chicoutimi, which suffered a fatal fire in 2004, is at VIctoria Shipyards. Officers on board the HMCS Corner Brook, which was alone deep in the waters of Nootka Sound off the central east coast of Vancouver Island, were being put through their paces during advanced submarine...

Colombia is the centre of the world's cocaine trade, and traffickers are always seeking new ways to avoid detection - including going underwater. Nowhere is this more evident than at Colombia's Bahia Malaga naval base, on the Pacific coast. The main pier is packed with captured fishing trawlers and high-speed cigarette boats once favoured by traffickers. But there are also a handful of enclosed vessels with pipes and snorkels sticking out at odd angles. Don't let the unconventional design fool you. These so-called semi-submersibles were built to transport tons of cocaine.

The Colombian military has nabbed a sophisticated, 100-foot long submarine capable of transporting eight tons of cocaine to the coast of Mexico, authorities said Monday. The fiberglass sub, which was seized in a jungle in Timbiqui, near the Colombia's southwestern Pacific coast, could carry a crew of four to six people, had two diesel engines and navigational equipment allowing it to remain fully submerged up to 30 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, navy officials said. It also had a 16 ½ foot periscope and an air-conditioner to keep the crew cool during the trip. Authorities estimated it...

YOKOSUKA, Japan – As if life on a submarine wasn't already stressful enough, with its cramped quarters, long work hours and weeks at sea, thousands of smokers on the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet recently got an unwelcome ultimatum from Uncle Sam. As of last month, all submarines in the U.S. Navy are officially smoke free — and it's been a tense transition. For some officers and sailors, the new policy aiming to reduce secondhand smoke risk has been that extra push they needed to make the decision to quit. But for many more, it means a little more effort at...

India will buy three more French Scorpene submarines to bolster the rapidly declining submarine fleet. This is in addition to the six Scorpenes India had signed up for in 2005,now total order will be 6+3=9

Remember about a couple of years ago when news of drug smugglers using so called “semi-submersibles” was all the rage? Those craft can almost completely submerge themselves to evade interception. Still, the vessels don’t go all the way underwater and can be spotted from ships or aircraft and have been intercepted a number of times. Since then, the high seas cat-and-mouse game between governments and drug smugglers has become more intense now that the cartels have built actual submarines. It sounds like these vessels are capable of staying underwater long enough to warrant the use of P-3 subhunters to find...

Israel: New Submarines Make Their Way to IDF Navy By Israel News Agency Staff Jerusalem, Israel ---- January 15, 2011 ...... The Israel Navy is now preparing to receive a new submarine. In the last two enlistment cycles for the IDF Submarine Flotilla Corp, there was an increase by 30 percent for combat soldiers trained for the position, a result of two new submarines acquired by Israel from Germany. IDF Navy officials explain that the submarines’ arrival will increase the number of such vessels in the IDF and their reach in deterring an attack on Israel. In order to have...

Giving up smoking may be a New Year's resolution for some, but all US sailors will now have to follow suit, as the US Navy moves to ban its crews from smoking aboard submarines starting Friday. In a country where fights against Big Tobacco are common, troops deprived of fresh air and natural light for months were surprisingly allowed to smoke in submerged submarines. But no more, after a Pentagon study found the risks of second-hand smoke were severe in those highly confined spaces. Submarine Forces Commander Vice Admiral John Donnelly ordered the ban aboard 73 US subs, citing health...

Those who lined the rails had different viewpoints and destinies. But the one thing they all agreed on was that the men trapped below the sea in front of them, in the sunken U.S. submarine O-5, should at least have had a chance. A number of the crew inside might still have been alive, with less than the length of a supermarket parking lot separating them from the surface, and their chance to live. For most of the men in the ships above, the sense of utter helplessness was overwhelming. It seemed to define the unfairness of the "silent service",...

Women will begin serving on four U.S. submarines in December 2011, the U.S. Navy announced Thursday. Twenty-four are in training to be the first women to serve aboard U.S. submarines, the Navy's Submarine Group 10 said in a statement. The subs on which they will deploy are the USS Wyoming and USS Georgia, both homeported in Kings Bay, Georgia, and the USS Ohio and USS Maine, homeported in Bangor, Washington. The Navy said it will not identify the women until they have completed their submarine training. The 24, chosen from graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy, ROTC programs and Officer...

Nuclear submarine HMS Astute has run aground on the rocks off the western coast of Scotland. The Ministry of Defence moved instantly to play down fears, saying it was "not a nuclear incident" and that it had caused no injuries.

Diving in at the deep end Cameron Stewart, Associate editor WITH the government planning to spend $36bn building 12 new submarines, debate is raging about the wisdom of the project. THE Gillard government's plan to build 12 new-generation submarines in Australia carries with it enormous political, strategic and financial risks. It will be easily the largest and most complex defence project attempted in this country. If it goes right it will give the navy its most deadly weapon while also safeguarding the future of the naval shipbuilding industry. If it goes wrong, it could jeopardise national security and trigger the...

