Submarine Swim Calls and Female Crew Incompatible?

..............(Right click to open enlargement in a new window)

Since CSS HUNLEY, swim calls have been an especially welcomed relief and rare outdoor recreation for submarine crews who relish sunlight. Now that smoking has been banned, how long before swim calls are banned, too? Will swim call prohibition be for health (e.g. shark /seasnake menace, sunburn, drowning, pollution) reasons?

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............................ Timeline

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April 10, 2010 - CNO WASHINGTON DC - INTEGRATION OF WOMEN INTO THE SUBMARINE FORCE

THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAS APPROVED INTEGRATION OF WOMEN INTO THE SUBMARINE FORCE. ... UP TO 19 FEMALE OFFICERS WILL BE SELECTED TO BEGIN TRAINING FOR SUBMARINE WARFARE QUALIFICATION STARTING IN JULY 2010...THE DEADLINE FOR LATERAL TRANSFER APPLICATIONS IS 2 JULY 2010. ...DUE TO THE LENGTH OF THE NUCLEAR AND SUBMARINE TRAINING PIPELINE COMBINEDWITH THE REQUIRED SEA ASSIGNMENTS, OFFICERS WHO LATERALLY TRANSFER MAY BE REQUIRED TO MISS A SHORE ROTATION IN ORDER TO CATCH UP WITH THEIR PEERS WHO WERE DIRECTLY ACCESSED INTO THE SUBMARINE FORCE....FEMALE OFFICERSWILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE BLUE AND GOLD CREWS OF SELECTED SSBNS AND SSGNS HOMEPORTED IN EITHER BANGOR, WA OR KINGS BAY, GA. THE NUMBER OF INTEGRATED CREWS WILL EXPAND IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS.

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April 30, 2010 -The Associated Press - Topless women go bonkers over inequality in Maine

Nearly two dozen women marched topless through the college town to protest a double-standard that allows men to take off their shirts on a hot summer day. The topless protest was organized by University of Maine -Farmington student Andrea Simoneau. She participated in a similar event earlier this month in Portland and decided to try it in Farmington.

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2014 (and later) - Female enlisteds in Submarine Swim Calls -

Prohibited? Segregated? Topless? Notice the smoking and swim call in this 25 sec YouTube.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine Cover Up - Fire Casualty - Almost Sank

Remember this? Four calendar days had elapsed since an Ukrainian news agency initially reported the Russian submarine (#554) Alrosa's SOS (about 8 AM, November 21), from 150 kilometers off the coast of Sukhumi.
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Nov. 24, 2009 - Minor Malfunction on Board Alrosa Submarine Used to Undermine Russia’s Image - PRAVDA
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At the time, M.E. advised readers: By now, defense officials across the world have reviewed related satellite surveillance photographs, read classified reports of connected activity within Russia, and shared intelligence. Only a Russian admiral, however, is entitled to paint a final picture of events. Other countries dare not publicize their intelligence (payback is hell).
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Based upon Russian denials further details should be expected. If, on the contrary, the true story involved a crisis, a permanent news blackout will confirm same.
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It now appears (buried in Black Sea Fleet details here) that Alrosa suffered a serious crisis: a fire at sea and near sinking. No Russian admiral nor news outlet has shared this information, however. Garnered through the secretive back channels (highlighted above) the confirmation was leaked by Dr. Dmitry Gorenburg in the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.

"The Alrosa submarine recently suffered an engine fire and almost sank. It is likely to be under repair for the foreseeable future."

Pravda (Russian word for truth), of course printed the lies it was given. Only one question remains: How many of Alrosa's sailors were injured in the onboard fire? Dr. Gorenburg would certainly have read the entire intelligence report on the Alrosa casualty, but ....
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week

April 23, 2010 - The new United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ronald C. Machen Jr., spoke recently at the American Bar Association. Addressing a laughing crowd of defense attorneys, prosecutors and other law school graduates Machen said,

“The more indictments, the more business you get.”

They should be laughing, as taxpayers it is we who will be footing the bills for court costs and extortive awards. Why extortive? See the ME link just below.

