u.s. submarines… because stealth matters · 2019-10-01 · by thomas holian those in peril –...

U. S. S U B M A R I N E S … B E C A U S E S T E A L T H M A T T E R S

INSIDEThe Crew of PCU Virginia

Faces New Challenges

SSGN Conversions Underway

USS S-5: Disaster and Rescue

6 T H A N N U A L P H O T O C O N T E S T W I N N E R S6 T H A N N U A L P H O T O C O N T E S T W I N N E R S

orward

SUMMER2004

Deployed!FU.S. Subs Operate in the Pacific Rim, off the Coast ofMorocco, in theArctic, and Beyond

U.S. Subs Operate in the Pacific Rim, off the Coast ofMorocco, in theArctic, and Beyond

orward Deployed!F

Features

Departments

On The Cover

Summer2004 Vol. 6, No. 4

UNDERSEA WARFARE is online at: www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/n87/mag.html

VADM Kirk DonaldCommander, Naval Submarine Forces

Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet

RADM Paul SullivanDeputy Commander, Naval Submarine Forces

Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

RDML Joe WalshDirector, Submarine Warfare

CAPT Greg VaughnCommander, Undersea Surveillance

LCDR Jensin SommerCOMNAVSUBFOR Public Affairs Officer

CDR Kelly MerrellCOMSUBPAC Public Affairs Officer

LCDR Scott Young JOC Michael FoutchMilitary Editor Military Editor

Edward C. Whitman Kelley KulinaSenior Editor Managing Editor

BlueWater Agency Lakisha FerebeeLayout & Design Web Design

CharterUNDERSEA WARFARE is the professional magazine of the under-sea warfare community. Its purpose is to educate its readers

on undersea warfare missions and programs, with a particularfocus on U.S. submarines. This journal will also draw uponthe Submarine Force’s rich historical legacy to instill a senseof pride and professionalism among community members

and to enhance reader awareness of the increasing relevanceof undersea warfare for our nation’s defense.

The opinions and assertions herein are the personal ones of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views

of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Navy.

Contributions and Feedback WelcomeSend articles, photographs (min 300 dpi electronic),

and feedback to:

Military Editor Undersea Warfare CNO

2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, DC 20350-2000 E-Mail: [email protected]

Phone: 703-614-9372 Fax: 703-604-7858

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P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 or call (202) 512-1800 or fax (202) 512-2250.

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Authorization

UNDERSEA WARFARE is published quarterly from appropriatedfunds by authority of the Chief of Naval Operations in accor-dance with NPPR P-35. The Secretary of the Navy has deter-mined that this publication is necessary in the transaction ofbusiness required by law of the Department of the Navy. Use

of funds for printing this publication has been approved by theNavy Publications and Printing Policy Committee.

Reproductions are encouraged. Controlled circulation.

U . S . S U B M A R I N E S … B E C A U S E S T E A L T H M A T T E R S

The Official Magazine of the U.S. Submarine Force

2003 CHINFO Merit Award

The Los Angeles-class submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN-706) surfaces in theAtlantic Ocean while participating in Majestic Eagle 2004, a multinationalexercise conducted off the coast of Morocco. The exercise demonstrated thecombined-force capabilities and quick response times of participating air,undersea, and surface warfare groups. Countries involved in the NATO-led exercise include the United States, the United Kingdom, Morocco, France, Italy,Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Participation in Majestic Eagle was part of a sched-uled deployment supporting the Navy's new Fleet Response Plan (FRP) SummerPulse 2004, the simultaneous deployment of seven carrier strike groups (CSGs),demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat across theglobe in five theaters with other U.S., allied, and coalition military forces. Photo by PHAN Rob Gaston

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERSU S S U B M A R I N E S B E C A U S E S T E A L T H M A T T E R S

A n n u a l6th

Former Commander-in-Chief Christens PCU Jimmy Carter by JO3 Steven Feller USN

Hard-charging and Persistent: The Crew of PCU Virginia Looks Aheadby JO3 Steven Feller USN

Pacific Reach 2004 U.S. Foreign Navies Practice Submarine Rescue, Foster Cooperation and Improve Interoperabilityby LT Kyung “KC” Choi USN

SSGN Conversions: Embodying the Sea Power 21 Visionby Thomas Holian

Heading North! Traveling the Artic Region, U.S. Submarines Find Adventure, New Challenges, and New Friendsby CDR Charles Harris & JOC Kevin Elliot, USNR

Saviors and Suppliers: World War II Submarine Special Operations in the Philippinesby Thomas Holian

Those in Peril – the S-5 Incidentby Edward C. Whitman

2004 Force Organization Map

Washington WatchDownlink

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In early June, I relieved RADM (Sel) Tracy as the Director of Submarine Warfare(N77) and wish him fair winds and following seas in his new job as Commander, USSHarry S Truman Strike Group.

During this time of forceful change in the Submarine Force, I am privileged to be serv-ing as our community’s resource sponsor. I am pleased to report to you that things aregoing very well for the Submarine Force as we work within the Pentagon to ensure thatwe remain a valuable asset in America’s warfighting arsenal for years to come.

As I begin my tenure in this position, I approach my job here with these tasks in mind:

• Driving the execution of the current year’s fiscal budget.

• Coordinating with the type commanders to develop the Submarine Force’s inputs to thePOM process.

• Encouraging active participation in the analytical process, such as campaign analysisand the development of integrated capabilities.

During this Year of the Submarine, we have had the opportunity to demonstrate theimportance of integration with other fleet assets and the unique flexibility submarinesprovide. You can be proud of the fact that we provided a considerable share of the Navy’scombat force during SUMMER PULSE ’04. Ten submarines demonstrated timely surgecapabilities as they were deployed in four AORs, supporting Carrier Strike Groups andother operations and exercises in the first application of the Fleet Response Plan.

In addition to demonstrating to senior leadership the impressive ability of the currentSubmarine Force to surge quickly, the year 2004 will be remembered as a seminal one inthe evolution of our future force.

The most important development will be the commissioning in October of the firstsubmarine designed from the start for the post-Cold War environment, in which we faceasymmetrical threats from the Global War on Terrorism and other contingencies. Thenew USS Virginia (SSN-774), underway on sea trials as this issue goes to press, representsa dramatic shift in operational capabilities and an unprecedented ability to operate in thelittorals. I had the privilege of briefing Vice-President Cheney in person on the potentialthat this new class brings to the fleet during his tour of New London and Virginia. Theuse of mission modules in Virginia will greatly improve the capabilities of future submarines. Several studies have explored design options for providing modular payloadvolumes in future ships. These options have ranged from relatively minor modificationsto the current Virginia configuration to an evolution toward submarines outfitted with acompletely-modular payload capacity.

In addition to the upcoming commissioning of Virginia this year, we have already witnessed the stand-up of CSS-19, the start of three of four planned conversions from allistic missile submarines to SSGNs, the christening of Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) and Texas(SSN-775) and the keel-laying of North Carolina (SSN-777). We will also commemoratein September the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of USS Nautilus (SSN-571) andthe dawn of the undersea nuclear age.

I am certain you understand the challenge of maintaining a capable Submarine Forcethat meets the surge requirements of the present as we move toward our future fleet. Todo this, we must refuel first-flight Los Angeles-class submarines and achieve a build rate oftwo Virginia-class boats per year. My staff at N77 is working hard with Navy leadershipand Congress to make this happen. But it also requires the efforts of those on watch underthe sea to make the compelling case that submarines are inherently crucial to the defenseof freedom now and in the future.

U N D E R S E A WA R FA R E S U M M E R 2 0 0 4 1

…submarines are inherently crucial to

the defense of freedom now and in the future.

RDML Joe Walsh, USNDirector, Submarine Warfare

WashingtonWatch

With a dousing of champagne and a blessing for “all whosail in her,” former First Lady Rosalynn Carter christenedPCU Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) at the General DynamicsElectric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut on 5 June.Mrs. Carter, former President Jimmy Carter, their daughterAmy, and a crowd of more than 4,500 attended the christen-ing of the third and last Seawolf-class submarine.

“This is a wonderful day for me – and to see my wife breakthe champagne on undoubtedly the finest and most formida-ble ship in the world was a great honor for me,” said PresidentCarter. “And to have my name on it – I am very grateful.”VADM Kirkland Donald, Commander, Naval SubmarineForces, noted the eagerness of the crew to get Jimmy Carterout to sea, and he praised the men for all their personal andprofessional accomplishments.

“We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this fine ship in our fleet and the remarkable capa-bility that she’ll bring,” said Donald. “This crew is very eager to get under way. Over 40Sailors earned their ‘dolphins’ – while training onboard other submarines – and they havea perfect retention rate of 100 percent and an exceptional advancement rate that’s well abovethe Navy’s average. Eighteen of their enlisted Sailors have been selected into officer commis-sioning programs. I think it reflects the caliber of this crew that Jimmy Carter is the recipi-ent of the 2003 Atlantic Fleet Golden Anchor Award.”

Jimmy Carter’s most celebrated feature is a hull extension that makes the 453-foot-long sub-marine 100 feet longer than the other two Seawolf-class submarines, USS Seawolf (SSN-21)and USS Connecticut (SSN-22). This hull extension provides Jimmy Carter with a wealth ofnew capabilities that make her a true multi-mission platform (MMP). The new submarine hasan ocean interface that allows the deployment of remotely-operated vehicles, which will beable to retrieve and deploy weapons, countermeasures, and sensors. Jimmy Carter is alsoSpecial Operations-friendly and can accommodate a Dry Deck Shelter or an Advanced SEAL

2 S U M M E R 2 0 0 4 U N D E R S E A WA R FA R E

by J

O3 S

teve

n Fe

ller

Photo by JO3 Steven Feller

Former First Lady Rosalynn Cartersmashes a bottle of champagneagainst the sail of the Seawolf-classnuclear attack submarine PCU JimmyCarter (SSN-23) during the ship’schristening ceremony.

New Submarine Honors Only U.S. President Qualified in Submarines

Former Commander-in-Chief Christens

immy CarterJ PCU

Delivery System (ASDS) for SpecialOperations Forces (SOF). It has a reconfig-urable cargo area, which allows for stowage ofSOF supplies, and includes a CommandCenter Suite for mission planning. The sub-marine can berth up to 50 SOF personnel.

Electric Boat President and GeneralDynamics Vice President John Casey was par-ticularly excited about Jimmy Carter’s multi-mission capabilities. “This is an exciting day tobe in the submarine business,” Casey said.“This ship I’m standing on this morning rep-resents a remarkable achievement for ElectricBoat, the Navy, and our nation. Five years ago,this vessel’s distinctive role as a multi-missionplatform existed only in the minds of a few.Today, this notion has become a reality, pro-viding the ship and submarine force withastounding capabilities.”

“The key to this success has been theIntegrated Product and Process Develop-ment approach – also known as the Design/Build approach,” said Casey. “An entire 100-foot, 2,500-ton hull section, nearly as complexas an entire Los Angeles-class submarine, hascome from concept to construction and inte-gration with the overall ship in just under fiveyears. That’s an amazing accomplishment.”

JO3 Feller is assigned to the Public Affairs Office ofCommander, Navy Region Northeast.


General Dynamics Electric Boatmoves the third and final Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine,Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), outdoorsfor the first time. DifferentiatingJimmy Carter from the others ofher class is a 100-foot hull exten-sion that enhances her multi-mis-sion payload capability andenables her to accommodate anew generation of advancedweapons and sensor technologies.

Former President Jimmy Carter(right) waves to the crowd as heand Navy Secretary GordonEngland take their seats for thechristening ceremony of JimmyCarter. The new submarine honorsCarter as the 39th President of theUnited States – and the only U.S.Chief Executive ever qualified insubmarines. This christening was a homecoming of sorts for the former Commander-in-Chief, whowas stationed in the Groton,Connecticut area from 1948 to1952 as a young submarine officer.

Photo by JO3 Steven Feller

Anyone familiar with PCU Virginia

(SSN-774) and its capabilities would agree

that it is a technological marvel. The first of

a new class of fast-attack submarines, this

model of innovation is the beginning of a

new era for the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Force.

Complementing the impressive machinery

and advanced technology within the steel

hull is an equally outstanding crew, which

has been dedicated to preparing Virginia to

join the world’s greatest Navy. As the

Virginia’s commissioning date of 23 October

fast approaches, the crew is more ready

than ever to demonstrate to the world their

ship’s breakthrough capabilities and its

7,835 tons of quiet diplomacy.


by J

O3 S

teve

n Fe

ller

Welcome AboardLike Sailors on other ships, Virginia’s crewmembers come from a variety of back-

grounds and had a number of reasons for joining the Navy and the Submarine Force.For MMFN Toros Asadourian and EM3 Joseph Gehring, being a part of the Virginia’screw offers them a unique welcome to the fleet.

“When I was in ‘A’ and ‘C’ school, I requested orders to come to Virginia,” saidAsadourian. “Since I graduated near the top of my class, I was able to choose where Iwanted to go, if that choice was available.” In his third week as a Virginia Sailor, theNew York City native joins “A” division, where he will work on the submarine’smechanical systems. “It feels pretty good being a crewmember here,” he said. “No onebefore us has done anything with the new types of equipment we have aboard.”

Gehring, a nuclear-trained electrician’s mate from Tampa, Florida, echoedAsadourian’s comments about learning to use Virginia’s new technology. “It’s neattraining ourselves how to use this equipment. The basic theory is the same, but thetechnology is new,” he said.

Hard-charging and Persistent:The Crew of PCU Virginia Looks Ahead

Although there’s a heavy emphasis onmeeting Virginia’s commissioning date,Asadourian said he does not feel any pres-sure to perform at a higher level thanwould be expected of him anywhere else“There’s a great demand to perform welleverywhere,” he said. “It doesn’t matterwhat command you’re with.”

The Challenge of Middle LeadershipMiddle leadership anywhere offers a vari-

ety of challenges. It requires balancing theneed to be a good leader to junior Sailorswith being a good follower of the seniorleadership. It takes attentive listening andstrong communication skills to translateassigned tasks and missions into coherentdirections so that junior Sailors can playtheir part in accomplishing what’s required.Two Virginia crewmembers who have donethat consistently well are EM1(SS) KevinGarner and ST2(SS) John Parcel. A nativeof Des Moines, Iowa, Parcel has beenonboard for two and a half years, andGarner, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia,has been aboard since the beginning. Bothare adamant about remaining onboard andseeing Virginia through to her commission-ing. As Parcel put it, “It would be terrible todo all this work and not see the reward.”

And Virginia offers many rewards.Before they even put on their Virginia ballcaps, Garner and Parcel knew that cominghere would be an exciting experience. “Iwas serving aboard USS West Virginia(SSBN-736) (BLUE), and I was up fororders,” said Garner. “I chose to come hereinstead of going to shore duty.”

Parcel seized his opportunity after achance meeting at a San Diego SubmarineBall a few years ago. “At the SubmarineBall, I ran into Vice Admiral [Albert]Konetzni [then Deputy and Chief of Staff,U.S. Atlantic Fleet], and we discussed pos-sible career opportunities in the informa-tion technology field. He suggested I go to

the Virginia. The next day I called hisoffice, and now here I am,” said Parcel.

Garner said that being a crewmemberonboard the first of a new class of subma-rine presents challenges that others mightnot face. “We need to make sure our sys-tems are ready to be tested and our divi-sions ready to train,” he said. “There are alot of issues to keep in mind, and for thiscrew, the learning curve is very steep.We’ve had to learn how to use pieces ofequipment that weren’t even built yet, andit took a lot of effort to keep peopleapprised of what was going on.”

“One of the hardest things was unlearn-ing all I had learned,” added Parcel. “Ittook a long time to get used to the idea thatwhat worked on my previous boats wasn’tgoing to work here. All of us had to unlearnthings before we could learn again.”

“Being the first crew on a new class ofsubmarine, you put in a lot of hours. Andeveryone is going to be here while we pre-pare to go to sea,” said Garner.

Not only do the Sailors put in longhours, but families put in long hours aswell. Garner and Parcel both noted thatbeing a family member of a Sailor assigned

to a pre-commissioning unit can be harderthan being a family member of a Sailor onan already-commissioned submarine.

“On other boats, you may do an avail-ability of six weeks or so when the crewgoes into shift work and works longhours,” said Parcel. “Aboard Virginia, we’vebeen doing that now for three years. Oncewe got started, we went into what amount-ed to a hugely-extended availability. “Wework 15- or 18-hour days and then we go home just to sleep and then we do itagain…for weeks at a time. Our familiessacrifice a lot.”

Unfortunately, the crew won’t be gettinga whole lot of family time any time soon.They have a lot to do in the coming months.

“Getting this ship ready has been a greatchallenge ever since I became a plankowner,” said Garner. “For us in middle lead-ership positions, we take the taskings we’regiven and bring them down to the deck-plate level to get the job done, all the whilekeeping our chain of command informed.”

“It’s crucially important to not only be agood leader to your junior guys, but to bea good listener as well,” added Parcel. “Youhave to be willing to communicate bothways.”

