USS Tuna -- Thinking Outside the Submarine Can

Tuna are fast swimmers—clocked at 45 mph (70 km/h). The Bluefin species can reach a maximum length of about 14 ft. Two U.S. Navy subs have been named Tuna. It was USS G-2's original name (shown). [WARNING: preceeding Wikipedia article for G-2 submarine contains detected errors]:


On June 22, 1915, while standing down New York's East River with USS G-4 (SS-26) the two boats collided with submarine K-22 [sic] in an unusual three-boat accident. Damage was negligible. G-2 entered the local Navy Yard for an extended overhaul later in the day.



After being decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Register, Tuna foundered on July 30, 1919, in Long Island Sound. Three civilians were lost.


The second USS Tuna was SS-203 of the Tambor class, commissioned in 1941. On July 29, 1943, during WW2, she was mistakenly bombed by the a Royal Australian Air Force patrol. Significant damage was repaired in Brisbane. Tuna later had successful war patrols, was used in a Bikini Atoll A-bomb test, and eventually scuttled.


July 25, 2008 - Robotuna - Big deal, just another autonomous underwater vehicle, right? Wrong! Robotuna is a glider (meaning propulsed by swimming motion rather than propellor driven) designed under a U.S. Navy grant to swim like bluefin tuna, providing it with an operational efficiency expected to last nearly three times longer on conventional battery power than if it were propeller driven like other AUVs.

According to Brendan Lynch (1 minute interview video here):

Initially, it [Robotuna] would be used for surveillance purposes, for detecting radiation and mines, but down the road they [the Navy] would like to build a submarine based on a bluefin tuna.

Connecting the dots here for the submarine is very interesting. In our next posting, we will set the stage for you. If suspense is overwhelming, you might take a hint from this.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

An Ultraquiet and Ultradark Fish Story

BACKGROUND

One web site is devoted to high strangeness, including photos of crop circles, UFOs, extraterrestrials and a liberal smattering of declassified government documents. Another entertains millions nightly with expert speakers on various conspiracy theories and bizarre or naturally occuring rare phenomena.

Former astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell even chimed in last week about being briefed on extraterrestrial visitations and a UFO cover up by world governments. For those who missed it, here's Mitchell's actual interview:


We are not alone...

What is Molten Eagle's interest in all this? I agree, we are not alone; con artist and fraudsters are right here, among us right now!

My interest is that of a professional fraud investigator, not personal. I call it as I see it. As in other important topics, I demand intellectual honesty, scientific skepticism and enduring objectivity. Whether or not extraterrestrials have ever visited the Earth matters little at the moment.

Try to tell me that a superior race of aliens is here now, however, and that they will gradually takeover our elected government (or all world governments), demanding tributes from us, and regimenting our lives, and I will demand much more than photos of them, their ships, a smattering of declassified government documents, and testimony from an ex-government employee. Just as with alleged man-induced climate change, I will insist on appropriate, convincing evidence, or I will instantly suspect a scam of historic proportions that seeks to enslave or impoverish us.


A SUBMARINE CONNECTION

About two years ago today, my readers were alerted to a suspicious claim of modern academia invloving the world's record holder for the deepest existing fish. Do not be fooled by its identification here. The photo shown is a similar species, but not the one allegedly from the Puerto Rico Trench at a depth of 27,460 feet (5.2 miles), Abyssobrotula galatheae ["Abby Gals"].


So-called scientists apparently know very little other than the detailed classification here. The species was classified by Nielsen in 1977. Almost 30 years have elapsed, now. Why is no photo available? Why does Wikipedia have no article on this species? What is the occasional drawing based upon?


Without a photo, carcass or recent skeleton, how do we know that the creature even exists? Is this another case of sloppy science by a scientist? Did at least 2 experts sight the fish in the deep and, rather than photographing it, agreed on a taxonomic classification? If this is a case of poor science, it may be a small forerunner of the larger scale chicanery in store for modern humanity.

The 'Littorals' - Part 1 - Submarines and Surface Craft

Definition of the term littoral zone is simple enough, so naval journalists and bloggers believe they have a fairly firm grasp on using the term repetitively without much more thought. That is very risky on their part and on the part of anyone relying on their articles, especially when it comes to speculation on naval strategy.

To marine ecologists, the littoral zone is close enough to shore that the effects of tidal and longshore currents are experienced to a depth of 16-33 feet below the low tide level. Try to apply this term to naval operations other than SEAL and Marine landings, however, and it tends quickly to lose meaning.

The Wikipedia definition of littoral zone notes that the United States Navy divides the littorals into several zones (coast, beach, near shore, and offshore). The depth of the Offshore zone is shown in the illustration as approximately 200 feet (60m). For discussions of submarine operations, it is this offshore zone which particulary obtains. M.E. urges you to read this 3-page article, in which Joe Buff tells us:

Firstly, 100 to 200 feet while relatively shallow is definitely within the operating envelope of U.S. Navy SSNs and has been for a long time. So-called "littoral" operations such as Indications and Warnings, SEAL deployment and recovery, minefield surveys, and Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance (ISR) go back a long way and have occurred in some very shallow places. ...

