USS Virginia Returns From Deployment
USS Virginia (SSN 774) returned from her first real deployment on Tuesday (as opposed to the pre-PSA "deployment" the Navy trumpeted back in 2005). Here's a picture from the Navy:
From the text under the picture, it looks like Virginia visited Rota, Spain; Souda Bay, Greece; Fujahra, United Arab Emirates; and Aksaz, Turkey during her deployment. Pretty fair set of liberty ports for a LANTFLT boat.For those who have never been on a Virginia-class boat, here's an interactive tour of USS New Mexico (SSN 779) that features 360 degree views of several compartments. Amusingly, the tour of the "Engine" room is actually AMR, but it's still pretty neat.
Update 0730 16 Apr: USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) also returned from deployment this week, to San Diego. Welcome home, guys!
posted by Bubblehead at 9:41 AM
27 Comments:
A lei for a returning Groton boat? Am I missing something?
4/15/2010 10:25 AM
Looks like alot of missing tiles as well..
4/15/2010 10:26 AM
If anyone happens to know: in the AMR, what is that big, vertical, flanged, subsafe-looking, stainless-steel pipe for?
It almost looks like a main induction, but would think that'd be lagged (?).
Impressive boat. Am much liking the "all-in" control room with sonar & CC all together, and no periscopes in the way. Must be quite a thing to stand watch there.
4/15/2010 10:54 AM
Looks like Trash Disposal Unit (TDU). I didn't serve on that class though.
4/15/2010 11:01 AM
No broom? That bad, huh?
4/15/2010 11:12 AM
JTH is right. It's the TDU.
4/15/2010 11:56 AM
I was in the control room and was in awe of the all in one aspect. The toggle view finder instead of the periscope was very cool.
4/15/2010 12:06 PM
Wow, the control room especially with that bank of monitors makes her look like a little sister to the GNs.
And I could swear I know those two jg's in the wardroom picture...
4/15/2010 2:15 PM
The USS Alexandria does leis (lei's?) for the big homecoming as well.
4/15/2010 4:46 PM
I think the leis are made by the FSG (wives). Nice cross-pollination of a Hawaii boat tradition to other locations.
As to the VIRGINIA, sad to see they couldn't fix the SHT glue issue that has plagued 688's for years. I wonder how many times they put divers in the drink to cut & fair the flappers while deployed.
4/15/2010 5:45 PM
"A lei for a returning Groton boat? Am I missing something?"
There are a few Hawaii sailors in Groton. We brought the tradition back, as well as an "Aloha Friday" here and there.
"If anyone happens to know: in the AMR, what is that big, vertical, flanged, subsafe-looking, stainless-steel pipe for?"
It's the TDU.
"No broom? That bad, huh?"
Please...for what?
It's good to be home.
4/15/2010 5:49 PM
As to the VIRGINIA, sad to see they couldn't fix the SHT glue issue that has plagued 688's for years. I wonder how many times they put divers in the drink to cut & fair the flappers while deployed.
Hmmm, I was on a 637 boat with SHT and never experienced those issues. In fact, the boat was so quite coming out of overhaul in the mid 80's that we became a defacto West coast spec op boat.
4/15/2010 6:05 PM
That 360 degree video stuff is way cool. Does anyone know exactly how this technology works? Is it just a video camera with a wide lenses that sees out in multiple directions? Just curious, way cool.
4/15/2010 7:10 PM
All the boats coming home from deployment get the lei in Groton, just like in Hawaii. Also, homecomings are a "big deal". The Groton MWR sets up a tent (it is even heated when it is cold) for the dependents and the local Dunken Donuts provides donuts and coffee. The local Navy League chapter orders enough Pizza for the duty section that has the first evening's duty. The local media cover the first kiss and the first hug and interview a few sailors and spouses for the local evening news. The New London DAY generally has a picture and an above the fold story. All the inport subs sound their ship's whistles for about three minutes when the homecoming sub reaches the NAUTILUS mooring. A large contingent from both the in port boats and submarine school are on the pier to provide a welcome cheer (although I personally don't feel comfortable with the "HOOYAH" but that is the cheer in vogue). It certainly is a bigger deal than when we came back in the sixties to eighties to the Squadron Duty Officer and the Tender or Subase Duty officer with the planned work packages for the standdown upkeep.
