A 2014 Tribute to U.S. Submariners

Background  Notes

Molten Eagle has dedicated the annual celebration of our nation's Thanksgiving holliday to active duty service members, and particularly to past and present submariners. Last year's historical double-feature displayed a frayed 1903 Thanksgiving Day menu from the vintage sloop-of-war steamer (USS Hartford)  in tribute to USS Hartford (SSN-768). The latter still in commission, had already endured a fateful grounding and later collision in addition to a U.S. submarine's arduous workload.

from 2011 - "Tributes for Thanksgiving"...
 "Though serving beyond sight of others, submariners remain on very influential minds." - Juan Caruso Davenport

A Secretary of the Navy once said, his biggest fear was a phone call announcing that one of our nuclear armed submarines — a "boomer" — had not come home. - It was Former Senator John Warner (R-Va.), Peter Huessy, June 16, 2010, Nuclear Deterrence: Painting a Bull's Eye On the US.

from 2009 - "To All of Our Brave Sailors, Especially Submariners on Thanksgiving Patrol" ...
 
Particularly remembered were our surface warfare people with American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie's ballad "The Sinking of the Reuben James"  sung on YouTube.  

from 2008 -  "Remember the Submariners [and their families] When You here "Happy Thanksgiving!"  ...

"We never had to go off station because we couldn't fix or adapt to a broken piece of equipment. We never had to go off station because someone got hurt or because of family problems back home... You, the men of the Augusta, fixed it when it got broken and you, the families of Augusta, handled problems as they arose and made sure the ship could continue to perform, ‘Any Mission, Any Time.' I thank you.” - Cmdr. Mike A. Haumer, CO, USS Augusta (SSN-710)

The 2014 Thanksgiving Tribute 

We dedicate our appreciation to all active duty military service people and their families, again with particular appreciation of those who pay the unseen sacrifices of submariners and their families.  Submariners and their families respect and pay a high price for secrecy, such as not knowing where they will be sent... which is not as unusual as some may believe.

For instance, about 140 crew of  USS Jefferson City (SSN-759) return to their new Home Port for Thanksgiving (without their families?). 

The sub left San Diego on April 9 on a western Pacific deployment and was expected to return to California six months later.

On the deployment, a "small" water leak was detected in a valve located in the sub's nuclear propulsion system, DeWalt said. "It's coolant water so it's just trace amounts of radioactivity in the water being collected on board the ship," DeWalt said.
The sub arrived in Guam on June 21. DeWalt said there were no issues with the crew, environment or populace. It took some time to pinpoint the leak, which was first noticed as excess condensation, DeWalt said. Some specialized equipment had to be brought in to identify the source.  The question then became, "Do we fix it here in Guam? Do we go back and fix it when we get back home in San Diego?" DeWalt said. "The determination was, the expertise is here at Pearl Harbor."

The end result is the sub is being moved to Hawaii early, requiring a move by families as well. "Being a sailor, it's a dynamic environment that we live in and operate in," DeWalt said. "These kind of things can happen out there."  - Military.com

Submarines are always silent and strange.


 

ANSWERS to 25 NOV 14 Submarine Q.O.T.W.

Background information and links for questions are found at original posting here.

Was author Mike Robinson qualified to write about his luncheon with 10 Russian elite "boomer" submarine captains?  Check out the facts and decide for yourselves.

Submarine Questions of the Week with Answers:

1. In his article about lunch with 10 Russian boomer-class submarine captains, in what year did his Murmansk Navy luncheon take place?  ANS:  June 1995.

2. Why was Mike Robinson certain those COs were assigned to boomer subs?  In Robinson's own words: "I was told that I would be met by a young lieutenant in the Protocol Department, who would act as my translator and cultural guide. She was magnificently beautiful, about 25, flawlessly uniformed in a dark blue skirt and tunic, and she spoke perfect English with a slight Russian accent."  ANS: Translation error, at best; believing the translator without verifying.