Another example of ongoing SSN ops -- which is public info -- includes the fact that many SSNs transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back via the shortest and most covert route, the Arctic, which involves negotiating the Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea. Those two seas are extremely shallow (some areas for 100+ miles have a maximum depth of 150 feet) and are also somewhat confined ...

M.E. sees it Buff's way; SSN and SSGN submarines are littoral combat ships. So what if here the 'lcs' must only be represented in lower case. The submarine force seeks stealth, anyway. And although submarines will never land a Marine Expeditionary Batallion, they do not only what Buff describes above, but much, much more. Here's what he says about traditional surface warfare:

Despite frequent misinterpretations to the contrary, [Rear Adm. Alfred Thayer ] Mahan's central tenet never was to advocate some sort of abstract 'main battle-fleet fight to the death,' where at the start of a war two enemy navies would steam toward each other in blue water and blast away until one side or the other got wiped out. [empasis added]

The frequent misinterpretations to which Buff alludes seem to express exactly what some bloggers only see as flawed U.S. naval strategy. Molten Eagle, on the contrary, believes our Navy leadership knows full well what it can do, is doing and needs to do in the future.

If the size of the fleet must dwindle for economic reasons, what a swell opportunity to cull the outmoded and obsolecent, reject the fancy and impractical and, by necessity, force reallignment of the naval officer corp. Fewer ships should mean fewer admirals, etc. Did you learn anything?

Update: Poached Puffins and My New Ringtone

Earlier this month, readers were introduced to an obscure news report of the U.K.'s reknowned TV-chef (the 'Chef from Hell'), hunting and consuming puffins in an Icelandic hunting party. Yesterday, BBC NEWS reported Unexpected fall in puffin numbers:

Experts had expected to see a slight increase in the population on the Farne Islands, owned by the National Trust. ...' we had a number of good years for puffins,' explained David Steel, the Trust's head warden. 'But something is going badly wrong somewhere.'

Puffins migrate from Alaska eastward. The Trust islands are East of Iceland, which has recipes for preparing puffin meals (as do Alaskan and Canadian sub-arctic points in between).

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For folks who would rather credit the cause of Puffin decline to more popular Global Warming, Molten Eagle proposes a NEW ring tone to symbolize depth of emotional concern.

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The natural sound of nesting puffins is called a moan. It is the perfect ringtone (customizable incoming call sound for cell phones) for both knowing birdwatchers and Global Warming adherents. Turn up your sound and listen here to puffin moans from Bruce McMillan's Puffin Page.

Minutes Before Main Hydraulic Failure - Caruso

The Submarine, the Speed of Sound, Attempt to Torpedo

Yesterday's Molten Eagle post on the mysterious loss of USS Scorpion was long enough, in my opinion, but by necessity omitted some of the juiciest testimony.

Those who read yesterday's links in their entirety [TEST: did you see the empty grave marked with the name Huckleberry? - TM2(SS) Harry David Huckelberry, among the 99 on eternal patrol featured by author Stephen Johnson?] may skip to the end. .........................................................................................................................

In those days there was no internet, of course, and it was rather difficult and awkward to learn the fates of your submariner buddies. As I said, I was a few months out of sub school when the loss was declared. The submarine force was 40 % larger then, with 100 boats versus 70 now. Within naval commands not directly concerned with the subsequent investigation there was no open discussion of the USS Scorpion's fate, much less any pertinent facts circumstances. The nature of submarines since day one has been, and must be relatively silent.

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From Stephen Johnson's A Note from the Author:

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My book does not contain contrived dramatic elements designed to manipulate the reader's emotions. ... Silent Steel was not written to prove any theory as to why the Scorpion sank with all hands, because no theory is provable by the evidence at hand. ... However the book does provide conclusive proof of one thing that did not happen to Scorpion: enemy attack.

From Johnson's The Facts Behind the May 22, 1968 Loss of USS Scorpion:

Psychologists have long understood that people are inclined to believe dramatic events have dramatic triggers, even when mundane causes are to blame. [page 5 of 38] ...

When this ocurred, 5o feet of the stern was pulled forward ... at the speed of sound, pushing machinery and bulkheads towards the reactor compartment. ... It was apparent to Navy scientists and engineers that Scorpion actually suffered implosion effects [page 8 of 38] ...

Furthermore, officers that served on Scorpion during the 1960s insist the Soviet undersea weapons of the period would have been ineffective in striking the Scorpion which was capable of eluding the weapons. Scorpion crew members have claimed a Soviet attempt to sink the Scorpion with a torpedo in 1966 was defeated by the submarines ability to hear the approaching weapon and to outdistance it with great underwater speed. [page 10 0f 38] [color emphasis added]

Additional photos (you knew there had to be more, as well as some we will not see) begin at page 20. For curious submariners, detailed reports begin at page 28 of 38. Be prepared for usual redacting.