How to Assemble a CrewETCM(SS) Timothy Acker is the

“Danny Ocean” of PCU Virginia. He wasthe very first to receive orders to Virginiaand, like the fictional character portrayedby both Frank Sinatra and GeorgeClooney in film versions of Ocean’s 11, hisjob was to assemble the “perfect” team thatwould become the Virginia crew. “I’vebeen here since Day One,” said theWatertown, South Dakota native. “I was atPrototype in Ballston Spa, New York, and

I helped put this crew together. I contact-ed prospective crewmembers. I contactedthe Commanding Officer, who was atPCO [Prospective Commanding Officer]school at the time. Some of the crew sub-mitted 1306s [Personnel Action Requests]to come here; some were ready to roll andjust got orders. In my case, I had to submita package.”

Acker said the pressure to get Virginiacommissioned is self-imposed. “We are thefirst of a new class of submarine,” saidAcker. “Our challenge is getting all of oursystems to integrate and work well. I can


Virginia Chief of the BoatCMDCM (SS) Casey L. Whiteraises the American flagaboard Virginia for the first time. Virginia will becommissioned later thisyear in her namesake state.

As the first new submarines designed after the ColdWar, the Virginia-class fast-attack boats are intendedfor battle-space dominance across a broad spectrumof regional and littoral missions, as well as in theopen-ocean. Virginia is equipped with sophisticatedsurveillance capabilities and special warfareenhancements, to include the Advanced SEALDelivery System, state-of-the-art submarine commu-nications and electronic support measures with“Plug and Fight” electronics, new sonar sensors foranti-submarine and mine warfare, and the capabilityof firing land-attack salvoes of 16 Tomahawks from12 vertical-launch tubes and four torpedo tubes. Photo courtesy of General Dynamics

build my system, and another guy can buildhis, but the difficulties arise in joining thosesystems, getting them to work properly, andcoming up with the right solutions.”

A major difficulty in training a crew to anew class of submarine is that there are noformal manuals available for the forward,no-nuclear systems”. This may seem like aminor issue, but it is a very sensitive one inthe nuclear world since it implies that wewould send a crew out to operate a nuclearreactor without any formal guidance. “It’sextremely challenging because all of ourprocedures had to be written,” said Acker.“All of them had to be validated andproven safe, because these are the proce-dures that other submarines in this classwill follow. It’s a huge responsibility.”

Acker said he and his crew are gaining alot from serving in this command andworking with each other. “I love what I do,and I’m proud to be a submariner. I foughtto get this job because I knew I was the bestcandidate,” he said. “It’s also rewarding toknow that 50 years from now, we may stillbe using some of this equipment. Being apart of this crew is being a part of a legacy.

“This whole crew will leave a legacybehind, and knowing that you’ve beenhandpicked to be onboard is a great feel-ing. And other people see that too. In ourReactor Control Division, we had six ofour 10 Sailors get promoted to CPO inthe first three years. When I got ordershere, I came as an ETC; now I’m a masterchief,” continued Acker.

After Virginia is commissioned, a por-tion of the crew will depart for otherassignments. Acker, who was recently reen-listed by ADM Frank L. “Skip” Bowman,Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, plansto enroll in the Command Master Chiefprogram. Garner was just selected for theLimited Duty Officer (LDO) program andwill head to the USS Harry S. Truman(CVN-75) as an LDO. As for Parcel, hewould eventually like to go “somewherewarmer, like San Diego.”

Regardless of where their future leadsthem, they and the rest of the PCU crewwill always be joined by the bonds theydeveloped in readying the Virginia for herservice to the fleet. JO3 Feller is assigned to the Public Affairs Officeof Commander, Navy Region Northeast.


Virginia is seen here in January 2003 at GeneralDynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut

Hawaii Governor to be PCU Hawaii’s Sponsorby Team Submarine Public Affairs

In June, Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England asked HawaiiGovernor Linda Lingle to sponsor the nation’s third Virginia-classfast-attack submarine, PCU Hawaii (SSN-776). The submarine, nowunder construction at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton,Connecticut, is 63 percent complete and scheduled to enter thefleet in 2007.

“Governor Lingle is a tremendous supporter of our armed forcesand was honored to receive the Secretary’s invitation,” said MG

Robert Lee, Adjutant General of the Hawaii National Guard. “She is looking forward toserving as sponsor of USS Hawaii.”

Upon taking office in December 2002, Lingle quickly developed a strong relation-ship with the military and worked to elevate her state’s role in promoting peace andsecurity in the Asia-Pacific region. She was the first governor of Hawaii in decades totour Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard when she visited the base in 2003.

Hawaii is the third in the 30-ship Virginia class. She is one of 10 Virginia-class sub-marines under contract and is the next to follow PCU Virginia (SSN-774) and PCUTexas (SSN-775). The Virginia-class submarines incorporate revolutionary technology

and innovative design processes,such as spiral development andcommercial-off-the-shelf equipment,which address 21st-century opera-tional requirements and reap unpar-alleled cost-efficiency benefits.

Virginia-class capabilities includeanti-submarine and anti-surfacewarfare; covert strike and specialoperations; covert mine and elec-

tronic warfare; and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance. Unlike any other sub-marines in the world, the Virginia-class boats are suited equally to operate both inthe open ocean and close to shore, where stealth is a primary concern.

As PCU Hawaii’s sponsor, Governor Lingle will perform ceremonial functions atevents that mark major submarine construction milestones. She will speak at the sub-marine’s keel-laying, when her initials will be welded onto an attached steel plate toauthenticate the keel – and later participate in the ship’s christening by breaking thetraditional bottle of champagne against the hull, officially naming the ship. She willalso approve the design of the submarine’s official seal and at commissioning, givethe order to “man our ship and bring her to life.”

Photo courtesy of General Dynamics.

Although more than

170 submarines have

been lost worldwide

in non-combat operations in

the past hundred years, it was

the August 2000 Kursk tragedy,

which resulted in the death

of the entire crew, that was

the catalyst for the submarine

community worldwide to

begin training together and

pooling resources to create a truly

international solution to the

problem of submarine rescue.


by LT Kyung “KC” Choi USN

PACIFICREACH

2004

U.S. Foreign Navies Practice Submarine Rescue,Foster Cooperation, and Improve Interoperability


In an effort to promote cooperation andinteroperability in the area of submarine rescue in Asian waters, USS La Jolla (SSN-701), acting as the mother submarine(MOSUB) for the U. S. Navy’s Deep Sub-mergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) Mystic,the Deep Submergence Unit (DSU) fromSubmarine Development Squadron Five(SUBDEVRON 5), and USS Safeguard(ARS-50) participated in Pacific Reach2004 this May. The exercise, held in theEastern Sea near Cheju Island, Korea, prac-tices the ability to mobilize assets world-wide in the unlikely event a submarine

becomes disabled and is not able to returnto the surface on its own.

Pacific Reach 2004 is the third in this aseries of bi-annual exercises. Similar toNATO’s Sorbet Royale, Pacific Reach2004 is specifically designed to bringtogether nations that operate submarines in Asian waters. The 2002 exercise wasconducted in Sasebo, Japan and the 2000exercise in Singapore. VADM Sung ManKim, Commander-in-Chief, Republic ofKorea Navy said, during the opening cere-mony, “I’m confident we’ll be able toenhance the level of submarine rescueoperations by familiarizing rescue proce-dures, sharing information on each navy’srescue assets, rescue operations, tech-niques, and medical treatments.”

Pacific Reach has a number of goals,including enhancing submarine rescuecapability, fostering mutual trust amongparticipating countries, demonstratingcapability and interoperability among par-ticipating submarine and submarine rescuevehicles, and developing submarine rescuetechniques. It also provides rescue vehiclepilots and operators with training opportu-nities in actual conditions, increases famil-iarity with other participating countries’submarine rescue equipment, and developsnew mating and rescue procedures.

According to CAPT Russell Ervin, fromSUBDEVRON 5, “Pacific Reach 04 is ashowcase for both the cooperation andgrowing organic capability that Asian submarining nations are building. Manyrescue techniques are unique to Asia, having evolved from the immense dis-tances and variable operating conditions ofthe Pacific.

“From arctic to tropical waters, from reefand shoal-littered littorals to the deepest

blue water in the world, those navies oper-ating in Asian waters contend with themost challenging operating theater on theplanet. Asian navies are emerging as sub-marine rescue thought leaders and have agreat deal to offer the international com-munity. Several Asian nations are in theprocess of sending submariners to theInternational Submarine Escape andRescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO) locatedin Norfolk, Virginia. In Asia, especiallydue to the distances and limited rescueassets, we depend on one another morethan other areas of the world,” he added.

Worldwide interest in this event hasgrown to five participating and eight obser-ving countries. Gathered at Jinhae, Korea,on the southeast coast of the country andhome base to the Republic of Korea (ROK)Navy, the U.S. participated with the naviesof Japan, Australia, and Singapore.Observing nations included Canada, China,Chile, France, India, Indonesia, Thailand,and the United Kingdom.

The major assets provided by the othercountries included:

> ROKS Hwachun (AOE-59)> ROKS Cheonghaejin (ASR-21)> ROKS Choimoosun (SS-063)> JDS Chiyoda (AS-405)> JDS Sachishio (SS-582)> HMAS Rankin (SS-78)

Planning for this event began in May 2003with a series of meetings to determine thescenarios and address the operational chal-lenges of conducting a multinational exer-cise. These meetings covered issues such assecurity, transportation, and supplies.DSU handled the logistical operations ofgetting Mystic transported, working withthe local government, inspecting roads and

Pacific Reach 2004 has numer-ous goals, including enhancing

submarine rescue capabilityand developing submarine

rescue techniques. Here the Mystic riding USS La Jollaon pylons, prepares to com-

mence its rescue exercise.

Mystic (DSRV-1) is hoisted off thepylons after Pacific Reach 2004. The exercise practices the ability

to mobilize assets worldwide in the event a submarine is

unable to surface on its own.


bridges for handling Mystic’s 80,000pound load, and certifying the participat-ing submarines for the mating procedure.

“Bringing the Mystic to Korea was logis-tically challenging. Even with detailedplanning, we needed to find alternativetransport for the DSRV to Korea,” said LT Joseph Burrows, repair officer of the DSU. When real-world operationsrequired the C-5 to ferry heavy armor toIraq, the DSRV was flown to Korea aboardan Antonov 124, a Russian transportunder contract with Lockheed Martin.The professionalism of the DSU teamovercame each hurdle and gained thisinvaluable real-world training.

Preparation and coordination were keyto the success of the exercise. “It was the thorough planning and commonunderstanding gained in the planning con-ferences and pre-exercise, in-port serialsthat created a flexible and dynamic under-standing of the operations objectives,” saidErvin. “We were able to overcome theeffects of even poor weather and uncooper-ative radio communication seamlessly toachieve our goals,” he added.

While the DSRVs were rescuing simu-lated “disabled” submarines at the bottomof the ocean, the observing nations weregiven the opportunity to cross-deck toother ships to monitor operations directly,gaining a better understanding of the capa-bilities and techniques of the participatingcountries. Not only did observers get achance to see the DSRV conduct a rescue,but they also reviewed the other countries’decompression chamber, medical, andoperations support procedures. Observersalso gave briefings on their respectivenavy’s capabilities and procedures to theparticipating countries and the observers.


“From arctic to tropical waters, from reef and shoal-littered littorals to the deepest blue water in the world, those navies operating in Asian waters contend with the most challenging operating theater on the planet.”

(left) Korea’s DeepSubmergence RescueVehicle – LR5K – is seenon her cradle onboardROKS Cheonghaejin (ASR-21). Bringing the Mysticto Jinhae, Korea for theexercise was logisticallychallenging. Alternatetransportation was neededto transport the U.S. DSRV to Korea. With the aid of foreign rescue assets,such as Cheonghaejin, theoperation was a success.

(below) Preparation andcoordination were key to the success of the exercise.Korea’s LR5K commencing its dive after being lowered into the water.Participating nations were able to observe theDSRV conduct a rescue and cross-deck to other ships to gain a betterunderstanding of the capa-bilities and techniques ofthe participating countries.


Once a rescue is performed, the focusshifts to supporting the medical aspect ofrescue, making the medical symposium atthe heart of the exercise a crucial elementof its success. The symposium gave med-ical officers the opportunity to discussissues related to diving operations and pro-cedures, facilitating an open dialog andtransfer of information on best practicesand reviewing the effects diving operationshave on the human body.

“Everyone attending the event camewith unique issues with diving operationsand decompression. The symposium gave us a forum where we could discussstrength and weaknesses of different systems and provide possible solutions or bring a different perspective,” said CDRScott Reichard, the senior medical officerat SUBDEVRON 5.

The commander of SUBDEVRON 5,CAPT Mark Myers, sees a very brightfuture in the area of submarine rescue.“The U.S. Navy’s Submarine RescueProgram has a long and distinguishedrecord of uncompromising commitmentand professionalism. From the famous res-cue of the USS Squalus (SS-192) in 1938to the present, the submarine communityhas taken both submarine rescue andescape seriously. SUBDEVRON 5 standsready twenty-four/seven to deploy its DeepSubmergence Unit in hours to save lives ofsubmariners around the world,” saidMyers.

“We are leading the way towards interna-tional cooperation by hosting the ISMER-LO, leveraging the world’s assets to save liveswhen minutes count. We are preparing afundamental mission shift to an optimizedblend of the Active/Reserve componentand contractor teams to minimize the system’s lifecycle operations costs. I amvery proud of these young men and women– including the doctors and nurses whostand ready to go into dangerous waters torescue their fellow sailors,” he said.

According to Ervin, the exercise was a resounding success. “Not only were alloperational objectives met, but both partic-ipating and observing nations grew closer inestablishing a common forum for conduct-ing submarine rescue on a global basis.”

LT Choi is assigned to COMSUBPAC Public Affairs.

The Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle Mystic (DSRV-1) is carefully loaded onto a Russian-builtAntonov (An-124) Condor by Sailors assigned to the Deep Submergence Unit (DSU) and theaircraft’s crew. The An-124 is owned and operated by the Volga-Dnepr Group based in Russia.Seen here, Mystic and 13 members of her crew are being flown to the Republic of Korea toparticipate in Exercise Pacific Reach. The exercise improves submarine rescue capabilities andalso fosters familiarization with submarine rescue techniques among different nations.

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles Conceived in the Wake of the USS Thresher Disaster

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles perform rescue operations on submerged, disabled submarines of the U.S. Navy or foreign navies.

DSRVs are designed for quick deployment in the event of a submarine accidentand are transportable by truck, aircraft, ship, or by a specially configured attacksubmarine. At the accident site, the DSRV works with either a “mother” ship or“mother” submarine. The DSRV dives, conducts a sonar search, and attaches to thedisabled submarine’s hatch, and can embark up to 24 personnel for transfer to the“mother” vessel.

The DSRV also has an arm to clear hatches on a disabled submarine and a com-bined cable cutter and gripper which is able to lift 1,000 pounds.

DSRVs were developed as a result of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) accident in1963, when all hands were lost. At the time, there was a far greater disparitybetween submarine operating depths and the capabilities of rescue vessels. The Deep Submergence Systems Project contracted with Lockheed Missiles andSpace, Co. to produce a deep diving rescue submarine, the first of which waslaunched in 1970.

Builder: Lockheed Missiles and Space, Co., Sunnyvale, California

Power Plant: Electric motors, silver/zinc batteries, one shaft, 15 shaft horsepower, four thrusters, 7.5 horsepower

Length: 49 feet (15 meters)

Beam: 8 feet (2.4 meters)

Displacement: 38 tons (38.61 metric tons)

Speed: 4 kts

Maximum depth: 5,000 feet (1524 meters)

Sonar: Search and navigation

Crew: Two pilots, two rescue personnel and the capacity for 24 passengers


by Thomas H

olian

TThe U.S. Navy is passing through atime of fundamental change. Olderships and weapon systems that were

developed primarily to counter blue-waterCold War threats, with two superpowersbutting heads for naval dominion, are now giving way to more modern, versatiledesigns. Moreover, the demise of the SovietUnion, combined with the rise in globalterrorism, has prompted the Navy to shiftits focus to the littorals and adopt the SeaPower 21 concept as a fundamental doc-trine. An excellent example of the effects of this change on force structure can befound in the SSGN conversion program.

Embodying the Sea Power 21 VisionSSGN Conversions:

The Ohio-class submarine USS Michigan (SSBN-727) enters the intermediate main-tenance facility at the PugetSound Naval Shipyard for anengineered refueling overhauland conversion into a guidedmissile submarine (SSGN).


