General Submarine News

[Michael H. Standart]

From DefenceNews.com:

Swedes To Say Farewell to San Diego

quote:

The two-year Swedish naval presence in the Pacific Ocean is about to end.
U.S. Navy officials confirmed May 24 that the Swedish submarine Götland will soon return home after providing the Pacific Fleet the chance to practice the craft of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) with some of the world’s best submariners.
“I think every strike group on the West Coast had a chance to interact with Götland,” said Cmdr. Dan Bacon of the 3rd Fleet in San Diego. “Normally strike groups are lucky to get one or two exercises with a foreign diesel submarine when they’re on deployment. This allowed us to have every West Coast deployer see what it’s like to work with a diesel submarine.”

Story at http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2784224&C=america

Comment: As tough a problem as finding a diesel submarine is when it goes quiet, one has to wonder where the U.S. Navy is going to get it's training from. These boats are very difficult to find and with air independant propulsion the coming thing, that just makes the problems that much tougher.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From The Navy Newsstand:

CNO Statement on Passing of Retired Rear Adm. Eugene Fluckey

quote:

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Every man and woman serving our Navy today joins me in mourning the death of retired Rear Adm. Eugene Fluckey, recipient of the Medal of Honor and a true naval hero. We extend humbly to his family our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies in this, their time of great grief and sorrow.

Fluckey passed away on June 29. He was one of the most daring and successful submarine skippers of World War II -- he was credited with sinking 29.3 enemy ships totaling more than 146,00 tons -- Eugene Fluckey helped lead and inspire our Navy to victory. He inspires us still today. We will miss him sorely.

Story at http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30361

Comment: No excuse needed to post this one. this guy was a hero in every sense of the word. One of that "Greatest Generation" who risked all and gave all in one of the most savage wars in history, and he survived to recieve the award. Way too many winners of the Medal Of Honour can't say the same.

A photo series of his boat. the USS Barb, can be viewed at http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08220.htm

 

[Jim Hathaway]

Apparently the Canadian Navy's Victoria class will not be able to actually launch torpedoes until at least 2010-
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Search/845011.html

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From Reuters:

Soviet WWII sub wreck found in Baltic Sea

quote:

STOCKHOLM, July 3 (Reuters) - A Finnish-Swedish search team has found the wreck of a Soviet submarine sunk by the Finnish navy in the Baltic Sea during World War II.

The Soviet SC305 was fired on and rammed by a Finnish submarine in November 1942, sending it to the bottom in Swedish territorial waters off the island of Aland.

Story at http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L03326033

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From Defence News.com:

Brazil To Invest $500 Million in Nuclear-Powered Sub

quote:

Brazil will invest $500 million to revive a long-stalled navy project to build a nuclear-propelled submarine, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said July 10.
“We are going to apply the necessary resources to conclude this project,” Lula said at a nuclear research facility in Sao Paulo state.
The project requires 1 billion reais ($500 million) invested over eight years, he said.
A nuclear-powered submarine could patrol the vast waters off Brazil’s coastline more effectively, Navy Commander Adm. Julio Soares de Moura has said. Brazil has five conventional submarines.

Story at http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2890972&C=america

Comment: I'll believe it when I see it. Not to shortsell the Brazilians and if anybody in the Latin American states can do this, these are the guys. The catch is that a nuclear powered submarine program is wildly expensive and even the wealthiest states have problems keeping up the infrastructure needed for this sort of thing.

 

[Jim Hathaway]

Agreed, and for Brazil's military situation, how much sense would it make when there are new AIP subs on the market for a fraction of the cost which, for them would offer just as much combat capability.
I would be extremely suprised if this happens.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

In fairness, Brazil has one whole helluva lot of coastline to keep an eye on. AIP boats certainly have their advantages, but those advantages don't include endurance coupled with speed that a nuclear plant offers. Contrary to popular myth, the boat need not be a monster either. The French can point to the Amythyst class which is reletively small, and if nothing else, the NR-1 shows that such a plant can be stuffed into a very small hull.