4/15/2010 7:59 PM
While I was Navigator I always loved the guy from Subase who was there to greet me with the updated Subase Access List...
That was always the first thing on my mind when we got home from a deployment.
4/15/2010 8:10 PM
That 360 degree video stuff is way cool. Does anyone know exactly how this technology works?
It's a standard issue digital camera on a tripod with a constant-rate motor rotating it. The camera takes pictures at a set interval all the way around, they change the elevation and do it again a few times, then piece together photos with software to make the 360 view (just like the old-school piecing together individual photos to make a mosaic). The big logo at the bottom is where no photos were taken because the tripod was in the way.
And I only lost a half of a tile on my 637 over two deployments; VA looks like a Brit-boat right now.
-LT L
4/15/2010 8:19 PM
There is nothing better than pulling in to a zillion sandcrabs with WAFS in hand wondering if it would be a problem to get some jobs prepped, lol. Yep, the duty section on the first day lives to process tagouts and WAFS that first day back.
4/15/2010 8:39 PM
As a wife, I've made leis for returning subs in Kings Bay, San Diego and Hawaii. It's a fun and festive addition for homecoming no matter where it is.
4/15/2010 10:04 PM
The Virginias use a Mold in place technique instead of Tiles. In short it just means a larger part of the boat rips off. Everytime we surface, its a game of "How much MIP did we lose" Texas had an entire side come loose and bang against the Hull for an underway.
Every dry docking has involved some MIP repair in the past 4 years. No big surprise they lost some too.
Big pipe in AMR is the TDU. The 360 view is great. you can see alot of the FWD area of the boat.
4/16/2010 1:32 AM
LT L,
Thank you for the feedback on the 360 degree technology. The first time I viewed this technology was the USS Pampanito (SanFrancisco Maritime) has sn online 360 and it is awesome. It sure beats the old static photos.
Master AssClown
4/16/2010 5:23 AM
Re: 360 photos - There are several companies that make cameras that take 1-shot 360 images. This is one I am familiar with that originally was based in Oak Ridge, TN: http://www.ipix.com/
4/16/2010 7:24 AM
Hmmm, I was on a 637 boat with SHT and never experienced those issues. In fact, the boat was so quite coming out of overhaul in the mid 80's that we became a defacto West coast spec op boat.
They changed the glue sometime in the 90's. The original stuff that worked so well was discontinued due to HAZMAT concerns from what I was told.
The new glue just doesn't hold as well when a 688 is making a high speed transit. I think a contributing part of the problem is in the installation as well. If the bubbas putting it on don't follow the rules EXACTLY, it just doesn't stick very well.
4/16/2010 3:49 PM
The "original" glue might have worked well on some boats, but I remember BATFISH looking like a leper boat every time she moored at Pier Mike in Charleston in the 80's. That glue didn't like that boat for sure!
4/16/2010 6:38 PM
I was on the Salt Lake City for DMP in Mare Island and that was where we got the tiles applied. They had to sandblast and prime the hull, then slather on some glue, place a tile and attach a vacuum hose to the center of each tile. The glue had to cure for a few hours with the vacuum applied so the tiles wouldn't fall off. It made topside a real obstacle course, surprising no one tripped on a hose and ended up in the drydock. After the cure time was up, someone removed the vacuum hose and caulked the hole in the middle and around the edges.
4/18/2010 3:04 AM
Many institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.
4/19/2010 4:35 AM
There is a Caterpillar Emergency Diesel Engine and Generator inside the AMR. They probably used the term Engine Room on the website because it is more recognizable to laypeople than the term AMR.
4/22/2010 10:48 PM
Thank you for your post, pretty helpful material.
7/30/2012 3:40 AM
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