Submarine trip report part 3, final page

chrisinhouston · 03-17-2011, 09:47 AM

On the final day we made our way into the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the sub finally surfaced within the small flotilla of escort ships. The weather was fantastic and we all took turns ascending to the the bridge up at the top of the ladders that go from the Com to the Sail. A dependent's cruise was planed where we were supposed to leave the sub as dependents came aboard, mostly wives, mother's and other family members of the crew. The captain decided to just save time with the transfer and just take on the dependents and let us all stay on as the sub made its way into Puget Sound and down to the Hood Canal and into the Navy base. It was well past 6pm when we finally made our way off of the sub after thanking the crew and the officers.

One of the things I did that was rather unexpected was to ask the Quarter Master as he plotted our course into the final stage of the voyage if I could have a chart and get signatures of the crew. We used to do this when I took Boy Scout crews to Philmont in New Mexico by having everyone sign off on a picture of Mt Baldy. Anyway the QM said he had some smaller low security charts and for about the last 2 hours I spent my time covering the submarine and getting signatures. Many of the sailors were rather surprised but liked the idea and many wrote me special notes as a memory of my voyage. The best one was from my son, Colin who said the nicest things. I can only say that I had a huge sense of paternal pride as I watched him as OOD giving out orders or interacting with the crew. I have a new appreciation for what he does and also for all of these men who make great sacrifices to be away from their families and live a most dangerous life under the sea and stay vigilant to protect us and our nation.

The motto and cheer of the ship is “Battle Ready! Battle Born!” and when they shout it they shout it loudly. My thanks goes out to all of them and to my son for inviting me to come along and see what he does. Please keep these fine men in your thoughts and prayers. Feel free to ask any questions or make comments on this note. I will also post photos later that were given to us of our cruise or that have been published about the Nevada.

glatt · 03-17-2011, 10:14 AM

Wow, that's awesome. What a good report!

I'm amazed that your ears pop when a water torpedo is launched. I never would have though of that.

When you were sleeping, did they turn out the lights in the sleeping area, or did you have to rely on the curtain with the lights on at full strength?

I'm a little surprised you were allowed to take showers. I understood from novels that showers on a sub were a special treat.

monster · 03-17-2011, 11:29 AM

That was really interesting, thanks for sharing. What a fantastic experience.

monster · 03-17-2011, 11:30 AM

...still no women on subs, then?

chrisinhouston · 03-17-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster

...still no women on subs, then?

No, supposed to happen in 2012 I think. It came up in a conversation with some officers. They said the plan is that one LT will be female and a bunking room which sleeps 9 will be made female only. Then there is the issue of the enlisted area heads, there will have to be one that is all female and since space is of a premium, something will have to go or be moved. They were bound to have to change as the proportion of females enlisting in the Navy or attending the Academy keeps growing.

footfootfoot · 03-17-2011, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster

...still no women on subs, then?

They tend to become mothers, I think.

chrisinhouston · 03-17-2011, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

They tend to become mothers, I think.

Well, but plenty of male military are fathers. Yes, pregnancy is an issue as it removes a female from the ranks. And while some might argue that a woman in the military could get herself pregnant to get out of service, the numbers don't support that argument. Furthermore, the NY Times had an interesting opinion piece detailing how women in the military with a fairly advanced rank reach a point of no chance for further advancement if they can not serve in a battlefield or combat position.

Gravdigr · 03-20-2011, 01:56 AM

Chris, thanks for lining all this out for us, man. Very interesting stuff.

xoxoxoBruce · 03-20-2011, 11:47 AM

A million thanks, Chris, very interesting stuff. I've toured a couple of WW II subs, which are light years different is size/design, and like Disneyland, they weren't submerged.

tw · 03-20-2011, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

On the second to last day as we made our approach up the coast of Washington, the sub did several interesting maneuvers. They did a deep dive which I am only authorized to say was to 700 feet below the surface but you can venture a guess that we were a bit deeper!

Were you 'authorized' to know how deep you dove?

What is the draft (how deep must the channel be) of a Trident boat (or is it still called a boat)?

skysidhe · 03-21-2011, 03:03 PM

TheMercenary · 03-25-2011, 02:38 PM

What a great experience.

chrisinhouston · 03-27-2011, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tw

Were you 'authorized' to know how deep you dove?