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In January, ME had predicted:

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1- Eliminating Bill Clinton's DADT policy will empower [some] unscrupulous gays [and gay pretenders] to file grievances publicly.

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2- Likely grievances will involve lawsuits based on alleged homophobic discrimination in denial of promotions or plum assignments. Since gay servicepeople are currently prohibited from identifying their sexual orientations, such grievances have not been possible.

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3- If/when gays serve openly, civilian military lawyers and JAGs will find groundbreaking ways to sue the DoD, military branches, or the U.S. Government. As taxpayers, you and I will foot the bills, of course.

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Months later, the effort has slowed with due caution. And on March 25th the Pentagon restricted enforcement of DADT (rules preventing gays from serving openly) until Congress can take permanent action. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the military will no longer open investigations into the sexual orientation of service members based on anonymous complaints, will restrict testimony from third parties and will require high-ranking officers to review all cases.

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Now (April 26th), the American Bar Association has formally urged the U.S. Senate (ABA's official letter -pdf) to end the DOD 's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

How the Ultimate Military Weapon Will Become A Political Nightmare for Rogue States

How might a person react if the leader of his/her rogue nation insisted on developing nuclear weapons and hiding them within half-a-day's drive from home?
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ANSWER: As the person would either be living under a communist, one-man dictatorship or in a repressive, theocratic republic, his/her reaction would be NONE (mute submission).
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Imagine, however, that a rival nation possessed a system that could remotely detonate the rogue country's nukes in situ. Would the reaction to where they are hidden be any different? ANSWER: In many cases, a more resounding YES.
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Impossible, most believe. Nuclear weapons are safeguarded from accidental detonations by a variety of redundant safeguards. Nothing man could ever invent could possibly overcome all the highly effective safeguards at once. Besides, repressive regimes are not going to share with their people any superior military capabilities of their nominal foes. No one is saying the U.S. has this capability yet, by the way. Hmmm! Who could it be?
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A primary high-explosive is used to trigger nuclear fission in a plutonium shell. Very clever. The principal reason for classifying vulnerability, hardness and hardening technology concerning nuclear weapons is to deny an adversary information about vulnerability or hardness that might help defeat that weapon.
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Have existing paradigms and absolutes always been the foundation of your worldview?
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Inferential HINTS (no-fly thinkers only)

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Former USCG Reserve Representative's Cost-Saving SSBN Concept

..............(Right click to open enlargement in a new window)
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Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., formerly a member of the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and current chairman of the House Seapower subcommittee, wants to see what a smaller, Virginia-class submarine armed with a less-lethal ballistic missile would cost, rather than commit to replacing the current crop of large Ohio-class submarines armed with Trident II D5 ballistic missiles with similar ships.

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Rep. Taylor complained in a letter sent last Thursday to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the Navy “refuses to share” the analysis of alternatives (AoA) for the SSBN(X) program — a document that, Taylor says was completed last year.

Taylor threatened to work against the Navy’s SSBN(X) request unless the AoA is sent to Congress, along with an explanation for how much nuclear deterrent capability the nation needs. source: Apr 26, 2010 NavyTimes.com

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Mystery Submariner Death

In M.E.'s previous posting, Will the USS Nebraska's (SSBN-739) "Curse" End?, we mentioned the reported outbreak of an insidious fungus in the Pacific North West. The fungus appears to be unusually deadly, with a mortality rate of about 25 percent among the 21 U.S. cases analyzed

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WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - A potentially deadly strain of fungus is spreading among animals and people in the northwestern United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia, researchers reported on Thursday. The airborne fungus, called Cryptococcus gattii, usually only infects transplant and AIDS patients and people with otherwise compromised immune systems, but the new strain is genetically different, the researchers said.... "From 1999 through 2003, the cases were largely restricted to Vancouver Island," the report reads.

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The fungus has now mutated into a rare genotype with greater virulence, and now it seems to affect healthy people as well.

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Submariners are medically screened, healthy specimens. Note the proximity of the Trident base (Kitsap) on the map to Vancouver Island, where the fungus had earlier been thought confined. The spread of the fungus reached parts of Oregon state this month.

