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Submarines
Submarines are naval craft that can operate for an extended period of time underwater. They are used primarily as warships, as well as for business, scientific and other purposes. Submarines are different from submersibles, which only have limited underwater capability.
2,056 Questions
What is a self propelled missile launched from a submarine?
The modern definition of a torpedo is a self-propelled underwater missile.
(see related question)
Can you transfer from the US submarine force to the surface fleet?
Unfortunately, yes. It actually happened to me just prior to my discharge. I was a Submarine Sonar Tech (STS1/SS) for 8 years, but was medically DQ'd for asthma as a result of 5 years of submarine duty. I was approached by the Surface community to enter a new Intel program based on long-standing techniques used by Submarine Sonarman. I agreed, but eventually it took too long and I opted to get out. My rate was changed from STS to STG (surface) just prior to my getting out.
It actually worked out though. The person who hired me was a Naval Reserve Commander, and he and a Project Manager in the office recruited me into their CNO unit at the Pentagon. It took a SecNav waiver to open a billet for me (there isn't much need for Sonarmen at the Pentagon) and joined the Assistant CNO (Surface Warfare) as Program Manager for ASW/EW/C3 systems. I actually wound up writing training programs and policy for the program that I had been tapped for while on Active Duty. I even bit the bullet and did a 2 week underway on a Reserve Frigate. Of course it was going to Bermuda, so....
The Submarine Force is an all-volunteer force, and you can "un-volunteer" at any time, though if your rate is submarine specific like mine it can be sticky once you leave. To be perfectly honest, until I worked for and obtained my 1st Dan in Tang Soo Do Karate, I never felt the teamwork and camaraderie that is unique to the submarine community. Submariners respect ability and knowledge above all else first - rank is secondary. That's never been the case in the SW community.
What year was the nautilus submarine invented?
It depends on which one you're referring to, as their have been 2 with the name Nautilus that were important during the evolution of submarine technology.
Robert Fulton's Nautilus
Robert Fulton's submarine Nautilus, designed between 1793-97, was the first practical working submarine design of record. It had a working ballast system, dove to 25 feet, and successfully attacked stationary targets. Most importantly, it returned to the surface without any deaths.
Living in France at the time, Fulton petitioned the French Government twice to fund his project, but was rejected. He later approached the French Minister of Marine to subsidize the construction, and was finally given permission in 1800. Though it had initially impressed the French during trials, the Nautilus suffered from leaks, which is the primary reason Fulton gave up. When Napoleon wanted to see it, he found that Fulton had already dismantled the Nautilus and destroyed many of its key components. Napoleon thought that Fulton was a charlatan, and the French Navy had no use for what they believed then to be a suicidal machine.
Even though Fulton's project didn't continue, the British, wanting to keep control over what appeared to them to be a potentially lethal device, brought Fulton to Britain to continue his submarine work. However, with Nelson's victory over the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, the French threat was eliminated, and Fulton was ignored until he finally left to return to America. His papers were left at the U.S. Consul in London, and went undiscovered until 1920. He never again worked on submarine designs, though his contributions to submarine development are still remembered and honored today.
Hyman G. Rickover, Nuclear Power, and the USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
Not until the advent of Nuclear Power and the vision of Naval Engineer Hyman G. Rickover (Admiral Rickover, "Father of the Nuclear Navy"), did submarines become true submersibles.
Until that time, submarines were essentially designed as surface vessels that had a limited submerged operational capability, and were designed to run faster on the surface than underwater. Captured U-boats after WWII showed how far the Germans had advanced the art of submarine hull design and technology; while many of these innovations found their way into modern submarines, it was Rickover who realized that harnessing a nuclear reactor in a small design used to power submarines (and later ships) would give submarine warfare a significant technological boost. Unlike diesel-electric technology, nuclear power offers the advantage of huge power generation, which means better equipment (sensors, weapons, navigation, huge fresh water / air generating capacity, etc.), underwater speed (a major departure from previous designs) and virtually unlimited cruising range.
With Rickover's successful pressurized-water reactor design (still in use today) installed on the United States' (and the world's) first nuclear powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN-571), nuclear power changed submarine technology and warfare from the limited role that it had in previous conflicts to the multiple mission threat it is today.
Did Japan have a submarine that could carry a plane?
" Japan built 41 submarines that could carry one or more aircraft, while the vast submarine fleets of the United States, Britain, and Germany included not one submarine so capable." From: http://www.combinedfleet.com/ss.htm Which has much more detailed information. The French had the Surcouf, which was bizarre both in construction and operational history. The Germans did make limited use of towed autogyros on some later submarines for spotting purposes.
