Nautilus (SSN-571) First nuclear-powered submarine in the world. Commissioned September 30, 1954.
Navsea Naval Sea Systems Command.
NIFTI Navy InFrared Thermal Imager.
November SSN First-generation Soviet SSN. Fast, noisy, and extremely unsafe because of radiation. These SSNs have all been retired because of their poor safety record. A total of fourteen were built. One was lost off Cape Finisterre in April 1970.
OBA Oxygen Breathing Apparatus. A portable system that chemically generates oxygen for about 30 minutes. Used by damage control teams to fight fires.
Ohio (SSBN-726) Fourth generation of U.S. Navy SSBNs. Largest submarines in the fleet; each carries twenty-four Trident I C-4 or Trident II D-5 missiles. Extremely quiet submarines. Essentially 688s with twenty-four missile tubes. A total of twenty were to be built, but because of START and the collapse of the USSR only eighteen units will be completed.
OOD Officer Of the Deck. U.S. Navy officer in charge of directing the submarine’s movement and ensuring that essential actions are conducted. Primary responsibility is to keep the submarine out of dangerous situations and to keep the captain informed.
OPNAV Office of the Chief of NAVal OPerations.
ORSE Operational Reactor Safeguards Examination.
Oscar I & II SSGN Third-generation Soviet SSGN, the Oscar is the largest attack submarine ever built. Fast, quiet, and extremely well armed, the Oscar I & II classes are a threat to any surface ship. To date nine units have been built, and production appears to be continuing.
Otto Fuel The monopropellant (oxidizer and fuel combined) used in Mk 48 and Spearfish torpedoes.
Perisher Royal Navy Submarine Command Course.
Permit (SSN-594) First U.S. Navy production SSN with a primary ASW function. Class was renamed following the loss of USS Thresher in April 1963. Fourteen units of this class were eventually built.
Plank owners The original crew of a boat at the time of its commissioning.
Polaris (A1-A3) First generation of U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The different variants each have improvements in range. The Royal Navy uses Polaris A-3 missiles in their Resolution-class SSBNs.
“Polishing the cannonball” An attempt to generate a near-perfect fire control solution that may be totally unnecessary. Polishing the cannonball takes too much time, and the submarine may lose its initiative to the intended target.
Poseidon (C-3) Second-generation U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile.
PSA Post Shakedown Availability. Maintenance period after a new submarine’s initial sea trials are completed.
PWR-1 Pressurized Water Reactor-1. The type of reactor found on all current Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarines except the Vanguard-class SSBNs. PWR-1 is essentially the U.S. S5W reactor design, which was sold to the Royal Navy in 1958.
PWR-2 Pressurized Water Reactor-2. An indigenous reactor design for future Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarines. Presently being installed in the new Vanguard-class SSBNs.
Radar RAdio Detection And Ranging.
Raft A large metal frame that supports various rotating parts of machinery such as main engines or turbine generators. Through inertial damping it reduces machinery vibrations that could reach the hull.
In other words, it’s heavy, and the vibrations are absorbed as they try to move the raft.
RAM Radar-Absorbing Material. A coating designed to absorb radar energy and reduce a target’s ability to be detected.
RBL-L Range Bearing Launch—Large. A launch mode of Harpoon and Tomahawk antiship missiles that uses both bearing and range information. The “Large” refers to the size of the area where the missile is to conduct its search.
RBL-S Range Bearing Launch—Small. A launch mode of Harpoon and Tomahawk antiship missiles that uses both bearing and range information. The “Small” refers to the size of the area where the missile is to conduct its search.
Resolution (S-22) First Royal Navy SSBN. Very similar to the U.S. Lafayette-class SSBN, the Resolution class carries sixteen U.S. Polaris A-3 missiles armed with British reentry vehicles. A total of four units were built.
RNSH Royal Navy Sub Harpoon.
RORSAT Russian Radar Ocean Reconnaissance SATellite.
S6G The designation of the pressurized water reactor installed in 688-class SSNs.
SAM Surface-to-Air Missile.
SBS Special Boat Service. The Royal Navy equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALs.
Scorpion (SSN-589) Second U.S. Navy SSN (Skipjack class) to be lost at sea, 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.
Skate (SSN-578) First U.S. Navy production SSN class; four units total.
Skipjack (SSN-585) First U.S. Navy SSN class to use the teardrop hull shape. Fastest SSN in the fleet until the Los Angeles class. Total of six units built.
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 u
sed 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.
Sturgeon (SSN-637) Follow-on to the U.S. Permit class. The Sturgeon class is a little larger and incorporates additional quieting measures. A total of thirty-seven units built.
SUBGRU SUBmarine GRoUp.
SUBROC SUBmarine ROCket. A submarine-launched ballistic rocket with a nuclear depth bomb payload.
SUBRON U.S. SUBmarine SquadRON.
Subsafe Procedural and system changes instituted to increase the safety of U.S. submarines following the loss of the USS Thresher (SSN- 593) in April 1963.
SURTASS SURveillance Towed Array Sensor System (AN/UQQ-2). Essentially a mobile SOSUS array towed by small Ocean Surveillance Ships (T-AGOS).