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The fungus also infects animals, such as dogs, koalas and dolphins.[3] Hmmm!

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Will the USS Nebraska's (SSBN-739) "Curse" End?

UPDATE 4: May 4, 2010- Machinist's Mate Fireman William Mack was given a full military funeral over the weekend, according to the Chattanooga, TN, Times Free Press. .Lt. Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force at Pearl Harbor said yesterday the Navy is waiting on medical reports, including autopsy and toxicology results.

UPDATE 3: April 23, 2010 4:20 PM South Pittsburg Sailor Killed; Family Remembers His Life - (video) Mack was on his second deployment with the nuclear submarine, and was due back in June. His mom says, "He had a big heart and a big soul." His dad adds, "He would do anything for you."

UPDATE 2: William Gerald Mack obituary, Rogers Funeral Home.

UPDATE 1: Potentially deadly fungus spreading in US, Canada - The new strain appears to be unusually deadly, with a mortality rate of about 25 percent among the 21 U.S. cases analyzed, they said. "From 1999 through 2003, the cases were largely restricted to Vancouver Island," the report reads. The new strain is genetically different, the researchers said. "This novel fungus is worrisome because it appears to be a threat to otherwise healthy people," said Edmond Byrnes of Duke University in North Carolina, who led the study.

Apr 22, 2010 15:12:55 EDT ..... NavyTimes - Sailor found dead aboard sub Nebraska

A sailor was found dead Monday aboard the ballistic-missile submarine Nebraska at sea, according to a Navy spokeswoman, marking the third death aboard the ship in the last five years. ... The cause is under investigation, said Lt. Kellie Randall, a spokeswoman for Submarine Group 9; she said there was no damage to the ship and there had not been an accident.

It surfaced this week “off Hawaii,” Randall said, to take aboard agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, who conducted an investigation for about 36 hours.
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Machinist’s Mate Fireman William Mack, 21, was found dead at 10 a.m. in the submarine’s berthing spaces. Mack, who was on his first deployment (apparently his second [see update #3 above]), is the third USS Nebraska sailor to die aboard since 2005. On Jan. 6 of that year, Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Aaron Scrimiger, 25, hanged himself in the machinery spaces while the ship was in port. On Sept. 20, 2008, Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class (SS) Michael Gentile was killed after being “entangled and pinned” as he worked on the rudder machinery while Nebraska was at sea.
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The prayers of Submariners everywhere are with the familiy and friends of William Mack and the men of USS Nebraska.
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U.S. submariners are decidedly not superstitious. For instance, USS Shark (SS-314) was sunk Oct 44 during its 3rd WW2 patrol by depth charge off South Formosa (all men lost). Earlier, Feb 42, USS Shark (SS-174) had been sunk on its 2nd war patrol (all men lost) more. On the contrary, however, Submariner Lieutenant Igor Vasilenko, an officer from the Irkutsk submarine, committed suicide when the Irkutsk arrived at Zvezda one November. He shot himself in his cabin on board the submarine, or so they say.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

The Quacks Are Still Misleading Us

What the condescending say now....

Europe's volcanic ash cloud: What you need to know

What will the effect on the environment be?

While the volcano is releasing both sulfur dioxide and CO2 into the atmosphere, the amounts are minuscule when compared to those released by human activity on a daily basis. It could even be argued that the eruption has been good for the environment: Eyjafjallajoekull has belched out 7,412 tons of CO2, but the airplanes it has grounded would have emitted 206,465 tons.

Really? A look at the suspicious spreadsheet behind the aticle (posted on April 16, 2010) discloses unscientific manipulation of data to achieve specious (i.e. having a false look of truth) conclusions.

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Spreadsheet Item(s)

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- Volcano Eyjafjallajoekull (2010) background 7,412 metric tons CO2/day

- UPDATED Volcano Eyjafjallajoekull (pre-eruption) 15,000 metric tons CO2/day

- UPDATED Volcano Eyjafjallajoekull (erupting) 150,000 metric tons CO2/day

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M.E. comments:

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UPDATED emissions were not shown when article was written; a low figure of 7,412 tons CO2 was first used. This was later called a background (pre-eruption) level of CO2 output. Is even the adjusted, pre-eruption level of 15,000 daily tons accurate? Hardly, it is based on
calculation using CO2: SO2 ratios (5:1) attributed to the Nordic Volcanological Institute.

