Read SSN: A Strategy Guide to Submarine Warfare Page 27
Speed (knots): 19 (submerged)
Number in class: 2
Users: Italy
Comments: Slight hull modifications over the Nazario Sauro class. The Salvatore Pelosi class also has an improved combat system to allow the launch of sub-Harpoon missiles.
Nazario Sauro (Italian). JACK RYAN ENTERPRISES, LTD.
Class name: Nazario Sauro
Producer (country/manufacturer): Italy/C.R.D.A and Italcantiere
Machinery: Diesel-electric drive with one 7-bladed screw; 4,270 SHP
Speed (knots): 19 (submerged)
Number in class: 4
Users: Italy
Comments: Basically improved versions of the Enrico Toti boats that preceded them. Nice little boats designed for operations in the narrows of the seas surrounding Italy.
Machinery: Diesel-electric drive with one 7-bladed screw; ? SHP
Speed (knots): 19 (submerged)
Number in class: 0 + 2
Users: Italy
Comments: Follow-on to the Primo Longobardo class. Design differences include greater endurance and depth capability. Design not finalized, and changes could occur.
Glossary
1MC Main shipwide announcing circuit on U.S. submarines.
ADCAP ADvanced CAPability. Newest version of the Mark 48 torpedo on board U.S. submarines.
AFFF Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam.
Akula SSN A third-generation Russian design competing with the Sierra I and II classes, the Akula appears to be the overall winner. This boat is very quiet, equivalent to a U.S. Flight I 688, and is equipped with acoustic and nonacoustic sensors. Largest SSN class in production. How large the class size will be is unknown, but at present there are seven Akulas in the Russian inventory.
AN/BPS-15A Navigation radar on many U.S. SSNs.
AN/BQQ-5 (A-E) Integrated sonar suite on most U.S. SSNs. The different variants include improvements in signal process and/or different sonar arrays.
AN/BSY-1 Integrated sonar and fire control system on Improved Los Angeles-class SSNs.
AN/WLR-8(V)2 Radar warning receiver on 688I-class SSNs.
AN/WLR-9 Acoustic intercept receiver found on U.S. Navy submarines.
AN/WLR-10 Radar warning receiver with recording capability on 688-class SSNs.
Anechoic coating Rubber coating applied to the exterior hull surfaces of a submarine to absorb active sonar pulses. Reduces the detectability by active sonars. Some coatings also reduce the amount of noise a submarine puts into the water; these are called decoupling coatings.
Angles and dangles Test conducted by a submarine to ensure that everything is stowed properly before beginning its mission. The procedure calls for making large up-and-down movements with the submarine as well as using large rudder angles at moderate speeds.
ASDIC Allied Submarine Detection Investigation Committee. Formed during World War I (1914-18) to conduct research and experiments on submarine detection.
ASW AntiSubmarine Warfare.
AUTEC Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center. An acoustic test range located off Andros Island in the Bahamas.
Bastions Highly defended SSBN patrol areas. Established by the former Soviet Union, now used by Russia to protect their SSBNs from attack by Western SSNs.
Blue/gold crew The policy of having two alternating crews aboard strategic missile submarines.
BOL (Bearing Only Launch) Launch mode for Harpoon and Tomahawk antiship missiles that doesn’t require range information. Essentially the missile seeker is activated once cruising altitude is reached.
Bomb shop Royal Navy term for the torpedo room on submarines.
Bombers Royal Navy nickname for strategic missile submarines.
Boomers U.S. Navy nickname for strategic missile submarines.
Bottom bounce Term used to describe the route taken by sound waves as they bounce off the ocean bottom traveling from the noise source to the sonar receiver. For example, the noise source could be an active sonar pulse that bounces off the bottom and hits the target ship; then the echo bounces off the bottom again and is received by the sonar.
Breech door Inner door of a torpedo tube.
Bridge Small observation area on top of the fairwater. The OOD stands his watch here when the submarine is on the surface.
Buttercup U.S. Navy term for the “wet” or flooding trainer.
Cavitation The formation of tiny vapor (air) bubbles on the surface of a propeller when the propeller moves through the water rapidly. Cavitation is a source of very loud noise.
CENTCOM U.S. CENTral COMmand.
CH 084 Multifunction attack periscope on Royal Navy SSNs.
Choke point Geographical restriction that limits the maneuverability of a ship or submarine.
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States (formerly the Soviet Union).
CK 034 Multifunction search periscope on Royal Navy SSNs.
Clyde U.S. Navy nickname for the auxiliary diesel engine.