Although generally, older ships are beingphased out and replaced by new counter-parts as they reach the end of their servicelives, an interesting exception within onewarship class is already in progress on a much more compressed schedule. The1994 Nuclear Posture Review concludedthat the Navy will need only 14 of its 18USS Ohio (SSBN-726)-class ballistic missilesubmarines to adequately provide theseaborne strategic deterrent that is thenation’s most secure nuclear option. Ratherthan simply scrapping the four oldest boats – Ohio, USS Michigan (SSBN-727), USS Florida (SSBN-728), and USSGeorgia (SSBN-729) – still highly-capablesubmarines with 80-plus years of total oper-ational life remaining, the Navy decided toconvert these ships into stealthy guided-missile strike and Special Operations Forces(SOF) platforms. Currently, Ohio is sched-uled to complete conversion in November2005, three years to the month after shebegan a preliminary overhaul and two yearsafter beginning actual conversion. Floridabegan her preliminary overhaul in August2003 and is scheduled to complete in Aprilof 2006. Michigan recently entered drydockin March 2004 for her overhaul, and willcomplete her conversion in October 2006.Finally, Georgia will begin her overhaul inMarch 2005 and will complete the conver-sion process in September 2007, about thesame time Ohio reaches Initial OperationalCapability (IOC).

The SSGN conversions are designed toprovide Navy leaders a strike platformcapable of fulfilling multiple roles easilyand effectively, while at the same timeminimizing cost by leveraging existing

hulls and their original builder’s inherentknowledge of the platform. Since theElectric Boat Division of GeneralDynamics built all the Ohio-class SSBNs,the company can use its prior experienceand detailed familiarity with the sub-marines to take the lead in redesigning andconverting them quickly and efficiently tothe new configuration.

Sea Power 21’s principal elements areSea Strike, Sea Shield, Sea Basing, SeaWarrior, Sea Trial, and Sea Enterprise.These are all tied together throughFORCEnet, which subsumes the networksand communication systems that aredesigned to give naval leaders an all-encompassing, real-time picture of the bat-tlespace. Sea Strike embodies offensivecapabilities within Sea Power 21. It pro-vides the means to conduct sustained, pre-cision attacks on targets both at sea andinland. The SSGN will excel in this arena,with the ability to launch up to 154Tomahawk cruise missiles from 22 of her24 former TRIDENT missile tubes. Thatis 32 more vertically-launched missiles than are carried on the latest Ticonderoga-class cruisers and 58 more than on Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.The SSGN’s other two tubes have beenredesigned to accommodate dual five-manlock-in/lock-out chambers so Navy SEALscan exit the submarine while submergedand perform their own strike missions. Ata time when the United States military ishunting terrorists in remote locations allover the globe, being able to covertlylaunch a large number of precision-strikemissiles or deploy dozens of the world’sbest sea-borne warriors provides the Navy

with extraordinary stealth and powerfulnew capabilities.

The defensive focus of Sea Power 21 iscalled Sea Shield. Its purpose is to defendAmerican territory, warfighters, friends,and allies, anywhere in the world’s oceansand littorals. Thanks to their stealth andcurrent plans to exchange crews at forwardbases, the SSGNs will be able to deploy in-theater longer than almost any otherNavy asset. Combined with their state-of-the-art Intelligence, Surveillance, andReconnaissance (ISR) capabilities fordetecting and reacting to enemy threats,the SSGNs will quickly become one of theNavy’s crucial Sea Shield elements.Furthermore, the ships’ modular missiletubes will be able to host a variety of other systems, including remote mine-hunting unmanned underwater vehicles

The SSGN embodies the offensive capabilitiesof SeaStrike, with the ability to launch upto 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles from 22 ofher 24 former TRIDENT missile tubes. Thatis 32 more vertically-launched missiles thanare carried on the latest Ticonderoga-classcruisers and 58 more than on Flight IIAArleigh Burke-class destroyers.

(UUVs) and possibly even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), thus greatly increas-ing their defensive capabilities.

The SSGNs’ incredible size and missionflexibility will make them perfect platformsfor Sea Basing. Sea Basing emphasizesextending the Navy’s reach and sustainability by using self-sufficient,mobile at-sea bases in forward areas. EachSSGN will provide just such a sea base forup to 66 Navy SEALs. In addition to thedual lock-in/lock-out chambers mentionedabove, each boat will also have the ability tohost two Dry Deck Shelters (DDS), twoAdvanced SEAL Delivery Systems (ASDS),or one of each. With all these options fordeploying Special Operations Forces(SOF), SSGN becomes essentially a mobileSOF operating base right under the adver-sary’s nose.

USS Ohio (SSBN-726)undergoes conversionfrom a ballistic-missilesubmarine (SSBN) to aguided-missile submarine(SSGN). By FY 2007, all four SSGNs, Ohio,Michigan, Georgia, andFlorida, are scheduled to have completed conversion. Ohio isscheduled to attain initial operationalcapability by 2007.

In October 2004, the Navy will conduct a follow-on Sea Trial experiment called “Silent Hammer” off San Diego. Building on the success of “Giant Shadow,”“Silent Hammer” will test several new technologies, including the Flexible PayloadModule and the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System (SACS), installed aboard“Silent Hammer’s” SSGN stand-in, Georgia. These features will give the submarinea more flexible interface with the sea for facilitating the off-load of weapons andunmanned vehicles.

The exercise will also test an SSGN’s effectiveness in a more “Joint” scenario, with networked forces at sea, in the air, and on land. This will be directed from Georgia’s newly-installed Battle Management Center, which willallow an embarked Joint Commander to make real-time, theater-wide commanddecisions from underwater. As in “Giant Shadow,” “Silent Hammer” will test anSSGN’s ability to transport and deploy SEALs and unmanned vehicles to a targetzone. Georgia will again launch simulated Tomahawk missiles at land targets, butthis time with the added complexity of coordinating the attack with a MarineExpeditionary Strike Group, which will also provide targeting information.

Georgia Prepares for Silent Hammer



Sea Warrior is the Navy’s new programto shape the men and women of tomor-row’s Fleet through progressive trainingand staffing initiatives. It also addressesquality-of-life issues. For example, to sup-port SEALs for lengthy deployments, thefour SSGNs entering conversion are beingequipped with additional exercise and car-diovascular equipment, and even a virtuallaser weapons range, so the SEALs can stayfit and maintain their skills within the con-fines of the submarine. The SSGNs willreceive the Common Submarine RadioRoom, which will also be backfit into mostother current and future submarines in thefleet. This will ensure that future radiomenonly need to learn the complexities of onesubmarine radio room, and can move withease among the different submarine classesas needed. Additionally, more living spacewill be provided onboard by rebuilding theexisting Navigation Center into a BattleManagement Center, which will housecommand/control and mission-planningfunctions.

In addition to being an unmatchedstrike and SOF platform, SSGN will also be a great Sea Trial host. Sea Trialencompasses all of the Navy’s at-seademonstration efforts, including partner-ships with government and civilianresearch centers and academic institutionsto develop the weapons of the future.Thanks to their unmatched payload capac-ity, versatility, and multiple large oceaninterfaces, SSGNs will be the platformfrom which virtually all new submarinetechnologies will be tested in the nearfuture. In fact, before her conversion,

Florida still an SSBN but “acting” as anSSGN —was the star of the first true SeaTrial experiment, called “Giant Shadow.”[Ed. Note: See “Charting the Course of theFuture Navy” in the Spring 2003 issue ofUNDERSEA WARFARE.]

The final piece of Sea Power 21 is SeaEnterprise. This is the business end of naval operations – building, equipping,and maintaining the fleet as efficiently aspossible so Sailors are freed up to keep usat the forefront of the world’s navies. TheSSGN Program Office has been a leader inthis effort to improve business practices. Inthree years, these submarines went fromconcept to the start of conversion, and byfiscal year 2007, all four SSGNs will havebeen delivered to the Navy, just as the leadship, Ohio, gains IOC. To save time andmoney, Norfolk Naval Shipyard and PugetSound Naval Shipyard, both supportingElectric Boat, will perform conversionwork on two submarines each. The conver-sions are staggered at six-month intervalsand begin only halfway through each sub-marine’s normal overhaul, giving the Navythese powerful new capabilities in almostunprecedented turn-around time.

As a complement to Sea Power 21, theCNO has recently announced the Navy’snew Fleet Response Plan, which calls formore flexible force deployments based onthe premise of “Presence with a Purpose.”Rather than rigid deployment dates andtour lengths, the Navy is moving towardsdeploying its forces where they are most needed and best suited. In this

context, the SSGNs willhave two crews as theydid in their previouslives as SSBNs, but

instead of returning to their homeportsafter every patrol, they will routinelyexchange Blue and Gold crews at forwardbases. This practice will significantly lowertransit times while greatly increasing thetime spent on station. In fact, the current-ly-planned deployment cycle allows twoSSGNs to be in theater at all times, withthree SSGNs in theater up to 60 percent ofthe time.

At-sea tests in January 2003 provided aglimpse of the SSGN’s future capabilities.During that month, Florida performed a Demonstration Validation (DemVal)test, in which she fired two Tomahawkmissiles from Multiple All-Up-RoundCanisters (MACs) in former ballistic-missile tubes to establish the feasibility of launching cruise missiles in that way.The successful test proved that the SSGNswill be able to launch Tomahawk missileswithout damaging the missiles remainingin each seven-missile MAC or the shipitself. After the DemVal, Florida movedinto the “Giant Shadow” Sea Trial, whichshowed how the SSGNs could deploySEALs and UUVs in a realistic missionscenario. After a UUV was launched vertically from a ballistic missile tube tocheck the area for mines – another first – the SEALs were inserted clandestinely on the beach by Florida to investigate asimulated chemical/biological weaponsfacility. The SEALs successfully contactedthe submarine to arrange for resupply on the beach by a UUV, and then called in

a simulated Tomahawk strike onthe facility. After completing themission, the SEALs were quietlyextracted from the area by thesubmarine.

What truly sets SSGN apartfrom any other submarine in the world is its size and

internal volume. Up toseven Tomahawk

missiles

The Multiple All-Up-Round Canister (MAC)packs up to seven Tomahawk missiles intoa former TRIDENT vertical launch tube.

can fit into each former TRIDENT missiletube, or alternatively, these large-volumetubes can potentially hold UUVs, UAVs,unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), extraequipment for SEAL teams, or other pay-loads. Each of the 22 available tubes isabout the size of a tractor-trailer, so newwarfighting uses for this space are limitedonly by the imagination.

SSGN will meet the needs of both today’sand tomorrow’s Navy. Taking advantage ofimproved business practices and leveragingextant platforms and expertise, this programto convert four former “boomers” to flexi-

ble, stealthy-attack and ISR platforms hasprogressed at an unprecedented rate and atan affordable cost. When these assets aredelivered to the fleet in the very near future,the Navy will have taken another major steptoward dominion on, in, and around thehigh seas. With their stealth, the SSGNs canloiter on station in a non-provocative man-ner for months at a time, lying in wait andready to strike at a moment’s notice at avariety of potential targets. Or, they candeliver a team of Navy SEALs and theirequipment to a drop-off point, dispatchthem in their own mini-submersible ASDS,

resupply them using UUVs, answer a callfor cruise missile strikes if necessary, andthen extract the landing party, all withoutthe enemy knowing they were there. TheSSGNs represent an unsurpassed return oninvestment by the Navy and for the taxpay-er, and they will soon be plying the world’soceans, quietly ready to perform their dutyat a moment’s notice.

Mr. Holian is an analyst with Anteon Corporationin Washington, D.C. and a Contributing Editor toUndersea Warfare.

USS Florida Continues SSGN Transformation with New COby Chief Journalist (SW/AW) Mark O. Piggott, COMSUBLANT Public Affairs

A patrolling security boat cruises past USS Florida (SSBN-728) docked at the Delta Pier on the Hood Canalat the Naval Submarine Base Bangor in Washington. Florida entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard in July 2003 toundergo refueling and conversion from an SSBN to an SSGN.

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kellCDR Gregory M. Ott relieved CDR

David M. Duryea as Commanding Officer,USS Florida (SSGN-728), on April 16 atNorfolk Naval Shipyard. This was anothermilestone in Florida’s conversion from aballistic missile submarine (SSBN) to a guided-missile submarine (SSGN).

“Historic Norfolk Naval Shipyard is the nation’s first public shipyard, and no stranger to naval transformation,”said VADM Kirkland H. Donald,Commander, Naval Submarine Forces. “It has been no easy task for CDRDuryea to take Florida from her role asan SSBN, combining crews, accomplish-ing the first launch of a Tomahawkcruise missile from an Ohio-class submarine missile tube, completing theCNO’s first Sea Trial experiment, “GiantShadow,” and bringing his submarineinto the shipyard for a re-fueling over-haul and conversion,” Donald continued.

“But through his keen tactical expertise, astute leadership, unwaver-ing standards, and personal concern for the crew, Dave was worthy of thetask, and this magnificent crew rose to the challenge.”

Florida entered Norfolk Naval Shipyardin July 2003 to undergo refueling andconversion from an SSBN to an SSGN.Transformational submarines, both physically and conceptually, SSGNs willoperate in otherwise inaccessible areasto provide unique capabilities. Theseinclude carrying up to 154 cruise mis-siles, which can be launched in rapidsuccession, and hosting 66 SpecialOperations Forces (SOF) personnel, a

swimmer lock-out shelter, and an AdvancedSEAL Delivery System (ASDS). These featureswill provide a massive amount of firepower ina survivable and virtually undetectable plat-form, which can remain on station indefinitely.

“Greg, I envy you for your opportunity totake her to sea as an SSGN,” CDR Duryea said.“You are the perfect guy for this assignment,and I wish you all the best.”

A native of Wakefield, New Jersey, CDR Ottjoined the Navy in 1985 after graduating fromLehigh University with a Bachelor of ScienceDegree in Mechanical Engineering. He hasserved on USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657)and USS Providence (SSN-719) and then

commanded USS Charlotte (SSN-766), whereearlier he had been the submarine’s executiveofficer.

Ott knows that the road ahead for Floridaand her crew is filled with new challenges forthe future. “The engineers and submarinedesigners are breathing new life into Floridaand giving us a brand new kind of ship – theSSGN,” he noted. “It’s up to us to plot thecourse for how we will use this new capabili-ty,” he continued, “and it’s up to us to devel-op and implement the routine for taking herto sea.”

The ship is scheduled to complete her con-version and rejoin the fleet in 2006.


Honolulu DeploymentMarks FirstFirst-Flight 688to Surface at theNorth Poleby CDR Chuck Harris, USN

“Captain, the ship is ready to vertically surface.”

The OOD made the report from thedarkened Control Room while watch-

ing the ship’s Control Party maintain the7,000-ton submarine completely motion-less at 170 feet. It was dark. The ControlRoom was rigged for low-level light andthe OOD’s final sweep on the scope toconfirm no ice overhead was in the imageintensification mode because of the lack oflight. It was early October and the sun wasalready three degrees below the horizon.This gave incredible permanent sunsetviews but produced little illumination 110feet down at the level of the periscope headwindow. Ice keels dropping down to 40feet were not visible in the normal image

While USS Honolulu (SSN-718) is the 24thLos Angeles-class submarine to surface atthe North Pole, she is the first of the first-flight 688 to perform operations Arctic.

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Kev

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Traveling the ArCtic Region,U.S. Submarines Find Adventure,

New Challenges,and New Friends

HeadingNorth!



settings of the scope when they were asclose as 90 feet.

A quick check of the side-scan sonar system to confirm the ship’s position, andall was ready. After months of work-up and practice, USS Honolulu (SSN-718)was finally set to carry out an evolution dis-cussed, planned, and practiced by the crewnumerous times. We would be the firstfirst-flight 688 to surface at the NorthPole. Getting to that point and then actu-ally surfacing hadn’t happened quite theway anyone expected it to. As most sub-marines that preceded Honolulu hadfound, not much of anything in the Arctichappens quite the way it’s expected to.

After the long challenging journey to thePole, the crew had struggled for the last 30hours simply trying to find a place to sur-face. We had practiced and discussed thepossibility of hovering under and surfacingvertically in a small open-water area. We allhad expected that finding a suitable placewould be relatively easy. We were mistaken.After a full day of searching, our hopes ofsurfacing at the North Pole began to fade.It didn’t help that the ship had not seen an open area in the ice for almost a week – the last being just 12hours after passing under the ice edge at750N. I began bracing the crew for theeventuality of not being able to surface.Everyone was disappointed. The schedulegave us less than 24 hours more to find apolynya near the Pole, and in hopes offinding something, we moved to a new areaabout four miles away.

12 hours later, the OOD, LT DavidEdgerton, informed me he had found aspot – small but with clear open water anda bit of slush ice. Initially we had littlehope, because the ice was moving, andmost of us were convinced the tiny areawould close up long before we had theopportunity to map the region and preparethe ship. Soon after we began mapping thearea, the movement became apparent, withthe polynya plotter reporting almost a halfa knot of current. Persistence paid offthough, and six hours later, LT Edgertonhad the ship hovering at 170 feet andstopped dead in the water. At this point,the next challenge revealed itself.