How does a nuclear submarine work?
The "submarine" part of a nuclear submarine works in basically the same way as a conventional submarine. The differences lie primarily in the propulsion area and some support functions. Nuclear reactors generate a lot of heat energy because of the nuclear fisson reactions occurring in the fuel, and that is the key to nuclear propulsion.
The reactor is used to heat water to make steam. Air is unnecessary in this process. The reactor coolant system circulates water (very hot water) into a steam generator in a closed loop. The steam that is generated is then used by conventional steam turbines (the main engines) which drive the propellor (called a screw) through a reduction gear. Small steam turbines are used to drive electric generators. There is a back up battery bank and also a conventional diesel engine (the emergency diesel engine) that drives an electric generator.
Provisions have to be made to treat the atmosphere as the craft is intended to remain submerged for extended periods.
The diving and control systems are largely the same as on a conventional submarine.
Weapons systems include the conventional torpedo (with or without nuclear capability) and (sub)surface to surface missiles like the cruise missile. As the new submarines are superior weapons platforms, large missile systems are included on some designs.
Electronics systems for communications as well as detection and countermeasures are all modern. The new nuclear submarines owe a huge debt in technological development to the old units, but they far outclass them in capability.
Can submarines surface in an area with only 3 in thick ice?
The actual thickness of ice that any modern U.S. Submarine can successfully surface through is classified, but 3 inches is nothing. It's like a Whale surfacing through a wet piece of paper.
If you look at my Supervisor Bio page, you'll see a picture from my North Pole surfacing onboard USS RAY in 1986. The ice thickness there was only 6", and thinner in some areas.
What do fins do for a submarine?
The fins help steer the submarine; making it be able to turn left or right.
Is it true that a reindeer was on a submarine in wwii?
The boat was the Royal Navy submarine HMS Trident (N52), and the reindeer doe was nicknamed Pollyanna. It was given to the Trident's Commanding Officer by a Russian Admiral as thanks for help that the British had given the Russians in 1941 in the Arctic.
Pollyanna lived aboard the Trident for several weeks unitl the boat returned to Portsmouth. Having gained weight along the trip, she could no longer easily fit through the hatch, so she was trussed by a local butcher and raised through the hatch with a winch.
She lived out her remaining days at a zoo, ironically dying within a few days of the Trident's decommissioning.
Who invented the submarines used in World war 1?
Germany made the first submarines in WW1. They were called U-Boats, short for "unterseeboat" Most modern submarines are descended from The Holland, christened in 1897, invented by John Holland.
Does the meaning of the song Yellow Submarine involve drugs?
According to Sir Paul McCartney, co-writer of the song, the song "Yellow Submarine" was written as a children's song, with limited vocal ranges for Ringo Starr to sing lead on. He has stated on more than one occasion that nothing else should be viewed as far as the lyrics are concerned.
Where does nuclear waste go from a nuclear submarine?
In the United States, when a nuclear submarine has "run out of" nuclear fuel for its reactor (this takes many years), the reactor may be opened, and the spent fuel sent for reprocessing at the Naval Reactors facility at the Idaho National Laboratory. The reactor's core may then be refueled. This process can take some time, and handling the spent fuel is dangerous and requires complex procedures to prevent contamination. If the submarine is to be overhauled, or retired, the fuel is removed for reprocessing, and the reactor compartment is cut out of the submarine, sealed, and moved for disposal to the Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State, where they are kept in dry storage. The submarine may be welded back together, or the sections floated, until a new compartment and reactor are installed, or the vessel is cut up for scrap. Low level radioactive waste may be handled in other ways.
Can you submerge a tank and drive it under water?
The U.S, Army did experiments with tanks using snorkels to allow them to run underwater during WW2 but had little success. There have been other experiments but most have abandoned the idea due to the inherent danger to the crews. The German Leopard tank of today can, with the use of a snorkel kit, traverse water up to 13 feet deep. Click the link and on the left you will see this in action down the page on the left side is a video of 2 Leopard going underwater.
How is a pink dolphin like submarines?
Pink dolphins are like submarines because they never go in the water, dolphins and submarines alike are have waterphobia and never go in the water. Pink dolphines also are lesbians like submarines
What are the capabilities of a nuclear sub?
This depends on both the role (e.g. missile, attack, research) and class of the submarine. The only thing that defines a submarine as nuclear is that it derives its power from nuclear reactors, it does not need to carry nuclear weapons (although almost all do).