Finally, Wikipedia provides these very interesting tidbits:

The reduced overhaul concept Scorpion went through had been approved by the Chief of Naval Operations [not a submariner] on 17 June 1966. On 20 July, the CNO also allowed deferral of the SUBSAFE extensions, which had otherwise been deemed essential since 1963.

During Scorpion's last six months of operational life, at least two sailors, EM2 Daniel Rogers and Radioman Chief Daniel Pettey, struggled to be released from duty aboard Scorpion due to the bad morale problems they witnessed. Rogers sought disqualification [sic] from submarine duty - which was then allowed - while Pettey actually attempted to transfer to the U.S. Army only to be released from Scorpion while in the Mediterranean just months before it was lost.

Wikipedia has some problems with its authors (i.e. disqualification). Does the author mean nonvolunteer?

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Unravelling Submarine Controversy ... Interesting

A former USS Scorpion crew member phoned the Houston Chronicle in 1987. The call introduced Stephen Johnson to the controversial loss of SSN-589 with her 99 crew declared June 5, 1968. Johnson researched and wrote several stories about the mystery, including Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion, which hardened submariners will want to read in its entirety.

Meantime, the author also wrote 'for relatives of Scorpion crew confused by conspiracy theories and fictional claims about what killed their loved ones' Review of the Evidence Sinking the Myths.

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The intriguing photo shows at least two unexpected and difficult even for submariners to visualize results. Resting at 10,000 feet, the stern cone has been forced into the engine room compartment by horrific forces (the YouTube below will quickly aid your visualization). Easier to behold, but perhaps as surprising is the crush effect on the stern plane welding ribs. Hmmm! That can only mean -(submariners will immediately understand the principles and underlying design rationale.).

U.S.S. Scorpion breakup visualization YouTube...


Author Johnson introduces some enticing tidbits you can read for yourself. I was not disappointed. Although the quality of his writing and presentation of facts is excellent, I did not like Johnson's comparison to TWA 800 conspiracy theories, which is tangentially related at best.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Studies in Depth

About one year ago, we encountered this suspicious photo of a Yankee class sub (left). Today, Chapomatic posted a haunting photo (and links to more) of chaotic salvage operations following the Kursk tragedy. English translations accompanying the hulk photos are crude except for thicknesses of twisted steel, but the photos and extent of damage generally speak for themselves.

Surviving onboard explosions of such immensity only to suffocate was horrific for some of our Russian submariner brothers. There has been much debate over how long the sailors might have survived (see Rescue Attempts) after the Kursk sank on August 12, 2000.

Although the Yankee class sub's draft is slightly smaller (8 m, or 26 ft 4) than the 9-meter draft K-141 Kursk ( Oscar II class), the display of salvage workers at different heights tends to demonstrate my initial suspicion the Yankee boat photo had been altered, while a careful examination of the uppermost ladder joint indicates nothing unusual despite initial impressions. .........................................................................................................

For another photo of the Yankee try this one, thanks to Fred Fry. What are your thoughts?

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submariner Assesses 'Almost Air Force One' Comfort Capsules

WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman has vowed to hold Air Force officials accountable for using terror funds so their top brass can fly like millionaire jet-setters.

Our resident cartoonist, Juan Caruso, could not come up with a submarine admiral's equivalent of the Air Force's Senior Leader Intransit Comfort Capsule (SLICC).




There's just too little spare room on submarines, Caruso says. Stuff like this just does not 'get it' on U.S. subs. We are more of a fraternity, we endure and share together.


Completely baffled by what the submarine equivalent to the Air Force's latest SNAFU would even look like, Caruso offered what he thought was going to be a satire. The more we checked, however, the more factual it looks, however.

We could not find out, however, if the cabin slippers for female senior leadership were the same hue as those for males (Air Force off-blue)! Another undetermined fact is why Navy procurement did not handle the contract for this critical, terror budget item (estimate for prototype SLICC went to $2.735 million, from a 2006 estimate of $1.743 million.


Surely the former Secretary of the Air Force could have considered accessorizing these at under 1/10th the expense incurred. Perhaps the comfort capsule concept originated out of consideration for female senior leaders (recall House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request for a non-stop Air Force commuting jet last year). Either way, the AF generals may want to start monitoring their T-levels more closely.





We have heard of subs and telltale oil slicks, but never comfort capsules. Anyone with compelling ideas of luxury on a fast attack boat is welcomed to advise the rest of us.





Submarines are always silent and strange.