As the OOD surveyed the polynyathrough the scope, it became apparent thatthe ship was moving sideways with respectto the opening at an appreciable rate. Sincethe polynya was now less than 100 yards

Hampton Crew Tours the North Pole with HMS Tireless in Joint ArCtic Exerciseby JOC Kevin Elliot, USNR

With a burst of air into the forward ballast tanks, USS Hampton (SSN-767) surfacedthrough a thin sheet of ice at the North Pole on 19 April 2004. The Sailors

onboard that day had the chance to experience something few others have …surfacingat the top of the world.

“Of all the memorable things I’ve done in a submarine, this was one of the mostamazing,” said CDR Robert Burke, Commanding Officer of Hampton. “I was struck bythe dead silence, the absolute crispness of the air, and the absolute foreign feeling of theenvironment. I could have been on the surface of the moon.”

Hampton had sailed more than 5,000 miles from its homeport of Norfolk, Virginiaduring ICEX 04, an exercise to demonstrate a submarine’s ability to operate under theice of the Arctic Ocean for an extended period of time.

ICEX is a joint United States and United Kingdom operation. The Royal Navy’sHMS Tireless surfaced first and advised Hampton of an open spot in the ice nearby.

After three weeks underway, Hampton’s crew was ready for a break. They tossed afootball, hit a few golf balls, and generally played in the snow. They also capitalized onthis rare opportunity to take each other’s picture in the desolate environment, and tovisit HMS Tireless.

“I made some new friends up at the North Pole,” said Electronics Technician 1st ClassAdam Burchette. “They gave us a tour of the ship, then we sat in the mess and dranktea. They told us about their country and we told them about ours.”

The blue ice fascinated LTJG Lawrence W. Thompson of Kansas City. “Being fromthe Midwest I’m not a stranger to snow, but you don’t realize how barren it is here untilyou walk around,” he said. “It’s just miles and miles of ice. A lot of the ice formationshave a blue look to them because they have been compacted for years and there is noair left. It’s so compacted it only reflects the blue light.”

Hampton and her crew spent 16 hours at the North Pole and then submerged to con-tinue the ICEX exercise. ICEX 04 has been in the planning stages for two years toensure the Submarine Force can operate proficiently in every possible environment.Hampton’s crew made the most of their chance to participate in ICEX and their timeon the ice at the North Pole.

USS Hampton sits at the North Pole. Inrecent years, both the United States’ andthe Royal Navy have focused interest inmaintaining and improving their opera-tional skills and capabilities in the Artic,supporting their common goal for greaterflexibility. Tireless surfaced with USSHampton (SSN-767) for ICEX 04. After threeweeks underway, Hampton crewmemberswere happy to meet new people. The twocrews enjoyed swapping sea stories andeven shared a cup of tea together.

Photo by JOC Kevin Elliott


wide, and the surfacing would take aboutfive minutes from 170 feet to the surface, the current definitely posed a problem.The ship would have to make another try.Putting the ship on the right edge of thepolynya and stopping quickly set the shipup for the event.

“Officer of the Deck, vertically surfacethe ship”

With the precision that marks the per-formance of all submarine watch sections,the OOD gave the order, and the ship’sControl Party smoothly transitioned frommotionless hovering to controlled ascent.Forced out by high-pressure air, seawaterwent overboard from the ship’s depth con-trol system. 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 poundswere counted off by the Chief of theWatch. The Diving Officer of the Watch,ETCS (SS) Neil Davenport – the ship’sAssistant Navigator, monitored the ascentrate and quietly gave orders to blow evenmore ballast. A screen in front of theHelmsman showed the ship coming upthrough a strong salinity gradient. Thewater closer to the ice was less saline, whichmade the ship heavier. The Chief of theBoat, CMDCM (SS) Mike Keck remarked

that coming up in the Arctic was certainlydifferent than the practice sessions in theHawaiian operating areas. There, the ship blew only 2,500 pounds from theDepth Control tanks to get a 35 foot perminute ascent rate. By 120 feet, SeniorChief Davenport had already blown25,000 pounds and the ship was still slow-ing noticeably with every change of 10 feet.

As the ship passed 100 feet, LT Edgertontook one last sweep and lowered the scope.At this point, everyone focused their attention on the monitors showing theview from the overhead camera. The 25men in the Control Room watched thesurface move closer and closer until finallythe sail passed through the slush ice andinto history, making Honolulu the firstfirst-flight 688 not only to reach the Pole,but also to surface there.

The trip to the North Pole was not themain point of the ICEX, just an enjoyableside trip on a voyage that took Honoaround the rim of the Arctic Ocean. For a crew that had seen more than most submarines in the past year, everyone reveled in their good fortune to have beenchosen to participate in this lifetime event.

Hono was halfway through an eight-monthArabian Gulf/Seventh Fleet deploymentwhen the word came of the ICEX. “How’dyou like to go to the North Pole inOctober” read the e-mail from Hono’sCommodore, CAPT Bill French. The crewwas thrilled. Only four-and-a-half monthsafter returning to Pearl Harbor, Hono wasnorthbound for 28-degree water only 10months after being in the 97-degree watersof the Arabian Gulf.

The task? Honolulu was charged withfurther evaluating the operation of ourunder-ice, forward-looking sonar system inorder to improve SSN arctic performance.Hono was also tasked to evaluate operatingand casualty procedures for deep-Arcticoperations of first-flight 688 submarines.Because the ship carried the latest commu-nications gear in her radio room, and littlewas known about using some of this equip-ment at very high latitudes, the Honoradiomen established their own objective oftesting the limits of these new capabilities.

Like any extended operation, the triphad its challenges. Shortly after enteringthe shallow water of the Bering Sea, anexternal power supply for the forward-looking sonar system failed, threateningthe mission and forcing the ship to scram-ble to find a nearby location suitable fortransferring a new power supply to the ship.A quick check of the Sailing Directionssuggested that Dutch Harbor in theAleutians was the ideal place. COMSUB-PAC turned to, assigned additional watersouth, and arranged for delivery of areplacement there. A two-day run southand Hono was off Dutch Harbor with theharbor-master alongside transferring thepart. After only three hours, Hono had thesubsystem replaced, and the mission wasback on track.

Getting into the Arctic Basin from thePacific side is not easy. Several thousandyears ago, a land bridge connected what isnow Alaska and the far eastern tip ofRussia. The two landmasses have only sep-arated recently – in geologic terms – andthe water between them is not deep. TheBering Sea to the south and the ChukchiSea to the north of the Bering Strait arealso shallow. Coming from the Pacificrequires a run of over 1,000 miles insidethe 50-fathom curve and over 700 milesinside 30 fathoms. Hono was only 25 feetoff the bottom for several days, sometimescoming as shallow as 110 feet. Fortunately,

(left) Honolulu moored to theice for almost 25 hours about280 miles from the North Polefollowing the surfacing event there.

(below) HMS Tireless sits at the North Pole. Tireless sur-faced with USS Hampton (SSN-767) for ICEX 04. Afterthree weeks underway, the two crews enjoyed swappingsea stories and even sharing a cup of tea together.


contacts were non-existent once north ofSt. Lawrence Island a U.S. possession justsouthwest of the Bering Strait. Despite thelack of contacts, the area has proven haz-ardous for submerged submarine opera-tions. During her famous run to the NorthPole in 1958, USS Nautilus (SSN-571)found ice jammed so thick in the areabetween St. Lawrence and the Russianmainland that her skipper, CDR Anderson,abandoned that route and instead made anend-around the east side of the island.Hono saw no ice near St Lawrence butfound riding so close to the bottom chal-lenge enough.

In all, Honolulu spent 16 days under the Arctic ice pack and surfaced four times,with the second and fourth being thelongest 25 and 8 hours, respectively.Surfacing opportunities came suddenly andwith little warning. Because the ship hadbeen under the ice for over a week, and thefirst surfacing had to be cut short, the crewwas focused on finding more suitable sur-

facing areas. These were tough to discern.The ice canopy was persistent, and areasthat had clearly been open water only a fewdays before were iced over by the timeHono slid quietly underneath. Enteringunder the ice pack was abrupt. The transi-tion from open water to pack ice—the marginal ice zone or MIZ—lasted only 12miles. Three days after leaving the NorthPole, the side-scan system showed Honopassing under a large polynya several hun-dred yards in every direction. The OODmapped out the area quickly, and soon wewere again ascending to the surface.

The view from the bridge was breathtak-ing. Around one-third of the horizon, the perpetual sunset glowed every hue oforange, red, and yellow imaginable. Onthe opposite side, the horizon was a deepblue underneath a swath of purple with a full moon hanging in the middle. Themoon reflected off the still water and ice ofthe polynya, and although the wind chilledeverything down immediately, it made nosound, since there was nothing to impedeits passage. No one on the crew could haveimagined the view we took in that after-noon. The desolation was so complete thatit defies all description. After severalattempts to establish communicationswith an Iridium phone, I finally contactedmy neighbor CDR Duane Ashton, CO ofUSS Columbia (SSN-771), since I wasbursting to describe this unbelievable sceneto someone. Although Duane expressedappreciation for the call, he admitted laterthat it was somewhat tempered by the factthat it was 0230 in Pearl Harbor – some-

thing I hadn’t remembered when ringinghim up. Meanwhile my OOD and WeaponsOfficer, LT Paul Acquavella shifted propul-sion to the outboard and began drivingthrough the slush around the perimeter ofthe polynya looking for a suitable locationto moor the ship.

With glass-calm water, it was safe to putcrewmembers on the main deck while theship motored along on the outboard, andmany took the opportunity. There was noguarantee the ship would be able to find asuitable location to moor, but everyonewas determined and focused on trying.

The ship cut a swath through the thin ice,prompting one crewmember to remarkthat Honolulu was now the world’s mostexpensive icebreaker. After about an houron the surface, the OOD spotted whatappeared to be a suitable point of ice tomoor the ship against. The area next to theridge was covered by a thin layer of iceabout three inches thick, which made theapproach tricky – mainly because it washard to see any protruding ice keels thatmight slice into the rubber boot coveringthe sonar dome and possibly on through tothe fiberglass dome itself. As the shipapproached the mooring point, ice rolledup and over the bow, building up to morethan two feet near the forward vents. Theice seemed protective of the ridge and gen-tly steered the bow away from the mooringpoint as the ship approached. We discov-ered that by approaching our intended“berth” within about 25 feet and then back-ing away, the thin ice was sucked into thevortex of the retreating bow. Repeating thismaneuver several times, each time ap-proaching closer to the edge of the ice ridge,the ship was able to get within four feet ofthe edge and then swing the stern over sothat the hull rested against the heavy ice.Within a half hour, a brow was across andlines made fast to anchors set in the ice.

The ship set a polar bear watch and out-lined an area about 150 yards from theship that marked the limits for the crew.The ship was about 270 miles from thePole and over 500 miles from the nearestland (Greenland) so polar bears were notconsidered to be a big threat – not in thisremote area. 20 hours later, we realizedhow wrong we were, when the sail watchspotted a full-grown female with two ado-lescent cubs about 1,000 yards directlydownwind heading for Hono. The threespent an hour exploring the ship rathertentatively and then moved on – probablyafter realizing there was nothing ediblearound. The range of these magnificentanimals must be incredible, and even arecent Canadian Geographic article incor-rectly showed the area where we spottedthese bears to be empty of them.

After days under the ice following thesecond surfacing, Honolulu finally found aplace to come up to conduct the commu-nications testing the Radio Division hadbeen pressing for. Our radio team foundthat submarines transiting across the arctic

Three polar bears investigate an unusual visitor to their habitat. Sighted by a lookout from the sail ofthe submarine, the bears investigated Honolulu for two hours before leaving.

continued on page 40

The Naval Intermediate Maintenance Facility(IMF), Bangor completed its 500th TRIDENTrefit on 4 June 2004, for the USS Pennsylvania(SSBN-735) at Naval Submarine Base, Bangor.

This important milestone consisted of morethan 36,000 production man-hours and 600 jobs performed on the submarine to accomplishplanned incremental overhaul and repairs. Thefour-week long TRIDENT submarine refits have been accomplished at Bangor ever since thearrival of the USS Ohio (SSBN-726) in July 1982. IMF (formerly the TRIDENT Refit Facility) wasbuilt specifically for the purpose of maintainingthe fleet at Bangor and was the model used forTRIDENT Refit Facility, Kings Bay, Georgia.

IMF has expertise in hull, mechanical, electrical,electronics, and weapons systems repair and con-tinually responds to meet the fleet’s maintenanceand repair needs with on-time, cost-effective andquality service.

“It’s an honor to be here at IMF as we celebrate the 500th TRIDENT refit at Bangor.” said CAPT Thomas H. Barge II, commanding officer of IMF. “Even as we mark this special event, we should remember that we got here by more than twenty years of quietexcellence – IMF civilian employees and Fleet Sailors working day-in and day-out to keep the TRIDENT Fleet ready for operations at sea.”

IMF employs more than 1,600 military and civilian workers on three sites. They are basedat Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, with a detachment in Everett, Washington and NavalStation Bremerton. IMF has recently consolidated with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and ispart of the roll-up of all Northwest naval maintenance activities into the RegionalMaintenance Center commanded by CAPT Clarke Orzalli.

Katie Eberling is the Command Information Officer for Naval Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pacific Northwest.

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(left) A partnership of operational andfleet maintenance leaders celebratedNaval Intermediate MaintenanceFacility's (or IMF's) completion of their 500th TRIDENT refit on the USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) (G) at Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor.

(below) After reported noise whileunderway, the fairwater planes of USSKentucky (SSBN-737) were removed byIMF, Bangor, for inspection, repair,and refurbishment. The delicate refitwas accomplished while the ship wasafloat, requiring adroit cooperationbetween riggers, crane operators, andthe entire waterfront crew.

(bottom) A welder conducts a magnetic particle inspection at PSNS & IMF, Bremerton, following a weld layer application.Photo by Brian Nokell, NSB Bangor Visual Information

Photo by Wendy Hallmark, PSNS

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nyone happening to glance towards the Americanfleet-type submarine USS Gudgeon (SS-211) dur-

ing the night of Sunday, 27 December 1942, as she laymoored to the dock at Fremantle, Australia, might

have observed an unusual sight. Seven mess boysboarded the submarine, saluted the colors, and

then immediately proceeded down the hatch. Nosooner were they below decks than Gudgeon,

captained by LCDR William Stovall, Jr., slidaway from the dock and quietly maneuvered

out to sea.The “mess boys” were in fact disguised

Filipino soldiers and intelligence officers,led by Major Jesus Villamor, U.S.Army. Two days earlier, Gudgeon’screw had loaded her with a ton ofequipment specially ordered for themission their passengers were aboutto embark upon. Gudgeon’s top-secret task: to deliver the soldiersand their gear to Mindanao andPanay, two key Philippineislands, to help bolster thePhilippine guerilla forcesresisting the Japanese occupa-tion, without being detected.

by Thomas H

olian

World War II Submarine Special Operations in the Philippines

A

Saviors and SuppliersSaviors and Suppliers


One year before Gudgeon slipped out ofFremantle, General Douglas MacArthur,responsible for the defense of the PhilippineIslands, was forced to declare the capital,Manila, an open city in the face of Japaneseinvasion forces. At his new headquarters onthe fortified island of Corregidor in ManilaBay, MacArthur searched for effective waysto fight back against the wave of Japaneseinvaders threatening to take over the islandnation. The general quickly realized that,should the invaders secure the whole coun-try, the best hope for retaking the islandswould be to enlist the support of nativeforces to harass the enemy while the U.S.military prepared for its counter-offensive.Soon enough, messengers were sent out toencourage loyal Filipinos to set up guerrillaunits to gather intelligence and keep theJapanese forces distracted. Unfortunatelyfor MacArthur, it soon became clear thatthese guerrilla forces were doomed to failurein their initial state of preparation. Braveand loyal though they may have been, theydid not have the strong leadership necessaryto perform meaningful operations. Nor didthey have any means for receiving badly-needed supplies from outside the country.

A solution to the latter problem began to take shape in MacArthur’s mind as he watched submarines slink into the small anchorage at Corregidor during the Japanese siege of that stronghold. The boats were on special missions todeliver supplies and to evacuate people and equipment while under constantthreat from Japanese air and surface attack. The first boat to arrive was USSSeawolf (SS-197), commanded by LCDRFrederick “Fearless Freddy” Warder.Warder’s greatest concern was about minesin Manila Bay. The U.S. Navy had mined

the area in anticipation of the Japaneseinvasion, and the locations of the mineswere not well documented. Worse, withthe Japanese now in control, nobody knewif they had mined the bay as well. Warder,guessing that the Japanese didn’t expect acounter-attack soon, gambled that theyhad not mined the area. He also assumedthat the Japanese did not anticipateAmerican submarines operating behind

their lines. Both gambles paid off, andafter Warder delivered his cargo of ammunition, he was able to leaveCorregidor with 25 rescued Americans(mostly pilots), 16 torpedoes, and variousspare submarine parts. Impressed byGudgeon’s success, General MacArthurbegan to wonder whether similar subma-rine missions could be used to supplyFilipino guerrillas.

