U.S. Navy submarine smashes through several feet of polar ice.

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  • Mark 1911

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    As a shipyard employee in the 1980s, I used to work on new construction Los Angeles (688) class subs as a reactor test engineer, also worked overhauls on the old Franklin (659) class ballistic missile subs. Was on a 3-day sea trial once on the Daniel Boone off the Atlantic coast, they did an emergency surface during the sea trial. Fascinating stuff.
     

    actaeon277

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    They've been doing that since the late 50s.
    While I was in, only the Permit and Skate classes were qualified under ice, because they had strengthened sails and rudders.
    But I think they had to strengthen some of the Los Angeles class after the Permits and Skates were retired from service.

    Remember, a sub can only do that if the ice is like 1 or 2 meters thick.
    And they don't really "ram" it, they blow their ballast and let the buoyancy do the work.
    While they've done it a LOT.. it's kinda like a Space Shuttle launch. Done so often that people are bored, until something happens. And then the screaming starts.

    Oh, and since the ice can go down 30 to 40 meters, you can see where emergency ascents just don't happen.
     

    T.Lex

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    Wait.

    You mean that subs don't just crash through the ice to set up polar airfields to refuel stolen Russian airplanes?

    Thanks, Denny.

    Cool stuff, though, that they can do that.
     

    Alamo

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    ...
    Done so often that people are bored, until something happens. And then the screaming starts.
    .

    Screaming, like, "BEAR! BEAR!" ?

    bear_sub1.jpg


    Bear Attacks SubDuring the ICEX 2003 naval exercises near the North Pole, the American

    submarine Connecticut (SSN 22) poked its sail and rudder through the ice. Thesub surfaced in an area of polar ice between Alaska and the North Pole Subs in the arctic have long ago learned to look out for polar bears, especially if some of the crew are allowed out on the ice. In this case, a large (700-800) pound polar bear was seen approaching the sub. For about 40 minutes, the bear loitered around the subs rear rudder. It took a bite out of the rudder and, finding it inedible, stayed around the area of broken ice around the rudder for a while, apparently thinking a seal (the bears favorite food) might use it as an air hole. The bear finally left when he heard the noise of an approaching helicopter. When an officer first looked around outside via the periscope, he noted that his sub was being stalked by a hostile polar bear. The periscope cam was turned on, and these photos of a polar bear chewing on the subs rear rudder resulted. The damage was said to be minor. The SSN 22 is a Seawolf class boat, one of the navy's newest submarines. It wasn't designed as a polar bear snack, but that's how life is sometimes.

    That bear thought he found the mother of all seals.
     

    actaeon277

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    Well, I might scream about that.
    Wasn't thinking "bear" so much as.. having my "surfaces" and "submergences" not be the same number.
     

    Dead Duck

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    They were just lost and came up to ask directions.
    You ever try to steer one of those things? The controls are very confusing.

    shgj1HC.jpg
     

    Clay Pigeon

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    As a shipyard employee in the 1980s, I used to work on new construction Los Angeles (688) class subs as a reactor test engineer, also worked overhauls on the old Franklin (659) class ballistic missile subs. Was on a 3-day sea trial once on the Daniel Boone off the Atlantic coast, they did an emergency surface during the sea trial. Fascinating stuff.

    One of my uncle's was Blue Crew on a Franklin class boomer, SS Stimpson. When he would talk about doing an emergency assent he would bust out in a grin when talking about it.
    He went to propulsion school and after his enlistment he went to work for Bectel in Frederick and Gaithersburg until retirement.
     

    Mark 1911

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    One of my uncle's was Blue Crew on a Franklin class boomer, SS Stimpson. When he would talk about doing an emergency assent he would bust out in a grin when talking about it.
    He went to propulsion school and after his enlistment he went to work for Bectel in Frederick and Gaithersburg until retirement.

    I was sitting in a room that was a study / library area. The next room over was for making copies, had a copy machine. One thing about emergency assent is that if anyone forgot to fasten anything down securely prior to the sea trial it will become obvious while during the EA. The EA was in progress, when from the copy room came the sound of a large crash and breaking glass. Once everything settled down on the surface, one of the crew emerged from the copy room, black from head to toe with toner from the broken copy machine. Looked like something out of an old minstrel show. Very funny, except maybe for the guy who forgot to tighten the retaining nuts! :):
     
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