Two Submarine Mysteries: Each Not Telling (Yet)

Molten Eagle:  "Submarines are always silent and strange." 

 

MYSTERY #  1 (Enduring)

Background

"Top Secret Data on India’s New Stealth Attack Submarine Leaked ... French defense contractor DCNS suffered a massive leak of secret documents."  click here for a few details revealed by those leaked documents

(AUGUST 24, 2016) India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar seeks submarine data leak report, navy says no need for alarm.  

"The navy also made it clear that the leak did not take place in India. The data, which comprises over 22,000 pages, was leaked, the Australian media reported. It contained documents on the Scorpene submarines, designed by French company DCNS and being built in India by the Mazagaon Dock Limited in Mumbai (Maharashtra) at a cost of around $3.5 billion. The news created ripples in India soon after the report in the Australian media came out."

 (AUGUST 25, 2016)  France and India Claim Submarine Data Leak Is No Big Security Problem
 
"France and India on Thursday played down the security risk posed by leaked data on French-designed submarines that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38 billion contract with Australia. More than 22,000 pages of data about six submarines that France's DCNS is building for India's navy looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a subcontractor who was fired while providing training in India, the source said."

(SEPTEMBER 3, 2016) Scorpene leak: India shelves plan to expand French submarine order after data breach

"Details of the Scorpene submarine were published in the Australian newspaper last month, triggering concerns that it had become vulnerable even before it was ready to enter service." 

M.E.'s Rhetorical question: Which nation is responsible for the submarine data leak (Australia, France, India, none of the foregoing)?

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MYSTERY #  2 (Enduring SSBNs; Temporary SSNs)

Background

"US Naval think tank: The US needs more submarines and smaller aircraft carriers" 

(FEBRUARY 10, 2017) Navy says more money needed to address submarine maintenance shortfall
"Five attack submarines could be decertified this year if Congress fails to provide more money to the Navy to address maintenance and readiness shortfalls, according to government officials.

The Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on which submarines are at risk of decertification."

M.E.'s Rhetorical questions (those serving aboard already know):  

• Which 5 U.S. submarines are at risk of "decertification"?  

• Is 5 actually the correct number?

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine Nuggets of the Week - Women, Cells Not Allowed

The following excerpts were snipped from Silence, tight quarters and no women: On board Israel's most advanced submarine  By Amos Harel Sep 09, 2016 (read all few pages)

Haaretz’s military correspondent joined the crew of INS Rahav, the Israel Navy’s newest submarine, on a brief training cruise. He learned about the unique physical and mental demands of service on the IDF's most expensive war machine, its technological capabilities and why Israeli subs are still off-limits to women. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

( color and underscoring emphasis added by M.E. )

Nugget  1

“Discussion on the integration of women on submarines is legitimate.  ...  No one here would refuse an order for women to serve on submarines.  ...  It’s also not a matter of restraint. Possible sexual tension on a long cruise could make it more complex, but that won’t break a submariner – he’s used to giving up a lot of things.”  - Col. Doron, outgoing commander of Shayetet 7, the Israel Defense Forces submarine squadron. [Israel Defense Forces (IDF) censorship forbids publication of  officers’ surnames.]  

Nugget  2

Some countries, such as Italy and the Scandinavian countries, decided that this need not be a limitation. Women and men dress together in the same room. It’s not perceived as a sexual thing. The Italians concluded that their effort was a failure. [ibid]

Nugget  3

This might be justified if there were a large number of potential female submariners, not just one or two. “We asked the U.S. Navy for input – they’ve had women on submarines for the past two years,” Doron says. “But they have 72 subs, some of which are bigger than ours, so they have room for maneuver. The Australians have six women in their submarines, which are also larger, and they allocate them a specific area. If a woman gets sick, she is replaced by another woman. But assignment problems arise.   

Nugget 4

One outstanding feature of submarine service is the need for total severance from the outside world during long missions – almost unparalleled in other operational units. Is such a disconnect still feasible in an era when 20-year-olds are as active in the digital world as they are in the real one, if not more? Doron acknowledges that this has become a problem and necessitates more intensive preparation. “In the submariners course, they already can go weeks without a cell phone,” he explains.
 

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.

Unfathomable Submarine Quote of the Month (29 AUG 2016)

BACKGROUND

MELBOURNE, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A French shipbuilder plans to seek an injunction to prevent further publication of information contained in 22,400 secret documents about stealth submarines built for India. 