The fleet-type submarine USS Gudgeon (SS-211) in San Francisco Bay, California inAugust 1943. Gudgeon was sent on the first

official guerrilla submarine mission to thePhilippines, and later completed one more.Gudgeon’s CO on the second occasion con-

cluded his official report by stating: “Aslong as a torpedo shortage exists, it seems

feasible and highly desirable that everysubmarine bound for the Philippines or theSouth China Sea carry what men and equip-

ment it can to [the Philippine guerrilla]troops who are on the spot and capable of

seriously harassing the enemy.”

“Fearless Freddy” Warder (on the right), CO of USS Seawolf (SS-197) during the early stages of theguerrilla campaign, was the first to sneak much-needed ammunition and supplies to the defenders onCorregidor. Warder is shown here with Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz at the U.S. Naval Reserve TrainingCenter, Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1961. By this time, Warder had risen to the rank of Rear Admiral.

Photo courtesy of the Naval Historical Center


Under direct orders from PresidentRoosevelt, General MacArthur was finallyevacuated from Corregidor for Australia inMarch 1942. The submarine resupply mis-sions continued until the fall of Corregidorin May, but during this interim,MacArthur had begun hearing that mean-ingful groups of Filipino guerrillas hadformed and were awaiting supplies andinstructions. Remembering his experiencein Corregidor, MacArthur started inquir-ing about whether submarines could beused in top-secret supply missions to thePhilippines. His staff informed him thatthe standard fleet-type boats could carrybetween five and 10 tons of supplies, plussix passengers, when leaving Australia onregular combat patrols. In view of the siz-able requests MacArthur was receivingfrom his guerrillas, he pushed for a betteralternative. His staff suggested he ask forthe services of the Navy’s two much largertransport-type submarines, USS Narwhal(SS-167) and USS Nautilus (SS-168). ToMacArthur’s dismay, he learned that thosesubmarines were so old and in such disre-pair that Narwhal would not be availableuntil November 1943, and Nautilus need-ed a complete overhaul before she couldput back to sea. Instead, ADM ChesterNimitz suggested that, with a modifiedwartime weapon load-out, the fleet-typesubmarines could carry up to 34 tons ofcargo and 25 passengers, and would bebetter suited to the narrow passages in andaround the islands anyway. MacArthuragreed with this approach, and as recount-ed above, Gudgeon was underway for thePhilippines by late December.

After departing Fremantle, Gudgeon setout towards her destination on Mindanao,running on the surface but diving regular-ly only to maintain her trim and to avoidJapanese patrols. As they approached thearchipelago, Major Villamor informedLCDR Stovall that there was a change inplans. Villamor had apparently receivedintelligence just before departingFremantle that Japanese patrols hadincreased in the original landing area. Thenew destination was on the island ofNegros. Furthermore, Villamor announcedhe and his men would not use the 18-footdinghy that had been lashed to the exteri-or of the boat for the beach landing, butwould rather put ashore in the inflatablerafts they had practiced with. Stovall wasnot pleased with these last-minute revela-

tions, especially since he could have takena shorter route to Negros, and the now-unneeded dinghy had adversely affectedhis diving characteristics. However, heagreed to the changes, provided thatperiscope reconnaissance of the shoreproved the landing could be made safelyfor both the landing party and the subma-rine. The first night, high winds and seasprohibited approaching the original land-ing site, so the submerged Gudgeon movedquietly along the coast into the next day,scanning for a new location. That night,another likely choice was negated after anumber of mysterious lights suddenlyappeared on the beach. Subsequently, oneof Villamor’s men identified them asFilipino night fishermen. Finally on thethird night, 14 January 1943, a desertedbeach was identified, and Villamor suc-cessfully loaded his men and supplies intothe rafts and landed ashore.

Soon after submarines started makingregular guerrilla runs to the Philippines, away was found to ameliorate the lack of astrong, relatively-unified command for thenative Filipino forces. The solution tookthe form of one Charles “Chick” Parsons.Parsons was a young American business-man living and operating out of Manila.He was also a Lieutenant Commander inan Intelligence Unit of the U.S. NavalReserve who had remained behind in thecity to collect intelligence on the Japaneseoccupiers. Fluent in several of the over 70 native dialects, intimately familiar withthe islands, and a good friend ofMacArthur from their days together inManila, Parsons was just the man theGeneral was looking for to act as a go-between with the Filipino guerrillas.

After being called to Australia to meetwith MacArthur to discuss the situation,

Parsons accepted the position. In lateFebruary 1943, he was spirited toLabangan aboard the submarine USSTambor (SS-198), captained by LCDR S.H. Ambruster. His mission was to deliver$10,000 in cash and two tons of ammuni-tion to Army LT COL Wendell Fertig, oneof the guerrilla leaders in the region.Parsons also carried ashore a substantialamount of radio equipment for use in setting up a spy network, codenamed“Spyron.” Parsons’ first clandestine visitback to the Philippines lasted until July1943. During that time, he criss-crossedseveral islands on foot, horseback, andcanoe, always at great personal risk of cap-ture or death by the Japanese, meeting andcoordinating with guerrilla leaders, settingup coast watchers, taking part in ambush-es, rendezvousing with other submarinesto pick up supplies and men, and makingcontacts for future Spyron stations. Hewould later make at least four more secrettrips to the Philippines to bolster the guer-rilla effort and, ultimately, pave the way forthe U.S. invasion.

One thing submariners making guerrillaruns to the Philippines learned quickly wasto expect the unexpected. No two missionswere exactly the same, and very few wereperformed exactly according to plan,whether due to mechanical problems,enemy interference, weather, or simply no-shows on the beach. One of the greatestfears the submariners had were airplanes,even friendly ones. One never knew whena pilot, friend or foe, would take a subma-rine for a target and open fire. As a result,the submariners kept a vigilant watch on theskies and dove at the first sign of any aircraft.

The two transport submarines, Narwhaland Nautilus, finally entered the guerrillagame in 1943, and the next year Nautilus,

One thing submariners making guerrilla runs to the Philippineslearned quickly was to expect the unexpected. No two missions wereexactly the same, and very few wereperformed exactly according to plan…

One thing submariners making guerrilla runs to the Philippineslearned quickly was to expect the unexpected. No two missions wereexactly the same, and very few wereperformed exactly according to plan…

commanded by CDR George Sharp, hadan interesting run-in with patrolling air-craft. In late July, Nautilus was ordered todeliver one Navy officer, 22 enlisted men,and 10 tons of supplies to Mindoro; twoFilipino Army enlisted men and 30 tons ofsupplies to Bohol; and two U.S. Armyenlisted men and 30 tons of supplies toLeyte. At dawn on the very first morningof her mission, radar detected an airplaneat five miles and closing. The plane wasimmediately recognized as friendly, but thepilot was less observant. He dove towardsthe submarine and dropped a bomb,which luckily landed harmlessly in front ofthe ship. His ensuing strafing attempt wasalso unsuccessful, missing his target by 100yards. With that, the pilot inexplicablybroke away, and was never seen or heardfrom again.

Later that same day Nautilus detectedseveral more air contacts, causing the sub-marine to constantly dive quickly and thencautiously return to the surface to contin-ue with the mission. Finally, the drop-offat Mindoro was completed successfully.The delivery to Bohol was called off due tothe sudden arrival of a Japanese occupationforce, so Sharp proceeded to Leyte. Thesubmarine failed to make contact with theguerrillas there, so Sharp proceeded to the alternate site, where security signalswere successfully exchanged with one ofthe guerrilla leaders, LT COL RobertoKangeleon. With the goods safely on thebeach, Nautilus headed for home, but not before another accuracy-challengedbombardier attacked with a bomb thatexploded wide and well above the slow-diving submarine. The plane harassedNautilus all day, keeping the submarinebelow water until nightfall, when she wasfinally able to continue on her journeyhome to Fremantle.

At first, most submarines on secret mis-sions to the Philippines delivered suppliesand military personnel before heading off toperform more traditional wartime patrols insearch of Japanese ships to sink. In thespring of 1944, this began to change as pres-sure from the United States pushed theJapanese back into the western Pacific. Thisdrive kept the submarines too busy to supply the Philippines on their way tothe theater, but many were tasked withpicking people up from the islands on thereturn leg of a deployment. USS Crevalle(SS-291), commanded by LCDR F. D.

Walker, Jr., was ordered to pick up 25 evac-uees on Negros. Upon arriving at the desig-nated location, Walker discovered theexpected 25 evacuees in one boat, plus 16others with baggage in another. Many chil-dren were among those escaping the island,and Walker accepted both boatloads.During the return trip to Australia, therefugees were fed in the galley, requiringthem to pass through the control room foreach meal. The children were fascinated bythe lights and switches there and couldn’tresist trying to play with them. In the wordsof Walker, “the Chief of the Watch solved


Colonel Ruperto Kangeleon, Philippineguerrilla leader, reporting to General

Douglas MacArthur in Tacloban, Leyte, on 23 October 1944, three days

after American forces re-invaded thePhilippines there. Early on, the variousguerrilla groups on the islands fought

each other as frequently as the Japanese,with one of the worst situations on

Leyte. Chick Parsons resolved the issueon that island by convincing the much-

respected Kangeleon to come out ofretirement and assume leadership of all

local guerrilla factions.

this by putting a sign on the switchboardreading, ‘Any children found in the controlroom without their parents will be shot.’The mothers read this gravely to their kids,who seemed to take it as a matter of course.Considering that some of them could notremember when they were not fugitives,perhaps this is understandable.”

In addition to the new underage menacewithin the ship, Crevalle and her passen-gers still had external threats to worryabout before reaching the safety ofAustralia. After being forced to dive twiceby aircraft, the submarine detected a large

Japanese convoy. Walker set a course to cutoff the last ship in the group, but the con-voy suddenly changed course and boredirectly down on Crevalle. Walker’s superi-ors later attributed the convoy’s maneuverto an alert by the second aircraft encoun-tered earlier. Whatever the case, Crevallesuddenly had no option but to dive. As theconvoy passed 90 feet above the submarinewithout incident, Walker ordered the boatto level off and maintain depth. Momentslater, two groups of two depth chargesexploded close aboard, knocking out the

sonar in what Walker described as theworst depth charging he had experienced.When the sonar was fixed, the crew foundthe attackers still searching directly abovethem, and the submarine crept away asquickly and as quietly as possible.Although heavily damaged by the depthcharge attack, Crevalle reached Australiawith all hands.

In all, 19 submarines participated in atotal of 41 secret missions to the PhilippineIslands, beginning with Gudgeon’s run inlate December 1942. The last officiallyrecorded guerrilla run, by USS Stingray

(SS-186) on New Year’s Day, 1945, tookplace between the re-invasion of thePhilippines at Leyte Gulf on 20 October1944 and the liberation of Manila on 4February 1945. Of the conventional sub-marines, only Stingray participated in morethan two runs (her total being five), and thetwo transport submarines, Nautilus andNarwhal, were the true workhorses of theoperation, with six and nine operationsrespectively. In the course of the campaign,U.S. submarines delivered 331 people,evacuated 472, and delivered some 1,325

tons of supplies to the Philippines.Parsons’ network of spies and coast

watchers proved invaluable not only to theliberation of the Philippines, but also tothe Pacific war effort as a whole. In onesomewhat amusing example of their effec-tiveness, on 4 August 1944 USS Cero (SS-225), commanded by CDR E. F. Dissette,torpedoed a tanker and observed it break-ing up but was forced to dive beneath thetanker’s attacking escorts to escape. Afterdark, Dissette surfaced to send his actionreport, but before he even got on the air,he received a message from headquarters:“Nice work CERO. Coast watcher reportssub sank 10,000 ton tanker off coast yourassigned area. It had to be you.” Severalmonths prior to that incident, the coastwatchers were also the first to alertSouthwest Pacific Headquarters inBrisbane, Australia, to a massing ofJapanese naval power in the islands. Thisinformation led to a submarine net beingthrown around the Japanese, tracking theirevery move, and eventually resulted in theU.S. Navy gaining a major victory in theBattle of the Philippine Sea – the so-called“Marianas Turkey Shoot.”

In every radio broadcast he made fromAustralia to the Japanese-occupiedPhilippines, General MacArthur hadfamously insisted, “I shall return,” amorale-boosting promise heard by manyFilipinos on radio equipment brought tothe islands on “guerrilla” submarines.When the tide of the war fully turned infavor of the Americans, and MacArthurwas finally able to liberate the Philippinesfrom the Japanese, those U.S. boats hadalready played a major role in makingpreparations on the ground.

Mr. Holian is an analyst with Anteon Corporationin Washington, D.C.


The transport submarine USSNarwhal (SS-167) during trialsoff Provincetown, Massachusettsin July 1930. During a 1943 mission with Chick Parsonsaboard, Narwhal encounteredtwo Japanese patrol ships whilerunning on the surface. Theboat’s near miraculous escapefrom the ensuing stern chase ledthe captain to dub the boat’sfour ancient and rickety dieselengines “Matthew, Mark, Luke,and John” – the four Apostles.

The transport submarine USS Nautilus (SS-168) isshown here returning to Pearl Harbor in August1942 after transporting part of the Marine Corps’2nd Raider Battalion – “Carlson's Raiders” – toMakin Island to divert Japanese attention andsupplies from the battle for Guadalcanal rangingover 1,000 miles to the southwest. That missionforeshadowed her later clandestine runs to thePhilippines, transporting men and supplies toanti-Japanese guerrilla fighters there.

Every two years, thousands of Sailors from the allied countries in the Pacific theater converge on Hawaii for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.

For RIMPAC 2004, more than 18,000 personnel onboard submarines and surface shipsfrom the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea andChile tested their capabilities in a collaborative maritime effort. The naval assets for RIM-PAC 2004 included four U.S. Pacific Fleet nuclear-powered attack submarines, USS KeyWest (SSN-722), USS Louisville (SSN-724), USS Charlotte (SSN-766), and USS Olympia(SSN-717)), four allied-force diesel submarines, and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrierUSS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). Approximately 100 aircraft also participated in the month-long exercise.

According to CAPT Russ Janicke, Deputy Commander of Submarine Squadron 3, thisyear’s RIMPAC provided an excellent opportunity for gaining anti-submarine warfare(ASW) experience for the submarines and ships involved. “It’s particularly good for our sub-marines, because we get to interact with some of the allied diesel boats. Four of them arehere for the exercise this year. It’s very unique, because it [the exercise] only happens everytwo years, and this is one of the larger RIMPACs we have had in a long time,” said Janicke.

Since RIMPAC occurs on a regular basis, past experience and present-day issues are usedto develop realistic scenarios for all participants. “We try to take lessons learned, and as wegear up for the exercise, we try to integrate those lessons and any new technology that hasemerged. The most important thing about RIMPAC is just sitting down and talking to fellow Sailors and officers from the allied navies about tactics and phases of the exercise; welearn an awful lot,” Janicke said.


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Enhances Stability and IncreasesInteroperability in the Pacific Rim

Australia’s Collins-class submarine, HMASRankin (SSK-78) stands out to sea at

periscope depth to participate in exer-cise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2004.

RIMPAC was the largest internationalmaritime exercise ever held in the watersaround the Hawaiian Islands. This year’s

exercise includes seven participatingnations: Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan,

South Korea, United Kingdom and UnitedStates. RIMPAC is intended to increasethe tactical proficiency of participating

units in a wide array of combined operations at sea, while enhancing stability in the Pacific Rim region.

Photo by PH1 David A. Levy

RIMPAC 2004

As technology changes, the SubmarineForce has changed along with it and has increasingly adopted COTS develop-ments, which have made real-time deci-sion-making among submarine, surfaceand air assets a reality. “COTS technologyis a key part in this RIMPAC 2004. I lookback to the RIMPAC of 2000 I participat-ed in as Commanding Officer of USSLouisville and we didn’t have that. My abil-ity to interact was pretty limited. In thefour years since then, we have made hugeadvances in COTS communication, sonar,and fire control technology,” said Janicke.

In addition to incorporating the latestwarfighting technology, the inherent stealthof the participating allied diesel submarinesrepresented a key element of real worldthreats for the various vessels in the exercise.

According to Janicke, “COMSUBPACplays a key role in RIMPAC. There hasbeen a reinvigoration of ASW. The sub-marines are important since they play bothaggressor and hunters to provide trainingplatforms toward the overall fleet goal ofimproving ASW. With three of ournuclear-powered attack submarines andfour allied diesel submarines, that’s farmore than we’ve had in past exercises. Itreally challenges the various forces to beable to handle that undersea threat, and itties in very well with our fleet goal ofimproving our ASW capability.”

Because the allied naval forces have hadthe opportunity to incorporate the use ofso many different assets, including dieselsubmarines, the ultimate result of theirexperiences will be measured when thetime comes to put their efforts forth in acoalition force.

“Our biggest goal is to increase interop-erability and communications with ourallied forces. One of the most importantaspects of completing RIMPAC is that wehave the ability, on relatively short notice,to work with any of our allies. It becomesa real force multiplier,” said Janicke.

