Wednesday, November 26, 2014

A 2014 Tribute to U.S. Submariners

Background  Notes
Molten Eagle has dedicated the annual celebration of our nation's Thanksgiving holliday to active duty service members, and particularly to past and present submariners. Last year's historical double-feature displayed a frayed 1903 Thanksgiving Day menu from the vintage sloop-of-war steamer (USS Hartford)  in tribute to USS Hartford (SSN-768). The latter still in commission, had already endured a fateful grounding and later collision in addition to a U.S. submarine's arduous workload.

from 2011 - "Tributes for Thanksgiving"...
 "Though serving beyond sight of others, submariners remain on very influential minds." - Juan Caruso Davenport
A Secretary of the Navy once said, his biggest fear was a phone call announcing that one of our nuclear armed submarines — a "boomer" — had not come home. - It was Former Senator John Warner (R-Va.), Peter Huessy, June 16, 2010, Nuclear Deterrence: Painting a Bull's Eye On the US.
from 2009 - "To All of Our Brave Sailors, Especially Submariners on Thanksgiving Patrol" ...
 
Particularly remembered were our surface warfare people with American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie's ballad "The Sinking of the Reuben James"  sung on YouTube.  


from 2008 "Remember the Submariners [and their families] When You here "Happy Thanksgiving!"  ...
"We never had to go off station because we couldn't fix or adapt to a broken piece of equipment. We never had to go off station because someone got hurt or because of family problems back home... You, the men of the Augusta, fixed it when it got broken and you, the families of Augusta, handled problems as they arose and made sure the ship could continue to perform, ‘Any Mission, Any Time.' I thank you.” - Cmdr. Mike A. Haumer, CO, USS Augusta (SSN-710)

The 2014 Thanksgiving Tribute 
We dedicate our appreciation to all active duty military service people and their families, again with particular appreciation of those who pay the unseen sacrifices of submariners and their families.  Submariners and their families respect and pay a high price for secrecy, such as not knowing where they will be sent... which is not as unusual as some may believe.

For instance, about 140 crew of  USS Jefferson City (SSN-759) return to their new Home Port for Thanksgiving (without their families?). 
The sub left San Diego on April 9 on a western Pacific deployment and was expected to return to California six months later.

On the deployment, a "small" water leak was detected in a valve located in the sub's nuclear propulsion system, DeWalt said. "It's coolant water so it's just trace amounts of radioactivity in the water being collected on board the ship," DeWalt said.
The sub arrived in Guam on June 21. DeWalt said there were no issues with the crew, environment or populace. It took some time to pinpoint the leak, which was first noticed as excess condensation, DeWalt said. Some specialized equipment had to be brought in to identify the source.  The question then became, "Do we fix it here in Guam? Do we go back and fix it when we get back home in San Diego?" DeWalt said. "The determination was, the expertise is here at Pearl Harbor."
The end result is the sub is being moved to Hawaii early, requiring a move by families as well. "Being a sailor, it's a dynamic environment that we live in and operate in," DeWalt said. "These kind of things can happen out there."  - Military.com

Submarines are always silent and strange.


 

Labels: , , , , , , ,

|

Monday, November 17, 2014

When a U.S. Sub Attracts This Much Unwanted Attention... Something Has Been Covered Up

NOV 16, 2014  NavyTimes -
"Submarine Jefferson City marooned in Guam amid bizarre deployment"
The attack sub's crew has spent the past five months stranded in Guam. When it finally returns "home," it will be to a different home port then the one it left, much to the families' consternation.



Background 

Previous WestPac Deployment
(Mar. 11, 2008)
USS Jefferson City Returns Home
By: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Barry R. Hirayama
  USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) returned home to Naval Base Point Loma, March 10, after a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific. The submarine conducted a number of missions throughout the Western Pacific region. Sailors also enjoyed port visits to Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan, Guam and Saipan.



(22 NOV 2013)
USS Jefferson City Holds Change of Command

NAVAL BASE POINT LOMA, Calif. (NNS) -- NAVAL BASE POINT LOMA, Calif. - Cmdr. John Croghan relieved Cmdr. Brien Dickson as Commanding Officer of USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) during a pier side ceremony on Naval Base Point Loma Nov. 22. 

Current WestPac Deployment

(Apr 9, 2014 to -?-)
USS Jefferson City Heads for Six-Month Deployment
"She is one of six Los Angeles-class submarines homeported in San Diego and is commanded by Lt. Cmdr. John Croghan." [?]
 

USS Jefferson City departed San Diego for a scheduled western Pacific deployment. Brief stop at Okinawa on April 26.

 "As of Nov. 17, the crew has been gone from home more than seven months — 223 days, to be exact — and it has been 149 days since the sub has been at sea. Neither the crew nor the families in San Diego know exactly when it might end. The latest turn: The sub is to shift its official home port on Nov. 25 from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, which is the nearest location to get the intricate repairs needed to fix the sub. Navy officials say the sub will most likely leave Guam soon and arrive in Pearl Harbor by the end of November." - NavyTimes

"The reactor isn't the only maintenance issue with which the boat has had to contend. In August, a contract was let to a San Diego company to replace one of the boat's high pressure air compressors and motors. DeWalt [Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, spokesman for Submarine Force Pacific] confirmed these repairs and added that they also received work on the boat's shaft seals."   - NavyTimes  [ibid]


The full reality behind the current USS Jefferson City debacle is unlikely ever to be told. (why no published comments from SSN-759's CO, what purpose for curious Okinawa stopover, prolonged delay localizing 'minor' radioactive leak, mention of shaft seal cracks by spokesperson is UNUSUAL!) 

Is the U.S. Navy providing a modicum of cover in sympathy for the Indian Navy's Ticking Nuclear Clock?

Nov 8, 2014  Cracks in shaft seals led to Navy ship sinking off Visakhapatnam coast 

M.E. opinion:  Possibly grave Material Readiness Issue --were there not enough life jackets? 

Sounds possible because ...

"The Jefferson City was supposed to "focus on maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts, which help establish conditions for regional stability," according to the squadron's release. But instead, Jefferson City's crew has spent the past five months stranded in Guam, focused on their own sub's readiness."  - NavyTimes

*************
India is a potential U.S. military ally in Asia   Perhaps India's Navy can better withstand ridicule from China for shaft seal cracks on its recently sunk torpedo recovery vessel than an inadequate number of life jackets for crew and scientists that may have caused its related dead and missing.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Labels: , , , , , ,

|