I think they ate him

And we still have not found the fully fueled (and new) nuclear reactors that went down with her.

The general area of the wreckage is known, but not the location of any reactors.

Faint odor of conspiracy theory. Thresher had only one reactor. Are you suggesting she didn't really have reactor(s) or that someone salvaged them? If neither, then the reactor can be in only one place.

Do you think Greenpeace knows the difference between harassing/attacking a boomer versus a fast attack? Climbing aboard a boomer or boomer tender might not have ended as well.

I was on an AFS in '86. We dropped anchor in La Mad to do a resupply of the tender. The topless girls on the sailboats were a nice change of pace from underway replenishments.

There is probably little difference since the USS Cole.

I wonder if there's cool as shit, hyper advanced secret subs... like aircraft.

If so, even on a small scale, I wonder if they're easier or more difficult to conceal development.

This is a pretty good read. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Waters-Insiders-Account-Undercover/dp/0451211618

Here's another one: https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/dp/1610393589/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533945551&sr=1-1&keywords=blindman's+bluff

Okay, I'm going to buy that.

I read the description, then did a quick internet search.

Fucking awesome. Never heard of it before.

Thanks man!

Oh my God I haven't even left Wikipedia yet and I have a boner. It was even used in GWOT.

DAMN THIS SUB IS COOL. BOOK ORDERED

Through the 1970s and 1980s, NR-1conducted numerous classified missions involving recovery of objects from the floor of the deep sea. These missions remain classified and few details have been made public. One publicly acknowledged mission in 1976 was to recover parts of an F-14 that was lost from the deck of an aircraft carrier and sank with at least one AIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missile. The secrecy typical of USN submarine operations was heightened by Rickover's personal involvement, and he shared details of NR-1 operations only on a need-to-know basis. Rickover envisioned building a small fleet of NR-1 type submarines, but only one was built due to budget restrictions.[1]

Following the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, NR-1 was used to search for, identify, and recover critical parts of the Challenger craft.[2] It could remain on the sea floor without resurfacing frequently, and was a major tool for searching deep waters. NR-1remained submerged and on station even when heavy weather and rough seas hit the area and forced all other search and recovery ships into port.

It’s a thing

Check out the sub base in Idaho.

I'm sure it is.

I can't believe I just realized we probably have secret subs.
You never disappoint.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2658459/The-U-S-Submarine-forces-important-body-water-Secret-Navy-submarine-base-land-locked-Idaho.html

Damn that's cool.

I've read Blind Man's Bluff, and I suspect this is basically the same book as the NR-1 book. Same authors, similar subtitle... and the above says it's a second printing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015WSVEFY/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Good book, ends fairly suddenly a long time before the end of the NR-1's career.

Our shop handled that little guy too... not sure why, since we did the advanced plants, but we did.

It was kinda sad in '08 when it got to get some rest.

Any idea when that guy became public knowledge?

(I figured once I opened the secret sub question the real sub guys would never post again.)

I guess if it's on Wikipedia it's safe to discuss though, especially since it's decommissioned

The boat itself has been used for promotion / documentaries for a while. Nothing remotely secret about it's existence itself at this point.

Now as far as it's specs / history... a lot of that still is.

You can go see the sail if you are ever in Connecticut. It's on display there now.

Kinda SR71-ish

From 60s, check

Very secret, check

Did awesome stuff, check

Decommissioned, check

Stuff it did still classified, check.



Is there a secret sub unit? Like a publically acknowledged unit but no one knows what they do?

Kinda like the cool patches/ test pilots at Nellis? I forget the unit's name, but some photographer got a picture of the insignia on a dual seat F16 doing training.

You can buy this at the museum where the sail is on display if you want.

http://store.submarinemuseum.com/Patch-NR-1-4413/

Sort of. Im sure you can talk about the sub. Just like SF. Not so much about what it did.

Much like the SR71 my mind runs wild wondering what replaced it.  