Swiftsure (S-104) Third generation of Royal Navy SSNs. Improved quieting and sensors over the Valiant class. In the redesigned location of the main conformal array the Swiftsures lost a torpedo tube (five instead of six). A total of six units were built.
TASO Torpedo and Anti-Submarine warfare Officer. Royal Navy term for the junior seaman officer in charge of the submarine’s torpedo launching system.
TB-16 (A-D) Standard U.S. Navy SSN “fat line” towed array. The various modifications (mods) allow the submarine to search at higher speeds without degrading performance. The array is stored in a sheath that runs along the hull.
TB-23 First U.S. Navy “thin line” array found on SSNs equipped with AN/BSY-1 and AN/BQQ-5E. This array is about four times longer than the TB-16 series and is stored entirely on a reel located in the aft ballast tank area.
TDU Trash Disposal Unit. A tube that ejects weighted trash cylinders from the bottom of a U.S. submarine.
Tea kettle Royal Navy term for the reactor on nuclear-powered submarines.
TERCOM TERrain-COntour Matching. A navigation system on Tomahawk land attack missiles. The system uses the Tomahawk’s radar altimeter to make terrain profiles at preselected points along the missile’s route. These profiles are compared to a radar reference map to determine if flight corrections are needed.
TEZ Total Exclusion Zone.
Thresher (SSN-593) Lost April 4, 1963, during deep-diving trials following an overhaul period. The loss caused the U.S. Navy to institute the Subsafe program.
Tigerfish (Mk 24, Mods 0-3) A quiet, electric-powered dual-purpose torpedo in service with the Royal Navy.
TMA Target Motion Analysis. The process by which computers or men determine a target’s course, speed, and range so that a torpedo or missile can be fired accurately.
TMPS Theater Mission Planning System. U.S. TMPS centers plan Tomahawk land attack mission routes to various targets around the globe using maps and navigation information provided by the Defense Mapping Agency.
Tomahawk (UGM-109) Family of cruise missiles that are launched from standard torpedo tubes or special vertical launch tubes on SSNs. The different variants are:• Tomahawk antiship missile (TASM)
• Tomahawk land attack missile—nuclear (TLAM-N)
• Tomahawk land attack missile—conventional, HE warhead (TLAM-C)
• Tomahawk land attack missile—conventional, bomblets (TLAM-D)
Torpedo The self-propelled torpedo was invented by Robert White-head, an Englishman, in 1866. Since then, the torpedo has undergone significant improvements in speed, range, and depth. Present-day torpedoes are all homing weapons using either active/passive acoustics or wake sensors.
Towed array String of passive hydrophones towed at some distance behind the ship. By separating the hydrophones from the ship, the array was no longer limited by platform noise, thereby increasing detection range. The towed array can also be made as long as necessary to detect sounds with long wavelengths (very low frequency).
Trafalgar (S-107) Fourth-generation Royal Navy SSN. Basically a slightly larger Swiftsure to accommodate additional quieting measures. Production has just ended, with a total of seven units being built. A modified Trafalgar design, called Trafalgar Batch II, is being worked on with the cancellation of the SSN 20 (“W” class).
Trident I (C-4) Third generation of U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Trident II (D-5) Fourth generation of U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Triton (SSN-586) Only U.S. Navy SSN built with two nuclear reactors. Originally designed as a radar picket submarine, Triton made a submerged round-the-world cruise in 1960.
TSO Tactical Systems Officer. Royal Navy term for the junior seaman officer in charge of the submarine’s fire control system.
Tullibee (SSN-597) First U.S. Navy SSN with torpedo tubes placed amidships to make room for the large 15-foot spherical sonar array. This design is the basis for all later U.S. SSN designs. Tullibee was also fitted with a troublesome turboelectric drive, which earned her the reputation of being a hangar queen, and she was often referred to as “Building 597.”
Turtle A semisubmersible craft designed and built by David Bushnell during the American Revolutionary War. It was the first submarine to conduct an attack, albeit unsuccessful, against a hostile surface ship (HMS Eagle).
Type 18 A multifunction search periscope found on U.S. SSNs.
Type 2 An optics-only attack scope, reminiscent of WW II periscopes, on U.S. submarines.
Type 2019 Acoustic intercept receiver on Royal Navy submarines.
Type 2020 Active/passive conformal array on Royal Navy SSNs.
Type 2027 A computer processor hooked to the Type 2020 to determine range based on multiple arrival paths of a target’s noise. Multipath ranging.
Type 2046 Royal Navy towed array for submarines. This clip-on array is attached to one of the stern planes.
Type 2072 A new flank array for Royal Navy SSNs, to replace the older Type 2007.
Typhoon SSBN The size of a small WW II battle cruiser, the Typhoon is the largest submarine ever built. Very quiet, and equipped with modern sensors. A total of six units have been built.
U-boat Unterseeboot. The German name for submarines.
UAP ESM system on Royal Navy SSNs.
UHF Ultra High Frequency.
Ultra Allied special intelligence during World War II, obtained by the interception and decryption of German Enigma communications.
Upholder (S-40) Latest diesel-electric submarine in the Royal Navy. Intended to replace the aging Oberon class SS, the Upholders have been experiencing a number of teething pains including problems with their torpedo tubes. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, only four out of a projected class run of twelve units are to be built.