Cool experience - Ohio Class?

[a64pilot]

I did a lot of reading about the WWII US fleet subs as a kid, they fascinated me, I guess because they actually accomplished what the German U boats tried to but were not successful, blockade and starving a nations war production.
Back then I believe they were called pig boats by the rest of the Navy, and it didn't have to do with the boat, but the crews living conditions?

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I don't think there are any longer any diesel boats. Maybe one lets face it Old Iron Sides is still a commissioned vessel. It would be as shame not to have something showing the living conditions that makes a nuke look like a luxury hotel.

The Torsk is in the water in Baltimore and in pretty good shape. Open for visitors.

There are others around the country.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by SouthernPride

LA class.
Kings bay, Georgia you can see them coming and going...amazing.
Mice to know my tax money is part of a sun instead of some inner city criminal...lol

No LA class stationed at King's Bay only SSBN/SSGN.

[puffcard]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Are their Diesel boats in the US still? I can see how maybe nothing can be quieter than a battery powered boat, and noise is a large part of stealth?

US doesn't have any Diesel Electric subs, last taken out of service in 1990's. The navy does enjoy playing with NATO countries that have them. There are a few electric subs in navy for research, but aren't use as combat units.

Just a correction, I stated that was a ASDS on the back of the OHIO/Trident Class sub on a earlier post. Our only ASDS was lost to fire in Hawaii in 2008. It was a total of $500mil, that happened while charging the Lithium batteries.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by sailpower

The Torsk is in the water in Baltimore and in pretty good shape. Open for visitors.

There are others around the country.

We had one here on the hard or in the hard. I think it is a reef off Fla. now.
I can recall being aboard the Odax circa 67. I think she was one of a few in service at that time.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I did a lot of reading about the WWII US fleet subs as a kid, they fascinated me, I guess because they actually accomplished what the German U boats tried to but were not successful, blockade and starving a nations war production.
Back then I believe they were called pig boats by the rest of the Navy, and it didn't have to do with the boat, but the crews living conditions?

My dad enlisted in 1943 and his first boat was the O-7. Talk about primitive.

He wrote about it on the O boat site at pigboat.com.

Remembrances of the O-7 by John XXXXXXX, Retired

SN to QMCS '43=58; Ensign to LCDR 59-73

USS O-7 SS 68, USS Tirante SS 420, USS Greenfish SS 351,
USS Grouper SS 214, USS Burfish SS312, USS Barb SS 220,
USS Odax SS 484, USS George Washington SSBN 598.
USS Proteus AS19, USS Canopus AS34 plus some Destroyer and tanker duty.
================================================== =
I was assigned to the O-7 coming out of sub school and waiting for a fleet boat. I was a TMSN out of torpedo school but decided I wanted to be a quartermaster and changed over.



The CO was a CDR. Latham who had been skipper of Tautog, (USS Tautog SS 199), and while I was on board was relieved by LCDR Schatch (sp) The C.O.B., (Chief Of the Boat), was a TMC named CORSEY and I remember the leading QM was named McMILLAN.


While on board I received a set of orders to USS ESCOLAR, SS 294 which was coming through New London but I was on leave and they took another QM3 from another O boat. ESCOLAR was lost on her first patrol. I later caught USS TIRANTE SS 420 with skipper George Street who was awarded the Medal of Honor after our first war patrol.


The most thrilling thing about being a QM on board an O boat was opening that single dog hatch with pressure in the boat while surfacing.
O-7 operated as a school boat for sub school students. We did daily ops out of New London most of the time. Once in awhile we did an op up to Casco Bay Maine. With our rather primitive water, heat, berthing etc., it was an adventure. For two weeks you never took your weather gear">foul weather gear off—and there were no showers. Berthing as I remember was all hands hot bunking which did not really matter as you were fully clothed anyway. Test depth was 170 feet and our CO, CDR Latham tried it one time. We blew a couple of salt water connections and some zerk fittings flew out of the periscope grease connections.


I wish now that I appreciated the risk involved in that but I relived it when my TIRANTE skipper took us to 670 feet on a 400 foot test depth boat.


Some remembrances are the difficulty in opening the ballast tank flood valves-as a robust 18 year old 130 lb. sailor-I could barely do it.


The "conning tower" was really a tube from the control room to the bridge. When we surfaced it acted as a conduit for all the air in the boat and for the QM it was like being shot out of a canon when he opened the hatch.



The after battery was also the messroom--no tables or seats-you got your chow on a tray and hunkered down and ate it--of course the engine room WT door was completely visible as was the toilet right next to it. If your timing was right you could watch a guy doing his business while you ate your lunch.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

modern diesel electric sub = very quiet

Yep.

AIP.