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Is it valid to expect the same ratio of CO2: SO2 on a pre-eruption and eruption basis? The 5:1 estimate is not valid for several reasons:

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1- Pre-eruption and eruption conditions are vastly dissimilar; mass emissions accounting for the latter have not been adequately performed scientifically with grid sampling.

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2- Ratios of CO2:SO2 vary by volcano as shown in the USGS chart here.

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3- Contrary even to the 150,000 daily tons of CO2 (UPDATED) Volcano Eyjafjallajoekull (erupting) estimate used in the spreadsheet, the EIN News cites the same source, Agence France-Presse (AFP), with this estimate:

April 20, 2010 - Experts in earth sciences predict that the Iceland volcano is emitting between 150,000 and 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide per day, according to Agence France-Presse.

The AFP figure is up to 200% higher than the minimum number used in the spreadsheet. A better estimate would have been 225,000 tons/day of CO2. Is it wise to assume anything else would be correct in view of what has been shown obviously wrong, so far?

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M.E. certainly does not believe so, do you? Comparable CO2 emissions of Europe's aviation industry have been accurately reflected in the supporting spreadsheet, but only dated media sources for even that information have been given. Cleaner engines have been developed since 2006.

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The absolving "scientific" review of East Anglia's Climate Gate has encouraged these condescending know-it-alls to think non-believers must be stupid. It is their grossly misleading spreadsheet, however, not mine!

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

At Last! A Perfect Way to Assure They Get Your Message - with video

We have all met at least one or two super A-holes, even on our ustaboats.

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Now there is a product that provides a Fast * Easy * Effective method to send them your message of disdain, no matter who they are (even government employees, because its value is <$20). Hmmm, some of our congressmen should never be without this product!

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It works well, but that is hardly the point. This product can be given to anyone, because it not only solves a fairly universal problem in daily living, it comes with plausible deniability (the condition in which it is easy for a party to lie [about the reason for giving this gift] because the truth would create potential problems).

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Watch the manufacturer's humorous, 1-minute video (half way down the page) with a nice swimsuit blonde and a handyman in hardhat. Hey, Extreme Bob really looks familiar, but it is not an old shipmate, bothenook, hiding holes in a wall of his home.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

ANSWERS - Submarine Questions of the Week - 4/14/2010

Additional background on the UK's design edict: Submarines must now be built with watertight hatches both above and below the conning tower available here [note iv].

QUESTIONS of the WEEK answered:

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1 - What year did the underlying submarine collision occur?

Ans: March 1904. (the vintage, photo postcard shown above was actually used and postmarked in the same year).

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2 - Which two vessels collided?

Ans: The HMS A1 (Royal Navy's first British-designed sub [notes i, ii,iii], and the first to suffer fatalities) with mail steamer SS Berwick Castle.

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3 - Where did the tragic collision occur?

Ans: In the Solent (the strait separating England's mainland from the Isle of Wight).

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notes:
..i- The design was the first to incorporate a conning tower in a British sub. [1]
.ii- She was accidentally sunk in 39 ft of water when her starboard conning tower was struck by a mail steamer passing overhead and ruptured to sea. The entire sub then flooded and her 11-man crew was drowned.[4]
iii- In the postcard of the raised submarine (top) we see that the 6-ft high conning tower (not illustrated in the newspaper drawing above) is entirely gone.
.iv- She re-entered service following repairs, but suffered a gasoline explosion in August 1910. Collision and gasoline explosion/fire were tragic submarine safety issues, even in the U.S. as late as 1917.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Rotten Apples Mean a Few ex-Submariners

