One of the features I liked best about [book:The Hunt for Red October] was the detailed description of submarine technology. Now that Tom Clancy is famous and the darling of the military, he gets to tour all the ships and hardware that he wrote about and the military guys all have to suck up to him because he represents just one more method of increasing their public image. Anyway, Clancy published this non-fictional tour, if you will, of a modern nuclear-powered submarine). Being somewhat enamored of technology myself I had to read it, and I must admit it's quite fascinating. We are good at creating awesome weapons of destruction -- shame we can't get high speed rail going with the same enthusiasm.
Contrary to the John Wayne crash dives in movies we were all raised on, a modern nuclear submarine requires 5-8 minutes of delicately balanced ballet to submerge, After all, a Los Angeles class submarine weighs about 7,000 tons, so maneuvering is "done with subtlety and a minimum of rapid action." Eliminating noise is the key. They must be as silent as possible to avoid making their presence known.
Underwater running is very smooth, just like walking on concrete. There is no sensation of movement. Of course, on the surface, especially during choppy weather, it's a whole new ball game; "it rolls rather drunkenly. " Living quarters are tight and the men must practice "hotbunking," the sharing of bunks, since there is not enough room for a separate bunk for each. The bunks themselves are identical in size to coffins, 6 x 3 x 2. The captain gets a huge space measuring about 8 X 10 feet. The crews are quite small, only about 130 men, but that still requires lots of food and water.
The distillation plant produces 10,000 gallons per day. Oxygen is produced by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is vented to the outside and the oxygen used for breathing. Living on a nuclear sub is "a combination of living in an oversized motor home and summer camp. Not much room, very little noise [summer camp?], very little news from home, and no privacy."
Clancy delves into the weaponry also. One interesting sidelight. The Exocet missile that destroyed the Sheffield during the Falkland Islands spat actually failed to detonate. It was the unburned fuel of the rocket engine that started a fire that ultimately destroyed the ship. The Tomahawk cruise missile the subs carry which were used extensively during Bush's attempt at reelection was actually Nobel Peace Prize winner Kissinger's successful desire to thwart the treaty obligations of SALT 1. These cruise missiles were a nuclear loophole.
Achieving silence is the most classified technology of the submarine service. The power plant generates 35,000 shaft horse power, yet "the noise radiated by the Miami is probably something less than the energy given off by a 20-watt light bulb. Everything is mounted on rubber. and special sensors are used to detect unusual vibrations from equipment. This has the added benefit of warning of equipment failure, as bearings begin to sound differently as they wear out.
Clancy dedicates about half the book to an examination of British submarines and their rolein NATO, which -is quite interesting. I recommend this book to all non-Luddites.