CO Commanding Officer. Title given to an officer in command of a ship. Often called “Captain” or “Skipper.”
COB Chief of the Boat. Senior enlisted man in the submarine’s crew. Usually a senior or master chief petty officer. Interfaces directly with the XO on issues that affect the enlisted personnel. The Royal Navy equivalent is the coxswain.
COMINT COMmunications INTelligence.
COMSUBLANT COMmander, SUBmarine Force AtLANTic.
COMSUBPAC COMmander, SUBmarine Force PACific.
Conform Name of a Navsea-designed SSN in competition with Admiral Rickover’s 688 design.
Control room Area on a U.S. Navy submarine where the submarine’s ship control, fire control, and periscopes are located. All major submarine functions are controlled from this location. The OOD stands his watch here when the submarine is submerged. In communications the area is referred to as the conn.
Convergence Zone (CZ) Phenomenon whereby, if the water is deep enough, water pressure turns sound waves up toward the surface. This occurs at intervals of roughly 30 nautical miles. Multiple CZ contacts are possible when the sound bounces off the surface and heads back down, eventually to be turned back upward again by the pressure.
COW Chief of the Watch. Leading enlisted man in control during a watch. Operates the ballast control panel to dive and surface the submarine and makes trim corrections when directed by the diving officer.
CVBG Aircraft Carrier Battle Group.
Delta I to IV SSBNs The Russian Delta series of SSBNs is an ongoing variant of the basic Yankee-class SSBN design. Almost all variations are determined by the type of SLBM being carried. The latest variant, the Delta IV, also incorporates quieting and sensor enhancements. A total of forty-three Deltas have been built.
Direct path Term used to describe the route that sound waves take from noise source to sonar system without interacting with the surface or the ocean floor. Roughly speaking, it is considered to be the straight-line distance between the two vessels.
DNR Director, Naval Reactors
Dolphins Symbol of the submarine force in just about every nation. Also, the badge or pin that designates a sailor as qualified in submarines.
Dreadnought (S-98) First Royal Navy SSN. Essentially a U.S. Skipjack-class back end mated to a Royal Navy front end.
DSMAC Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlation. A second Tomahawk land attack missile navigation system used to improve the accuracy of the conventional variants. Uses a cameralike system to make detailed digital pictures of the terrain and compares
them with stored images in the guidance computer.
DSRV Deep-Submergence Rescue Vehicle. A small rescue submersible designed to dock with a sunken submarine and retrieve the crew.
EAB Emergency Air Breathing system. A low-pressure air system that crewmen can plug in to and obtain breathable—although dry—air. This system is to provide a source of air while a submarine ventilates to get rid of the smoke from a fire.
Echo SSN A first-generation Soviet nuclear-powered submarine, it originally was designed as an SSGN (Echo I class), but the tubes were removed and the units converted to SSNs. These submarines were noisy and had extremely unsafe radiation problems. All have been retired because of their poor safety record. A total of six units were built.
Electric Boat Company The company started by John Holland to produce submarines for the U.S. Navy. Presently owned by General Dynamics Corporation.
ELF Extremely Low Frequency radio band.
Emergency blow Process by which high-pressure air is rapidly introduced directly into the submarine’s main ballast tanks. An emergency blow makes the submarine positively buoyant, and it will rise to the surface quite quickly. This system was instituted as part of the Subsafe program following the loss of the USS Thresher.
Enigma World War II German communication cipher (encryption) system.
EOOW Engineering Officer of the Watch. Officer in charge of the team that is monitoring and manipulating the submarine’s reactor and propulsion system. Key responsibility is to maintain propulsion in a safe manner.
ESM Electronic Support Measures. A passive receiver system designed to detect radar emissions from aircraft and surface ships.
Ethan Allen (SSBN 608) First U.S. Navy SSBN class designed to carry Polaris missiles. Larger than the George Washington class, the Ethan Allen class has more quieting measures to improve stealth. A total of five units were built.
Exocet Antiship cruise missile made by the French firm Aerospatiale. Slightly smaller than a Harpoon but just as deadly.
Fairwater U.S. Navy term for the sail on a submarine. The Royal Navy uses the term Fin.
Familygrams Short (forty to fifty words) messages that U.S. Navy submariners receive from family members about once a week while on patrol.
FBM Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine.
First lieutenant The Royal Navy equivalent of a U.S. Navy executive officer. Often referred to as “Number One.”
“Flaming datum” A ship that has been hit by a torpedo fired from a submarine. It is the place to begin searching for a submarine, because one is known to be in the area.