The number of rotten apples creating public relations nightmares for the Navy's submarine service these past 5 years is a very small percentage of our 13,000-man submarine force. Yet, dereliction of duty, desertions, and now a child sex crime, indicate the concept of moral turpitude ("act of baseness, vileness or depravity in the private and social duties which a man owes to his fellowmen, or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between man and man" [2]) is probably not being adequately identified in submarine volunteers.
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Why, because standards for society as a whole have probably gone down hill in the last ten years. Submariners, excellent as they are overall, can only be a reflection of the best in our society at large. The digital age has created a new species of thinkers --binary. Criminals have always been binary thinkers - sort of. They distinguish right from wrong, work from leisure, and risk from reward. Can you see big blocks of considerations missing from such binary calculus?
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Good P.R. (not all-inclusive)
04/15/2010 - GROTON, Conn. - Captain Marc W. Denno, Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE) Commanding Officer signs a proclamation supporting Sexual Assault Awareness Month. April is the month of Sexual Assault Awareness, Child Abuse Awareness, Suicide Awareness, and is also the Month of the Military Child.
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Bad P.R. ... Ouch!.... (also, not all-inclusive)
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April 14, 2010
Admits sex with girl ...
Groton - Three Navy sailors surrendered to police Monday on charges stemming from the alleged sexual assault of 12-year-old girl on July 4, 2009. ... When the USS Philadelphia returned to port on Feb. 3, Groton Police and NCIS officials questioned Dominguez, who said he did have sex with the victim, but said he thought she was between the ages of 17 and 20, according to the warrant.
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August 28, 2009
JAGMAN Report of USS Hartford collision 20 March 2009.
An informal atmosphere — along with crew complacency, a “weak” command and inferior submariner skills — are named as contributors to the March 20 collision between the attack submarine Hartford and the amphibious transport dock New Orleans in the Strait of Hormuz.
The CO and COB were both fired. The navigator, executive officer and weapons officer underwent nonjudicial punishment, as did 10 sailors. Administrative action was also taken against three direct support element members assigned to Naval Information Operations Command in Georgia as well as a fleet intelligence specialist based near Washington, D.C.
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May 22, 2009
Boston Weather, Breaking News and Sports from WBZ-TV — March 04, 2010
Two sailors from the USS Greenville were arrested in Brutal New Hampshire attack. Beaten Man Suffers Skull Fracture. A former Navy submariner charged with beating a man in Portsmouth, N.H., last year [2009] has pleaded guilty in Rockingham County Superior Court.
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October 04, 2006
Desertion USS Albuquerque sailors PO3 July 2005, and O3 in July 2006.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine Questions of the Week - 4/14/2010

...............Background
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Submarines are inherently hazardous vessels. After the most recent loss of a Space Shuttle (Columbia, in 2003) NASA's Accident Investigation Board identified SUBSAFE as "successful safety programs and practices that could be models for NASA"[3]. Following their recommendation, a number of information exchanges and conferences were held between the Navy's SUBSAFE personnel and NASA.
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From 1915 to 1963, the United States Navy lost 16 submarines to non-combat related causes. Since SUBSAFE began in 1963, only one U.S. submarine, the non-SUBSAFE-certified USS Scorpion (SSN-589), has been lost. [2]
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Prior to 1915, however, submarines of all nations were largely experimental. Hazards identified on these early boats involved retrofitting safety modifications, when possible, to a prototype or two and incorporating improvements into the design of future classes.
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Submarine fatalities and heroism after 1900, were decidely better than the Hunley's experience had been in the 1860s, but even in peacetime was not without tragedy.
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Gasoline explosions were not even the major hazard for early subs. Inadequate (by today's standards) senors to detect surface shipping and limited communications capabilities placed low profile submarines at risk of collision even when on the water's surface. For submerged subs, collision risk was very dicey.
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The sinking of one such submarine [not an S-Class] with a loss of all hands resulted in a pre-1915, design edict for submarines of another country's navy: Submarines must now be built with watertight hatches both above and below the conning tower.
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QUESTIONS of the WEEK:
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1 - What year did the underlying submarine collision occur?
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2 - Which two vessels collided?
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3 - Where did the tragic collision occur?
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ANSWERS CONFIRMED with interesting photo NEXT SATURDAY.
Submarines are always silent and strange.

