sub and tanker collide

[KEY-LIME-PIE]

I said starboard...that means to make the vessel go to the right.....GEEZZZ the kids today!


Tom

[ocnslr]

Im sure ocnslr could tell us some stories, but im sure he is bound to secrecy.

Interesting statement, but not much I can say about it...

The story above about the submarine snagging a tow cable outside Norfolk and sinking a tug boat didn't happen. Many years ago, an ocean tow approaching Europe slowed so he could shorten his tow (ship boound for the wrecking yard). The cable was not recovered as quickly as the tow advanced and the cable went down a few hundred feet into the water. An SSBN on patrol got the cable caught in their sailplanes, and had to surface to investigate and clear it. No damage to tug or tow.

As to the recent incident in the Strait of Hormuz, the latest word is that the sub was not surfacing and didn't fail to adequately clear the area around them. They were submerged and proceeding slowly south in the TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme) when the tanker passed over them at cruising speed, also southbound in the TSS. The pressure waves around a large displacement hull are very substantial, with an area of high pressure at the bow and an area of low pressure at the stern. (They are Known as bow pressure and stern suction, and we have to deal with them every time a navy ship takes on fuel underway from an oiler.) Anyway, in this case, the 300,000-ton tanker passing overhead literally "sucked" the submarine upwards, with the bow of the sub hitting the stern of the tanker underwater. The TSS in the Straits of Hormuz is 2nm wide in each direction, with a 2-nm wide buffer zone. Not sure there is much that the sub could have done differently - not all that deep there either.

Note: Hadn't read the article linked by Miles Offshore when I wrote this, but the article is pretty good. Got my info from a "trusted friend".

Brian
Master, Oceans, Steam, Motor & Sail - 1600-Tons
Chief Mate, Oceans, Unlimited tonnage.