George Washington (SSBN-598) First U.S. Navy SSBN class. Essentially Skipjack-class SSNs with a hull insert containing sixteen missile tubes for Polaris missiles. A total of five units were built.
Gertrude Old WW II phrase used to describe any equipment whose function is underwater communications.
Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) One-of-a-kind experimental U.S. submarine, basically a Sturgeon-class hull with a second-generation turboelectric drive. Fully combat capable.
Goat locker U.S. Navy term for the chief’s quarters on a submarine.
GPS Global Positioning System. A constellation of Navstar satellites that can very accurately determine the submarine’s location.
Halibut (SSN-587) Originally designed as an SSGN carrying Regulus land attack missiles, she was reconfigured as an SSN when the Polaris program proved to be successful.
Harpoon (UGM-84) U.S. Navy antiship missile, fired from an SSN’s torpedo tube.
HE High Explosive.
Head U.S. Navy term for a washroom and toilet.
HF High Frequency.
HMS Dolphin Royal Navy Submarine School.
Holland (SS-1) First U.S. Navy submarine, designed and built by John Holland.
Hot bunking Rotation system whereby two men share a single bunk. While one man is on watch the other is sleeping. When it is time for watch rotation the man coming off watch climbs into a bunk that was just recently vacated and is usually still warm.
Hotel II & III SSBN First-generation Soviet SSBN. These submarines were noisy and extremely unsafe from a radiological standpoint. All have been retired because of their poor safety record and to meet SALT SSBN tube limitations. The Hotel III SSBN was a trial submarine for the SS-N-8 Sawfly SLBM. Approximately nine units were built.
Hunley A Confederate Navy vessel that made history by being the first submarine to sink a surface ship in battle (USS Housatonic). Unfortunately, the Hunley herself also sank in the attack.
HY-80 High-Yield steel, with a yield strength of 80,000 pounds per square inch.
HY-100 High-Yield steel, with a yield strength of 100,000 pounds per square inch.
Kilo SS Latest Russian diesel-electric submarine. The Kilo is a medium-range coastal defense submarine that is being offered on the export market. Using state-of-the-art Russian sensors and torpedoes, the Kilo class compares favorably against older Western designs. Russia has twenty Kilos in their naval order of battle, and approximately fourteen have been sold to various countries.
Lafayette (SSBN-616) Third generation of U.S. Navy SSBNs. Larger and quieter than the Ethan Allen class, the Lafayette class carries the Poseidon C-3 missile. However, twelve units of the Lafayette class were backfitted with the Trident I C-4 system during the 1980s. A total of thirty-one units were built.
LF Low Frequency.
LOFAR LOw-Frequency Analyzing and Recording. Term used to describe the process by which narrowband “tonals” are displayed on a modern sonar system.
Los Angeles (SSN-688) Admiral Rickover’s high-speed submarine design. Most numerous submarine class in the world with a total of sixty-two units to be built. There are three flights with various improvements:• Flight 1: SSNs 688-718. Basic Los Angeles class.
• Flight 2: SSNs 719-750. VLS, more powerful reactor core.
Maneuvering The reactor and propulsion control area located in the engine room. The EOOW stands his watch here.
MEO Marine Engineering Officer. Royal Navy equivalent of the chief engineer; however, an MEO is not eligible for command.
MF Medium Frequency.
MGU Midcourse Guidance Unit. The inertial navigation system used to guide Harpoon and Tomahawk antiship missiles to their targets.
MIDAS MIne Detection and Avoidance Sonar. New mine-hunting sonar on Improved Los Angeles-class SSNs.
Mk 8 (Mark 8) WW II-era straight-running (nonhoming) torpedo used by the Royal Navy up until about the mid-1980s. Two Mk 8s were responsible for the sinking of the Argentinean light cruiser General Belgrano.
Mk 48 (Mods 1-4) Designation of the active homing torpedo used by U.S. SSNs. The various modifications have improvements in wire-guidance capability and allow for deeper depths.
Mk 57 U.S. Navy moored influence mine.
Mk 60 Captor EnCAPsulated TORpedo mine. A deep-water moored acoustic influence mine containing a Mark 46 lightweight torpedo as the payload.
Mk 67 SLMM Submarine-Launched Mobile Mine. An obsolete Mk 37 electric torpedo that has been converted into a mobile bottom influence mine.
Narwhal (SSN-671) Basic Sturgeon-class hull with a natural circulation reactor. One-of-a-kind experimental submarine. Fully combat capable.