ntime60

That picture was taken as we were leaving Bremerton, Wa. heading for sea-trials.

Tom Bombadil

I once worked with a guy who was an officer on a sub. One day I asked him what was the range & speed of torpedos back in WWII and the 1950s. He wouldn't tell me.

Now we have wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo

And if I want to know something about the 4 different torpedoes in current use by the U.S.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_46_torpedo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_48_torpedo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_50_torpedo
https://www.deagel.com/Torpedoes/Mark-54_a000963001.aspx

FloridaBoy

I was a sonarman. USS Lapon SSN661, USS Sirago SS485 and USS Trumpetfish SS425. The Sirago was the most fun a 20 year old kid could have and make $200 a month. What a crazy crew! DBF Diesel Boats Forever.

https://www.sirago.com/ Check the photos: Crew 69/72

JustCruisin

Also a Sonarman and I know your an old fart also because we weren't tech's till later. Never figured out why we all had to become tech's. Was afraid to be an Et cause I figured I wasn't that smart, then went to key west and covered the same 31 weeks of tech data in 23 lol. Heck I was only 18 when I got to the Blenny fresh out of key west during the cuban crisis and sub school. Could of been 19 but was 17 when I enlisted. hmmm 200 a month not quite $99 seamans pay $55 sub pay and $9 sea pay =$163 lol. When I made E-4 $124 and got pro pay $50 sea pay $13 I was in tall cotton!!!

FloridaBoy

I might be a little too high on the pay. I was 18 when I enlisted and went to the Lapon as a first boat. Off to the Med for 8 months and when we got back to Norfolk were were scheduled to go to the yards in Philly. Zumwalt was CNO and had he had a duty swap program. I went up and down the pier and found a guy on the Sirago who was from Pittsburgh that had a pregnant wife. He wanted to go to Philly. I went to the XO and asked if he would help me out. He said why do you want to go want to go on that Pig Boat? I told him I was a sailor, not a sand crab, and the Sirago was going on a Northern run for 7 months and I wanted be on the patrol. He didn't say anything. The next day he says look at this and showed me my orders to the Sirago. After all these years the crew is still tight.

One day a mess crank was cleaning the coffee urn in the crew's mess. The COB started eating his azz about it... that pot is well seasoned and you're fuggin' it up. The mess crank pulled an old sock out of the bottom of the pot. The COB looked at his coffee cup and back at the mess crank and says I guess cleaning it once wouldn't hurt.

The After Battery Rat in the newsletter section of the web site is a hoot.

prathmann

Thought this might be a good thread to identify a couple items I photographed on a recent club ride. We rode around Mare Island outside Vallejo, Cal. and stopped at a park there which displayed a number of weapons from when this was a submarine base. The first picture is a Polaris missile, the second is a Civil War period 'torpedo' (launched by attaching it to the end of spar and pushing), but the more modern torpedos (3rd picture) were not identified, nor the blue missile? in the 4th picture.

Anyone able to identify these last two items?
Thanks.

CB HI

And did you notice just how much you still do not know?

Estimated
Estimated
Estimated
Estimated
Estimated

CB HI

Served on
SSBN-623
SSN-651
SSN-579
SSN-609

Tom Bombadil

I've been told that these "estimates" are very accurate and that one of the reasons they use the term is to avoid legal action.

DiabloScott

They are generally conservative - for instance if a sub can go 31 knots they'll publish that it can go "greater than 30 knots"... Disclaimer: I just made those numbers up.

DiabloScott

They are generally conservative - for instance if a sub can go 31 knots they'll publish that it can go "greater than 30 knots"... Disclaimer: I just made those numbers up.

zjrog

Spent 5 years working WITH the sub community out of Pearl. I have a few days underway time. I'm NOT claustrophobic, but when the hatches close, you know it. I spent the rest of my 20 years in other communities, including 8 years on two different "targets".

WeeHooker

Bremerton WA is just a beautiful area. You are fortunate to live there. I did allot of work out that way in the last 5 years on a (won't name it here) Submarine Conversion project. Having worked in the silent service for 24 years, I can tell you there is more truth to that last picture than you could possibly know
Nice pics! Thanks for sharing.

p.s. Our torpedo's from WWII were nothing special and had some "issues". ( Many were made within yards of my office) . Now the new stuff is very scary!

ntime60

When did you serve on the 623?

I was factory trained on the MK48 and harpoon. The Mk48 is an interesting weapon, the first really smart weapon and I'd heard from a reliable source it has been given significant upgrades since I left the Navy and it was scary in 1980. Harpoon was simply cool.

WeeHooker

Amen! I cut my teeth as a young engineer on that project and worked on the (Submarine Version) for 10 years as a "sand crab". Very cool and sorely missed!