The USS Virginia shed pieces of its sonar-absorbent skin while on patrol, giving the submarine's hull a pockmarked appearance as it arrived for repairs at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The stealthy submarine could become easier to detect by enemy sonar if it lost too much of the special coating. But the Navy insists that the sub never lost enough of the material to rise to that level and that it has moved aggressively to fix the problems in newer models of nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Russia's newest Borey class strategic nuclear-powered submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, has completed sea trials in the White Sea and returned to its base in northern Russia, the Sevmash shipyard said. The trials were part of the manufacturer's tests and the sub is now ready for final inspection by a state commission before it enters service with the Russian Navy. "All systems of the submarine performed well, and the problems revealed during previous tests have been resolved," a Sevmash spokesman said. The Yury Dolgoruky is 170 meters (580 feet) long, has a hull diameter of 13 meters (42 feet), a crew...

The Russians are at it again. After penetrating British airspace last March with two Tupolev 160 bomber planes, a specially upgraded Akula class submarine was caught trying to record the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles. The Telegraph reports that British submariners are experiencing the highest number of “contacts” with Russian submarines since 1987. [snip] It’s difficult to tell what the Russians are up to. Arctic tensions have been rising in recent months, with Moscow claiming more of its fair share of the North Pole. That may account for the newfound assertiveness on Russia’s...

BRITAIN'S fleet of nuclear submarines could be reduced to save money, but the renewal of the Trident system represented good value for money, said Defence Secretary Liam Fox. Dr Fox said the number of submarines may be cut from four to three if it could be done while maintaining the UK's "continuous at-sea" deterrence, but any decisions on reducing the fleet would not be taken until 2014/15. Nearly three-quarters of opinion formers in Britain think the government should either scrap the country's nuclear weapons or look for a cheaper alternative, according to a poll published yesterday

The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Michigan docked at a South Korean naval base in Busan from the end of June until last Friday. According to South Korean military sources on Wednesday, the Michigan, armed with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,600 km, docked in Busan for a week to get fresh supplies and allow its crew a rest following exercises in waters off the Korean Peninsula. In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Navy posted a photograph of the docked submarine on its website. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on Sunday said the nuclear-powered submarines Michigan, Ohio and...

The U.S. government announced on Saturday afternoon that for the first time ever a fully operational submarine used by drug traffickers has been seized in the waters of South America. The craft, which could move multi-ton loads of cocaine, was seized in a jungle tributary of Ecuador leading to the Pacific Ocean by Ecuadoran authorities using Drug Enforcement Administration intelligence.

Pakistan begins submarine procurement talks with China China's vice-president, Zheng Dejiang, met with civil and military leaders in Pakistan on 9-10 June in a visit surrounded by reports of a major new defence deal under discussion that would see Pakistan buying at least three Chinese submarines. Speaking to Jane's on 9 June, a senior Pakistani government official said the Pakistan Navy began discussions with "the Chinese authorities last month for an eventual submarine deal" for up to three or four boats, but declined to specify the types or terms under discussion. China has a long history of helping Pakistan overcome...

Pyongyang area: anti-aircraft sites

SNIPPET from the link in post no. 1: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3896024,00.html "A Navy officer was quoted as saying that “the 1,500km range of the submarines’ cruise missiles can reach any target in Iran.""

War tensions have been high since last week's announcement by the South Korean government that a 60-foot North Korean submarine fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean corvette and killed 46 sailors at the end of March. The South Koreans stated that a Yeono-class (alternatively spelled "Yono") midget submarine fired the torpedo in March. (They also field a larger midget submarine, the Sang-O, that fits 15 sailors. At least one of these subs was also on patrol when the attack happened, according to an international team of investigators looking into the incident with South Korea.) The attack occurred in...

The People's Liberation Army's Navy (PLAN) submarines cannot spot United States satellites high overhead as the submarines leave their bases at Sanya on Hainan Island, Qingdao in Shandong province and Ningbo in Zhejiang province, and head for deeper water. Plenty of very deep water can be found in the South China Sea, especially in the zone north of the Spratly Islands, east of the Paracels, and south of the Luzon Strait. "A more challenging area for submarines to operate undetected is the East China Sea, which is quite shallow from the Chinese coastline up to the Okinawa Trough ... Detecting...