The Real U.S. Nuclear Submarine Stealth Strategy: Black Mambas

Recently, we highlighted Norman Polmar's insights about submarine admirals opposed to non-nuclear submarine construction in U.S. shipyards. Later we ridiculed his notion of a submarine mafia. For the record, Molten Eagle applauds the alleged Submarine Mafia's apparent intransigence on nuclear subs. Why?

In summary:

In the foreseeable future (next 10-15 years, or so), no military competitor of the U.S. can construct, crew and maintain nuclear submarines with the effectiveness and efficiency with which the United States maintains its fleet. Business majors will recognize our enviable niche in terms of any rudimentary S.W.O.T. analysis.

This gives the U.S. a huge naval advantage to help assure our ongoing military primacy. Certainly, other nations (India, China, Brazil, Venezuela, etc.) will try to emulate the success of our half-century-plus learning curve, but they will spend a fortune in time and money to attain 50% effectiveness of their so-called nuclear submarine fleets. They must try, however, and that is the U.S. strategy. We will no doubt assist our allies to a prudent extent.

What is in store? During the Cold War, Soviet submarines accidents claimed the lives of 578 submariners. Suppose the Russians help U.S. competitors? Yes, the Russians who require international help to safely dispose expired submarine reactor vessels, and whose nuclear plant history includes: the Chernobyl reactor explosion (April 26, 1986), the Yankee class nuclear-powered ballistic missile sub tube explosion (Oct 3, 1986), the Komsomolets sub explosion (April 7, 1989), and the Kursk accident (Aug. 12, 2000), among many others. I think we know.

Could the Chinese simply throw warm bodies (replacements) from their million-man Peoples Liberation Army Navy at a more disciplined effort? Certainly, but strict discipline alone does not capable nuclear submariners make! We have a very valuable niche with our nuclear subs and aim to maintain it for some time.

Should we also have a few AIP subs? While that prospect may be very tempting from social and false economic analyses (political considerations), it can only come with perils that would be irreversible and disasterously costly in the longer term.

Norman Polmar's opinions must be taken with more than a grain of salt, if only because he sometimes makes mistakes, like the rest of us.

Our submarine force with the help of our many submarine allies is unique in a fast and deadly respect, like this creature:

U.S. Black Mamba
subs ...


Submarines are always silent and strange.

The Third Contender for World's Submarine Capital

Have to admit overlooking this city... Thanks, Juan.

Anyone unfamiliar with Norman Polmar's term 'Submarine Mafia', may read Mr. Polmar's article from The U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings here.

According to Juan, images are based upon one of the TSSBP Annual Award Banquets in the early 90's. The admirals look more like skimmers to me.

The 'Submarine Mafia' and HMS Götland

If you never suspected Germany and the U.S. were linked at the hip, unravelling an arcane bit of submarine history should supply indisputable evidence. Thanks to Norman Polmar, we not only have another clue as to why the Australia Submarine Corporation came to build the problematic Collins class, but we know better how Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft probably got to build Israel's Dolphin class, and a portion of South Korea's nine diesel-electric Chang Bogo-class subs while several American shipyards closed during the 1970s and 1980s.

Quote:

I know that the Navy has been adamant in their opposition to a diesel submarine program of their own, but their going to this length [halting foreign construction in U.S. yards] absolutely confounds me. There is no possibility of the transfer of technology, so what on earth is their objection? The opportunity to create additional jobs for American workers and keep these shipbuilding companies viable ought to outweigh any suspicion the Navy might have that this represents the nose of the camel under the tent in forcing diesel submarines on them. - Rep. G. William Whitehurst ; letter to Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger, 20 September 1984.

What was Whitehurst's issue? The U.S. nuclear submarine community had immediately opposed the following proposal, citing nuclear submarine technology loss to other countries if diesel submarines were built at any U.S. shipyards [Back to the Future; Proceedings Norman Polmar April 18, 2006 - 'The 'Submarine Mafia'] :

In the 1980s the Israeli Navy approached the U.S. government for funds and support for the construction of three modern diesel submarines to replace a trio of older boats. Almost simul- taneously, U.S. shipyards were being approached by South Korean representatives who wished to build perhaps two submarines in the United States, to be followed by additional construction in Korea. Several U.S. yards that were not engaged in nuclear submarine construction expressed interest, and a tentative agreement was reached with the Todd Pacific Shipyards whereby Israel and South Korea would construct submarines of the same design, which had been developed by an Israeli team that included the German firm IKL and the Dutch firm RDM. The Australian Navy also expressed some interest in buying into the arrangement. Bath Iron Works and Lockheed Shipbuilding also expressed interest in the program.

Such a construction program, it was estimated, could lead to a production run of two or three submarines per year while providing Employment for up to 7,000 shipyard workers and supporting-industry workers in the United States. This was a critical factor in view of the numerous American shipyard closings during the 1970s and 1980s. - [Norman Polmar is an expert on naval matters and author of over 40 books in addition to numerous columns for the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings and Naval History magazines]; [color emphasis added].