The navies are teaming together toemploy lessons learned in the Global Waron Terrorism while honing warfightingskills to continue the fight, said high-levelnaval leaders at the June 29 press confer-ence. “That’s a significant part of this exer-cise,” said Vice Adm. Michael J. McCabe,Commander, U.S. THIRD Fleet andRIMPAC Commander, Combined TaskForce. “It always has been, and it’s neverbeen more important than now.”

In terms of overall effectiveness, Janickeis convinced that no matter what, theesprit de corps among the allied naval par-ticipants is so strong that their combinedefforts will be able to deal effectively withanything that threatens the use of sea-lanesand the citizens of the allied countries.

Janicke concluded, “As I watched as oneof the allied submarines came in to PearlHarbor, I was thinking about the GlobalWar on Terrorism. It convinces me thatthose guys [terrorists] are never going towin. We have some pretty good friendsand they’re willing to help us out.”

JOC Rush is the Force Journalist serving underCommander, Naval Submarine Forces.


(top) Chilean Submarine CS Simpson(SS-21) prepares to render honors tothe USS Arizona Memorial as the submarine pulls into port in Pearl Harbor.

(bottom) Line handlers aboard theJapanese submarine Narushio(SS-595) secure lines after arriving in Pearl Harbor for a port call.

Photo by JO3 Corwin Colbert

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During the first two decades of its existence,a period that included the First World War, the U.S. Submarine Force suffered

no combat losses of submarines and men and relatively few to accidents at sea. Prior to 1920,there had been only two major U.S. submarine disasters – the foundering of USS F-4 (SS-23) offHonolulu in March 1915, with the loss of allhands; and the sinking of USS F-1 (SS-20) in a collision with her sister ship, F-3, near San Diego in December 1917, with 19 deaths.1 Then, on 1 September 1920, USS S-5 (SS-110) suffered par-tial flooding during a practice dive east of Delawareand settled to the bottom in 180 feet of water withher entire 40-man crew still onboard and alive.Although this was before submarine rescue vessels,Momsen lungs, and McCann rescue bells, whatmight have been a third major U.S. submarine

tragedy was narrowly averted by the extraordinaryperseverance of S-5’s officers and men and the heroic assistance of two passing merchant ships. S-5’s story remains one of the great tales of subma-rine rescue at sea.

The fifth submarine of the Navy’s World War Iera S-class, S-5 was launched at the PortsmouthNavy Yard in November 1919 and commissionedon 6 March 1920 with LCDR Charles M.(“Savvy”) Cooke, Jr. in command. After nearly sixmonths of follow-on sea tests and crew training, S-5 was deemed ready to join the fleet. OnMonday, 30 August, she left the Boston Navy Yardfor a series of port calls in several southeasterncities, beginning with Baltimore, where S-5 wasexpected on Friday, 3 September. The transit wouldalso incorporate several high-speed runs andendurance trials, both surfaced and submerged.

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t h e S - 5 I n c i d e n t


Business as Usual…By Tuesday evening, Cooke had conned

S-5 successfully through her enduranceruns, and at 0950 next morning Wednes-day, 1 September, he commenced arequiredfour-hour, high-speed surface run, intend-ing to follow it immediately with a crashdive and a one-hour, high-speed sub-merged trial. The latter was planned forshortly before 1400 at latitude 38.36 N,longitude 74.00 E, about 55 miles east-southeast of the Delaware Capes.

One of the crucial steps in smartly execut-ing the crash dive was closing the maininduction valve, which controlled the 16-inch diameter air intake that ventilated thesubmarine on the surface, and in particular,supplied external oxygen to the dieselengines. Because timing this action was par-ticularly critical, manning the main induc-tion valve was generally entrusted to themost experienced men onboard, in S-5’scase, the Chief of the Boat, Gunner’s MatePercy Fox. In earlier trials, S-5’s main induc-

tion, located overhead in the submarine’scontrol room had proven extremely hard tomanipulate. Moreover, the large, lever-oper-ated Kingston valves which admitted waterto the bottom of the six main ballast tankswere also notoriously recalcitrant and oftentook several men to operate. To acceleratecrash dives, it had become common practiceto open the Kingston valves somewhat priorto diving and depend on the air trapped inthe ballast tanks to prevent them from fill-ing. Then, to initiate submergence, thevents at the top of the tanks would beopened to allow incoming water to driveout the air and flood the tanks.

Some 20 minutes before the plannedcrash dive, Cooke ordered the Kingstonsopened to allow S-5 to “ride on her vents.”Almost immediately, the boat developed alist to starboard, indicating that one of theballast tanks on that side was shippingwater prematurely. Correcting the problemrequired considerable opening and closingof the stubborn Kingston valves, andbecause this required additional manpower

on the levers, Percy Fox jumped in to helpout. By the time the submarine was readyto dive, she was riding on an even keel, butthe Kingstons required constant attentionto keep her there.

A Crash Dive… to the BottomJust before 1400, Cooke sounded the

diving klaxon, and the crew moved quick-ly to execute the intricate choreographythat would take the boat down. Just as S-5headed under, however, personnel in theboat’s forward compartment – the torpedoroom – were horrified by a torrent of greenwater sluicing into the space from the over-head ventilator. In quick succession, theventilators in the other compartmentsbegan spewing water also. Preoccupiedwith the problems at the Kingstons, PercyFox had left the main induction valve open!

Officers and crew quickly initiated emer-gency surfacing procedures: As Cookeordered the ballast tanks blown, Fox madea frantic attempt to close the main induc-tion but found he could barely move it.Wherever possible, air vents and individualcompartment ventilators were shut, butbecause the torpedo room had to be sohastily vacated and sealed off behind awatertight door, it remained essentiallyopen to the sea, and S-5 tilted inexorablytoward the sea floor. After an agonizing sev-eral minutes, she plowed into the muddy

bottom, settling upright in 180 feet of water. S-5 was 231 feet long and displaced 876

tons surfaced and 1,092 tons submerged.She was divided into five main compart-ments with a bilge under each. Moving aftfrom the torpedo room, the other spaceswere the battery room (which also con-tained crew berthing), the control room,the engine room, and the motor room.The mad scramble to halt the flooding andshut the water-tight doors between com-partments during the first moments of theemergency had succeeded in sealing all butthe abandoned torpedo room, which wastwo-thirds full of water. However, therewere also significant amounts of water inthe bilges, and the boat was flooded withabout 75 tons of excess ballast. Moreover,despite the strenuous efforts of several mento close it, the main induction valve wasapparently still partly open, and water con-tinued to flow into the torpedo room fromthe overhead ventilator. On the hopefulside, the submarine’s hull remained intact,rudimentary lighting was restored, and allof the officers and crew had survived theboat’s encounter with the bottom withonly minor injuries.

Cooke’s first instinct was to blow hisresidual ballast in hopes of bringing theboat to the surface under her own power.Although one of S-5’s electric-drive motorshad been irreparably damaged by the ini-

(left) In this startling photograph, the stern of the stricken S-5 protrudes some 20 feet above the surface with one of the assembled rescue ships in the background. Even beforeNavy assistance arrived, Cooke and his men hasescaped from a hole cut through the submarine’s“tail cone” with the help of heroic mariners fromtwo passing merchant ships.

(left) On 1 September 1920, 55 miles east southeastof the Delaware Capes, USS S-5 (SS-110) flooded andsettled to the bottom in 30 fathoms of water afterher crew failed to close the main induction valveduring a crash dive. Ultimately, all 40 of her officersand men survived because of their own perseveranceand the assistance of two passing merchant ships.

(Below) S-5 was divided into five main compartments as shown here. In the initial flooding, the torpedoroom was almost entirely filled, and when seawaterreached the battery wells and generated deadly chlorine gas, the battery room was abandoned also. S-5’s crew eventually escaped the near-verticalsubmarine through the tiller room.

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tial deluge of seawater, Cooke attempted toback the boat out of the mud by blowingthe forward and midships ballast tanks andreversing the remaining motor. It tookadditional laborious manipulation of theKingston valves to prevent the boat fromrolling over, but even on an even keel, theboat could not be induced to break loosefrom the mud, and when the second drivemotor shorted out and died, S-5 and 40men were left stranded 30 fathoms belowthe surface.

Not for Want of Trying… A 1910 Naval Academy graduate from

Fort Smith, Arkansas, Charles Cookeearned his nickname, “Savvy,” by graduat-ing second in his class. After several succes-sive tours on battleships, he entered thesubmarine service in late 1913, and by thetime he commissioned S-5 in 1920, he hadalso commanded USS E-2 (SS-25) andUSS R-2 (SS-79). As an up-and-comingsubmarine officer, he was widely respectedfor his intelligence, even temper, and tech-nical acumen. Now he faced the greatestchallenge of his career. Both individualescapes to the surface and waiting for res-cue seemed fruitless– S-5 wouldn’t be over-due in Baltimore for several days, and shelay on the bottom in an area only lightlytrafficked by merchant ships. Cooke’s only

remaining resources were the last of hisbattery power, about half of his com-pressed air, and the native ingenuity anddetermination of him and his crew.

After failing to back S-5 out of the bottom, Cooke next attempted to dewaterthe torpedo room with, first, a high-pres-sure centrifugal pump and then a largelow-pressure pump. Both failed. This leftonly the small regulating pump, a slow-speed, low-pressure unit normally limitedto maintaining trim. To give the regulatingpump the “boost” it needed to overcomethe external water pressure, Cooke cameup with the idea of pressurizing the torpedo room internally using some of the remaining compressed-air supply. After an hour, the water level forwardbegan to drop — proving that the residualflooding had at least been contained —but the capacity of the pump was so smallthat emptying the torpedo room beforetheir air supply ran out would have beenimpossible. By this time, S-5 had beentrapped on the bottom for nearly twohours, and options for getting her to thesurface were few indeed.

Various accounts of the S-5 mishap dif-fer on Savvy’s rationale for his next move.Had he analyzed the situation and plannedwhat eventually happened? Or was it mere-ly the unexpected outcome of a last, des-perate throw of the dice? In any event, heelected without warning to use virtually allof his remaining air to empty the aft ballasttanks. This produced an immediate result.With the stern suddenly more buoyant, it

broke free of the bottom, and pivoting onthe flooded bow, the entire length of thesubmarine rotated vertically, thrusting thestern toward the surface. Inside, men,equipment, and accumulated bilge watercascaded downhill from compartment tocompartment as the angle of the boat withthe sea floor increased rapidly until at near-ly 60 degrees from the horizontal, somekind of stability was reached, and allmotion stopped.

Finding themselves suddenly in a strangenew vertical world, the men clung precari-ously to whatever support they could find.But because the battery room was now thelowest unflooded compartment, most ofthe residual seawater ended up there, and in reacting with sulfuric acid in the batteries, it quickly generated chlorinegas, potentially deadly to the men stilloccupying the berthing spaces. They werelaboriously evacuated by hauling them upthe slope of the deck, and the battery roomwas sealed off from the rest of the boat. Tooffset the residual flooding, Cooke alsodirected that sufficient air pressure beapplied to the torpedo room to force someremaining water back out through themain induction system, still partially open to the sea. S-5 and her men had nowbeen on the bottom for nearly five hours,and although their air supply was holdingup reasonably well, it would only be a matter of time before the build-up of car-bon dioxide and the decreasing percentageof oxygen in the atmosphere began tocause debilitating physiological effects.

S-5’s Commanding Officer LCDR Charles(“Savvy”) Cooke was a 1910 graduate of theNaval Academy and had served in submarinessince 1913. He retired as an admiral in 1948,having begun World War II in command ofUSS Pennsylvania (BB-38) at Pearl Harbor. Heis shown here as a midshipman.

Launched at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1919, S-5 had only been in commission for six months whenshe was lost off the Delaware Capes in September 1920. One of the earliest of the 51 World War I-eraS-boats, she displaced 876 tons surfaced and 1,092 tons submerged on a length of 231 feet.


The Only Way Out?Somewhat after 1900, several men

who had found refuge in the motor room –now the top most compartment – reporteda startling observation: the sound of wavesbeating against the hull! The truth dawned:Given S-5’s length, the depth of waterwhere she was marooned, and the angle shemade with the horizontal, 20 feet of theboat’s stern was protruding above the sur-face! However, the after escape hatch wasstill 30 feet below water, and even if theboat were completely vertical, the hatchwould barely break the surface. Cookeimmediately realized that there was onlyone final possibility – to cut their way out.

Abaft the motor room was one very smallcompartment – the tiller room – where therudder post and steering gear were located.Around 2000, Savvy made his way upwardfrom the control room, and with severalcrew members and a manual breast drill,entered the tiller room for an attempt tobore through the three-quarter inch, high-strength steel that separated them from theoutside world. Despite the cramped condi-tions and awkward angle of attack, the menhad succeeded within twenty minutes indrilling a quarter-inch hole through thehull, which revealed that indeed the sternwas well out of the water and – not surpris-ingly – that night had fallen.

With only a selection of drills and mis-cellaneous hand tools to work with, Cookedecided to proceed by drilling a circle ofclosely-spaced holes and employing a ham-mer and chisel to knock out the interven-ing metal. With perseverance, this wouldeventually result in a large enough openingfor a man to wriggle through, but consid-ering how long it had taken to drill the firsthole, it would likely take over three days tofinish the job.

Nonetheless, Cooke organized the crewinto working parties to take on the back-breaking task, and the drilling began inearnest within an hour.

The crew kept at it all night long, and by sunrise on the morning of Thursday, 2September, had opened up a slot throughwhich they could scan much of the hori-zon in the gathering dawn. Two shipsappeared, too far away to be of any help.Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside theboat was becoming increasingly foul, andthe effects of oxygen deprivation and car-bon dioxide asphyxiation were worseningrapidly. The men panted for breath andcould barely summon the energy needed toclimb up into the stern and take their turnsdrilling on the hull. Moreover, as air escapedthrough the widening hole, the decreasinginternal pressure allowed more water toleak into the hull, and the boat began slow-ly sinking back toward the bottom. Thecrew’s race against time accelerated.

For Those in Peril… By 1400 Thursday afternoon, 24 hours

after S-5 nosed into the bottom, Cookeand his drilling teams had only achieved atriangular hole six by eight inches, andmost of his men were either incapacitatedor unconscious from lack of oxygen. Then,when all seemed lost, another ship appeared,much closer than the first two, and Savvyand his men searched frantically for a wayto attract attention. Ultimately, they founda ten-foot copper pipe, fastened a Sailor’stee-shirt to it, thrust it out through the holein the hull and waved desperately for help.

The ship was a small coastal steamer, SSAlanthus, bound from New York toNewport News under the command ofCaptain Earnest A. Johnson, a veteranmerchant mariner. Although Alanthus was

actually moving away from S-5 at the time,by an extraordinary stroke of luck, a manon deck glimpsed the distant outline of thesubmarine’s stern and its fluttering whiteflag. Alanthus immediately came around toinvestigate.

Johnson brought Alanthus as close to thehulk as he dared and had himself rowedover in a small boat to the submarine’s pro-truding stern. After a shouted exchangewith Savvy Cooke, Johnson immediatelyrecognized the urgency of the situationand the need to act quickly. He returned tohis ship, maneuvered her against the sub-marine, and tethered S-5’s stern toAlanthus with a manila hawser, chainslings, and cables. Next, he ordered awooden platform erected to give workingaccess to the submarine’s stern, and hisengineers improvised an air pump toreplenish the atmosphere in the strickenboat. With some of the immediate danger

…as air escaped through the widening hole, thedecreasing internal pressure allowed more water to leak into the hull, and the boat began slowlysinking back toward the bottom. The crew’s raceagainst time accelerated.

Although the Navy gave up their attempt to salvage S-5 in 1921, her hulk was re-discoveredin 1989 by civilian sport divers 48 miles south-east of Cape May, New Jersey, and it remains achallenging dive site today. This is a side-scansonar image of the hull on the bottom.


relieved, Captain Johnson then turned tothe problem of getting Cooke and his menout of the submarine.

Johnson had left Alanthus’s radio opertorin New York, and he had no way to call forhelp. Moreover, he had no drills or cuttingtools onboard, so to continue enlarging theescape hole, his men under Chief EngineerCarl Jakobsen had to depend on using S-5’sown badly-worn equipment, passed out

through the small opening. By1700, Jakobsen’s crew hadresumed drilling from outsidethe hull, but progress was

agonizingly slow. Luckily, at about the same time,another, much larger shipappeared on the horizon a4,800-ton passenger steam-

er, the SS General George W.Goethals, and Johnson succeeded

in attracting her attention with anemergency flag hoist. Goethals’

Master, Captain E.O. Swinson, broughthis ship to the scene and anchored nearby.Fortunately, Goethals was considerably better equipped than Alanthus, and was able to radio the Navy for assistance. All up and down the eastern seaboard fromPhiladelphia, Norfolk, New York, and NewLondon, Navy ships prepared to cast offand head for the scene.

