Posted on Sep 12, 2019
US Navy's oldest nuclear-powered attack sub completes final deployment
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Submarines
Submarines
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I worked on a lot of these LA class attack subs in my second career at newport news shipyard where most of them are built.
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They should strip the military hardware out, replace it all with scientific instruments and turn it over to the N.O.A.A. We could learn more about what's going on under the Oceans of the world.
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CDR William Kramer
Not a practical way to go.
1. Submarines are designed, built and guaranteed for a specific life and most important is the hull withstanding the enormous pressure when diving. Each time the boat dives, it "flexes" and just like a paperclip that you bend back and forth, there is a point where the metal weakens and eventually fails. While the submarine's hull is very strong, it does degrade over the course of decades and hundreds of dives.
2. The nuclear power plant does consume the power within the core and refueling/replacing the core takes a very long time and lots of money. Money that NOAA does not have.
3. People - The nuclear and non-nuclear folks that run the submarine have a particular skill set that the current NOAA corps does not and getting the proper skills into NOAA would require and major expansion of NOAA just to keep one submarine
By the way, what makes you think that the submarines run by the Navy aren't already providing ocean data to NOAA? I can assure you that Navy Surface ships provide a lot of data that NOAA uses
1. Submarines are designed, built and guaranteed for a specific life and most important is the hull withstanding the enormous pressure when diving. Each time the boat dives, it "flexes" and just like a paperclip that you bend back and forth, there is a point where the metal weakens and eventually fails. While the submarine's hull is very strong, it does degrade over the course of decades and hundreds of dives.
2. The nuclear power plant does consume the power within the core and refueling/replacing the core takes a very long time and lots of money. Money that NOAA does not have.
3. People - The nuclear and non-nuclear folks that run the submarine have a particular skill set that the current NOAA corps does not and getting the proper skills into NOAA would require and major expansion of NOAA just to keep one submarine
By the way, what makes you think that the submarines run by the Navy aren't already providing ocean data to NOAA? I can assure you that Navy Surface ships provide a lot of data that NOAA uses
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SPC John Decker
CDR William Kramer - 1. I was unaware of this. Is that class of sub at or beyond its life expectancy (just asking)? 2. Perfectly acceptable deterrent to my idea. 3. Aside from 1. & 2., would it not be possible to use former Navy personnel, on the assigned vessel?
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CDR William Kramer
Each sub is tracked separately but when they are this far into their service life, there just won't be a lot of hull life left. You could use former Navy personnel but the actual NOAA corps is very small and most of the people on their ships are merchant seamen on contract to the US Govt and the crews are structured very differently with only a few crewpeople who only operate, not do maintenance. That is why most of their ships are diesel powered. Nukes require a lot of people to operate and constant maintenance. You'd be looking at totally different people and a business/operating model that is totally different from anything that NOAA has now.
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SPC John Decker
CDR William Kramer - Thanks for the info. As with many things, not a bad idea, on the surface. Dig a little, things get more complicated.
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They are fantastic boats. I am sure the Virginia Class boats replacing the LA Class have to be deadly.
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