Polmar tells us the Navy's leadership decided to halt diesel-electric submarine construction in 1956 (at that time, only one nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, was yet at sea). Britain's Royal Navy made the same decision in the early 1990s. More recently we recall how the Navy managed to block an AIP submarine program for the U.S. by leasing HMS Götland.

The probable cost of an advanced non-nuclear/AIP submarine today is about one-fifth the cost of a modern U.S. nuclear attack submarine. Thus, coupled with lower manning costs, and potential availability of added overseas bases for non-nuclear submarines, AIPs are a no-brainer supplement to the U.S. nuclear submarine force. Unless, an overriding strategy prohibits.

Since 2006, realignment of the Navy has effectively neutered the submarine mafia (senior nuclear submarine admirals in top positions of Navy leadership after Rickover's day), we are left to ponder what that ongoing strategy might be.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Pamphlet was Confidential and for the use of Commissioned Officers Only

In the early days of submarine navies ASW technology and innovations were tested rapidly, almost nothing was ever taken for granted, and results were kept almost endlessly classified.


In modern submarining the pace of technology and innovations occurs even more rapidly, much less is ever taken for granted, and security has been tightened with a combination of traditional and updated methods.


Notice the title of O. N. I. Publication No. 46 at left, published in NOVEMBER 1918:

Approved as a preliminary study of the subject of the use of kite balloons in escorts, paper to be mimeographed, and to be given wide distribution to forces for information and inviting comment, in order that a definite doctrine and plan covering the subject may be developed. - Sims,Vice Admiral, U. S. Navy, Commanding. LONDON, ENGLAND, September 30, 1918.

The Preliminary Study was:

Upon the recommendation of Operations-Aviation this study of the use of kite balloons in escorts, made by the planning section, is published for the information of the naval service. This pamphlet is confidential and for the use of commissioned officers only. -

ROGER WELLES Rear Admiral, U. S. Navy, Director of Naval Intelligence

O. N. I. Publication No. 46 was not declassified until, AUGUST 1972. Better safe than sorry. Among the very logical and competent analyses are a few fascinating gems, like these:

We conclude that the extra protection given by kite balloons against browning shots is about one minute's earlier notice of danger to the convoy. (3) Bluffing the submarine. Comment. -- Recent evidence indicates that this element may soon be negligible. ...

The British believe that enemy submarines feel that they incur no great danger while being sighted from kite balloons at a distance. British publications give the visibility of kite balloons in clear weather at about 20 miles. Visibility varies with light, background, color of balloon, relative positions of balloon and observing vessel.

Well, you can read more of it here. And about Rear Admiral Welles, the Director of Naval Intelligence? Here's what one historian writes:

Welles was a competent, if not particularly front-running flag officer, with a portly appearance better befitting a well-to-do banker than a dashing battleship commander. ... Welles was selected for Rear Admiral in 1918 on a list bloated by wartime necessity. As an additional reward for his efforts, Welles earned the Navy Cross for the wartime successes of Naval Intelligence. ... By 1919, Welles had already accumulated 33 years service with the Navy after being raised just outside New York City. As a brand new naval cadet in 1886, Welles had been assigned to the flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron, the impressive steam frigate Tennessee. ... In a Navy that ranked as one of the world's most derelict at the time, duty aboard the spit-and-polish Tennessee was much prized and awoke in Welles a career-long passion with the large capital ships at the battleline's core. -

From Rear Admiral Roger Welles—San Diego's First 'Navy Mayor' by Bruce Linder

I have a feeling that submariners would have liked American Vice Admiral Sims, a Canadian by birth:

AMERICAN TARS' CLUB IS OPENED IN ENGLAND; Vice Admiral Sims's Address Cheered by His Own and British Seamen. The New York Times, June 26, 1917.

Torpedo-boat (destroyer) sailors even wrote a ballad honoring the good admiral, who commanded U.S. anti-submarine forces. First stanza from SIMS'S FLOTILLA:

On April sixth in 'seventeen
Our war-like ire arose,
A fighting man is what we need
So Admiral Sims was chose,
He came into the British Isles
And viewed the 'Sub' campaign,
Just send my old torpedo boats
Right back to me again.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Your Submarine Cook Was a Piece of Work, but not from Hell

UPDATE (16 Apr 2009): Chef on Royal Navy submarine HMS Tireless on secrets of feeding 130 under the sea

PO Bailey's ability to stay calm under pressure and his dedication to producing fresh, home-made food on missions have prompted his crew to compare him with Gordon Ramsay.

Our 1st class cook was never very popular with the crew despite his considerable talents. Apparently, he had some abilities besides submarine commissary that made the MMs and TMs suspicious, jealous, or both.

