Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New London (CT) Day
May 5, 2007 Navy Shows Off Hawaii
By Katie Warchut
Groton — Capt. David A. Solms saw the submarine Hawaii two years ago when it was just parts. He trained its crew and guided it through successful sea trials.
Today, he will watch the cold, silent hulk of steel become a full-fledged warship at a commissioning ceremony before Navy dignitaries and Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle.
“It's largely symbolic, but the symbolic nature is huge,” Solms said.
The Hawaii, SSN 776, is the first Virginia-class submarine to be commissioned in Groton. It will be stationed in Pearl Harbor in 2009.
The third submarine of its class, the Hawaii is designed for the Navy's mission to navigate more shallow waters, able to perform surveillance and strike targets on shore.
Slicked with a recent coat of black paint, the submarine was open to the media Friday to show off its increased capabilities.
In the old days, a small control room was stationed at the top of the sub to operate the periscope. Because the scope worked through mirrors refracting light, the control room remained in darkness.
The Hawaii, like its sister subs, instead has a larger, fully lit control room with “photonics masts,” high-resolution cameras, operated by a joystick. (The crew still calls it a scope.) The “sonar shack,” which used to be a separate room, can also fit in the new control room.
The pilots station allows two men to “fly the ship,” instead of four. The new setup has also changed the job, from younger pilots who were directed by superiors, to more senior pilots who can do it all themselves, said Fire Control Master Chief David Collins.
For the crew of 135, the brand new Hawaii doesn't mean any more comfort or space, however. The bunk beds are packed together wherever they fit, even if that's next to the torpedoes.
A reconfigurable torpedo room can accommodate a variety of devices and has four 21-inch torpedo tubes. The sub also has 12 vertical-launch system tubes.
A lockout trunk allows nine divers at a time to be deployed for missions such as special operations, rather than one at a time. Divers hook into an air source while the trunk floods, and, once pressure is equalized, are released into the water.
The Hawaii is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship.
The 7,800-ton Hawaii was built by both General Dynamics' Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman's Newport News, Va., facility and has a service life of 33 years.
It follows the USS Virginia, commissioned in Norfolk, Va., in 2004, and the USS Texas, commissioned in Galveston, Texas, in 2006.
The Hawaii will be the first submarine to bear the state's name. It recognizes the state's support for the Navy and honors the heritage of submarines in the Pacific.
The next ships of the class are the North Carolina, the New Hampshire and the New Mexico.
May 5, 2007 Navy Shows Off Hawaii
By Katie Warchut
Groton — Capt. David A. Solms saw the submarine Hawaii two years ago when it was just parts. He trained its crew and guided it through successful sea trials.
Today, he will watch the cold, silent hulk of steel become a full-fledged warship at a commissioning ceremony before Navy dignitaries and Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle.
“It's largely symbolic, but the symbolic nature is huge,” Solms said.
The Hawaii, SSN 776, is the first Virginia-class submarine to be commissioned in Groton. It will be stationed in Pearl Harbor in 2009.
The third submarine of its class, the Hawaii is designed for the Navy's mission to navigate more shallow waters, able to perform surveillance and strike targets on shore.
Slicked with a recent coat of black paint, the submarine was open to the media Friday to show off its increased capabilities.
In the old days, a small control room was stationed at the top of the sub to operate the periscope. Because the scope worked through mirrors refracting light, the control room remained in darkness.
The Hawaii, like its sister subs, instead has a larger, fully lit control room with “photonics masts,” high-resolution cameras, operated by a joystick. (The crew still calls it a scope.) The “sonar shack,” which used to be a separate room, can also fit in the new control room.
The pilots station allows two men to “fly the ship,” instead of four. The new setup has also changed the job, from younger pilots who were directed by superiors, to more senior pilots who can do it all themselves, said Fire Control Master Chief David Collins.
For the crew of 135, the brand new Hawaii doesn't mean any more comfort or space, however. The bunk beds are packed together wherever they fit, even if that's next to the torpedoes.
A reconfigurable torpedo room can accommodate a variety of devices and has four 21-inch torpedo tubes. The sub also has 12 vertical-launch system tubes.
A lockout trunk allows nine divers at a time to be deployed for missions such as special operations, rather than one at a time. Divers hook into an air source while the trunk floods, and, once pressure is equalized, are released into the water.
The Hawaii is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship.
The 7,800-ton Hawaii was built by both General Dynamics' Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman's Newport News, Va., facility and has a service life of 33 years.
It follows the USS Virginia, commissioned in Norfolk, Va., in 2004, and the USS Texas, commissioned in Galveston, Texas, in 2006.
The Hawaii will be the first submarine to bear the state's name. It recognizes the state's support for the Navy and honors the heritage of submarines in the Pacific.
The next ships of the class are the North Carolina, the New Hampshire and the New Mexico.