3. What glaring clue, if any, might lead a qualified submariner to question Mr. Robinson's claim as to "boomer submarines"?  ANS:  The caption (see below) accompanying the photo of the submarine in his article (7th paragraph) reads, "The elite boomer submarines were based in Murmansk".  The submarine shown, however. is not a "boomer", by any definition.  
                    
4. Might a glaring error concerning strategic missile subs published by Mr. Robinson lend doubt to the care he takes in his "thoughtful" (liberal) opinions about other strategic topics, such as his:  Climate deniers hard to digest?  ANSWER:  What do you think?!

In exactly what, if anything, is Mr. Robinson an expert?  Has he exercised equally slipshod fact verification in his promotion of the Global Warming agenda?

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine QUESTIONS of the WEEK

Leading from the Middle

QUOTATION

"Middle power achievements

A unique grouping of Canadian achievements are still spoken of in the cafes of Beirut, the restaurants of Amman, the Bedoiun tents of Wadi Rum, the Russian Navy Submarine Officers' Mess in Murmansk [emphasis mine], the Dom Cultura in Khanty Mansiysk, and the Koa Sami villages of Jona and Lovozero. I know because I was in these places. ..."  - Mike Robinson, Order of Canada,  Nov 16, 2014 TroyMEDIA, Vancouver, BC, "Canada can still lead as a thoughtful middle power".

BACKGROUND

Read more about Mike Robinson, OC, here.   And, if you have been sympathetic to the "Global Warming" next, "Climate Change" next, "Climate Disruption"  next, "Climate Justice" scam being pushed by the UN and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, read another of his elitist ramblings, An unforgettable lunch with Russian submarine captains. 

In 1992, more than half of the 54 Russian strategic submarines, each with 16-20 nuclear missiles, were still based near Murmansk. After their peak in 1984, Russian SSBN deterrence patrols declined to the point where there was less than one patrol per sub each year and at best one sub on patrol at any time. Hence Russians have not employed alternating crews like the U.S.'s Blue and Gold. Source: "Russian SSBN Fleet: Modernizing But Not Sailing Much". Federation of American Scientists. 3 May 2013. (Retrieved 19 October 2014.)  Modern Strategic Purpose Underwater Missile Cruiser, as the Soviets called their SSBNs include Borei, Delta, and Typhoon subs.

 
QUESTIONS of the WEEK

1. Referring to Mr. Robinson's article about taking lunch with 10 Russian boomer-class submarine captains.  In what year did his Murmansk Navy luncheon take place?

2. Why was Mike Robinson certain those COs were assigned to boomer subs?

3. What glaring clue, if any, might lead a qualified submariner to qustion Mr. Robinson's claim as to "boomer submarines"?

4. Might a glaring error concerning strategic missile subs published by Mr. Robinson lend doubt to the care he takes in his "thoughtful" (liberal) opinions about other stategic topics, such as:  Climate deniers hard to digest, Pipeline spin conceals the real issue with carbon, Government must help us break oil habit?

In exactly what, if anything, is Mr. Robinson an expert? [rhetorical]

ANSWERS (1 - 4):  Tuesday, 25 November.

Submarines are always silent and strange.




 

Update #2: Who Has a High Power, Submarine-Borne Laser Weapon?

Now ?

Nov 09, 2014 - China Nuclear Submarine Released After 'Star Wars' Laser Cannons
"China is obviously preparing for war. Early in November, China released their laser cannons that can shoot down drones in a 1.2 mile radius. The cannons reportedly resemble the laser cannons featured on "Star Wars," which can easily spot and shoot drones in a matter of five seconds. Now, after the laser cannons, China's nuclear submarines are the latest invention."

 "This is a trump card that makes our motherland proud and our adversaries terrified," says China's navy chief, Adm. Wu Shengli, in a report by the Wall Street Journal, adding, "It is a strategic force symbolizing great-power status and supporting national security."

Background

June 25, 2006 -  Update [#1] Submarine Offensive Laser Test
With much less weight consideration and a huge increase in power availability, the guts of the high-power laser fits nicely into an SSN.

 

Feb 22, 2006 -  Who Has a High Power, Submarine-Borne Laser Weapon?


Submarines are always silent and strange.