Two things always amazed me about our infamous cook, who was loud and gave as good as he got:

1- When did the guy manage to qualify? He had done so in jig time and subsequently proved he knew his stuff responding to a real emergency when it counted most. and;

2- Considering the rumors spread about him by our TMs and MMs, how did he avoid the brig? -He never deserved it and his attainments after retiring from the Navy proved the integrity and executive ability for which leading submarine cooks have been legendary.

Cooks always seemed to get a bad rap. How were yours? Too few cook sea stories from submarines (if you have got one, please share it).

The photo above is of course the famous TV personality ( the 'Chef from Hell'), Gordon Ramsay, one of only three chefs in the United Kingdom to hold three Michelin stars at one time.

Here's a 90-sec scullery drama from what appears to one of those fancy Trident subs:

Like the cook staff uniforms on UK subs? ...

Chef Ramsay claims, 'The problem with Yanks is they are wimps.' But like submariners, this chef is a veritable man of action. See the bird salad in the photo at top? That bird is the Atlantic Puffin, not our usual food bird.

Ramsey brought a team of six people to Laekjarbrekka to shoot the puffin feast. ... Ramsey liked the puffin they prepared for him. According to chef intern Saevar Pálsson, he’s going to try to hunt a puffin himself in the Westman Islands.

Want to try Puffin? Here's the plain recipe (not Ramsay's): Remove feathers, clean, soak in milk for three days to remove oil. Fry meat, salt and pepper to taste. ..............................................................................................................................................

Have a flair for cooking like Bothenook? Try this one-day Icelandic recipe (see Mjólkursoðinn lundi), which adds bacon and a caramel, redcurrant jelly or whipped cream sauce. ......................................................................................................................................................

Iceland has some excellent fare as a I remember. One day at brunch, hotel patrons were seated at only one other table - that was the only time I ever encountered Johnny Carson in person.

Beyond Alleged Gender Bias - Juan Caruso

Dedicated to delusional voters who supported Hillary as the world's smartest woman, so smart, it appears, that HRC seems to have outsmarted herself both politically and chronologically. Is she really too old to run again for president in 2012? That is going to be the DNC's call, not REJECTED Hillary's nor REJECTED Bill's... Wonder what those 'bi-partisan' investigators and cooing women readers of Brad's blog think of Clinton prospects now?

Novel Approach to Anti-Submarine Warfare - AUNs

Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) comprises all efforts to locate, track and destroy enemy submarines. Read Wikipedia's condensed ASW history and most likely you will learn of at least one technique that you never knew had been tried and is now outmoded. If you already knew what a Leigh light was, who used it and why it was abandoned the foregoing link is far too pedestrian for you.

The latest ASW concept, still under wraps and unprototyped, is expected to be a quantum leap over existing ASW techniques. M.E. guessess either the U.K. or U.S. is leading this novel effort, and Germany, Australia or Japan may also be involved. When and if successful, the newest concept could interface nicely with the just barely announced emphasis on UUVs equipped with acoustic vector sensors through 2020 for submarine tracking/trailing.

The latest concept involves a combination of nanotechnology and biomolecular chemistry. Once a

submerged submarine has been coated with an invisible attractant by simply traveling through a deposit place en route to somewhere predictable (e'g. homeport), the trap has been set.

Up to months later, when and if the submarine visits a so-called registration region, millions of nanoscale autonomous underwater robots would be attracted by the sub's invisible coating and attach chemically to its outer hull. When triggered by an unknown agent (SPECULATION: a blue laser beam up to 50m below the surface), the submarine hull will suddenly, and invisibly, biofluoresce. Presumably, the fluoresence would then be detected by some sensor, perhaps a satellite. What happens next? Once the submarine has been detected, familiar means would be utilized to identify, track or neutralize any threat.

How do the nanoscale autonomous underwater nanobots (AUNs) obtain and store power? Molecularly from reactions with stuff in the sea. How do they move? Well, M.E. readers may have inadvertently stumbled on that answer earlier.

Note:
During topical research another interesting link surfaced. As no relevant connection to it ever materialized, it was discarded for purposes of this posting.

PBS's "Carrier" Reality Series: One Submariner's Notes

First, I want to express my profound gratitude to every crewmember of the USS Nimitz for obviously arduous and hazardous service. The sacrifices of individuals like these allow the rest of us to sleep at night in our homeland.

Has the submarine community been watching the PBS series Carrier? Other than trying to prove how open and honest the Navy is with the public, I see scant DOD value to this reality navy series about the USS Nimitz's 6-month deployment to the Persian Gulf in May 2005.

On the 2005 deployment, there were a total of 12 detainees in the Nimitz brig (03:18 video), detained for three days on average. Some will argue with this, but the primetime series is probably attracting more interest from soap opera fans and military detractors than anyone besides carrier crews. It is definitely not putting the Navy's best foot forward.


Is Carrier just another Navy recruiting film? Not exactly. The message being sent is that the discipline expected is not what it was for your uncle or granddad. Some things can still hurt your naval career, but you have to be pretty dumb nowadays to let them happen.

