Gratuitous Fractures in Submarine World's Traditional Silence

Note:  Molten Eagle has emphasized some portions of quotations  with color and/or underlining:

( 1 ) 

Britain - Strategy Page |  10 SEP 16
Morale: How The Internet Cripples SSBN Operations

"In Britain the Royal Navy has found it impossible to attract enough qualified sailors to operate all its nuclear submarines, especially the SSBNs (nuclear powered subs carrying ballistic missiles). The reason is that SSBNs stay at sea for 90 days at a time wanting for a brief message to fire its missiles at pre-arranged targets. The problem is that too many otherwise qualified sailors and officers are not willing to spend 90 days without Internet access.  This shortage has already reduced the number of days British SSBNs can spend at sea."  

( 2 )  

U.S. - The Seattle Times Opinion by David Hall and Leonard Eiger | 27 SEP 16
Next president has a nuclear option: Scrap the program 

"HAVE you seen the Seattle bus ads?  They read: “20 miles west of Seattle is the largest concentration of deployed nuclear weapons in the U.S.” ...

One hydrogen bomb deployed from Naval Base Kitsap on Hood Canal could wipe out a large city like Seattle and make the land uninhabitable for centuries. Look up the presentation “One city, one bomb” to understand the devastating potential of modern nuclear weapons."

*******

The item below is not submarine-related. However, U.S. submarine aficionados may  appreciate the obvious contrast in: (1) The speed of removing Navy Bios for "loss of confidence" submarine COs with the still live link for the Rear Admiral mentioned below; as well as (2) The guilty plea of an *NCIS Supervisory Special Agent.

( 3 ) 

U.S.  - The FCPA Blog  | 16 SEP 16
Two new indictments in Navy's ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery scandal 

A total of 16 individuals have now been charged in connection with the scandal. Of those, 11 are current or former U.S. Navy officials.

Most of the Navy personnel have been charged with taking bribes from Francis in exchange for passing to him sensitive information about ship movements and schedules. Some were charged with lying to investigators about their relationship with Francis and his company.

They are:
*Admiral Robert Gilbeau
Captain (ret.) Michael Brooks
Commander Bobby Pitts
Lt. Commander Gentry Debord
Captain Daniel Dusek
Commander Michael Misiewicz
Lt. Commander Todd Malaki
Commander Jose Luis Sanchez
Petty Officer First Class Daniel Layug
*NCIS Supervisory Special Agent John Beliveau, and
Paul Simpkins, a former DoD civilian employee who oversaw contracting in Singapore.

*Gilbeau, Dusek, Misiewicz, Malaki, *Beliveau, Sanchez, Layug, and Simpkins have pleaded guilty.


Submarines are always silent and strange.

Answers: Submarine QOTW 12 SEP 16

Related information, photo(s) and links for questions are found in the original posting.

  

Answers to Submarine Questions of the Week  

1- Identify the vessels and location pictured [in photo by Sean D. Elliot/The Day].  ANS:
The schooners Mystic Whaler (background), and Spirit of South Carolina (foreground) pass Ledge Light sailing up the Thames River.  

2- During what event was this [photo by Sean D. Elliot/The Day] taken? ANS: The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival Parade of Sail, Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.

The Maritime Heritage Festival is considered one of the last events tied to Submarine Century, a yearlong celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton. 

******

According to the The Day, the 500-foot U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Ramage dominated "the landscape" outside Fort Trumbull.  (My tongue-in-cheek guess is that somewhere quite hidden an SSN was actually dominating, well, you know, the actual non-landscape naval domain).

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Recent Submarine Curiosities Around Globe

 Curiosity 1  (?)

Can you identify the vessels and location pictured below?

During what event was this?

M.E. Comment:  Answers Friday

Curiosity 2  (US)

  "The Submarine Force is seeking high caliber female applicants from all ratings."

(Actual accompanying photo)

M.E. Comment:  Are those storm clouds rising?