UNFATHOMABLE Quotes  

First, with previously hidden Scorpene data now revealed...

"Any leak of information is viewed very seriously. We have viewed the leak of Scorpene data very seriously and we have asked (French firm) DCNS to launch an urgent investigation into this." - Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Indian Navy 

Yet, before mitigation measures are even identified and certainly unimplemented... 

"This is not a matter of much worry. The committee is analysing and they will see what data has been compromised and what mitigation steps have to be taken." - Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Indian Navy 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <>_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Retired Rear Adm. John Padgett, former commander of U.S. Pacific fleet Submarine Force, warned the leaks would undermine confidence in ability of French companies to protect classified information. Padgett, also the current president of the U.S. Naval Submarine League, said, "It is never good for an opponent to have your playbook."

He said "aggressive action" is needed to investigate the leak and France should share the outcome with Australia.

M. E. Comment:  According to today's NDTV article (Press Trust of India),  the high-level review committee responsible for analysing risks connected with the leak(s) will issue its findings to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in three weeks ( by September 20 ).
Also, some of the pages leaked cover top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with French company DCNS in a project worth more than $3 billion. DCNS also recently won a contract to design Australia's new $50 billion submarine fleet.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

ANSWERS: Submarine Q.O.T.W. 22 JAN 15

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

Submarine Questions of the Week with Answers:

1 - Australia is weighing the sourcing of RAN's new submarine fleet.  Japan has figured prominently in such discussions. Teruhiko Fukushima, an expert on Australia at Yokuska's National Defense Academy, referring to Australia's No. 1 trade partner, noted that the public would never approve of political actions that could seriously damage those ties. What country is Australia's number one trading partner?  ANS: CHINA  more

2 - China's PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) is keenly interested in blue water operations and since 1985, acquired four retired aircraft carriers for reasons other than design familiarity.  How many of the acquisitions are now active PLAN vessels?   ANS: One; China refurbished the propulsionless Varyag hulk and completing a modernised carrier commissioned Liaoning (CV-16) in September 2012.

3 - What became of China's other vessel(s)?   ANS: HMAS Melbourne had been bought for scrap; the ex-Soviet carrier Minsk had been sold for a Chinese "museum"; and the ex-Soviet Kiev is a prominent feature at Tianjin Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park.  link 

4 - The multirole Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carrier Riga was renamed in 1990. What was its new name?  ANS: Varyag, which became the CV-16 Liaoning.

5 - A former PLA basketball player, alleges he had been chosen to acquire the Varyag for Beijing, posing as a businessman who wanted to use it for a floating casino in Macau.
a) What does he allege about the vessel delivered to China?   ANS: He revealed that the ship was fitted with engines at the time it was transported, contrary to some later reports.
b) What auction price did he allegedly pay the Ukrainian sellers?   ANS: $20 million.  
c) What does he claim is the total costs of purchase and delivery?  ANS: $120 million.
d) What does he claim Beijing still owes him? ANS: $120 million.  source

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine Mystery QOTW - 22 JAN 15

Background

Submariners derisvely refer to surface vessels of our own navy as "targets".  The put-down captures an ongoing rivalry between the fleets in a humorous manner intended to clearly distinguish skimmers from bubbleheads.  Proof of Molten Eagle's underlying and undiminished respect for our surface vessel navy may never have been better illustrated than with The Kingston Trio's rendition of Guthrie's  "The Sinking of the Reuben James".

This week's mystery questions includes both large targets as well as a sub, and sheds new light on the definition of Chinese skimmers. You can't make this stuff up.

Questions of the Week

1 - Australia is weighing the sourcing of RAN's new submarine fleet.  Japan has figured prominently in such discussions. Teruhiko Fukushima, an expert on Australia at Yokuska's National Defense Academy, referring to Australia's No. 1 trade partner, noted that the public would never approve of political actions that could seriously damage those ties. What country is Australia's number one trading partner?

2 - China's PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) is keenly interested in blue water operations and, since 1985, has acquired four (4) retired aircraft carriers allegedly for reasons other than design familiarity.  How many of the acquisitions are now active PLAN vessels? 

3 - What became of China's other aircraft carrier(s)?  

4 - The multirole Admiral Kuznetsov class Soviet aircraft carrier Riga was renamed in 1990. What was its new name?

5 - A former PLA basketball player alleges he had been chosen by Beijing to pose as a businessman wanting to acquire the ex-Varyag for use as a floating Macau casino. 
a) What else does he allege about the vessel delivered to China?
b) What auction price did he allegedly pay the Ukrainian sellers? 
c) What does he claim is the total costs of purchase and delivery?
d) What does he claim Beijing still owes him? 