This documentary covers everything from homosexuals in the military to religion to combat and everyday life aboard the ship. Shows sailors/marines on liberty and what they are allowed to do and not to do. Also interesting is that is seems to focus more on the enlisted then the officers especially the pilots. review

In the latest episode (personally only watched the first episode and the last half of the third) a female AN remarked about her ill-advised quickie with a PO1: News on this boat spreads real quickly, so ...

QUESTION: How fast does news spread on a smaller boat, like a submarine?

Apparently, a nuclear carrier, like a nuclear submarine is called a 'boat' these days. Not only was I embarrassed for her and the male PO, both of whom are interviewed on camera at overly ample length, but I was embarrased for the CO [Capt. Ted Branch] and the Navy. They just had to be following orders from a highly placed civilian. Not that I alone may have felt so:

I was most surprised by some of the feelings several of our people shared on film. In many cases these were deeply personal. In the age of MySpace and social networking sites, there is definitely a generational difference in how young people are willing to discuss personal matters openly. - from Interview with Rear Admiral Peter H. Daly, Asst. Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information, Plans and Strategy

In a preview, another female sailor casually says, We would all go crazy if we did not have portholes! Now that was comforting because, as we all know, most military submarines have no portholes!

Her candid admission further underscores the inadvisability of female submarine crew, don't you think? Incidentally, when will the French Foreign Legion accept females?

Well, the Légion étrangère (France's Foreign Legion) which is not open to females, also had a successful role in the Gulf (1990) as a part of Opération Daguet. Is the female director of Carrier simply portraying the feminized version of carrier duty (very noisy) as preferable to say, service in the Legion? Here are the previews, complete with obvious hints; you decide:




Carrier previews...

notes:
One source described the production as what appears to be an intimate doc[umentary] about the people of a (floating) institution..

Mel Gibson's Icon Productions (APOCALYPTO) helped fund the project as a production partner.
The a 10-part miniseries Carrier documented some aspects of naval life, aboard the carrier Nimitz (CVN-68) required 17 filmmakers to accompany the crew on its Gulf deployment in support of the Iraq War. The film crew spent weeks trying to find assimilate while 5,000 sailors and Marines were too busy to take notice. Eventually, the film crew captured the ebb and flow of carrier life.

Balderdash: Bowling Ball-Sized Hail Caused by Man-Induced Climate Change

Regulation bowling balls have a diameter of 8.5 inches. Why do I mention this?





At 7:05 PM Central time on 22 June 2003, record-setting hail 7.0 inches in diameter (see link)was reported at Aurora in Hamilton county Nebraska:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS RECEIVED REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL IN AURORA...HAMILTON COUNTY NEBRASKA. INITIAL REPORTS STATED THAT THE HAIL HAD PENETRATED THE ROOF OF A HOME, LEAVING HOLES IN THE STRUCTURE LARGE ENOUGH TO CRAWL THROUGH. THE STONES WERE SAVED AND PLACED IN A FREEZER AT THE RESIDENCE AND TWO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPLOYEES WERE SENT TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE AND RECORD THE SIZE. ADDITIONAL STONES WERE OBSERVED AND COLLECTED BY RESIDENTS OF AURORA. PICTURES OF THE LARGER STONE WILL BE POSTED ON THE HASTINGS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE. THE HAILSTONE MEASURED 6.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER WITH A CIRCUMFERENCE OF 17.3 INCHES AND WEIGHED 1.33 POUNDS.

PRIOR TO TODAY [MON JUN 23 2003]...THE LARGEST HAILSTONE ON RECORD OCCURRED IN COFFEYVILLE KANSAS ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1970. THIS STONE MEASURED 5.7 INCHES IN DIAMETER...17.5 INCHES IN CIRCUMFERENCE AND WEIGHED 1.67 POUNDS.

In Molten Eagle's Opinion, the largest hail ever may have fallen in a desolate location (and therefore was never measured, much less recorded), or it may have fallen eons before modern man kept records of any kind, or it is yet to fall (larger than a bowling ball). Which of the choices seem more logical to you?





Compared to the age of the Earth or even the current Holocene period (the last 10 - 13,000 or so years) meterological records have been nonexistent. There is too little information to conclude convincingly or scientifically. Yet, some scientists with the same paucity of information (and who really cannot tell us if the sky appeared yellow or blue 10,000 years ago) state that man-induced global warming is obvious. Balderdash! On the contrary, those scientists' departure from scientific method is obvious.





Bowling-ball sized hail will fall (and some larger, no doubt). The extremes of nature in relatively short time periods are minor compared to climatic events in truly significant timeframes. Every unusual weather extreme is now attributed to politically popular, man-induced global warming. Non-scientists and conflicted scientists jump on this bandwagon for one reason. Ironically the color of that reason was called green before environmental hucksterism, but not before their kind told humanity that the sky was falling.