[tuffr2]

Holy smokes, that had to be extra puzzling for a minute or two. I probably would need to change my underware. Great pic thru the binoculars by the way.

In a heavy fog on a small inland lake I got lost. Had to follow the shoreline until I saw something I recognized.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by sailpower

My dad enlisted in 1943 and his first boat was the O-7. Talk about primitive.

He wrote about it on the O boat site at pigboat.com.

Remembrances of the O-7 by John XXXXXXX, Retired

SN to QMCS '43=58; Ensign to LCDR 59-73

USS O-7 SS 68, USS Tirante SS 420, USS Greenfish SS 351,
USS Grouper SS 214, USS Burfish SS312, USS Barb SS 220,
USS Odax SS 484, USS George Washington SSBN 598.
USS Proteus AS19, USS Canopus AS34 plus some Destroyer and tanker duty.
================================================== =
I was assigned to the O-7 coming out of sub school and waiting for a fleet boat. I was a TMSN out of torpedo school but decided I wanted to be a quartermaster and changed over.



The CO was a CDR. Latham who had been skipper of Tautog, (USS Tautog SS 199), and while I was on board was relieved by LCDR Schatch (sp) The C.O.B., (Chief Of the Boat), was a TMC named CORSEY and I remember the leading QM was named McMILLAN.


While on board I received a set of orders to USS ESCOLAR, SS 294 which was coming through New London but I was on leave and they took another QM3 from another O boat. ESCOLAR was lost on her first patrol. I later caught USS TIRANTE SS 420 with skipper George Street who was awarded the Medal of Honor after our first war patrol.


The most thrilling thing about being a QM on board an O boat was opening that single dog hatch with pressure in the boat while surfacing.
O-7 operated as a school boat for sub school students. We did daily ops out of New London most of the time. Once in awhile we did an op up to Casco Bay Maine. With our rather primitive water, heat, berthing etc., it was an adventure. For two weeks you never took your foul weather gear off—and there were no showers. Berthing as I remember was all hands hot bunking which did not really matter as you were fully clothed anyway. Test depth was 170 feet and our CO, CDR Latham tried it one time. We blew a couple of salt water connections and some zerk fittings flew out of the periscope grease connections.


I wish now that I appreciated the risk involved in that but I relived it when my TIRANTE skipper took us to 670 feet on a 400 foot test depth boat.


Some remembrances are the difficulty in opening the ballast tank flood valves-as a robust 18 year old 130 lb. sailor-I could barely do it.


The "conning tower" was really a tube from the control room to the bridge. When we surfaced it acted as a conduit for all the air in the boat and for the QM it was like being shot out of a canon when he opened the hatch.



The after battery was also the messroom--no tables or seats-you got your chow on a tray and hunkered down and ate it--of course the engine room WT door was completely visible as was the toilet right next to it. If your timing was right you could watch a guy doing his business while you ate your lunch.

Thanks, A nice piece.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Lepke

There are 4 active classes of US subs. 3 attack - Los Angeles, Seawolf and Virginia. And the Ohios. Pic looks like an LA to me.

Navy ship pictures here. Current and old.

NavSource Naval History - Photo Archive Main Index

Don't forget the US isn't the only country with subs and some of those foreign navies have Trident too

Continuous at sea deterrent | Royal Navy

[keith4001r]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Those of us who served on subs really get crackled up by the things people think about them.

True dat!
USS Skipjack, SSN 585
Long time ago.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by keith4001r

True dat!
USS Skipjack, SSN 585
Long time ago.

Quote a few boat guys here. Interesting.

Let's post our boats.

I was a Nav ET.

USS Thomas A. Edison SSBN 610 Blue, yard time plus 6 patrols. Finished up as instrutor at Advanced Sub School, Groton.

7 years total.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by keith4001r

True dat!
USS Skipjack, SSN 585
Long time ago.

Holland Club?

I qualified 10/68.

[keith4001r]

Originally Posted by sailpower

Quote a few boat guys here. Interesting.

Let's post our boats.

I was a Nav ET.

USS Thomas A. Edison SSBN 610 Blue, yard time plus 6 patrols. Finished up as instrutor at Advanced Sub School, Groton.

7 years total.

A-gang MM, never made it out of EB (1975-77 refit).
Funny, out of Sub School I asked for a boomer out of Pearl. I should have asked for a fast attack out of NL...

And to this very day, the escape tower is hands down the coolest thing I've ever done.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by keith4001r

A-gang MM, never made it out of EB (1975-77 refit).
Funny, out of Sub School I asked for a boomer out of Pearl. I should have asked for a fast attack out of NL...

And to this very day, the escape tower is hands down the coolest thing I've ever done.

Escape tower was pretty cool. I did it in 67 from 50' no hood, blow and go