Weekly Submarine Tidbit and Quotes of the Week (18 MAY 16)

First (of Two) Quotes of the Week

"These are unusually bad submarines. These are submarines that were rejected by the British Royal Navy, which tried to sell them to South Africa and Greece, both of which rejected them."   - Michael Byers, a defence expert at the University of British Columbia (related story follows)

Background

May 17, 2016 (video link with excellent background info) - Canada's troubled submarine fleet has been hit with another headache: hundreds of potentially dangerous welds

"More bad news for Canada's problem-plagued submarine fleet: two of the boats will be out of commission for most of this year because of shoddy welding.

HMCS Chicoutimi and its sister, HMCS Victoria, are stuck in their Vancouver Island port for months because several hundred welds can't be trusted to hold tight when the boats dive.

"Numerous welds are located outside the boats' pressure hull, which will require docking to complete the review and effect repairs," says a briefing note for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act.

Weld problems on HMCS Chicoutimi are costing the navy about eight months' downtime, with the submarine returning to sea only in the autumn. Beginning in February this year, technicians had to inspect 344 suspect welds on the boat and found at least 30 needed re-welding, often in tight spaces where work is difficult.

Technicians are scheduled to inspect 325 dubious welds on HMCS Victoria. There's no word yet on how many of those will need re-welding. Weld analysis alone will keep Victoria in port for five months this year, with additional time for actual repairs."

Second (of Two) Quotes of the Week

"If a weld blows on a submarine while it's 100 metres below the surface, every person on board dies. There's no margin for error when you're talking about submarines." - Michael Byers, a defence expert at the University of British Columbia

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Pretty Good Cover Up or an In-port Fire of No Consequence

Background

While US ballistic missile subs are designated SSBNs, the official French designation is SNLE-NG (Sous-Marin Nucléaire Lanceur d'Engins de Nouvelle Génération).

Since 1972, ’Île Longue (Long Island) located in the Atlantic harbor at Brest, has been the homeport of France's 4 ballistic missile subs. ’Île Longue provides maintenance between deterrent patrols as well as depots for storage of nuclear warheads and reactor fuel. Naturally the’Île Longue base is home to two or more highly-classified nuclear installations.

The French ballistic missile submarine Triomphant (S616) entered active service in March of 1997.  On a night in early February of 2009, Triomphant collided with the Royal Navy submarine HMS Vanguard.    Le Triomphant, the oldest of its class, reportedly proceeded to Brest submerged with extensive damages to her sonar dome.   

This will probably not be news to members of various wardrooms, sub groups, etc. and others with access to classified intel.
 

Belated News that dies or Sketchy Leak with Legs?

Published November 21, 2015  |   By Editor -
(The incident dates back to August 2015):

Île Longue. Un incendie sur le Triomphant en travaux  (untranslated)
Reportedly, a fire broke out in the boiler of nuclear submarine Le Triomphant which was docked in its base Ile Longue (Finistère). Since August 4, the crew has resumed onboard operations with normal work restored.  

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M.E. Note:  Readers need to be aware of a language peculiarity we found.  Apparently, the term "boiler" can be confused in translation with "nuclear reactor vessel". Decide for yourselves:

" ...fuel elements of her nuclear boiler...".    

"Nuclear boiler" [reactor fire ? ]. See what we mean?  It is very easy to understand why a related incident in a strategic nuclear sub would have been highly classified by national secrecy and placed beneath the reach of the French press.  

What is very difficult to understand is the misplaced patriotism or political leanings of those responsible for leaking such an item in the midst of France's internal terrorism scare.  

To those enemies of France and the free world Molten Eagle says,

Vive la France !  (translation: Long live France!)

Submarines are always silent and strange.

 

Tuesday Notes & Tidbits (2015, #004)

Submarines are always silent and strange. - Tidbits  No. 04

CURIOUSLY ENTERTAINING  19 JUN 2015 - "After more than three decades Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden finally has what he’s always wanted – a Top Gun school for surface warfare officers."  The Naval Surface Forces commander emceed the ceremony earlier this month to celebrate the establishment of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) at San Diego's navy Base. 