If the stupid theory gains a footing, involuntary sacrifices will be mandated without the benefit of those who sacrifice knowing if it was worthwhile (hundreds of years minimum required for scientific evaluation). Does that type of leadership sound unscientifically familiar to you?





It should. Human sacrifice was an archaic habit of early cultures lead by mystical knowledge-men. It was suspect just like the ramifications of the modern con are today. Those who actually made the sacrifice never knew if it actually appeased the gods! It certainly helped the careers of political leaders wielding the power, however. End of lesson.



notes:

Kansas banking commissioner Dolley, railed against blue sky merchants when he pushed for passage of the similarly named Kansas statute in 1910, observing that certain fraudulent investment schemes were backed by nothing but the blue skies over Kansas.

This posting was adapted from Molten Eagle's August 29, 2006, Another Reading Between the Lines. Hat Tip to reader in Republic of Isfahan, Esfahan

Remembering Our Colors and Blessings

Are you as tired of the infighting and flag burning, as Molten Eagle?

If you are American, you are already blessed. We set the large population opportunity standard for all of the world's states through our individual productivity, enterprise, and charity.

Inside and outside of America there are many villains and the misguided who tread on us in attempts to lower our hard-won standards to those of the less diligent or less free.

Rejoice on American Independence Day! Our citizens are of all colors and the fruits of our capitalism are most amazing.

Examples:
American Innovations




American Innovations Contest Winner ...



America the Beautiful...




...Ray Charles.



Finally, our greatest blessing is citizenship in a free country maintained by hard-working, and courageous optimists - self-reliant people of great hope, who sneer at the lazy, snakeoil doomsayers, bellyaching activists and America's indigenous parasites (lawyers topping the list). This time, let's get in their faces for a change by flying our colors! Honor our forefathers and our troops!

A SEAL team that did not officially exist and a Dream Ticket

My Credentials ...



Who else do you know who predicts better than this?



M.E. Predictions: 2005? Both bear fruit 2007; Update: July 2, 2008.



Not yet convinced? How about a submarine-related forecast?



M.E. Prediction: Ever heard about a SEAL team that did not officially exist? In which theater did it concentrate its operations that never took place? Me either. ... Sleep well, Hugo. We are all going to have to wait and see. The 4th Fleet is silent and strange, like submarines - October, 2007? Bears Fruit January, 2008 ; Update at 'This Blogs Reading Level: GENIUS: April 2008; Latest: July, 2008 and, The commander of 8,400 Navy SEALs, Rear Admiral Joseph D. Kernan, will go on to serve as commander U.S. 4th Fleet.



You may search out my other predictions, some of which are not yet due, on your own. Right now, I have a new one for you:



There is as much need for one lawyer on McCain's ticket as there is for ONLY one on Obama's. Sorry, Hillary and Huckabee!


The reason for including a lawyer is more than historical precedent, in reality, it is entitlement of a disproportionately powerful and wealthy group, the lawyer class. Our "collegial" nobility must be granted their ticket to ride. As long as only one lawyer is on the winning ticket, the public has never rejected the undue influence of the U.S. legal profession in all 3 branches of government. Have you?


M.E. PREDICTION: McCain will select a lawyer as his running mate. - 07.01.08 - 1:45 pm # 4



While I do not predict it will ever come to pass, Molten Eagle believes McCain's ideal ticket would include Hillary Clinton as his Vice Presidential running mate.

Submariner Arrested in "Roarin' Twenties" Copper Theft

Los Angeles Times, July 14, 1923

Arrest Three as Navy Theft Ring Plotters

What is believed to have been a scheme to dispose of large quantities of material at Los Angeles Harbor naval base was checked yesterday by the arrest of three men. Walter Brooks and O.L. Martin were arrested by Detective Lieutenants Allen and Graf, and E.E. Reeder, chief petty officer on the submarine S-3, was arrested at Mare Island, San Francisco.

Detectives said that ten 100-foot lengths of ninety-one-strand copper wire already had been sold to the value of $4000, and that two 1500-pound propellers, taken from German submarines, had been removed for sale.

The investigation, which has been underway for several weeks, is said to have implicated several petty officers and other employees at the naval base. More arrests are expected.

The souvenir shown above sold for up to $400 on Ebay. The well-illustrated story of the UB 88, California's Lost Submarine is told here, excerpt:

UB 88 was one of six U-boats handed over to the United States by Great Britain after the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet. This small group of Uboats had a dual mission: educate the U. S. Navy about technological innovations achieved by the Imperial Navy in submarine development and serve as a publicity vehicle for the U. S. Government’s efforts to fund its war deficit through the issuance of Victory Bonds. ... Forty-five cities were visited, and over 400,000 visitors were shown through the boat. She was laid up for the next four months before being dismantled and decommissioned.

Submarines are always silent and strange.