Keeping the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines since late 2004... and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found. Idaho's first and foremost submarine blog. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me; don't call me at home.)

Friday, February 10, 2012

Rogue Submariners

ABC bought a pilot for a new series that could be interesting, "Last Resort":
The series tells the story of a U.S. nuclear submarine crew who refuses direct orders to fire nuclear missiles and must go on the lam. They find sanctuary at a NATO base where they declare themselves the world's smallest nuclear nation. Braugher will play Capt. Marcus Chaplin, the commander of the U.S.S. Nevada. A veteran of real combat and a leader by nature, Chaplin is a patriot, though won't follow any man blindly.
Sometimes on the midwatch the conversation would turn to methods by which a submarine crew could go rogue. I never got much beyond the "surface and tell a cruise ship you'd sink them unless they turned over all their valuables" or drug-running; I don't think I ever heard someone come up with the "declare yourself an independent nuclear power" plan.

So what would you do if your crew agreed to follow you into rogue-ishness with a submarine?

26 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Off-topic but well worth it - great moments in Public Relations staffwork. Secretary Mabus announced the name of LCS 10 today. See the ceremony at http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/?pid=eXPh1tb7qCsotu3ZAMNOORp_HoXVF0Ue&player=GovDelivery but especially zoom to the 4:30 mark.

2/10/2012 7:45 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought the unwritten policy when ordered to conduct a full 24- tube launch was "shoot 22, keep one for the Captain and one for the crew".

After all, there's not much difference in 22 or 24 missiles at that point because other boats are letting their 22 fly also.

But there is a big difference with the boat keeping 2. That's up to 14 warheads remaining on board. With the families all toast, you can still establish yourself as a nuclear power. And now with the addition of women onboard, even have the means to procreate.

2/10/2012 8:55 PM

 
Anonymous ericn1300 said...

So really, if one boat refused to fire would it really make a difference?

2/10/2012 9:01 PM

 
Blogger Roy said...

"surface and tell a cruise ship you'd sink them unless they turned over all their valuables"

There was a movie made years ago about just that scenario.

"Assault on a Queen" - 1966

2/10/2012 10:25 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So . . . has the TSSBP been censored from talking about our latest incident?

2/10/2012 10:34 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So . . . has the TSSBP been censored from talking about our latest incident?
=======

Latest incident? Have YOU been censored? lol

2/10/2012 10:39 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well I hope they have a good source of "money"! Food and obrp's as well as shore support might be an issue. Hollywood won't show that part tho!.

2/11/2012 3:42 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Our plan was to start running drugs.

2/11/2012 5:16 AM

 
Blogger Sandy Salt said...

We were heading to Australia and setting up our own new government. We would have electricity and could make our own water, so we would need to do something for food. We figured that we might have to take care of some zombies, but that got easier after 9/11. A boomer with a couple of spare missiles is a pretty good start to a new world and now add females and you are well on your way. Like they always say on tours, we are only limited by the food we carry (in this case secure).

2/11/2012 7:30 AM

 
Blogger SJV said...

We just planned to sink whatever we could until we ran out of torpedos.

2/11/2012 8:13 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We always went with the "one for the Captain and one for the crew" scenario also. No way all 24 were flying...what a waste of perfectly good nuclear weapons.

The theory/plan was to head to South Pacific and work our way through the islands, possibly towards Australia. Even had an ANAV who kept charts in his rack for that possibility.

It was typically mid-watch discussions when the topic would arise. I remember a watch section that got so serious about it and into so much detail, that the OOD got a little nervous and sked to tone it down.

Things happen when you spend months underwater and have a lot of time on your hands (just ask Dirty Dave!!).

2/11/2012 10:12 AM

 
Blogger Bubblehead said...

Re: talking about the "latest incident", I normally don't do a full post about something until it shows up open source. I'll occasionally do a "word on the street" if it's something that's only of interest to Submariners, but otherwise I wait until there's some sort of confirmation if it's only E-mails or TSSBP commenters putting something out. So, I'm posting about the ETCM(SS) Turley firing now, but not about an rumored administrative action in Kings Bay.

2/11/2012 10:50 AM

 
Anonymous NHSparky said...

Depends on if the boat was gonna be one of the good guys or one of the bad guys.

Good guys, have a ball (this in the days of the 4FZ, et al.) Bad guys, take enough good guys, take local control of the stern planes, full dive, ahead flank, problem solved.

2/13/2012 8:22 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Japanese comic in late 80s/early 90s had JMSDF and USN partner on a nuclear submarine, whose first (Japanese) captain promptly went rogue as an independent nuclear state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silent_Service

2/13/2012 11:59 AM

 
Anonymous Jim Houston said...

Interesting concept, if you could talk the whole crew into it (doubtful). However, when I was on the 688 I was convinced that I could have started up, gone to sea and operated submerged with only me, the Sonar Chief and M-Div Chief on board. Barring any major casualties, of course...

2/14/2012 11:45 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr. Houston,

Nice concept.. you could have the Sonar Chief do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry as well. The M-Div Chief would have to man the throttles most of the time, but I'm sure he could get a good batch of bilge wine going.

2/14/2012 5:20 PM

 
Anonymous essay example said...

This is absolutely awesom! Great work!

2/15/2012 2:00 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll admit that the closest I've ever been to a nuclear submarine was when I toured the USS Nautilus in Groton several years ago, but this scenario seems totally beyond the beyond to me. I had a hard enough time with the scenario in the movie Crimson Tide, but an entire sub going rogue? Even in the Hunt for Red October, it was only the officers.

2/17/2012 11:14 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In the "shoot 22, keep one for the Captain and one for the crew" scenario that is not 'going rogue" that is common sense.

In that scenario, the crew has already destroyed earth as we know it, so they did their duty. The rest is about survival.

As far as it really happening, who knows? I hope we never get to that point, but in the aftermath, the crew needs to think only about #1...and that's themselves.

2/18/2012 9:59 AM

 
Blogger Thomas said...

Back in the day we used to hash out grandiose plans like that. The nukes talked of blowing the frame 89 explosive bolts and detaching the aft from the forward part. After all, the back half had the rudder, screw, power source, hot water, and a coffee maker, what more do you need? Put on back full and motor off to Cocoa Beach.

Once our CO mused a little on the thread topic and it was interesting to speculate how few people you could run a nuclear submarine with, if you took some shortcuts. You wouldn't need many to go down the river and out to sea, if you didn't mind maybe bouncing off the sides of the channel once or twice.

2/19/2012 5:19 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"After all, the back half had the rudder, screw, power source, hot water, and a coffee maker, what more do you need?"

A sea anchor to slow you down as you sank quickly to the bottom of the ocean! Half of a submarine?

Think about it.

2/20/2012 8:47 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I reported 2 MTs for saying that they would not fire in 1970. I also offered to shoot them.

3/11/2012 2:28 PM

 
Anonymous writingbee said...

Blogs are so interactive where we get lots of informative on any topics...... nice job keep it up !!

3/26/2012 10:28 AM

 
Anonymous D3 Gold said...

Sure it was a great weekend!, I am content for you!, the ensemble is actually georgeous! Cheap D3 Items
Buy Runescape Gold

10/07/2012 1:35 AM

 
Anonymous Business VoIP Providers said...

Simply Excellent!
business voip providers

11/12/2012 5:06 AM

 
Blogger Unknown said...

declare yourself an independent nuclear power.
free paper

11/29/2012 4:21 AM

 

Post a Comment

<< Home