Military Advantage: Our defense secretary proposes doing what no other foreign adversary has done: sink the U.S. Navy. We don't need those billion-dollar destroyers, he says. Meanwhile, the Chinese navy rushes to fill the vacuum. Once Britannia ruled the waves, later to be replaced by America and its Navy. From the Battle of Midway to President Reagan's 600-ship fleet that helped win the Cold War, naval supremacy has been critical to the protection and survival of our nation. Which is why we find the recent remarks of Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the Navy League at the Sea-Air-Space expo so...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday said new weapons threatened US dominance of the high seas and questioned the US Navy's reliance on costly aircraft carriers and submarines. ADVERTISEMENT Anti-ship missiles and stealthy submarines could undermine the US military's global reach, putting carriers and American subs at risk, Gates said in a speech to retired members of the US Navy. "We know other nations are working on asymmetric ways to thwart the reach and striking power of the US battle fleet," Gates said. He cited the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, which had used anti-ship missiles against Israel in 2006, and...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. policy banning women from serving on submarines passed quietly into history Thursday morning.

Obama amputates our nuclear arms By: Charles Krauthammer ...snippet...Under President Obama’s new policy, however, if the state that has just attacked us with biological or chemical weapons is “in compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” explained Gates, then “the U.S. pledges not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against it.” Imagine the scenario: Hundreds of thousands are lying dead in the streets of Boston after a massive anthrax or nerve gas attack. The president immediately calls in the lawyers to determine whether the attacking state is in compliance with the NPT. If it turns out that the attacker...

The attack on the 1,220-ton Cheonan, which sank on March 26 with the loss of 46 of its 104 crew, was carried out in retaliation for a skirmish between warships of the two nations' navies in November of last year, South Korea claims. The South Korean government has refused to comment officially on the reports but Defence Minister Kim Tae Young told a parliamentary session that the military believed that the sinking was a deliberate act by North Korea. Officials in military intelligence say they warned the government earlier this year that North Korea was preparing a suicide-squad submarine attack...

Plans To Allow Women and Gays, Ban Smoking Shake World of Navy Submarines Craig Whitlock April 22, 2010 Imagine 150 fraternity brothers packed into a container the size of a three-bedroom house. Announce you are breaking hallowed traditions by taking away their cigarettes and admitting women. Then lock the doors and push the container deep into the sea, for months at a time. That's what the Navy, after decades of contemplation and controversy, has decided to do with its Submarine Force, an elite fraternity of 13,000 active-duty sailors that has been patrolling the oceans for 110 years. As of Dec....

Russia to help Vietnam build submarine base Tuoi Tre Russia will provide technical assistance to build a base for the six diesel-electric Kilo-class submarines Vietnam has ordered, the Voice of Russia quoted Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying Thursday. Russia would also help Vietnam build a repair dockyard for Russian ships, he said after returning from a three-day trip to Hanoi March 25. He pledged Russian support to modernize Vietnam’s Air Force, including multibillion-dollar contracts for military equipment, he told the radio station. Military cooperation between Moscow and Hanoi has increased in recent years along with Vietnam's arms purchases from...

"Four ships of this class are under construction at GRSE, Kolkata. The first ship is expected to be commissioned by mid-2012 and will be closely followed by the other three ships with the last expected to be commissioned by early 2015," a naval official said. The corvette, a small fast-moving ship, was ordered in 2003 and the production is delayed by two years. The official said the 3,100-tonnage ship would be fitted with the latest indigenously developed sonars to detect submarines. "The torpedo tubes, and scutter (torpedo decoys) launchers contribute to its anti-submarine punch. In addition, the ship will also...

Be aware: "The Swedish military is set to shell out billions of kronor for two new state-of the-art submarines while also upgrading two older vessels, defence minister Sten Tolgfors has revealed, defence minister Sten Tolgfors has revealed. Writing in the Sunday edition of Stockholm daily Svenska Dagbladet, the minister conceded that the Baltic Sea area remained stable, with only Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg breaking the circle of EU and NATO-affiliated countries. "However, one can never rule out long-term risks and incidents, which could also be of a military nature," Tolgfors wrote. The multi-billion kronor investment is to be included in...

NORFOLK, Va., April 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy announced smoking will be banned below decks on all submarines effective Dec. 31. "This policy was initiated for the health of the sailors who choose not to smoke," said Lt. Commander Mark Jones, spokesman for the Commander Naval Submarine Forces in Norfolk, Va. "It is unfair for them to be exposed to the unhealthy side effects of secondhand smoke." Jones said a 2009 study by the Navy found non-smokers were exposed to secondhand smoke on all four classes of submarines, CNN reported. The Navy has 71 subs with 13,000 sailors on...

"Air Force strikes in Gaza" SNIPPET: "IDF retaliates for deadly Qassam attack: Air Force hits several Gaza targets, including metal foundry, smuggling tunnel; Vice PM Shalom says Israel to offer strong response to rocket attack that killed Thai worker Thursday" SNIPPET: "IDF aircraft struck at least four targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday, a day after a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave killed a Thai worker in Israel, Hamas security officials and witnesses said." SNIPPET: "Israel also sent a letter of complaint to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is due to visit Israel at the weekend,...