M.E.:  Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but co-location must have been over the top:

"The new school will be located at the Top Gun school at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada." - NavyTimes (18 JAN 2015)

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EMBARRASSING  23 JUN 2015 - "US Navy Picks First Female Enlisted Sailors to Serve Aboard Submarines... 

"Under pressure from lawmakers and Pentagon leaders to integrate more military jobs to women, the Navy in 2011 began allowing female officers to serve on submarines.  Women, meanwhile, make up 15 percent of the [entire U.S.] sea service."

With more interested female candidates than there were open slots, Navy officials said qualified sailors not chosen for the jobs will be placed on an alternate list and automatically considered for the next group to be chosen. 

M.E.: Really?  Apparently an "open slot" is not due to an actual shortage of male submariners, but an allocation of enlisted billets to slightly fewer interested female candidates. The result: Slightly more female candidates than appropriate billets.

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SUBLIME CAPITALISM (by China) 26 JUN 2015 -"How Did China Just Win Thailand’s New Submarine Bid?"

The official line from military sources is that the decision to go with Chinese-made submarines was based largely on value. In a separate report, The Bangkok Post cited various sources from the navy and the procurement committee as saying that China was chosen because its submarines were not only the cheapest, but of good quality as well contrary to concerns on this score. But a committee member also disclosed that Beijing had offered military technology transfer and training as part of the package, which other countries would otherwise charge more for. That member likened buying submarines to a car purchase. “If we are able to buy a Mercedes but have no money left for petrol, we should look at a top model Toyota instead, which would still leave some money for petrol,” the source said.

M.E.:  The U.S., German and South Korean auto industries had better take notice!

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BOON for LITIGATION ATTORNEYS  26 JUN 2015 - "Here are the most fascinating innovations in underwater travel"

"British travel company Oliver’s Travels created a specially adapted submarine in St. Lucia known as Lovers Deep, an underwater vessel where couples can spend the night in a private accommodation. The submarine, which is already available for use, is staffed by a crew of three, a captain, chef, and butler, and can be taken to locations chosen by the customer.

It’s not cheap, at £175,000 per night ($US274,694), but each interior of the private submarine room is set to be designed and manufactured to your specifications and includes a two-person bathroom and double bedroom with ocean views. Speedboat transfers come with the package, but you can also request helicopter transfer with a beach landing through the company’s Concierge Service.

M.E.:  Well, although very few "dates" may willingly wish to spend even one night in a submerged suite, evasion of certain statutes will attract some well-heeled sex predators.  There is also an ever-present risks of fire, drowning, and asphyxiation.

Submarine Notes & Tidbits (2015, #001)

 Submarines are always silent and strange. - Tidbits  No. 01

 

CURIOUSLY ENTERTAINING "Sources in the Royal Navy say the damage to the sub is consistent with striking an object while trying to surface. Repairs are expected to cost £500,000 ($746,000). ... The explanation that HMS Talent hit ice was also used throughout the Cold War, when British submarines had in fact collided with enemy vessels." - British nuclear sub suffers £500k damage tracking Russian vessels - rt.com-uk, April 05, 2015 

 

CURIOUS  "The fire on board Orel is the third fire to occur on Russian Navy submarines undergoing maintenance in just four years - a worrying statistic." - Nicholas de Larrinaga, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, 09 April 2015  

DISBELIEF:  MARK YOUR CALENDAR(S)  "The nuclear submarine Oryol [Orel] was not seriously damaged in a fire Tuesday at the Zvezdochka shipyard 620 miles north of Moscow, and will be ready for service again by the end of next year."  - Trude Pettersen - Fire-damaged Russian submarine to be repaired,  Barents Observer, April 10, 201

CURIOUSLY ENTERTAINING "Rear Admiral Anders Grenstad has now told Swedish newspapers that the Armed Forces reported to the Swedish government last Wednesday that the suspected underwater vessel was in fact only a civilian 'working boat'." - 'Submarine' in Sweden was only civilian boat - The Local.se  , 13 Apr 2015

PREDICTED in 2006 "The Navy will deploy its first underwater drones from Virginia-class attack submarines for the first time in history later this year, the Navy's director of undersea warfare said Monday." - Kris Osborn -Navy to Deploy First Underwater Drones from Submarines - Military.com Apr 13, 2015