- Role defines the purpose the submarine was designed to fulfill
- Class is the specific "model" of the submarine
What you called the people who are working in navy submarines?
The proper term is "Submariner", pronounced phonetically "Sub-ma-reen-er". Anything different will likely get you slapped.
The reason that Destroyers are not just classified with a single "D" and Submarines with just an "S" is that there are different classes of each. It is the hull designation that denotes the vessel's function, and with the advent of the Nuclear Navy, its propulsion type as well.
The hull designator denotes the hull type, shipyard hull number, its purpose, and its propulsion mode. For example SSN stands for "Submersible Ship, Nuclear"; SSBN is Submersible Ship, Ballistic, Nuclear; and SSGN is Submersible Ship, Guided Missile, Nuclear. Any vessel that isn't a variant (rare in today's Navy) has a single designation - BB, DD, etc. Nuclear powered vessels are denoted with an "N" in the designation.
Another example is my old boat, USS RAY (SSN-653). Her designation was Submersible Ship, Nuclear, hull number 653 in Navy technical parlance.
B is a pre-1920's Battleship; BB is a post-1920's Battleship, and a BBG is a Guided Missile Battleship. A DD is a regular line Destroyer; a DE was a Destroyer Escort. A DDG, such as the Arleigh Burke class Destroyers, are Guided Missile Destroyers.
SS doesn't stand for Submarine - it stands for "Submersible Ship". This goes back to the earliest days of Submarines, when they weren't true submersibles like they are today. Until teardrop and cigar shaped hulls were designed, and longer range propulsion methods made crew limitations the only liability, older submarines were essentially surface vessels that had a limited submerged operational capability. They were, literally, "Submersible Ships". What makes them different than today's boats is that the old design made them much faster on the surface than the ever were submerged. Today's submarines are true submersibles by all definitions, much faster submerged than when surfaced. Even modern Diesel Electric boats can remain submerged for many days at a time without the need for a battery charge.
For example, my former Rate/Rank/Warfare Designator, if fully written out, would be shown as "Sonar Technician (Submarines) or STS, First Class (STS1), SS - or Submersible Ships. Written out, my Rate / Rank was STS1(SS).
For submarine hull types, there are currently 3 in the U.S. inventory - SSN, SSGN, and SSBN. SSN's are Nuclear Fast-Attack Submarines - Sturgeon, L.A., Seawolf and Virginia Classes. SSBN's are Ballistic Missile Submarines (Ohio class, etc.) SSGN's are converted older SSBN's that have had their Ballistic Missiles removed as part of the Treaty with the former Soviet Union. They were converted to Cruise Missile launch platforms.
During the Korean War, many former WW2 Fleet Boats were converted for Radar Picket duty along the Korean coastline. Their designations were "SSR", or "Submersible Ship, Radar Picket"
Other ships have similar hull designations. Aircraft Carriers, for example carry the primary hull designator "CV", for Carrier Vessel, "CVA" for Carrier Vessel, Attack (large conventional powered AC's), and "CVN", for "Carrier Vessel, Nuclear".
Why is the hull of submarines specially strengthened?
To prevent it from collapsing from the high pressure of the water outside while submerged. Roughly every 30 feet of depth under water adds another atmosphere of inward pressure on the hull.
How many countries have nuclear submarines?
From Wikipedia:
Today, six countries deploy some form of nuclear-powered strategic submarines: the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, and India Several other countries, including Argentina and Brazil, have ongoing projects in different phases to build nuclear-powered submarines.
What songs are on yellow submarine by the beatles?
Two of the songs from Yellow Submarine are "Yellow Submarine" brought from Revolver and "All You Need is Love" brought from "The Magical Mystery Tour". other non-instrumental songs are "All Together Now", "Hey Bulldog", "It's All Too Much", and George's "Only a Northern Song" the other tracks are all instrumentals, they are "Pepperland", "Sea of Time", "Sea of Holes", "Sea of Monsters", "March of the Meanies", "Pepperland Laid Waste", and "Yellow Submarine in Pepperland"
Why were German Submarines off the shore of Puerto Rico?
German subs were looking for targets; just like the Japanese subs were off the US west coast...looking for targets.
What is the stern of a submarine?
The term "Stern" is the Navy term for the aft (rear) section of any ship or submarine, generally referring to the rearmost portion of the vessel.
Can a submarine have people inside?
If it is a vessel (boat), yes.
If it is a sandwich, no.
It can only have "pieces" of people in it, if it is a sandwich ;)
What are the two types of submarines that the US Navy operates?
1. Ballistic submarines
2. Attack submarines
