sometime in May 1968. Most likely cause appears to be an explosion.
SCRAM Safety Control Reactor Axe Man. Term given to the man at the University of Chicago, where the first nuclear core was tested, who was responsible for cutting the rope holding the control rods should something go wrong. The method of inserting control rods has changed considerably, but the term has been retained. With a rapid insertion of control rods the reactor will be made subcritical and will no longer support a sustained nuclear fission reaction.
SEAL SEa-Air-Land. U.S. Navy special forces/commando units.
Seawolf Second U.S. Navy SSN (SSN 575). It is also the class name for the new SSN 21 submarine presently under construction at Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut.
SHF Super High Frequency.
SHP Shaft HorsePower.
Shutter door The outer door of a torpedo tube.
Sierra I & II SSN Third generation of Soviet SSNs. The Sierras are quiet, deep-diving submarines. The pressure hull is made of titanium, which makes Sierra expensive to build. This is reflected in the fact that only four have been built to date. The shipyard that produces Sierras is reportedly going out of the submarine construction business, so four units may be the total class size.
Signal ejector A small (usually 3-inch) torpedo tube-like system for launching flares, noisemakers, and torpedo decoys.
SINS Ship's Inertial Navigation System. A set of gyroscopes that monitor the submarine's position from an established reference point in space.
SLBM Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile.
SLOT Submarine-Launched One-Way Transmitter.
SNAPS Smith Navigation And Plotting System. The navigation and plotting tables used on Royal Navy ships and submarines.
Snapshot Term used to describe the procedure for launching a torpedo in an emergency situation. In a snapshot the submarine crew doesn't have time to conduct TMA but simply shoots a torpedo down the bearing of an incoming weapon or a close contact. Rapid reaction is the basis of the snapshot mode.
SOAC U.S. Navy Submarine Officers Advanced Course.
SOBC U.S. Navy Submarine Officers Basic Course.
Sonar SOund Navigation And Ranging.
SOSUS SOund SUrveillance System. A series of fixed passive sonar arrays used by NATO to provide early warning of deployments into the open ocean of former Soviet submarines.
Sound isolation mount Springlike mount that absorbs machinery vibration by being stretched and relaxed. The vibration energy needed to move the mount doesn't reach the hull and therefore can't be transmitted into the ocean. These mounts are usually made of metal and rubber, although the Royal Navy prefers a polymer-type spring mount.
Spearfish Royal Navy's torpedo equivalent to the Mk 48 ADCAP. Although noisier than the Tigerfish, the Spearfish is faster, with greater endurance and improved homing logic.
SRA Short Range Attack. A mode of firing the Mk 48 torpedo to accommodate a target that is very close to the attacking ship.
SS Diesel-electric attack submarine.
SSBN Strategic ballistic missile submarine, nuclear powered.
SSGN Nuclear-guided (cruise) missile submarine.
SSM Surface-to-Surface Missile. Also used in reference to antiship cruise missiles.
SSN Attack submarine, nuclear powered.
SSK Diesel-electric submarine, hunter-killer.
SS-N-9 Siren Antiship cruise missile on Russian Charlie II-class SSGNs. Range is about 60 nautical miles.
SS-N-14 Silex Russian ASW missile that deploys a torpedo or nuclear depth bomb. Its range is about 30 nautical miles.
SS-N-18 Stingray Submarine-launched ballistic missile on Russian Delta III SSBNs.
SS-N-19 Shipwreck Antiship cruise missile on Russian Oscar-class SSGNs. Range is about 300 nautical miles.
SS-N-20 Sturgeon Submarine-launched ballistic missile on Russian Typhoon SSBNs.
SS-N-23 Skiff Submarine-launched ballistic missile on Russian Delta IV SSBNs.
START STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
Steinke hood Combination breathing device and life preserver used during free ascents from a sunken U.S. submarine.