 

 Curiosity 3 (INDIA)

‘Nepotism nuked our careers’  

A critical component of the almost $100 million training programme was a group of 11 officers who were to be trained by Russian experts for operating nuclear reactors on submarines. This group was to play a critical leadership role as India’s nuclear submarine capabilities reached the maturity to launch nuclear missiles.

In a bizarre twist to that pioneering effort, all the senior reactor operators, nine of them, have been denied promotion to the rank of Captain, despite their expensive and exclusive skills in commissioning, operating and maintaining nuclear reactors on submarines. 

 

 M.E. Comment:  Did Vice-Admiral Chatterjee manipulate the promotion process in such a way that he has been the Reviewing Officer for his own son-in-law for family benefit, or because the unpromoted officers are too valuable to INS nuclear subs to promote?  Well, read the linked story. 

 Curiosity 4 (Canada)

Partner with Australia for submarines

The Canadian government has an opportunity to partner with Australia to build DCNS Barracuda-class subs for the Royal Canadian Navy. 

 M.E. Comment:  But read the next curiosity --- is the price of those boats about to rise with India cancelling its big INS order?  India Drops Plans to Add 3 More French Stealth Attack Submarines.

Curiosity 5  (India)

   India Drops Plans to Add 3 More French Stealth Attack Submarines

The Indian Navy has purportedly shelved plans to add more French submarines to its fleet following the DCNS leak.  The INS will not procure additional Scorpene-class (Kalvari-class) diesel-electric attack submarines from France's DCNS, following the leak of documents detailing the top-secret combat capabilities of India’s new submarine fleet, according to media reports.

“India has ordered only six Scorpene submarines and orders have not been placed for three more as reported by some media. Therefore question of cancellation does not arise,” an Indian naval officer told Reuters.

 M.E. Comment: The less work for DCNS, the higher its residual overhead costs per hour of production.  If there was no agreement for 3 additional subs, why has justification been cited? India's defence official said he did not expect any movement on that project until the investigation into the Scorpene leak was completed and new security measures put in place. In other words, for leverage.

 Curiosity 6 (United Kingdom)

Morale: How The Internet Cripples SSBN Operations

In Britain the Royal Navy has found it impossible to attract enough qualified sailors to operate all its nuclear submarines, especially the SSBNs (nuclear powered subs carrying ballistic missiles). The reason is that SSBNs stay at sea for 90 days at a time .... The problem is that too many otherwise qualified sailors and officers are not willing to spend 90 days without Internet access. This shortage has already reduced the number of days British SSBNs can spend at sea.  

 

 M.E. Comment:  What has changed since the Cold War has been the waning interest of the recruiting pool in military service and modern youths' dependence upon their communication culture. (U.K., France, U.S., etc.).  

 Curiosity 7 (Australia)

Submarine Data Leak Roils Three Governments

The revelation Aug. 24 by an Australian newspaper that thousands of pages of presumably secret submarine documents were on the loose shook governments in Canberra, New Delhi and Paris. The news threatened the operational security of India’s new Scorpene-class submarines, embarrassed French shipbuilder DCNS, and raised security questions about Australia’s recent Australian $50 billion deal with DCNS for 12 Shortfin Barracuda submarines, of a design similar to the Scorpenes.

As reported by The Australian newspaper, a reporter was shown samples of up to 24,500 pages of highly technical data on the Scorpene submarine, an advanced, non-nuclear design that has been exported by DCNS to several countries. The documents, said The Australian, include highly technical drawings, specifications and operational capability descriptions of the submarine’s stealth features; noise signatures at different speeds; range, endurance, diving depths, magnetic and infrared data.  

DCNS has been made aware of articles published in the Australian press related to the leakage of sensitive data about (the) Indian Scorpene,” the company told Defense News on Aug. 23. “This serious matter is being thoroughly investigated by the ...  French national authorities for defense security,” DCNS said."

M.E. Comment:  There is ample blame to go around, hence very expensive learning opportunities.

Submarines are always silent and strange.