Swinson sent his Chief Engineer,William Grace, and the latter’s first assis-tant Richard McWilliams, to help with the drilling, and they brought a manualratchet drill that proved much better

suited to the task. Since S-5’s crew was stillin considerable danger, and the first Navyrescuers wouldn’t arrive until 0400 Fridaymorning, the two merchant captainsagreed to continue with their own effort,and Grace and McWilliams took over thedrilling shortly after 1900. The two engi-neers attacked the job with a will andGrace — a large, powerful man was able todrill a new hole every four or five minutes.

By midnight, they had completed the 18-inch circle of holes, and an hour later,having chiseled out the remaining metal,drove in the resulting chunk of hull platingwith a sledge hammer.2 After nearly 36hours trapped in their disabled boat, S-5’screw was free!

The men made their way out one by oneand were ferried to an improvised infir-mary in Alanthus’s galley, where two doc-tors from Goethals provided emergencytreatment. Because of the debilitated con-dition of the crew and the need for each ofthem to climb much of the length of thesubmarine to get out, evacuating the 40men was a difficult and laborious process,only completed after 0330, just as the firstNavy ships began to arrive. Savvy Cooke,awake for nearly two days, was the last toleave his command.

The Rest of the StoryThe last of over a half-dozen Navy ships

to reach the scene in the early morning of Friday, 3 September was the battleshipUSS Ohio (BB-12), which appeared at0900. By then, Goethals had already left thescene, and Cooke and most of his menwere asleep but recovering quickly onboardAlanthus. The small freighter was asked tomake a first attempt to salvage the subma-rine by towing her to shallow water nearerland, but the task was too much for herlimited power. Thus, after S-5 was madefast to Ohio and the rescued crew trans-ferred, Alanthus left for Newport News tothe cheers of the fleet. Late in the after-noon, Ohio herself attempted to tow thesubmarine nearer to shore, but after sever-al hours with Ohio at full power and S-5apparently dragging along the bottom, thetowing cable parted. At that time, onlyfour miles had been made good towardland, and operations to save the boat weresuspended.3

Navy authorities convened two investi-gations into the loss of S-5, the firstonboard Ohio just after the rescue, andthen a second, more formal proceeding atthe Philadelphia Navy Yard in November.During these inquiries, Percy Fox’s failureto close the main induction valve was iden-tified as the proximate cause, and SavvyCooke was criticized for failing to ascertainpersonally that the boat was safe for diving.However, the formal court also noted a number of extenuating circumstances –

(above) The circle of plating cut laboriouslyfrom S-5’s hull to allow Cooke and his men to

escape was preserved and may be seen today inthe Navy Museum at the Washington, DC NavyYard. It is approximately two feet in diameter

and 3/4ths inch thick.

(below) The crew of S-5 the day after their rescue from the sunken submarine, decidedly outof uniform, but lucky to be alive. Subsequently,most of them were transferred to the submarine

USS S-9 (SS-114) despite a near-unanimousdesire to continue serving under LCDR Cooke.

continued on page 38

Do you rememberhow you learned science in school? Howabout during your shipboard assignments?What distinguished your “book” learningfrom the reality of the actual application of your knowledge? Most likely, it was the “hands-on” training typical of subma-rine duty that made the biggest impression.Well, just imagine how 5th graders feelwhen they assume the role of Chief of the Watch in a fully-articulating submarinesimulator during an exercise that is part of the NavOps Deep SubmergenceTM

curriculum. NavOps is a nine-month science curriculum developed by PurdueUniversity Calumet for the Gary, Indianaschool district.

Yes, 5th graders routinely perform navi-gation with Navy charts and maneuveringboards, calculate water density, and plotsonar contacts as their Research & Rescuesubmarine steams around the world, bothin their classrooms and also in a submarinesimulator during “missions.” The enthusi-asm and commitment of the students,teachers, and parents in Gary has stimulat-ed a desire to expand the program into theNorthern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnatiregion and to make it broadly available inthe United States. Originally designed fordisadvantaged students in the Gary dis-trict, it became obvious that this programcould play a significant educational roleanywhere.

The National Submarine ScienceDiscovery Center (NSSDC) is an organiza-tion dedicated to the development of

interactive, “hands on”mathematics and sci-ence training for children. Why? Thesobering reality is

that the United States has an annual – and increasing – shortfall of qual-ified graduates to fill jobs in science- andtechnology-related fields. NSSDC makesstrategic sense for the region and thenation. We plan to combine a formernuclear-powered submarine USS Narwhal(SSN-671), an interactive science discoverycenter, and a science education outreachprogram into one facility. If NSSDC’srequest is approved Narwahl will becomethe only former nuclear-powered submarineto be donated by the Navy to a non-militaryentity. The primary objective is to deliverimproved science education, and NSSDCwill attract visitors from all over the region.We already have significant ties to theSmithsonian Institution and other nationalscience programs.

The NavOps curriculum was developedwith a Navy grant by Purdue UniversityCalumet’s Department of Education,because studies have shown that studentswho have not had a positive science experience by the 5th grade have a low prob-ability of taking elective science or mathe-matics courses in later academic life. The

program, which combines a curriculum,classroom experiments, and simulation exer-cises, started in one school of the Gary,Indiana school district in the fall of 1997and expanded to all 22 district schools in1998. The NavOps submarine control roomsimulator and software were developed by asubmariner, CWO4 Fred Huddleston,USNR (ret.). He made sure it was realistic,stimulating, and fun, while delivering the“hands on” learning experience critical tounderstanding of science and technologyconcepts. Students are assessed not only ondevelopment of individual skill levels in sci-ence but also on their ability to work as ateam with a common goal. NavOps contin-ues to be the Gary district’s science programfor the 5th grade and is now in its seventhyear.

An analysis of the concept in the contextof the Greater Cincinnati/NorthernKentucky region indicated that NSSDCcould have an economic impact of over $20million annually. Additionally, as the onlyscience center for 150 miles in any direction,it would draw multiple visitor segments.These include regional and local visitors,national tourists, educational visitors attract-ed by the NavOps classes, and attendees ofmilitary reunions and special events. Afterthe concept had been defined, studied, andproposed on a contingent basis to the

by Tom Schram

Teaching Science Using Submarine Technology and the ex-USS Narwhal (SSN-671)

The “Radar/Sonar Officer” reports contactsto the OOD during a NavOps exercise inthe submarine simulator.

NSSDC is locateddirectly adjacentto Newport onthe Levee.


Science to LifeBringing


region—with a very positive response—wesought a location that would ensure a highprobability of success. The City of Newport,Kentucky, directly across the Ohio Riverfrom Cincinnati, agreed to donate an idealsite. It is on the river directly adjacent to alocal family entertainment center that drawsalmost four million visitors annually andincludes the Newport Aquarium.Additionally, the site can be seen fromalmost every seat in the new Cincin-natiReds venue, the Great American Ball-park,as well as from downtown Cincinnati andadjoining Ohio River communities.

The NSSDC concept and proposed loca-tion were persuasive, but asking for an SSN was highly unusual, and no formernuclear-powered submarine had ever beendonated previously. Designation of an actu-al SSN for the Center seemed necessary toattract financial backing. The Navy inacti-vated and defueled Narwhal at NewportNews in 1999 and towed her to PugetSound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) for scrap-ping. At the time, she was the only subma-rine realistically viable for potential declassi-fication and donation. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky submitted anamendment to the Defense AppropriationsAct via the Joint Conference Committee inAugust 2003 that would authorize theSecretary of the Navy to designate Narwahlfor NSSDC, provided that the latter couldmeet the Navy’s ship donation criteria. TheNavy had no objection to the proposed leg-islation, and President Bush signed it intolaw on September 30, 2003.

Transfer of Narwhal to NSSDC will be at no cost to the Navy other than what would normally be incurred in disposing of a typical SSN. In order toachieve declassification, the reactor compart-

ment and all equipment aft of it must becompletely removed. This essentially entailscutting the reactor compartment out of thehull. Narwahl will be displayed completelyout of the water, sitting on keel blocks or akeel cradle on the deck of a ballastable barge,similar to a floating drydock but with water-tight ends. We will insert a plug identical indimension to the reactor compartment toensure that the overall length remains thesame as it was when the boat was construct-ed. About 40 percent of the Narwahl’s hullwill be visible above the sides of the barge.

In the planned configuration, the spaceaft of the reactor compartment will beopen and used for displays, interactiveexhibits, or historical presentations. Accessto Narwahl from the barge deck will be viaa ramp leading to a double-door entrance-way onto a quarterdeck. Forward would bethe restored operations and bow sections,and nearby would be a building for otherelements of the Discovery Center.

The barge is needed to support the mod-ified hull structurally to facilitate towing it to Newport via the Panama Canal andthe Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, where a

vessel can draw only 10 feet, and to displayNarwhal at its final berth. Thus, thisocean-going barge must be capable ofbeing flooded down in a dry dock so thatthe submarine can be floated over it andpositioned onto the keel blocks or cradlefor modification and ultimate display. The entire project will cost approximately $60 million, with over half represented by “in-kind” contributions already com-mitted, such as the submarine itself, itsmodifications at Puget Sound NavalShipyard, and a donated berth location.Out-of-pocket costs are estimated at about$26 million and will be finalized fromengineering studies, economic analysis,and master planning.

Effort is proceeding on several fronts.NSSDC now has a brochure and videopackage to communicate the vision of our project. Marine Corps veteran andAcademy Award winning actor GeneHackman narrated the seven-minute video,“Bringing Science to Life!” on a pro bonobasis. This video focuses on the urgent needto build up our science education programsand how NSSDC will help to meet thisneed. Naval Sea Systems Command andPSNS are developing an engineering designpackage for the Narwhal modifications andNSSDC is expected to open on MemorialDay in 2007. To learn more about the proj-ect, please visit our web site at:http://www.NSSDC.us

Tom Schram is the Executive Director of theNational Submarine Science Discovery Center(NSSDC) in Newport, Kentucky and one of itsfounders. He served seven years as anIntelligence Officer (1610) after graduating from the Naval Academy in 1969. He spent 15years with Procter & Gamble before becoming an independent marketing consultant. He beganwork on this project in August of 2002.

Narwahl’s emergency generator room is currently insuperior condition. The planned configuration willinclude access to Narwahl from the barge deck via a ramp leading onto the quarterdeck and into therestored operations and bow sections.

The projected opening date for theproject is slated for 2007. Seen here is

an artist’s conception of the planneddiscovery center on the Ohio River.

Qualified For Command LCDR Andrew GainerUSS Florida (SSGN-728)

LCDR Brian Sittlow USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(B)

LCDR Charles Cone USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(G)

LCDR Christopher Buziak USS Olympia (SSN-717)

LCDR Christopher NashUSS Montpelier (SSN-765)

LCDR Dennis Robertson USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(B)

LCDR Douglas Adams USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

LCDR Eric Severseike USS Michigan (SSBN-727)

LCDR Justin Richards USS Alaska (SSBN-732)(B)

LCDR Kevin Schmidt USS Parche (SSN-683)

LCDR Lee Sisco USS La Jolla (SSN-701)

LCDR Michael Varney USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LCDR Richard Webb USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(B)

LT Gell Pittman USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(B)

Qualified SurfaceWarfare Supply Corps OfficerLT Erik Naley USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

LTJG Steven Peters USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

Qualified SurfaceWarfare MedicalDepartment OfficerCDR Rowland Mccoy USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

LCDR Lloyd Sloan USS Frank Cable (AS-40)


Downlink

PCU North Carolina Keel-laying Held in MayOn 22 May 2004 in Newport News, Virginia, Welder Stanley Britt permanently welds

the initials of Ship’s Sponsor Mrs. Linda Bowman during the keel laying ceremony ofPre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) North Carolina (SSN-777), the U.S. Navy’s newestVirginia-class submarine. PCU North Carolina is the 4th Virginia-class submarine tobegin construction, and is the 6th Navy vessel to be named North Carolina. The ship’ssponsor Mrs. Linda Bowman said, “For the submarine North Carolina, my hope is thatshe will sail in peace to keep us free. My assurance is that she will always be ready todefend that freedom whenever necessary.” The plate with her initials will be permanentlyaffixed to the stern of the ship.

Also in attendance were Assistant Secretary of the Navy Hansford T. Johnson, NorthCarolina Senator Elizabeth Dole, Navy Nuclear Reactors Director ADM Frank “Skip”Bowman, and Northrop Grumman President Thomas C. Schievelbein. The current construction schedule for North Carolina calls for the submarine’s launching in late 2005followed by commissioning in late 2007.

Phot

o by

JO1

Don

ald

P. R

ule

Changes of CommandUSS City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705)CDR Marc W. Denno relievedCDR Robert J. Schmidt

USS San Francisco (SSN-711)CDR Kevin G. Mooney RelievedCDR Paul A. Povlock

USS Michigan (SSGN-727) CDR Thomas Calabrese relievedCDR Dietrich Kuhlmann In a Crew Consolidation Ceremony

USS Georgia (SSGN-729)CDR John Tammen relievedCDR Chris Ratliff in a Crew Consolidation Ceremony

USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)(B)CDR Paul Skarpness relievedCDR Ronald Melampy

Command Stand-UpNaval Submarine Support Center (NSSC)Bangor Stand-Up – CDR Peter DawsonNSSC Bangor will be the central point inthe Northwest for submarine administrativeand support functions, with specific areas ofresponsibility to include personnel, medical,legal, chaplain, supply, combat systems,material, communications, and waterfrontoperations.

CSS-19 Stand-Up – CAPT Derek HesseCOMSUBRON-19 will oversee the opera-tional and pre-deployment training and cer-tification of assigned submarines and ensureeach is maintained at optimum readiness tosupport assigned missions. Ships assigned toCSS-19 are USS Georgia (SSGN-729), USSAlabama (SSBN-731), USS Alaska (SSBN-732), and USS Nevada (SSBN-733).

Qualified Surface Warfare OfficerENS George Grovner III USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

ENS Samuel Merritt USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

CWO2 David Moriarity USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

LTJG Bryan Robertson USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

CWO3 Raymond Spann USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

ENS Alex Torres USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

LT Lawrence Upchurch USS Frank Cable (AS-40)

CWO2 Clyde Wright USS Frank Cable (AS-40)


Downlink

Line Officer Qualifiedin SubmarinesLTJG Mike Amerine USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

LTJG David Amondson USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(B)

LTJG Daniel Attaway USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)(G)

LTJG David Bailey USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Charles Balka USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Brett Bateman USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(G)

LTJG Timothy Berthold USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716)

LTJG Richard Betancourt USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Kevin Boss USS Charlotte (SSN-766)

LTJG Todd BowieUSS Providence (SSN-719)

LTJG Kenneth BrandtUSS Pittsburgh (SSN-720)

LTJG William Bundy USS Portsmouth (SSN-707)

LTJG Robert Carr USS Greeneville (SSN-772)

LTJG Gregory Cizin USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(B)

LTJG Robert-Earl Clark USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716)

LTJG Kenneth CookeUSS Boise (SSN-764)

LTJG Jeffrey DegrootUSS Connecticut (SSN-22)

LTJG David Duke USS Portsmouth (SSN-707)

LT Brian Earp USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(B)

LTJG Alexander Fleming USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

LTJG Eugene Gard USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

LTJG Robert Garis USS Olympia (SSN-717)

LTJG Leete Garrett USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Robert Gautier USS Parche (SSN-683)

LTJG Christopher Gregson USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(G)

LTJG Steven Grossman USS Greeneville (SSN-772)

LTJG Nathan Hall USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(B)

LTJG Christopher Hall USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Curtis Hamilton USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(B)

LTJG William Harley USS Columbus (SSN-762)

LTJG Justin Hawkins USS Greeneville (SSN-772)

LTJG Christopher Hedrick USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

LTJG Marc Hensley USS Santa Fe (SSN-763)

LTJG Jonathan Higgins USS Michigan (SSGN-727)

LTJG Matthew Hoffmann USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(G)

LTJG Kenneth Holland USS Buffalo (SSN-715)

LTJG Keith Hout USS Alaska (SSBN-732)(G)

LTJG Corey Johnson USS Houston (SSN-713)

LTJG Christopher JohnsonUSS Maine (SSBN-741)

LTJG Sterling Jordan USS Pasadena (SSN-752)

LTJG Brian Kilburn USS Greeneville (SSN-772)

LT Jonathon Kim USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Eric KirlinUSS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (SON-

LTJG Karl Kraut USS Columbus (SSN-762)

LTJG Adam Kuehne USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(G)

LTJG Jason Labani USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)(G)

LT Toby LentzUSS Maine (SSN-)

LTJG William Lewis USS Helena (SSN-725)

LTJG Matthew Lewis USS Santa Fe (SSN-763)

LTJG Mark Longhi USS Tucson (SSN-770)

LTJG Matthew Luff USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(B)

LTJG Jeremy Mabe USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(B)

LTJG Jose Martinez USS Portsmouth (SSN-707)

LTJG Mark MitchellUSS Nebraska (SSBN-739)(G)

LTJG James Moffitt USS Honolulu (SSN-718)

LTJG Michael Monaghan USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)

LTJG Matthew Myers USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705)

