Back Door Remodeling (the female touch perhaps)

Background  (circa 1983)

The Seawolf class of fast attack submarines (SSN) was intended to replace the retiring Los Angeles class boats. Originally intended to be a fleet of 29 submarines, Seawolf  appropriations were soon reduced to twelve boats, and finally only 3 submarines. Consequently, acquisition of the smaller Virginia class was planned over a slower and more economic time span.  Nominal cost differentials between Seawolfs and Virginia boats has been more than 1$billion per vessel.

Recent Developments

•  December 11, 2014 - 12 sailors implicated in submarine shower scandal

• January 21, 2015  - U.S. Navy: Enlisted Females to Serve on Subs Starting in 2016 

• March 16, 2015  - Navy Wants 28 More Tomahawks on Virginia-Class Submarines

Speaking to lawmakers during Congressional Navy budget hearings, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert have both indicated that deliberations about possibly accelerating VPM production were currently underway.

Navy engineers have been working on requirements and early designs for a new, 70-foot module ... to house an additional 28 Tomahawk missiles. While designed primarily to hold Tomahawks,  ...

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M.E.  Comment:  There are serious reasons for adding a VPM compartment.  Shipyards, like homebuilders, however can work within their budgets to accomodate buyers' wishes regarding interim change orders (as tradeoffs).  It should be somewhat interesting to note which Blocks of Virginia class subs are eventually assigned most of the "enlisted females". 

Submarines are always silent and strange.

ANSWERS for Submarine QOTW - 5 DEC 2014

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

 
Submarine Questions of the Week with Answers:

 1. On what submarine is NCIS investigating filming and distribution of women officer(s) undressed or undressing?   ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014): USS Wyoming (SSBN-742 ) home ported in Kings Bay, Georgia. - NavyTimes

2. In what activity were women officer(s) engaged during filming of the alleged video(s)?  ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014): Showering. - NavyTimes
 
3. How many women, at least, may be shown in the alleged video(s).  ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014):  At least three (3) of the six total in Gold crew.  - NavyTimes

4. Who (enlisted pay grade and B/G crew) allegedly made and distributed the video(s)?  ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014): An unidentified 24-year-old male, E-4 formerly in Gold crew. -   WJCL later reported: "Vice Adm. M.J. Connor, commander of the Navy’s submarine force, said in a letter dated Thursday that the alleged perpetrators have been removed from the USS Wyoming while an investigation is conducted." 
 
5. Where was the alleged offender as of last week?  ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014): The second class petty officer accused of filming and distributing the videos is assigned to Trident Training Facility, according to the (Nov 14th) incident report. -NavyTimes

6. When did the situation come to NCIS's attention reportedly?  ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014): Lt. Leslie Hubbell, spokeswoman for Submarine Group 10 in Kings Bay, said,  "The Navy became aware of the alleged criminal activity in November 2014 and promptly began an investigation, which is ongoing," she said in a written statement. -NavyTimes 

7. Where else was one video distributed? ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014): A report was initially filed after an officer "on a different submarine" received the videos, according to the retired supply officer. 

8.  What surface-ship type requirement has already been suggested by a former woman submarine officer? ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014):  "They're not females, they're junior officers on this boat, they're division officers, and you will address them as Ensign So-and-So, and you can tell everybody else on the boat,' " she said." NavyTimes

9. Why have submarines traditionally been exempt from stricter, surface vessel formalities? ANS (as of 3 DEC 2014):  "...submarines require a more relaxed and informal atmosphere than surface ships in order to maintain peak performance."

10. What new measures will be invoked on submarines in the future? (Answers to   be updated if and when made public.)

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Strategic Nuclear Sub Officer's Quote of the Month

Assignment of supply officers to SSBN subs as policewomen for political correctness demeans normal, red-blooded males, undermines morale and imbeds a disturbing vulnerability into the primary strategic mission.

How can anyone except the current administration wonder why there has been a shocking deterioration in our once admirably disciplined Air Force and Navy  STRATEGIC nuclear forces?!

"The only reason I was there was to stop the submariners from being a--holes, and to get the women to stop crying,"   -

Stated to NavyTimes by an unidentified female Supply Officer (lieutenant) formerly assigned to a U.S. ballistic missile submarine. now retired. She was one the first female volunteers for the submarine force, and fortunately, is now retired from the Navy.

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Can there be any worse folly than insertion of multivariate gender dynamics into traditionally well-run and highly disciplined U.S. strategic missions (Air Force and Navy nuclear missile crews)?  Combining biological clocks and nuclear triggers may be politically correct, but it was unnecessary and now appears imprudent.  Some of USS Wyoming's Gold crew have been sidelined as the investigation "continues":
 

Vice Adm. M.J. Connor, commander of the Navy’s submarine force, said in a letter dated Thursday that the alleged perpetrators have been removed from the USS Wyoming while an investigation is conducted. The nuclear-armed submarine is based at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia. - WJCL NEWS

While the alleged invasion of privacy is probably criminal and certainly regrettable, 
assignment of supply officers to SSBN subs as policewomen for political correctness is a disgraceful insult to normal, red-blooded male morale and imbeds a disturbing vulnerability into the primary strategic mission.

Submarines are always silent and strange.