What is the draft (how deep must the channel be) of a Trident boat (or is it still called a boat)?

Well, they asked us not to tell the exact depth but all I will say is it wasn't deeper then 1000! Now they may have to kill me for mentioning that!

Ohio Class Sub features:
Length: 560 ft
Beam: 42 ft
Missile Tubes: 24
Draft: 36.5 ft
Displacement Submerged: 18,750 tons
Speed: 20+ knots

chrisinhouston · 03-27-2011, 05:15 PM

Oh and it is like the movies... at the really deep depths you can hear things creaking. One of the things they sometimes do is to dive really deep and tie a string between the inside of the sub, port to starboard and when they come up near the surface the string pops and breaks. That's something when you consider they have a 5 inch thick steel hull!

03-17-2011, 09:47 AM	#1
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Submarine trip report part 3, final page On the final day we made our way into the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the sub finally surfaced within the small flotilla of escort ships. The weather was fantastic and we all took turns ascending to the the bridge up at the top of the ladders that go from the Com to the Sail. A dependent's cruise was planed where we were supposed to leave the sub as dependents came aboard, mostly wives, mother's and other family members of the crew. The captain decided to just save time with the transfer and just take on the dependents and let us all stay on as the sub made its way into Puget Sound and down to the Hood Canal and into the Navy base. It was well past 6pm when we finally made our way off of the sub after thanking the crew and the officers. One of the things I did that was rather unexpected was to ask the Quarter Master as he plotted our course into the final stage of the voyage if I could have a chart and get signatures of the crew. We used to do this when I took Boy Scout crews to Philmont in New Mexico by having everyone sign off on a picture of Mt Baldy. Anyway the QM said he had some smaller low security charts and for about the last 2 hours I spent my time covering the submarine and getting signatures. Many of the sailors were rather surprised but liked the idea and many wrote me special notes as a memory of my voyage. The best one was from my son, Colin who said the nicest things. I can only say that I had a huge sense of paternal pride as I watched him as OOD giving out orders or interacting with the crew. I have a new appreciation for what he does and also for all of these men who make great sacrifices to be away from their families and live a most dangerous life under the sea and stay vigilant to protect us and our nation. The motto and cheer of the ship is “Battle Ready! Battle Born!” and when they shout it they shout it loudly. My thanks goes out to all of them and to my son for inviting me to come along and see what he does. Please keep these fine men in your thoughts and prayers. Feel free to ask any questions or make comments on this note. I will also post photos later that were given to us of our cruise or that have been published about the Nevada.

03-17-2011, 11:29 AM	#3
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	That was really interesting, thanks for sharing. What a fantastic experience. __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

03-17-2011, 11:30 AM	#4
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	...still no women on subs, then? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

03-20-2011, 01:56 AM	#8
Gravdigr The Un-Tuckian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Central...KY that is Posts: 39,517	Chris, thanks for lining all this out for us, man. Very interesting stuff. __________________ These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, EPA, FBI, DEA, CDC, or FDIC. These statements are not intended to diagnose, cause, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you feel you have been harmed/offended by, or, disagree with any of the above statements or images, please feel free to fuck right off.

03-20-2011, 11:47 AM	#9
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	A million thanks, Chris, very interesting stuff. I've toured a couple of WW II subs, which are light years different is size/design, and like Disneyland, they weren't submerged. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

03-17-2011, 10:14 AM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Wow, that's awesome. What a good report! I'm amazed that your ears pop when a water torpedo is launched. I never would have though of that. When you were sleeping, did they turn out the lights in the sleeping area, or did you have to rely on the curtain with the lights on at full strength? I'm a little surprised you were allowed to take showers. I understood from novels that showers on a sub were a special treat.

03-21-2011, 03:03 PM	#11
skysidhe ~~Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.~~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 6,828

03-25-2011, 02:38 PM	#12
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	What a great experience. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

03-27-2011, 05:15 PM	#14
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Oh and it is like the movies... at the really deep depths you can hear things creaking. One of the things they sometimes do is to dive really deep and tie a string between the inside of the sub, port to starboard and when they come up near the surface the string pops and breaks. That's something when you consider they have a 5 inch thick steel hull!

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