Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship

MISSING YOU. ILY. JANE

Once the Familygram has been placed into a drop box at the boat's home base of Groton, Connecticut, it is reviewed by personnel at the submarine group for any security problems or personal bad news. Occasionally the message will be returned for an edit or suggested change. As a general rule, no 'Dear John' letters or bad news (death, illness, etc.) will be transmitted to the boat.

In addition, when the ship's office on Miami receives the Familygram, the personnel will also look over the messages and forward any that look like problems to the captain or executive officer for disposition. The Navy is quite conscious of the sacrifices of those who choose to love and live with submariners, and tries to close ranks whenever there is trouble. As it is, the majority of submariners I have met treasure the Familygrams they have received over the years on cruise. In these notes are news of babies on the way and babies born, birthdays and first words. For the men aboard Miami and all U.S. submarines, the Familygram with its 'ILY' (I Love You) greeting is the only news they want to hear. It is their sole lifeline to home and 'the world.'

One of the ways the Navy helps the crew keep their minds off their homes and loved ones is to work them very hard. Every day the officers and men stand watches, maintain equipment, and study. This studying, known as qualifying, takes up almost all the 'free' time of a submarine sailor. Since the days of World War II, when the sub force had to expand rapidly, the Navy has always pushed its submariners to gain knowledge and move up in the ranks. There is a ship's library, and video movies on the closed-circuit system, but these tend to be left alone in deference to a sailor's or officer's qualification book. In the enlisted mess, there is frequently a class running in what is known as 'the school of the boat.' During a visit to Miami the chiefs were running an orientation program on the boat's reactor plant-all of this while stores were being packed away and lunch being served.

Another function is the ritual of drills. One of the best ways to keep the skills of the crew honed and their minds sharp is to run daily drills simulating responses to various emergency and combat situations. These may range from fire drills (which are run every day or so) to simulated reactor restarts, to chemical spills ('Otto Fuel spill in the torpedo room' is a favorite!), and tracking drills. The drills are an excellent way to keep the crew from getting bored, and the words 'Drill Period' on the boat's plan of the day are both hated and cherished by the crew for the difficult tasks this brings, and the confidence it builds.

^{A sailor of the USS Miami operates the ballast control panel while wearing an emergency air breathing (EAB) mask during a firefighting drill. JOHN D. GRESHAM}

The fire drills are quite interesting to watch. Without the facilities and equipment back home at Street Hall in Groton, the chiefs on the Miami are hard pressed to simulate the effects of such emergencies. For example, say there is a fire in one of the machinery spaces. The XO and his fire response team move to the compartment where the exercise is being conducted, with all the equipment they would use if the emergency was real. There the fire team find the drill supervision team equipped with gray tablecloths (to simulate smoke), and they must perform to the ship's accepted standards.

Other normal day-to-day functions take on some interesting bents on the Miami. Just aft of the drink machines is the ship's laundry, which hardly seems worthy of the title. At about the size of a phone booth, it has a tiny washer and dryer that would hardly be satisfactory in an apartment unit. Here it serves the needs of over 130 officers and men.

Even taking the garbage out has its exotic aspects. Just forward of the enlisted mess on the starboard side is the compartment containing the Trash Disposal Unit (TDU). The compartment contains the TDU (which looks like a small torpedo tube going through the floor), a garbage compactor, a large sheet metal roller, and the supplies necessary to dispose of the garbage produced by 132 men for several months.

How this is done is actually quite fascinating. The first step is to roll a 'garbage can' out of pierced sheet metal. This can is placed in the trash compactor and filled with garbage. Usually the Miami generates two to three cans a day. When the time comes to dispose of them, each can has a couple of lead weights added to it and is sealed. Then the sonar crew does a complete check of the area to make sure nothing is around that might hear the operation. Because of the noise the cans make as they rattle down the TDU ejector tube, it is normal policy to store full cans if the boat is in a tactical situation requiring extreme stealth. In this case, the cans are stored in one of the refrigerated spaces to keep the smell down. When it's time to eject the cans, the cover to the TDU is opened, and a circular cake of ice is placed inside to protect the ball valve at the bottom. The can is placed on top of the ice, the TDU cover is closed, and the can is ejected much like a torpedo.

^{A Miami crew member shows off the Navy infrared thermal imager (NIFTI) used to locate fires and downed personnel in the heavy smoke that would be generated by a fire onboard. JOHN D. GRESHAM}

The daily life on board the Miami is filled with many of the kinds of things that go on anywhere that many men are packed together to do a very tough job. The boat becomes a place of quiet, with words whispered and steps taken lightly. And on those occasions when a difficult mission or operation comes along, the boat continues the same kind of routine, only more so. Anything that makes noise, even routine maintenance, is deferred to keep the noise down.

And how do we reward such devotion? By saying 'Well done,' and giving them more of the same to do. The life of a submariner is one of a private and personal pride, the kind that comes from being part of an elite club that you cannot buy or beg your way into, and you have to perform 'above and beyond' just to stay in.

And then there is the ultimate reward of returning these men to their families and homes. It is said that when a boat is going back to base, the engineers in the machinery spaces have a special setting for 'going home.' If you have ever seen the incredible spectacle of a warship returning its men to the land, you know why. Every wife and girl-friend has her best on for her man, many with new babies and older children under their arms. If you ever want to know why they do it, look at the loved ones they leave behind in the knowledge that their sacrifices protect those they love most.

America can take pride in the sacrifices of these men and their loved ones over the last forty-five years of SSN operations. Pride for a job well done. Pride in what they are. And pride in what they will do in the future.

The British Boats: A Tour of HMS Triumph (S-93)

After the United States, the largest builder and operator of nuclear submarines in the western world is the United Kingdom. Currently the British operate a force of twelve SSNs and four SSBNs. In addition, they also operate a small force of four diesel attack submarines. While this may seem like a minor force compared to that operated by the United States, the British fulfill an important role in the structure of NATO. In addition, since they are located much closer to potential points of conflict in Europe and Africa, the responsiveness of their submarine force is multiplied far beyond their small numbers.

If you were to travel throughout the world and talk to submarine captains, and the captains of the surface ships who might have to oppose them, and ask them whose submarines they most fear, you might be surprised. For while everyone deeply respects the Americans with their technologically and numerically superior submarine force, they all quietly fear the British. Note that I use the word fear. Not just respect. Not just awe. But real fear at what a British submarine, with one of their superbly qualified captains at the helm, might be capable of doing.