From a technical standpoint, they can certainly do this. Put enough sheer effort into the work and it's amazing how quickly the job can be done. (Look at the Nautilus, and Admiral Rickover started that from a blank slate.) It helps quite a bit that Brazil has some very substantial sources of uranium which they can mine and refine to fuel grade material. The sticking point, as always, lies with the money.

If they don't have it, it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Jim Hathaway]

Hi Michael-
I have no doubt that Brazil has the knowledge, and probably the resources too, but I, like you am concerned with the costs over the lifespan of the boats which don't end with their retirement.
They cost a lot to build, and a lot to scrap. The requirement needs to be very real.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Here's a slick piece of advertising from the PRN Newswire:

Air Products Fuels New Hydrogen Submarine for Hellenic Navy

quote:

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products, in
partnership with Hellas Air Pro Ltd., recently supplied a new state of the
art submarine of the Hellenic Navy with hydrogen. This is the first fueling
of this kind in Greece and took place in Skaramanga, near Athens. Prior to
this event, Air Products had supplied the integral components of the
hydrogen fueling station to Howaldtswerke -- Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW), who
owns the design of the submarine and who supplied the fueling station to
Greece.
The HDW Class 214 submarine has a fuel cell-generated power supply,
allowing it to operate entirely on hydrogen.

More at http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-12-2007/0004624490&EDATE=

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From Defence News.com:

Russia, Venezuela Hint at Submarine Deal

quote:

Rhetoric about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ ambitions to expand his submarine fleet heated up recently, but so far no official deals have been signed.
Chavez visited Russia from June 30 to July 2 – a trip during which some expected an agreement to be announced – but speaking on Vene-zuelan national television on July 4, he said only that he intends to buy submarines, helicopters and cargo aircraft from Russia.
The submarines are only for defense, Chavez said.
In Moscow, Sergei Chemezov, head of the Russian state military export monopoly Rosoboronexport, confirmed July 5 that negotiations are under way to sell submarines to Venezuela.

Story at http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2893454&C=landwar

Comment: Can't say as I'm overly concerned about this. Negotiations are one thing. Translating the talks into a done deal are quite another.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From BYM Maritime News:

UK. New defuelling facility for submarines to be constructed

quote:

A new facility for defuelling decommissioned nuclear-powered attack submarines will be constructed at Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth, the Ministry of Defence announced today.

More than £150 million will be invested in the facility which, when complete, will enable the MoD to restart its programme of de-fuelling nuclear-powered boats in 2012.

The full story is at http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=12802

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From the BBC:

Russia plays down submarine blast

quote:

Russia says one of its nuclear submarines has been damaged by a surge in air pressure, downplaying earlier reports of an explosion.
A ballast tank aboard the submarine was damaged in what a navy official described as a minor incident, according to the Interfax news agency.

No casualties were reported and radiation levels at the White Sea port of Severodvinsk are said to be normal.

Story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6919029.stm

Comment: Just goes to show that even the BBC isn't immune to a bit of sensationalism. Does anyone seriously think this story would have recieved any press is this boat had been a diesel boat?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From The BBC:

Robot fins to propel submarines

quote:

The distinctive swimming technique of a bony fish is being used to develop agile, propellerless submarines.
US researchers have created prototype mechanical fins that mimic the movements of the bluegill sunfish.

The robo-fins could recreate the fish's powerful forward thrust and its manoeuvrability, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team said.

Further work is being carried out to see how other sunfish movements could help to improve underwater vehicles.

Full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6924057.stm

Comment: I don't expect that this sort of technology will make it to combat submarines, and the article didn't indicate that it would. However, it has quite a bit of potential for ROV's.

 

[James Smith]

Apparently a replica of Bushnell's Turtle caused a bit of a ruckus in New York Harbor today when it turned up within a few hundred feet of the Queen Mary 2.

See http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5537231 for details.

--Jim

 

[James Smith]

And here's the New York Times' treatment:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/arts/design/04voya.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

--Jim