I realize I'll never know until I'm an old man, but it's a great thought exercise.

Propulsion and signature on new secret stuff is obviously better, that doesn't interest me.

Range and speed on new secret stuff is obviously improved, that doesn't interest me.

Nerd detectors and sophisticated equipment are awesome. Missions are awesome.

We still don't know why Seawolfs fly jolly rogers when they come home. That's an acknowledged, photographed, submarine.

We catch UFOs on video. Heck, the Navy RELEASES footage.

The coolest thing (to me) is that we have stuff underwater, probably multiple generations, which have never been seen. We don't know their shape, size, or mission. But they are out there. Getting it done.

That's cool as fuck.

It's better when they come back and have a Broom on the sail.... Seen that twice. First Gulf War...

ETA: Correction, it was a 688...

No shit, you've seen a Seawolf sporting the clean sweep?

I read about that, and that's awesome too. It can mean so many things, but only the crew knows.

Correction, 688

Still pretty badass.

From what I can gather, brooms are still pretty rare.

Sweet, the Germans had one. Think they stashed it in the mast.

Thank you.

I don’t know much about it but rim magnetic propulsion looks pretty cool

I had lunch with Bob Ballard a couple of times with Emory Kristof at Natty Geo

Author Name:    BALLARD, Robert D. National Geographic 167:4 KRISTOF, Emory

Title:   NR-1 THe Navy's Inner-Space Shuttle

Publisher:    National Geographic, 1985,

The incident(s) you are referring to involved precision CNC multi-axis milling machines transferred to the Soviet Union via Toshiba and Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk of Norway. The computer controlled multi-axis milling gave the Russians a technical boost by an order of magnitude in producing quiet screws for surface and submarine fleets.

Toshiba's involvement was disclosed in May 1987, but the violations happened as early as 1974 and continued until 1985, several years before Clinton was elected.

Here's a list of the dates and companies/nations involved. It wasn't just Toshiba, but Toshiba was one of the last violators and Toshiba transferred the most advanced machines dedicated to producing low-noise screws.

Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal

Here's a NY Times article describing the violations.

--------------------------------------------------
Western security has been undercut by the avarice of two companies, Toshiba of Japan and Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk of Norway, and by their Governments' lackadaisical supervision of militarily sensitive exports. Under false pretenses, the companies shipped machinery to the Soviet Union that will enable the Russians to fabricate quieter submarine propellers. Soviet submarines will now become much harder to detect, all so that Toshiba and Kongsberg could turn some extra profit.

Both Norway and Japan concede the seriousness of the diversion. Neither seems yet to appreciate the sentiment building in Congress for sterner reprisal than the diplomatic tut-tuts being uttered by the Administration. The House last week voted 415 to 1 to demand compensation. In the Senate, Jake Garn suggests that ''We ought to really hurt Toshiba.'' Norway and Japan would be smart to volunteer some more substantial remedy than the wrist slaps so far given to their errant companies.

No technology can be kept a Western monopoly forever, but there's every reason to try slowing the rate of seepage of militarily useful technology. Under rules set by their coordinating committee, Cocom, NATO countries and Japan therefore restrict export of such products. Though Cocom rules are administered seriously by the United States, France and Britain, other countries have lax enforcement and mild penalties.

Kongsberg and Toshiba evidently believed they had little to fear in their conspiracy to sell propeller-milling equipment to the Soviet Union. Toshiba provided the milling machines, Kongsberg the numerical-control computer and software to drive them. Both companies lied to their export control authorities about the sophistication of the machines. The Defense Department believes the Russians supplied the design of the propellers to Kongsberg, which wrote the software. The Norwegian Embassy asserts software was provided only for the computer's operating system.

Soviet submarines have long been so noisy that some could be detected an ocean away. Perhaps because of the hemorrhage of Navy secrets passed on by the Walker spy ring, recent designs have become considerably quieter, almost as quiet as American submarines. Propellers are only one source of noise, and it's not clear whether Soviet submarines have already benefited from the Kongsberg-Toshiba machines, sold in 1983 and 1984.