Pledge of Allegiance Getting New Wording

.................Image Status: True. - snopes.com

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Congressional sessions open with the swearing of the Pledge, as do government meetings at local levels. Originally composed by Francis Bellamy The Pledge has been modified four times since 1892, with the latest revision adding the words under God in 1954. Prior to February 1954, no attempt to get the Pledge officially amended had ever succeeded:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (current revision by Louis A. Bowman )

Changes coming almost daily from the current administration in Washington, D.C. have engendered proposals for both the total elimination of and various revisions to our national Pledge.

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Readers interested in the following proposal, which removes the word God, are asked to contact their congressmen:

I claim my grievance in the land now ruled by trial lawyers, America, and to the fallacy toward which we strive: Deep pockets, inexhaustible, with entitlements and sops for free. proposed by (answer next Sunday)

Submarines are always silent and strange.

NCIS Weekend News UPDATE: Female Crime Imprisoned Male Marine at Naval Brig

Two months ago we brought readers some Real NCIS Weekend News. Now we can offer the latest update of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's (NCIS) resolution in a felony case.

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Unfortunately, one active duty Marine was falsely charged with rape, breaking & entering, and larceny, arrested, and imprisoned for over a month at the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston (the same temporary jail venue where an enemy combatant, al-Marri, who was also in the news yesterday, had been detained).

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Under the Sharia law favored by al-Mari, less than four witnesses or one or more recanting means a possible prosecution of the victim for false rape accusation, a death penalty offense.

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The unnamed, innocent Marine was released after the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory found that DNA evidence taken from the crime scene did not match his.

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Yesterday, the woman admitted she lied about the alleged rape. Now a charge against the woman for filing a false report is being turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

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Caruso's Corollary #3 to Submarines are always silent and strange. : In the litigiously charged, PC U.S., assignment of female crew to submarines will bring primarily excess baggage promoting operational inefficiency and JAG job security.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Understatement of the Week

Mohammed al Modadi, 27, (photo) was identified by authorities as a diplomat in the Qatar embassy, Washington, DC. As Qatar's 3rd secretary and vice-consul, Modadi enjoys full diplomatic immunity. He has been in the United States for years. A student, perhaps, testing our system?
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Kip Hawley, former administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (2005 to 2009) points out, "The TSA and counterterrorism officials are on high alert for a very good reason. Al-Qaida is going to use pregnant women, people with babies, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that they will use a diplomat."
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On point, perhaps, but a distraction nonetheless. Distraction from what you ask? From what you probably have not heard.
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All bags and luggage marked Diplomatic Pouch carried by foreign embassy officials are excluded from security screening at airports.
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Al-Madadi was traveling to meet a convicted enemy combatant serving eight years at a federal Supermax prison (ADX Florence, Illinois). Remember the diplomatic pouch, excluded from searches. What could al Madadi possibly leave with his countryman?
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Rep. Peter King R-NY, ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee“ said, Some countries in the Middle East are sketchy at best, and government officials can be traveling under diplomatic cover and still be al Qaeda sympathizers or affiliated with al Qaeda.”

UNDERSTATEMENT of the WEEK (But thank goodness someone said it!):

“And if they are carrying diplomatic pouches, well, we definitely have to make exceptions in certain cases, and this case certainly drives that home.” - Rep. Peter King (R-NY) ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee source

Declining to apologize for a serious diplomatic incident, which required President Obama to be briefed on Air Force One, Qatar's U.S. ambassador represented the incident as a misunderstanding.
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Was the 'sketchy' jerk, al Modadi, supposed to have behaved on the flight to Denver and only conduct his mischief at the Supermax prison, then? Qatar's U.S. Ambassador is correct, it has been a misunderstanding ... al Modadi's: To the U.S. he's history - PERSONA NON GRATA!
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Submarines are always silent and strange, but the United States Department of State has been in existance since 1789.

Curious KOPASSUS Komandos and PREDICTION

...............................RSVP ?

