ANSWERS to Submarine QOTW 15 AUG 17

Related information and links for questions are from the original posting found here.
Note: Answers were due yesterday and are here a day late.

Questions of the Week (Q.O.T.W.) & ANSWERS

- 1  -  What had been former blogger Bubblehead's most familiar blog sign off phrase?
ANS: "Going deep" (example)

- 2 -  What open source feature of USS Topeka almost puts it in a class of its own?  ANS: Topeka and USS Albany are unique among all other Los Angeles class subs as their hulls were partially manufactured using stronger HY-100, instead of HY-80 steel.

- 3 -  What was the rationale for partial use of HY-100 in Topeka and Albany?  ANS: This was done to test construction methods using this steel, which would later be employed in the assembly of the new Seawolf-class submarines. In theory, this might enable the Albany and Topeka to dive slightly deeper than other LA class subs, though it remains unclear if this ability has ever been tested by either vessel. [2]

- 4 -  What open source feature of USS Connecticut  puts it in a very small class of its own?  ANS: USS Connecticut is one of only 3 Seawolf-class subs.

- 5 -  What open source feature of USS Jimmy Carter puts it in a class of its own?  ANS: Jimmy Carter has additional maneuvering devices fitted fore and aft allowing her to keep station over selected targets in odd currents.  Past submarines outfitted this way were used to tap undersea cables intercepting communications of foreign countries. Intelligence experts speculate that the Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which allows launch and recovery of ROVs and Navy SEAL forces, may find uses similar to an underwater splicing chamber for optical fiber cables. [7][8][9][10]

- 6 -  Which of the above subs are homeported in Norfolk, Va?  ANS: None of them. 

- 7 -  Which of the above subs are homeported in Apra Hrabor?  ANS: Only USS Topeka was recently homeported to Guam.

- 8 -  What has been the evident root of the quotation above, and where can it still be seen?  ANS:
"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." -- Psalms 107:23-24  KJV
Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submariner Quote and Questions of the Month

The Quotation ...

"I think, therefore I am. I think deeply, therefore I have a soul." ... citation link here by Joel B. Kennedy,  Submarine Officer · April 19, 1983 to September 30, 2004- who served aboard USS Topeka (SSN-754),  USS Connecticut (SSN-22), the USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), also rendered IA duty in zone, and was the creator of  what was formerly
"the world's most popular submarine blog".


And your Questions of the Week


- 1 -  What had been former blogger Bubblehead's most familiar blog-sign off phrase?
- 2 -  What open source feature of USS Topeka almost puts it in a class of its own?
- 3 -  What was the rationale for partial use of HY-100 in Topeka?
- 4 -  What open source feature of USS Connecticut  puts it in a very small class of its own?
- 5 -  What open source feature of USS Jimmy Carter  puts it in a class of its own?
- 6 -  Which of the above subs are homeported in Norfolk, Va?
- 7 -  Which of the above subs are homeported in Apra Hrabor? 
- 8 -  What has been the evident root of the quotation above, and where can it still be found?

ANSWERS:  Monday, 21 AUG 

Submarines are always silent and strange.
 

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.