Submarine 2006 Year In Review Photos
Eric from The Sub Report put together a great video presentation of the "Year in Pictures" for the Submarine Force. It's posted over at our group submarine blog Ultraquiet No More. I'll still be here when you get back.
Update 2202 27 Dec: Now that you're back, check out this tribute to fallen USS San Francisco hero MM2(SS) Joseph Ashley by Ohio Sen. Mark DeWine, posted at Rontini's BBS by Petty Officer Ashley's father. (Because I don't know how long Rontini is keeping old posts in his archive now, here's the link to the Congressional Record that has Sen. DeWine's tribute.)
And while you're at Rontini's, check out this kinda sad thread with pictures of submarines awaiting "disposition" up in Washington (and some in the Ukraine, which aren't as sad). Here's one of the pictures of the American boats:
The poster at Rontini's says that some of them appear to be old boomers with the missile compartments removed and the hulls welded back together. (They're the ones with the raised areas around the sail that abruptly stop.)
posted by Bubblehead at 9:00 PM
20 Comments:
Wonder if these can be found on google maps sattelite images...
12/28/2006 7:40 AM
Why would they go to the trouble of slicing the missile compartments out of old boomers and then putting them back together again?
12/28/2006 12:47 PM
They silced out the missile compartment to comply with START treaty requirments. No tube= inability to hide and or launch a ballistic missile. All the old girls are waiting to be "recycled" during the yard lull times when the workload on active units falls. Keeps skilled people around for the times when you need them.
12/28/2006 12:59 PM
Yes, that is the Triton, The style of reactor she had and the way she was built made her in the words of one of the formen I know at the PSNS recycle yard "an EPA nightmare" The put off recycling it because of the almost impossible requirments.
12/28/2006 1:54 PM
Jeez, that looks like a fleet of little MTS replacements.
12/28/2006 3:16 PM
Do you mean the second one up from the pier? That's SEAWOLF SSN 575
12/28/2006 4:42 PM
SEAWOLF had the liquid sodium reactor, nothing but problems from day 1.
I heard they were keeping TRITON around because her plant is identical to a shore-based facility and she makes a good source for parts (albeit somewhat outdated parts...)
12/28/2006 5:17 PM
The bow shape is all wrong for TRITON, plus, as you pointed out earlier, TRITON didn't have the step sail.
I say the caption is a bit off in this case.
Either way, a lot of history tied up there, shame it's all destined for the torches. Funny thing is, the really interesting boats (HALIBUT, PARCHE) went right to the head of the line.
12/28/2006 6:01 PM
Neil,
If you go to the link a few lines above the picture in this post, the most current photo from Google Earth is a few comments down in the thread.
12/28/2006 11:50 PM
Can't be the Triton, in 1993 it was still in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in VA. My sub the OK City was finishing an SRA and I went on board and "inspected" the Triton on several occasions.
12/28/2006 11:58 PM
It could be; I saw Triton come through San Diego in August '93 on her way up to Bremerton.
12/29/2006 12:05 AM
As of May 2006, Triton was still awaiting recycling at PSNS. See this post on my blog with a close-up photo.
If I remember correctly, Joel, you had a post about it then, too.
12/29/2006 10:54 AM
They silced out the missile compartment to comply with START treaty requirments.
So they were converted to SSNs and used that way?
12/29/2006 3:51 PM
Stupid question....why put them back together if they are going to be decommed anyway?
12/30/2006 7:15 AM
The long one with the old fashioned bow, 2nd from the pier, is the Seawoof. I'd know that sail anywhere. My inport assignment was to chip and paint the inside of it, endlessly. What I did instead, was to make a nest out of a bale of shipyard rags and sleep off the previous night's drunk, endlessly.
The reason it looks so long is that it is. They welded in a 50 foot pressure hull extention forward in '73 or around then. You should see the huge structures they welded on the bottom of the old scow, complete with huge skids, kind of like helicopter landing gear.
You ain't lived until you've rode the Seawolf at battle flank (17 1/2 KTs), corkscrewing through the ocean like Mr Magoo's flivver. Them was the days, my lads, iron men and spongy ships.
12/30/2006 11:13 AM
Methinks those structures were to support the Ivy Bells operation....
Be nice to see some pics or a sketch of that feature.
12/31/2006 8:08 AM
nope. we'd have to kill you then.
the seawolf had a few characteristics to identify her with no doubt. if you look along the sides of the topside deck, you will see some huge holes, two front, two aft. these were called thrusters, and we used them to move side to side, or completely rotate. we did this once just to show off coming into mare island. the tugs came in along side us, but didn't run lines until we were ready to turn around. we always parked facing downriver. as the piers came abreast, the skipper had the boat lowered on the vents until the deck was awash, and then thrusted us 180 degress.
it was pretty fun. i actually think he was giving someone the proverbial middle finger, but have no idea who.
12/31/2006 10:25 AM
Great story! I have a couple pics that show the thrusters clearly. Been doing a lot of research in this area for a project I have going. Assuming these were on PARCHE as well to maintain station whilst reaching "way down"...
;)
12/31/2006 10:39 AM
I don't know nothin' 'bout no Ivy Bells.
We used those skids to set down on. After a while the current would cover the skids with several feet of silt and the boat would settle in nice and cozy.
At that point we could blow the main ballast tanks and test their integrity, without having to surface, or even move at all.
Just another modern innovation to provide ease and comfort to it's fighting bluejackets.
1/01/2007 12:16 PM
So they were converted to SSNs and used that way?
No, They cut the missile compartments out, Welded the forward and Aft sections together to recycle the Reactor and other components at a later date.
1/02/2007 12:45 AM
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