April 22, 2009 - Obama Bans Waterboarding

February 3, 2010 - U.S.News & World Report - CIA chief Leon Panetta, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said that the recent uptick in al Qaeda plots was evidence of a "certain" desire to make an attack on the U.S. homeland, an assault that they surmised could come within the next six months.

**** February 11, 2010 - CNN - Biden: Major terror attack on U.S. unlikely. ****

April 1, 2010 - WASHINGTON -A federal judge ruled National Security Agency's program surveillance without warrants illegal.

April 5, 2010 - WASHINGTON - The United States committed not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack.

April 06, 2010 - Los Angeles Times - U.S. plan to train Indonesian elite army unit raises alarm
The plan to train members of Kopassus ("Komando Pasukan Khusus": or "Special Force Command"), which is accused of rights abuses, would violate U.S. law, critics say.

April 7, 2010 - CAIR Welcomes White House Shift on 'Islamic Radicalism' - Administration officials said the change would remove terms like "Islamic radicalism" from the National Security Strategy document.

-------------------------------<>

In June, Obama will travel to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. His family will safely accompany him. Where are you going to be during the Obama absence? In a large U.S. city?

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Are the Islamist-friendly administration policy shifts (listed above) an invitation for a terrorist strike on U.S. soil? If so, would the resulting national emergency give Obama either the 2nd term popularity of a wartime president, or a premise for invoking martial law to suspend the 2010 elections?

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While either unorthodox scheme is certainly possible with Obama, M.E. predicts neither due to terrorists inability to attack during Obama's absence. Can anyone imagine V.P. Joseph Biden's announcement appealing for calm after a terror attack? HINT: February 11, 2010 - CNN - Biden: Major terror attack on U.S. unlikely.

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Another inauspicious event may be more likely during the Obama Indonesia trip: The untimely, natural death of a former executive branch luminary. Don't look for any connections; there are none. It would simply be due to operation of the curious law of unintended consequences. We are now a nation of laws more than we have ever been.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Helpful Statistics

Silicon is good for you, especially in beer...

Silicon, the eighth most common element in the universe, has been linked to good bone health. Beer, especially brews high in malted barley and hops, happen to be high in dietary silicon.
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Silicon is linked to higher bone-mineral density humans. Researchers at UC-Davis analyzed 100 commercial beers to determine silicon content and reported findings in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Average beers contained 29.4 parts per million (ppm), with India Pale Ales topping their list at 41.2 ppm. Lagers average about around 20 ppm.

Got Gout?...
Water consumption reduces gout attacks. Keeping the body well hydrated prevents concentration of uric acid crystals and lessens the risk of painful gout attacks. The quantity of water needed depends upon diet, medical condition, and activity level. Lowering the risk:
2 -4 glasses of water /day cuts risk by 16%
5 -8 glasses of water /day cuts risk by 40%
> 8 glasses of water /day cuts risk by 48%

NHTSA Looking Into Grand Cherokees over fuel tank fires...

There have been 254 fire-related fatalities in Jeep Grand Cherokee crashes (1993-2004 models). How serious is that? It is over 4 times as many deaths as have been attributed to Toyota acceleration issues. If you have a 1993-2004 model Grand Cherokee, you will need to shell out about $500 for a shield to protect your plastic fuel tank.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Women Did the Math. Guess Who the Puss_ _ s Are?

WARNING: This post may upset some folks in the submariner community who have not connected some fairly obvious dots. Since submariners are intelligent people, too bad if the major players in the women on subs movement, mostly politicians or SWO admirals, get upset. (The NAVY has banned Molten Eagle and other ex-submariners with licenses to shoot straight for quite a while anyhow).

Although they claim to be listening to the submarine community, they have failed to connect some very significant dots. SECNAV Mabus, this certainly means you and your rough-edged yes men!

As mentioned earlier, there seems a deafening silence from women attempting to serve in the tank corps, certainly a male bastion that does not involve hand-to-hand combat. Hmmm!

What is that you say? The pay and glamour are not especially attractive in the tank corps (Army/Marine).

