Science, Technology
THE SILENT SERVICE- NUCLEAR SUBMARINES


Nuclear submarines are the only miltary asset that can remain silent and fully concealed for up to six months. The only factor that limits their travels are food supply. Due to radiation shields, the amount of radiation one recieves in a nuclear submarine is lower than that of a person at a beach! Every man aboard is a volunteer.

There are three types of nuclear submarines. They are the SSN, SSBN, and SSGN. The SSN is the attack submarine and is the fastest of the three.They are designed to pursue and attack enemy submarines and surface ships. Some attack submarine classes are the Skate, Skipjack, Thresher, Sturgeon, Los Angeles , Seawolf,and Virginia. The SSBN stands for fleet ballistic missile submarines. Its avoids contact with enemy naval vessels and has the capability to avoid a nuclear attack on the United States. Some fleet ballistic missile submarine classes are George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, James Maddison, Benjamin, and Franklin. The newest type of submarine, SSGN, consist of only four submarines. They are Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georigia. The SSGN is basically a more capable version of the SSBN. Its primary function is to deliver a SEAL team to locations.


Life aboard a submarine can be cramped and uncomfortable. Only fifteen feet of space is provided to sleep in for enlisted men! On some submarines, most likely SSNs(they are the smallest type of submarine), newer men have to "hot bunk". This means that three men might have to share one bed(not at the same time, of course). The term was created because as soon as a man got off the bed, another man goes on it and can still fell the heat from the other man. Since privacy is limited, women are not permitted to serve on submarines. The schedule of a submarine is six hours working and twelve hours off. During off time men will eat, sleep, study to advance in rank, and spend time with the rest of the crew. This means that a submariners day is only eighteen hours long, not twenty-four!


Some weapons that submarines might carry are the Tomahawk missile(TLAM), Sub-Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile, MK48 Torpedo, and the MK48 ADCAP Torpedo. The Tomahawk missile is used for land and surface targets. It has a top speed of 550 knots and a maximum range of 600 nautical miles. The Sub-Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile is used mostly to terminate ship targets. It has a top speed of 560 knots and maximum range of 80 nautical miles. The MK48 Torpedo is used to penetrate targets that require a heavy weight projectile. It has a top speed of 55 knots and a maximum range of 27 nautical miles. The MK48 ADCAP Torpedo is the modified version of the MK48 Torpedo. It has a top speed of 60 knots and a maximum range of less than 27 nautical miles.
A submarine's sonar is the crew's eyes and ears. There ar two types of sonar, passive and active. Passive involves sending a "ping" through the water and using the time the signal takes to return to calculate objects in the water(a computer performs the calculations). This type of sonar also reveals your location if an enemy submarine is in the path of the "ping". Active sonar is simply listening to detect an enemy vessel.


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THE SILENT SERVICE- NUCLEAR SUBMARINES (Science, Technology)    -    Author : Kristopher - USA


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