ANSWERS: Thursday, 29 JAN 2015

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Aussie Submarine Battle: Correct Conclusion despite faulty Analysis

UPDATE #1   22 NOV 14 - "Magnitude-6.7 quake injures at least 41 in Nagano" Japan Times
"...no abnormalities were immediately apparent at its gigantic Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture. The plant, the largest atomic energy complex in the world, has remained offline since the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011" [color emphasis mine].


Background
The Australian defence industry says it is "terribly confused" about the multi-billion-dollar submarine project, with reports the Federal Government is considering buying eight submarines from Japan.  SOURCE

QUOTE
"Building them in Japan, which has no experience of exporting defence technology, is asking for trouble." - Nick Xenophon, Iindependent South Australian Senator.  [ibid.]

Looming, Unmentioned Problems in Japanese Sourcing of Aussie Subs


Unpredictable Political Upheavals - Flagrant Example:  On 3 September 2014, French President François Hollande halted delivery of the first warship, the Vladivostok, to Russia.

Unpredictable Natural Disasters - Flagrant Example:  On Friday 11 March 2011, Japan was hit by a tsunami triggered in a magnitude 9.0 (Tōhoku) earthquake.  Not only was Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant devestated, Japanese ability to export repair parts and OEM equipment suffered mightily. Resulting supply chain impairments caused Japan to post its first annual trade deficit in 30 years.

The Japanese nation has had a long history of earthquakes and seismic activity. Japan lies in an area of high seismicity located near major tectonic plate boundaries situated on the "Pacific Ring of Fire".

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Synthesis = "the combination of ideas to form a theory or system."

Background
From March 2014 HMS Tireless Mystery :

"Making news today, it has just been revealed that a Briritsh SSN, HMS Tireless (S88), was refused entry to the United Arab Emirates.  The Royal Navy downplayed the refusal, hinting that it amounted only to a "delay" rather than a safety issue. Curiously, UAE authorities have not commented."

A week after the vessel had first been refused clearance, the Royal Navy finally decided to dock at Goa, India.

 "We do not discuss submarine movements for reasons of security." - The Royal Navy

"A small number of families did travel to the region at their own expense in anticipation of the visit. They were kept informed of the situation by local Royal Navy personnel ashore." 

 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office denied there were any diplomatic issues between the UK and the UAE.
Was the port denial a cover story to explain a detour to the Indian Oean for a secretive intelligence gathering mission by the British SSN Tireless? 


Synthesis 

• [T]he Indian media reported that a type-093 attack nuclear submarine was on deployment (December 2013 to February 2014) in the Indian Ocean and that the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (Foreign Affairs Office) had informed the Indian military attaché in Beijing of the submarine deployment to show ‘respect for India’. Apparently, the information of the deployment was also shared with the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan and Russia.
• On 1 April 2014, Tireless arrived in the southern Indian Ocean to join the search for a missing Malaysian airliner, where its sophisticated underwater listening equipment was used in an unsuccessful to attempt to detect the underwater locator beacon of the aircraft's flight recorders. 
• China had deployed a number of ships, aircraft and satellite in the southern Indian Ocean in its attempt to locate the debris of MH 370. These factors may have encouraged the Chinese Navy to dispatch the submarine to the Indian Ocean.

 Read the rest here.

Tireless had been scheduled for retirement during 2013, but its service was extended until eventual decommissioning on 19 June 2014.

Had China deployed an SSN to the Indian Ocean as speculated above, some rather nice technical data about it could have been discretely collected by a properly equipped HMS Tireless. 

On 1 April 2014, Tireless arrived in the southern Indian Ocean to join the search for a missing Malaysian airliner, where its sophisticated underwater listening equipment was used in an unsuccessful to attempt to detect the underwater locator beacon of the aircraft's flight recorders.  On 1 June 2014 Tireless returned to Plymouth for the last time before decommissioning, and was formally decommissioned on 19 June. 

 "We do not discuss submarine movements for reasons of security." - The Royal Navy

What was Tireless's secretive mission?  Who injected the bogus MH370 locator signals. Was the Chinese submarine responsible for the little-mentioned MH370 encrypted chirping as a warning to the U.S. that their technology has already been hacked?  

Tireless will be replaced on active duty by HMS Artful^,[5][4]  which only completed its maiden dive recently.

Submarines are always silent and strange.