Too many irrelevant dots... lets not try to connect those. Other countries allow women to serve aboard non-nuclear subs. Australia's RAN submarine service has often been mentioned as coed. Yet, Aussie subs rarely embark at all these days. Not only do they have serious maintenance problems, but retention of male submariners has suffered due to stiff competion from the relatively lucrative Aussie mining industry. ( I even bet those Aussies drill 1200-ft ventilation ducts in their mines BEFORE toxic gases accumulate.) Hmmm!

Well, what dots have not been connected, then?

Why do women prefer subs to civilian mining or the military tank corps? U.S. nuclear submarines have an excellent safety record. Mining and tanks do not. Submariners get extra pay and nice prestige for riding what appear to be Disney attractions, or safe, underwater buses.

What women in her right mind would choose mining's peepholes or tanks over subs? Subs will not be hostile workplaces like mines. Male submariners will soon behave as eunuchs - guaranteed by a rigid, USNA-graduate enforced, surface-type, female friendly environment. No peepholes on our subs (and, no periscope optronics will be adapted for shower peeping purposes). It is not only the women who have calculated this, it is SECNAV Mabus and the surface admirals. Too late to change their minds.

A senior Ministry of Defence source in the U.K. has given the clearest indication yet that the ban on women will be lifted.

"The United States has already gone that way. The scientific reason why women should not go to sea on submarines is about to change. The submarine atmosphere is not deemed to be as dangerous as thought to women carrying an unborn child." source

Submarines are always silent and strange.

The Answers: Presidential Unit Citation Submarine Questions

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For background see Presidential Unit Citation Submarine Questions of the Week: 3-30-2010




ANSWERS to QUESTIONS of the WEEK
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1 - Which WW2 U.S. submarine was this?
ANS: USS SALMON (SS-182)
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2 - Her surface displacement was practically identical to the recently sunk South Korean naval corvette. What was the standard displacement (surface) of this sub?
ANS: 1,435 long tons (1,458 t) standard, surfaced[3]

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3 - The sub's patch emblem is shaped like one of the playing card suits. Which one?
ANS: HEARTS (see above)
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4 - How many submarines were ever awarded The Presidential Unit Citation during WW2?
ANS: 5 = 4 (ARCHERFISH, BARB, SEALION, TRIGGER) source + 1 (SALMON) source

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5 - How many submarines were awarded Presidential Unit Citations during the Cold War (1947 - 1991)?
ANS: 4 - (NAUTILUS, TRITON, HALIBUT, PARCHE) source

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6 - How many of the subs in the answer to 5 were awarded PUCs more than once?
ANS: 2 - (HALIBUT and PARCHE) ibid.

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7 - How many U.S. submarines were lost (sunk) during the Cold War?
ANS: 4 - (COCHINO, STICKLEBACK, THRESHER, SCORPION) Lost from 1949 to 1968.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Russian Submarine Not Too Secret Facts for April 1st

Last Friday, we compared Russian submarine crew complements to certain U.S. counterparts. Interestingly, after 145 years of submarining, the ratio of officers to men is the same for the Confederate Hunley (1:7) as for the modern marvel, USS Seawolf (SSN-21).

Two Russian sub classes, however, Alphas and the radically new Severodvinsk had/will have opposite or highly contrasting ratios of about 7:1 and 1:1, respectively. To understand why, we must first realize the makeup of the Russian navy. Russia's naval manpower is comprised of conscripts serving one year terms and volunteers (Officers and Ratings). As of 2008 the conscription term had been reduced to one year.

Most could agree it might be a losing proposition to send one-year conscripts on highly secretive submarine missions while trying to maintain a high degree of national security; so apparently do Russian admirals.

But there are even more startling claims concerning the Severodvinsk due to be launched in May of this year (we will not hold our breath)...

The submarine will have a crew of 50, suggesting a high degree of automation in the submarine's different systems. The newest U.S. attack sub, the Virginia-class submarine, has a crew of 134 in comparison. If true, this might imply that many of the automated equipment could have been developed from the highly automated project 705 Lira, which is considered as the most automated nuclear attack submarine of all times (the entire half of the boat with reactor and propulsion was unmanned and controlled from the control room). source

More about the Severodvinsk class from GlobalSecurity.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.