The Halloween Hypothesis

Background (from October 31, 2013)

US submarine collisions in 21st Century to date:
    2001 USS Greeneville (SSN-772)
    2002 USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723)
    2003 USS Hartford (SSN-768) grounding (#1)
    2005 USS San Francisco (SSN-711) with seamountain
    2005 USS Philadelphia (SSN-690)
    2007 USS Newport News (SSN-750)
    2009 USS Hartford with USS New Orleans (#2)
    2012 USS Montpelier (SSN-765)
 Belated Addendum:
    2013 USS Jacksonville (SSN-690)  

Related NEWS  (March 2, 2016)

Lockheed to Provide Submarine Situational Awareness System 
Gobbledygook: "The LCCA is a passive planar array mounted on the aft submarine sail structure that is integrated with the Acoustic Rapid Commercial Off-The-Shelf Insertion AN/BQQ-25 systemto provide situational awareness and collision avoidance for improved tactical control in high density environments."

What ever happened to performance and alertness in U.S. submariners ?  Choose the answer(s) that best fit what the Navy confronts:

1. Back in the day, basic submarine seamanship had been a largely analog task relying on sonar, radar, and either lookouts or periscope data gathereing.
2. In the modern, digital age, analog tasks and basic seamanship are downplayed in  preference to technical skills. Hence, today's sailors are both more comfortable with, reliant upon, and prepared to expect digitized evaluations of ship situational awareness.
3. The shipping environment for subs is more chaotic these days due to higher traffic concentrations and the potential for more bad guys who like like civilians.
4. Sailors might not have been getting enough rest due to bizarre watch schedules and less than ideal lighting.

ANSWER: All of the above. 

M.E. Observation:  
Two low cost conformal array (LCCA) production units, spare modules and spare outboard electronics canisters will be tested on two selected subs for a few years to gage how well, if at all, LCCA can help crews avoid near misses and hits (collisions).  If LCCA is determined to be effective in real-life conditions for which it is being touted, Navy will decide whether to update the sub fleet. 

PREDICTION:  Meaningful success cannot be achieved short of improved crew alertness and performance.

Submarines are always silent and strange.


 

ANSWERS: Sub Questions of the Week - 28 OCT 2013

Background and related links to last week's questions are available here.

Q & A

1.  Unlike rods and cones, which send their signals to the brain's visual cortex, the retinal light receptor governing your body clock sends information to another part of the brain. What is that special area of the brain called and where is it located?  ANS: The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), is located on the brain's midline directly above the optic chiasm. 

2. What is the official name of "DoD's First Choice for Undersea Biomedical Research"?  ANS: The Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) located at New London Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut.       

3. Who are the principle collaborators with the military on this new study, and from what institution do they come?  ANS: Drs. Mariana Figueiro and Mark Rea, Director of of RPI's Lighting Research Center (LRC),  the world’s leading university-based research and education center devoted to lighting.

4. In straightforward terms one of the civilian collaborators was described by an authoritative publication as "working with the U.S. Navy to investigate how light can increase performance and alertness in submariners." Identify the authoritaive, civilian publication.  ANS:  RPI News, published by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine Questions of the Week - 28 OCT 2013

Background

"why red light is used inside the submarines?"? 

Best Answer (from Yahoo Answers):

I served on Subs during the 70's. On a sub, there is no "night and day" The "day" (at sea)was actually only 18 hrs vs 24 as there were three watches consisting of 6 hours each. You work 12 with 6 off to sleep,study etc. then back to work. Your body clock got very confused, you might get up from sleep only to be served dinner or lunch rather than b'fast. Red lighting in the control room (the only place other than in berthing that the red lights were used.) was only used in preparation of coming to Periscope depth (or the rare surface) or during battle stations when it was dark topside Rig for red served two purposes.First was to acclimate the eyes to darkness of those that were in preparation of going topside during the darkness, and to prevent light from being emitted from the raised periscope. Even though there was a "blackout blind" in the scopes, the crew could not take the risk of light being emitted as it would be able to be seen for miles.  source

More (excerpt):

Red light has minimal effect on night vision because its energy level is so low that the eye doesn't register it strongly enough to produce a compensatory reaction. In near-absolute darkness, both cone and rod cells compensate by pumping out more light-sensitive chemicals. The more time spent in darkness, the more chemicals are produced. In about ten minutes, cone cells max out, producing as much as they are capable of holding.- Hawk

Submarine Questions of the Week

1. Like those giving the above answers, U.S. Submariners probably learned about rods and cones, "the two kinds of receptors in retinas of your eyeballs" during Sub School. But there are several more light receptors in your retina. One of them is essential to maintaining the body's clock. Disruption of the circadian rhythm not only affects body temperature, alertness, appetite, and hormone secretion, etc., research now suggests it may contribute to depression, immunity, and disease.

Unlike rods and cones, which send their signals to the brain's visual cortex, the retinal light receptor governing your body clock sends information to another part of the brain.  What is that special are of the brain called and where is it located?
 

2.  The "DoD's First Choice for Undersea Biomedical Research" recently announced a collaborative study to phase-shift and/or phase-lock circadian rhythms to optimize operational readiness. Its overall mission to protect the health and enhance the performance of warfighters through submarine, diving and surface biomedical research solutions (see Question 4. below for a simpler statement of goal). What is the official name of "DoD's First Choice for Undersea Biomedical Research"?

3.  Who are the principle collaborators with the military on this new study, and from what institution do they come?


4.  In straightforward terms one of the civilian collaborators was described by an authoritative publication as "working with the U.S. Navy to investigate how light can increase performance and alertness in submariners." Identify the authoritaive, civilian publication.

ANSWERS:  Wednesday, 30 OCT 2013

 

Submarines are always silent and strange.

working with the U.S. Navy to investigate how light can increase performance and alertness in submariners. - See more at: http://news.rpi.edu/content/2013/10/25/mariana-figueiro-elected-fellow-illuminating-engineering-society#sthash.EbEhwhKy.dpuf

working with the U.S. Navy to investigate how light can increase performance and alertness in submariners. - See more at: http://news.rpi.edu/content/2013/10/25/mariana-figueiro-elected-fellow-illuminating-engineering-society#sthash.EbEhwhKy.dpuf