SMOKING below deck on US navy submarines will be banned by the end of the year so that non-smokers do not have to inhale secondhand smoke, the US navy announced on Thursday. 'Recent tests have shown that, despite our atmosphere purification technology, there are unacceptable levels of secondhand smoke in the atmosphere of a submerged submarine,' said the head of US submarine forces, Vice Admiral John Donnelly. The ban enters into effect 'no later' than Dec 31, Adm Donnelly said in a statement. 'The only way to eliminate risk to our non-smoking sailors is to stop smoking aboard our submarines,'...

On the surface, the Navy's leadership has sounded exuberant in speaking publicly about its recent decision to begin deploying female sailors in the cramped confines of combat submarines by next year. But behind the scenes, the prospect of coed submarines is presenting medical and ship-construction challenges. A specialist on undersea medicine is warning Congress that the air inside a submarine can be hazardous to fetal development. "Atmosphere controls are different between ships and a submarine's sealed environment," retired Rear Adm. Hugh Scott, a former undersea medical officer, told The Washington Times. "There are all types of organic traces that off-gas...

A man who commanded four British submarines has said that allowing women to serve in them would be difficult. The navy is looking to send 20 women officers to serve in Britain's four Vanguard class boats. The navy said it is looking at the design of its larger submarines to see if mixed sex accommodation could be incorporated and is looking again at the reason it has given to ban women. But Commander Jeff Tall said the navy's move to send women to serve in nuclear boats on a trial would not be popular in the service. He said: 'It's...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran on Sunday launched a new production line of highly accurate, short range cruise missiles capable of evading radar, state TV reported. The report quoted Iranian defense minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as saying that the Nasr 1 (Victory) would be capable of destroying targets up to 1,000 tons in size. The missile can be launched from the surface but would eventually be modified to be fired from helicopters and submarines, he said.

The U.S. Navy has now received 2000 of the new Tomahawk (BGM-109) Block 4 missiles, since production began five years ago. The Block 4s cost about $1.7 million each. The missile weighs 1.4 tons, has a range of 1,500 kilometers and carries a half ton warhead. It moves to its target at a speed of 880 kilometers an hour. The original Tomahawk was introduced 26 years ago, and nearly 7,000 have been manufactured. The U.S. Navy has fired nearly 2,000 in combat and training. The Block 4s are also getting upgraded so that they can hit moving targets. This is...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2010 – Female sailors will begin serving on submarines by the end of next year, with Naval Academy graduates leading the way, Navy leaders told a Senate committee yesterday. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Navy is in a good position to move forward with integrating women onto submarines. “We think we learned a lot about integrating women in the services years ago, and those lessons are relevant today,” Mabus said. Those lessons, he said, include having a “critical mass” of female candidates, having senior women to serve as mentors, and...

Recreational Subs To The Rescue February 23, 2010: A year ago, the U.S. Navy cancelled its ASDS (Advanced Seal Delivery Systems) minisub project, after over a decade of effort, and nearly a billion dollars spent. This inspired a commercial submarine company (Submergence Group) to try and build what the SEALs needed, but do it more quickly and cheaply. So, in less than a year, and spending about $10 million of their own money, Submergence Group delivered their S301 SEAL delivery system minisub to the navy for evaluation. The S302 was built to commercial standards. It can dive to 200 meters...

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon seeks to lift a decades-old policy that prohibits women from serving aboard Navy submarines, part of a gradual reconsideration of women’s roles in a military fighting two wars whose front lines can be anywhere. At issue is the end of a policy that kept women from serving aboard the last type of ship off-limits to them. The thinking behind the previous policy was that the close quarters aboard subs would make coed service difficult to manage. Defense Secretary Robert Gates notified Congress in a letter signed Friday that the Navy intends to repeal the ban on...

Women to Serve on Subs, Gates Tells Congress By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2010 - The Navy plans to repeal its ban on women serving on submarines, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has informed Congress. Gates signed a letter Feb. 19 informing Congress of the Navy's plan to lift the policy, which it intends to do through the phased-in assignment of women to submarines, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell confirmed today. The secretary endorsed the plan, the brainchild of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, Morrell said. No change can take effect until Congress has been in...

Reporting from Washington - The Navy plans to allow women to serve for the first time on submarines, the only class of ship from which they are currently barred, military and congressional officials said Tuesday. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates notified Congress on Monday that the Navy intends to change its policy. Congress has 30 working days to object. Unless the House or Senate moves to block the shift, the policy could go into effect as soon as mid-April. Allowing women to serve as regular crew members would shatter a gender barrier that has stood since the U.S. submarine force...