A Veritable Understatement - Submarine Quotation of the Year [2013]

 Submarine Quotation of the Year [2013]

"They deploy for months at a time often without any public notice.. The wife of a Seawolf sailor described the boat as 'unpredictable'.”  - David Axe, WAR IS BORING, Nov 5, 2013, "An American Submarine Just Slipped Under the Arctic Ice". [a brief, interesting article - M.E.]

Mr. Axe continues...
"How Seawolf got to Norway—and what she might have done en route—offer a rare and tantalizing glimpse into some of the most secretive quarters of the most poorly understood aspects of American naval power."

So far, such generalizations might apply to many U.S. Navy SSNs, past and present.  Of the many deployments the 575 boat made, there was a time when some of the stop-off destinations shared with wives and even the crew were certainly and repetitively fictitious. This merely supports Axe's general point about the silent service's "tradition of secrecy", "The Navy doesn’t like to talk about its submarines. After all, a sub’s biggest advantage is its stealth."

Axe must also be credited with emphasizing that Seawolf and her two sister vessels Connecticut and Jimmy Carter are among the most secretive. He highlights some of Seawolf's notable distinctions:

•  Her official Website is blocked. 
•  Seawolf’s exterior has not appeared in publicly released Navy photo since 2009.
•  In 2007 Seawolf’s 140-man crew earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation—and
•  in 2009 followed that up with a Navy Unit Commendation

Also, notice the pre-2010, exterior photo of Seawolf  that accompanied Axe's article.  Attentive observers will certainly have a few interesting questions about other curious distinctions.  Is this eyeopener what Axe was actually steering his readers toward?

Submarines are always silent and strange.