LTJG Derrick O’Brien USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

LTJG Joseph Patterson USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

LTJG Michael PiasantUSS Maine (SSBN-741)(G)

LTJG Scott Pickford USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

LTJG Jeffery Poirier USS Greeneville (SSN-772)

LTJG Joshua PowersUSS Providence (SSN-719)

LTJG James Prouty USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(G)

LTJG Earon Rein USS Topeka (SSN-754)

LTJG Kevin RichardsonUSS Nebraska (SSBN-739)(G)

LTJG James Richie USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(B)

LTJG Marshall RiggalUSS San Juan (SSN-751)

LTJG Brandon ShaferUSS Maine (SSBN-741)(G)

LTJG Jason Smith USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(G)

LTJG Joshua Stewart USS Louisville (SSN-724)

LTJG Kevin StilowUSS Albany (SSN-753)

LTJG Steven Stivers USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(G)

LTJG Adam ThomasUSS Montpelier (SSN-765)

TJG Meng Tia USS Pasadena (SSN-752)

LTJG Craig Toney USS La Jolla (SSN-701)

LTJG Steven Van Cott USS Columbia (SSN-771)

LTJG Mark Vennekotter USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705)

LTJG Michael Vodehnal USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

LTJG Jonathan Ward USS Michigan (SSGN-727)

LT John Waterston USS Parche (SSN-683)

LTJG Michael Wilcheck USS Columbia (SSN-771)

LTJG Michael Winn USS La Jolla (SSN-701)

LT Joshua Wood USS Jefferson City (SSN-759)

LTJG Thomas Woodward USS Asheville (SSN-758)

LTJG Kurt Young USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(G)

LTJG Kevin YoungUSS Nebraska (SSBN-739)(G)

LTJG Daniel Zuckschwerdt USS Parche (SSN-683)

Limited Duty Officer Qualified In SubmarinesLT Michael Anderson USS Michigan (SSGN-727)

LCDR Edison Henry USS Dolphin (AGSS-555)

LT Nicholas Milano USS Michigan (SSGN-727)

LTJG Dean Whitehouse COMSUBRON-1

Supply Corps Officer Qualified In SubmarinesENS Michael Aldrich USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)(G)

ENS Benjamin Powell USS Greeneville (SSN-772

LTJG Christopher Seifert USS Asheville (SSN-758


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Mine-hunting SubmersibleSupports 5th Fleet Exercise

Target Tests ASW Sensors and WeaponsThis test platform, formally titled Weapon Set-To-hit Threat Target (WSTTT),

was developed in San Diego to support Operational Test and Evaluation Force(OPTEVFOR) operations used to test Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) sensorsand weapons. It can be lowered and raised from a surface support platform, buthas no dedicated propulsion system. The platform allows unarmed ASW torpe-does to impact the vessel without damage.

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Photos by PH1 Bart A. Bauer

(right) AT3 Cassie Gibson guides an AN/AQS-14 mine detection submersible unit back

onto its cradle on the ramp of an MH-53 SeaDragon assigned to the “Blackhawks” of

Helicopter Mine Countermeasures SquadronOne Five (HM-15) during mine-hunting

missions as part a bilateral exercise with acountry in the 5th Fleet theater. The

exercise tested a number or warfare areas,include mine counter measures, anti-air,

surface and submarine, electronic and explosive ordinance disposal.

(left) AT3 Gibson and AM1 Jeffery Osborne securethe AN/AQS-14 submersible after recovering it onthe ramp of an MH-53 Sea Dragon.


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The attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN-711) escorted by two harbor tugs, returns to Apra Harbor, Guam, after a five-month deployment. San Francisco isattached to Submarine Squadron 15, which is forward-deployed and is homeportedin the U.S. territory of Guam.

San Francisco Returns to GuamPh

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Tucson Deploys to the Western Pacific

USS Tucson (SSN-770) CommandingOfficer CDR James Pitts (center) andmembers of this navigation detailman the boat’s sail as they departPear Harbor, Hawaii. Tucson the 59thof 62 Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarines is deploying to the Western Pacific.

Photo by JO3 Corwin Colbert

apparent defects in the main induction valve, Fox’s preoccupation with the balkyKingstons, and the unexpected failure of thehigh-pressure pump – in exonerating bothcaptain and crew. The court commendedCooke and his men for their conduct afterthe sinking and suggested a suitable gestureof appreciation to the gallant merchant seamen who had come to S-5’s aid.Subsequently, the Secretary of the Navyrewarded Captains Johnson and Swinson,and engineers Jakobsen, Grace, andMcWilliams for their part in the rescue. Inmore far-reaching actions, the Navy orderedmajor modifications to the main inductionsystem on the S-class boats and beganrequiring an automated indicator board onsubmarines “the Christmas tree” that wouldshow the status of all hull openings beforesubmergence.

Savvy Cooke served in the Navy for near-ly 30 more years and retired as a full admi-ral in 1948. During this period, he com-manded Submarine Division 11 in the early1930s and the battleship USS Pennsylvania(BB-38) during the Pearl Harbor attack,when the ship was in drydock and sufferedlittle damage. Later in World War II, as anadvisor to allied forces, he went ashore as anobserver at Normandy on D-Day, and afterthe final victory, he served for two years asCommander, Seventh Fleet. Cooke died in1970 and is buried in Arlington NationalCemetery.

Dr. Whitman is the Senior Editor of UNDERSEAWARFARE Magazine.

Bibliography:The most thorough and well-researched account of the S-5

disaster is found in A.J. Hill, Under Pressure The Final Voyage ofSubmarine S-Five, Free Press, 2002

Dictionary of American. Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS),“Submarines” (1959-1991)

Friedman, Norman, U.S. Submarines Through 1945 AnIllustrated Design History, U.S. Naval Institute Press (1995)

1 Additionally, USS H-1 (SS-28) grounded off Baja Californiain March 1920, and four men drowned attempting to reachshore. During this same era, five other boats suffered relativelyserious mishaps, including fires, explosions, and sinkings at thepier, with a total of 14 lives lost. 2 During subsequent salvage operations, this circle of hull plat-ing was retrieved, and it is now on display at the Navy Museumin the Washington Navy Yard. 3 The Navy made sporadic attempts to salvage S-5 betweenOctober 1920 and the following August, but engineering diffi-culties and evidence of serious internal damage led eventuallyto abandoning the boat where she lay on the bottom. The hulkremains there today, of significant interest to scuba divers, whovisit the site regularly.

Those in Perilcontinued from page 38

Qualified NuclearEngineer OfficerLTJG George Arnett USS Houston (SSN-713)

LTJG Daniel Attaway USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)(G)

LTJG Jonathan Beard USS Michigan (SSBN-727)

LTJG Kevin Boss USS Charlotte (SSN-766)

LTJG Benjamin Britt USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(B)

LT William Brooks USS Asheville (SSN-758)

LTJG Robert Carr USS Greeneville (SSN-772)

LTJG Philip Castellano USS Asheville (SSN-758)

LTJG Vincent Chen USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716)

LTJG Hyun Chun USS Ohio (SSBN-726)

LT Gregory Corder USS Helena (SSN-725)

LT Roger Cortesi USS Pasadena (SSN-752)

LTJG Gustave Dahl USS Georgia (SSBN-729)(B)

LTJG Martin Dillon USS Georgia (SSBN-729)

LTJG Jean Domercant USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)

LTJG Eric Engelbrecht USS Georgia (SSBN-729)(B)

LTJG Bryan Farmer USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(G)

LTJG James Farrow USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

LTJG Ryan Frommelt USS Jefferson City (SSN-759)

LTJG Marcus Gioe USS Chicago (SSN-721)

LTJG David Grogan USS City Of Corpus Christi (SSN-705)

LTJG Kostas Hatzidakis USS Portsmouth (SSN-707)

LTJG Ian Hildreth USS Columbia (SSN-771)

LTJG Gregory Johnson USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(B)

LTJG Douglas Jonart USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(G)

LTJG Charles Kelly USS Tucson (SSN-770)

LTJG Joshua King USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)

LTJG Gregory Klos USS Ohio (SSGN-726)

LTJG Jason Labani USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)(G)

LTJG Joseph May USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)(G)

LTJG Ramon Medina USS Jefferson City (SSN-759)

LTJG Michael Mercado USS Asheville (SSN-758)

LTJG Roger Montgomery USS H. M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(B)

LTJG Timothy Newberry USS Ohio (SSGN-726)

LTJG Joseph Nold USS Helena (SSN-725)

LTJG Michael Palmieri USS Louisville (SSN-724)

LTJG David Payne USS Alabama (SSBN-731)(G)

LTJG Wendel Penetrante USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

LTJG Jason Pepin USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(G)

LT Deryk Petersen USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(G)

LTJG David Pray USS Jefferson City (SSN-759)

LT Kenneth Princen USS Parche (SSN-683)

LTJG James Prouty USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(G)

LTJG William Reed USS La Jolla (SSN-701)

LTJG Thomas Resig USS Alaska (SSBN-732)(B)

LTJG Warren Ross USS Charlotte (SSN-766)

LTJG Matthew Schell USS Buffalo (SSN-715)

LT Micah Smith USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

LTJG Steven Stivers USS Nevada (SSBN-733)(G)

LTJG Jesse Stoffel USS Michigan (SSGN-727)

LTJG Nicholas Stojanovich USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

LTJG Matthew Sutphen USS Ohio (SSGN-726)

LTJG Michael Thomas USS Honolulu (SSN-718)

LTJG Scott Thompson USS Ohio (SSGN-726)

LTJG Mark Tschechtelin USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

LTJG Joseph Viera USS Tucson (SSN-770)

LTJG Jon Walkwitz USS Tucson (SSN-770)

LTJG Jamie Weigandt USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(B)

LTJG Isak Wold USS Louisville (SSN-724

LT Timothy Yanik USS Louisville (SSN-724)


Downlink

Commander, U.S. Second Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic and Naval Forces North FleetEast, VADM Gary Roughead (right) rings the opening bell at the American Stock Exchange,during the 17th Annual Fleet Week in New York. Commander, Submarine Group Ten, RADMJeffrey B. Cassias (center) and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the American StockExchange Salvatore F. Sodano, look on. Over 4,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen on12 ships participated in this year’s Fleet Week.

Photo by PHAN Quintero

COMSUBGRU 10 Opens American Stock Exchange During Fleet Week


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Special Recognitions2004 Society of ProfessionalHispanic Engineers Award Winners

Hispanic In Technology Government AwardLCDR Eduardo Fernandez, Executive OfficerUSS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)(B)

Most Promising EngineerLCDR Edward Robledo, EngineerUSS Maryland (SSBN-738)(B)

Copernicus AwardETCS Tony Smith (SUBPAC)

Congratulations to USS Frank Cable (AS-40) for LargeSea Winner in the 2003 Project Good NeighborFlagship Award. The Project Good Neighbor Awardsrecognize shore, sea, and overseas commands for out-standing community service projects by presentingawards in five flagship sponsor categories: PersonalExcellence Partnership; Health, Safety, and Fitness;Project Good Neighbor; Campaign Drug Free; andEnvironmental Stewardship.

Congratulations To USS Salt Lake City and USS fortheir selection as Winner And Runner Up, respectively,in the 2004 Ney Food Service Awards Competition.

Winner USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716)LTJG Ruminski, Supply Officer (D)ENS Wilson, Supply Officer (R)CSC Thompson, LCPOCS1 TuckerCS2 DabneyCS2 StephensCS3 MartinCS3 MooreCSSN UsherCSSN Williams

Runner-UpUSS Honolulu (SSN-718)LTJG Mina, Supply Officer (D)LTJG Mark, Supply Officer, (R)CSC Gardner, LCPOCS1 NevergallCS2 DegraffCS2 MortonCS3 MedinaCS3 StewartCSSN BozemanCSSN TattersSN MontgomerySN Parker

CDR David Kirk relieves CDRMichael Jabaley as commandingofficer of USS Louisville (SSN-724) in a change of commandceremony at the Pearl HarborNaval Station submarine piers.

Kirk relieves Jabaley as USS Louisville Commanding Officerby JO3 Corwin Colbert, USN

CDR David Kirk relieved CDR Michael Jabaley as commanding officer of USSLouisville (SSN-724) in a change of command ceremony on 5 August at the PearlHarbor Naval Station submarine piers.

CAPT William Toti, Commander Submarine Squadron Three, presented Jabaley withthe Meritorious Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service as commandingofficer of USS Louisville.

Afterwards, Jabaley, who led the crew in receiving the Pacific Fleet Retention HonorRoll for the year 2003, Squadron Three’s Battle Efficiency award, and the Navy UnitCommendation for its role in fighting the Global War on Terrorism, expressed his deepappreciation for a successful tour and welcomed the new CO.

Jabaley’s next command will be Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet,Tactical Readiness Evaluation team.

Kirk, most recently assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff as chief of operations division,expressed his enthusiasm for his new tour and new crew.

“I promise you have my undivided attention and we will continue the proud USS Louisville tradition you have established under CDR. Jabaley, of rising to everyoccasion and carrying out every mission. I look forward to working with and getting toknow each of you in the years ahead.”

Heading Northcontinued from page 19

will suffer communication blackouts for a much shorter period of time than we previously thought.

Although not a tactical mission in thepure sense, the Hono team seized everyopportunity to maintain their sharp tacti-cal skills. During passes of Little DiomedeIsland in the Bering Strait and AmutkaIsland in the Aleutian Island chain, weexercised our ability to conduct covertreconnaissance, including a photo run pastboth islands.

Just as USS Connecticut (SSN-22) con-firmed in early 2003, operating submarinesin the Arctic adds value – to both theSubmarine Force and the Navy. Mostdirectly, it serves to keep a ready sea-laneopen for moving submarines between theAtlantic and Pacific fleets much faster andmore securely than transiting the PanamaCanal. Maintaining periodic presence inthe Arctic prevents our unique under-iceskills from atrophying. Missions likeHonolulu’s (as the first first-flight 688 sub-marine) and Connecticut’s (as the firstSeawolf-class submarine) provide valuablelessons-learned in operating procedures.And they give our leaders the confidence tosend older first-flight 688’s a large percent-age of the Submarine Force and new classesof submarines into and through the Arcticregion. Indirectly the Arctic serves as theultimate proving ground for operating sub-marines. No place is tougher and moredemanding for a crew than operating in thehigh Arctic. There is certainly no place witha lower margin for error. Undoubtedly, theHono team is a better group of operators asa result of their time under the ice.

In the end, the first-flight 688 proved tobe a tough ship and a very capable platformfor arctic operations. Honolulu’s run dis-pelled some myths and alleviated many offears and concerns about operating thesesubmarines – not originally designed forunder-ice operations – in the deep Arcticregion. There are good reasons, bothexplicit and implicit, for the SubmarineForce to be active in the Arctic, and thereare still discoveries to be made. The Honocrew was proud and honored to have fur-thered this understanding and contributedto the discovery.

CDR Harris is the Commanding Officer of USS Honolulu (SSN-718)

UNDERSEA WARFARE is online at: www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/n87/mag.html

ShipsAtSea

On The BackNathaniel Greene (SSBN-636) Underway, March 29, 1965, for 21st Polaris shot. By Edward “Ted”Terhune Wilbur. USS Nathaniel Greene (SSBN-636), a James Madison-class ballistic submarine, was commis-sioned in 1964 and was the only ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for the major general of the ContinentalArmy during the American Revolutionary War. CAPT Ted Wilbur, (USN) Ret., is a naval aviator and combatartist, with more than 6,000 flying hours, including time in aircraft from the F4U Corsair to jet fighters andmulti-engine aircraft. His work has appeared in many magazines and his paintings have hung in the NationalAir & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. and are part of the U.S. Navy’s permanent collection of art. He isformer Editor and Publisher of Naval Aviation News magazine and is an artist fellow of the American Societyof Aviation Artists. He is currently a contributing artist for Naval Aviation News magazine, most notably asillustrator of the long-running feature “Grampaw Pettibone”

(far left) Dallas departsSouda Bay following abrief port visit. Dallas ishomeported in Groton,CT, and is currently on a routine deployment.

(left) MA2 Ryan Carverreleases the bowline onDallas as the boat getsunderway.

Dry Deck Shelter Adds SOFCapabilities to USS DallasPhotos by Paul Farley

MASA Nathan Hastings scans the surrounding area while standing a pier security watch as the crew of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Dallas (SSN-700) prepares to get underway from Souda Bay, Crete.Commissioned in 1981, Dallas is the first Los Angeles-class submarine tohave a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS). Dry Deck Shelters provide specially config-ured nuclear- powered submarines with a greater capability for deployingSpecial Operations Forces (SOF). DDSs can transport, deploy, and recoverSOF teams from Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts (CRRCs) or SEAL DeliveryVehicles (SDVs), all while remaining submerged. In an era of littoral warfare, this capability substantially enhances the combat flexibility of both the submarine and SOF personnel.

Nathaniel Greene (SSBN-636) Underway, March 29, 1965, for 21st Polaris shot

By Edward “Ted” Terhune Wilbur