But even if the Russians still lack the sophisticated testing and quality controls to make best use of the equipment, they have gained substantially. The Navy estimates it will take $1 billion or more for advanced electronics to undo the damage.

The Administration hopes the incident will prompt more vigorous export controls by its allies. It resists the idea of sanctions lest they cause resentment instead of cooperation. But tighter export control is the least to be expected of Norway and Japan. They argue that payment of compensation is inappropriate between sovereign nations, and that their own security was also harmed. But why should only American taxpayers bear the cost of the Kongsberg-Toshiba treachery? Something more is needed than apologies and hand-wringing.

A version of this editorial appears in print on June 22, 1987, on Page A00016 of the National edition with the headline: Submarined by Japan and Norway.

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/22/opinion/submarined-by-japan-and-norway.html

--------------------------------------------------

Good analysis here. The Soviets got a major technological boost out of these illegal transfers. AFAICT, no one did time for these acts, which are treason by every definition of the word.

THE TOSHIBA-KONGSBERG CASE
22ND SEPTEMBER 2014 PROJECT ALPHA
https://projectalpha.eu/the-toshiba-kongsberg-case/

More articles here

SPREADING THE BLAME BEYOND TOSHIBA
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1987/08/16/spreading-the-blame-beyond-toshiba/1446da02-a35d-4703-bfec-760ae3befe71/

Toshiba: Soviets Already Had Technology : French Submarine Equipment Found in USSR, Company Claims
September 10, 1987|ROBERT A. ROSENBLATT | Times Staff Writer
http://articles.latimes.com/print/1987-09-10/business/fi-6976_1_toshiba-machine

Senate Still Bristling Over Toshiba Scandal
July 16, 1987|By Elaine S. Povich, Chicago Tribune.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-07-16/business/8702220162_1_toshiba-sale-toshiba-products-toshiba-machine

Toshiba apologizes to nation for sale of submarine technology
UPI ARCHIVES  JULY 20, 1987
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/07/20/Toshiba-apologizes-to-nation-for-sale-of-submarine-technology/8735553752000/

Toshiba got off easy. The Senate approved an import ban on Toshiba, but Reagan never signed it. As much as I loved that guy, he was often all talk and no action.

Free markets solve everything

Did anybody hear about this? Surprised I missed it.

https://taskandpurpose.com/kings-bay-plowshares-nuclear-submarine-base/

How in the hell did they get to the bunkers without getting ventilated? I'll bet some Marine heads rolled if that part of the story is true.

This isn't a mock up, is it?

Unless things have changed in the 20+ years since I was there.

I just reread the article. Something smells fishy to me.

Hippyspeak for, “we got lost so we vandalized the base sewage treatment plant”.

I was there for that. If anything, the public reports understated the severity.

Parche

Narwhal

Two ships that officially spent years doing absolutely nothing but pull in commendations by the bushel.

We need more cool one off sub classes like we did in the cold war.

As I recall the motherfucker did it so he could go home early. He should have gotten the death penalty but he did end up with a long prison sentence.

That would make more sense.

Yeah, that's was the reason he gave. Apparently the guy was known to be slightly mentally unstable, never should have been hired to begin with.

Here's a screen cap of the indictment. I don't know if "limited access" area = SWFLANT bunkers or not.

Attached File


You can download the pdf file from here: Insanely long google link.

Narwhals narwhals living in the ocean

In addition to the loss of the sub, that incident effectively ended the firefighting careers of two damn good men that I know due to serious injury

I am so sorry...

There is no punishment harsh enough for the asshole that started that fire.

Well at the time LA classes has 'similar devastating capabilities' I don't think there is a significant difference

Holy shit.

That asshole who started the fire should have been chained to a rock and let the tides in Portsmouth finish him off.

Sometimes old punishments are best punishments.