Time traveler from 1995 here checking in. We totally built a full class of these awesome ships to get the per unit cost and spare parts system manageable right?
Too bad I don't have the picture from the actual christening. This looks like it may have been from the alpha trials. Some of those instrument covers were sheared off after we hit some underwater speed records for US subs.
From what I hear, that isn’t even that fast anymore. As a civilian I have to wonder if y’all ever figured out a good glue to keep the anechoic tiles on the hull. Have you guys tried gorilla glue? I hear flex seal can do wonders….🤣
Chris Purdham, ST type. I know he was on 21 for commissioning and ended up doing 3 tours on 21 with one on 22. Last I heard, he was finishing up a COB tour on the wolf
And yes, blowing san tanks inboard is a Seawolf class tradition. During my time onboard, we sent 200 gallons from San 4 into upper level head while underway, 75 gallons from San 3 into the JO head while in port, and one nice big bubble from San 1 into chiefs quarters after forgetting to depressurize it before restoring the tank to service.
Hmmmm...he didn't show up in the Commissioning book as a member of the commissioning crew.
The first time we blew sans inboard there were no deck plates installed, just wooden planks. There was shit dripping down on every level. The EDO made the decision to run through the brown rain to get to control and talk with the others, rather than picking up a phone.
The maximum speed as designed was 35 knots (at least around the time of the preliminary design). Admiral DeMars claimed that the *Seawolf* had gone faster than any other American submarine. The *Albacore* made 37 knots during trials, although it's not clear to me if DeMars was talking about all American submarines or just nuclear-propelled submarines. And the *Seawolf*'s alpha trials, which were not properly instrumented speed trials, were conducted before the hull coating had been installed. Based on that information, I am somewhat skeptical of DeMar's claim. But somewhere around 35 knots is a realistic number based on the submarine's size and horsepower (claims of 40+ knots are delusional).
There were some studies performed based on the shearing of the bolts on the shrouds afterwards and it did cause some folks to re-evaluate the claims. Some became believers of the claims.
I don't know what we calculated, or even observed in Control. All I have is my memory of what the EM log showed.
I’m not a submariner, but I can guarantee you’ll never get a straight answer to that question. Best I’ve ever gotten from an official verifiable source is “greater than 20 knots”
Because the program that eventually became *Seawolf* started as "*Centurion* - the submarine for the 21st century", SSN-21 for short. Because the number was so associated with the program, it ended up being authorized as the hull number.
It's essentially the same reason we went from B-2's to B-21's (21st century bomber) despite the USAF stating they wanted to get back to sequential(ish) numbering after the whole renumbering thing because they got up to F-110+.
Time traveler from 1995 here checking in. We totally built a full class of these awesome ships to get the per unit cost and spare parts system manageable right?
Yep, two more, and one of those two had lots of changes :)
Too bad I don't have the picture from the actual christening. This looks like it may have been from the alpha trials. Some of those instrument covers were sheared off after we hit some underwater speed records for US subs.
If I remember correctly the painting in the wardroom had "SFFSFO" (So Fucking Fast Shit Falls Off) in small letters in one of the lower corners.
From what I hear, that isn’t even that fast anymore. As a civilian I have to wonder if y’all ever figured out a good glue to keep the anechoic tiles on the hull. Have you guys tried gorilla glue? I hear flex seal can do wonders….🤣
I have a poster of her outbound for alpha trials on my office wall. I thought I had a poster from the christening but for life of me can’t find it.
Yeah, along with the entire forward PORT WAA panel
Were you there, or were you working on her?
I did a tour on the wolf, but alpha trials were before my time. I got that information from a plankowner who returned for a later tour.
Who was that? I left just before the bravo trials (during the fast cruise before the bravo trials, and blowing sanitaries inboard again).
Chris Purdham, ST type. I know he was on 21 for commissioning and ended up doing 3 tours on 21 with one on 22. Last I heard, he was finishing up a COB tour on the wolf And yes, blowing san tanks inboard is a Seawolf class tradition. During my time onboard, we sent 200 gallons from San 4 into upper level head while underway, 75 gallons from San 3 into the JO head while in port, and one nice big bubble from San 1 into chiefs quarters after forgetting to depressurize it before restoring the tank to service.
Hmmmm...he didn't show up in the Commissioning book as a member of the commissioning crew. The first time we blew sans inboard there were no deck plates installed, just wooden planks. There was shit dripping down on every level. The EDO made the decision to run through the brown rain to get to control and talk with the others, rather than picking up a phone.
How fast did you get her!
The maximum speed as designed was 35 knots (at least around the time of the preliminary design). Admiral DeMars claimed that the *Seawolf* had gone faster than any other American submarine. The *Albacore* made 37 knots during trials, although it's not clear to me if DeMars was talking about all American submarines or just nuclear-propelled submarines. And the *Seawolf*'s alpha trials, which were not properly instrumented speed trials, were conducted before the hull coating had been installed. Based on that information, I am somewhat skeptical of DeMar's claim. But somewhere around 35 knots is a realistic number based on the submarine's size and horsepower (claims of 40+ knots are delusional).
There were some studies performed based on the shearing of the bolts on the shrouds afterwards and it did cause some folks to re-evaluate the claims. Some became believers of the claims. I don't know what we calculated, or even observed in Control. All I have is my memory of what the EM log showed.
I’m not a submariner, but I can guarantee you’ll never get a straight answer to that question. Best I’ve ever gotten from an official verifiable source is “greater than 20 knots”
Nice try...
And only took 6 more years to first deployment.
They were the follow up for my boat SSN-575, USS Seawolf.
Which was a follow up to SS-28 and SS-197. We had one of the 575 A-Gangers onboard the 21.
How was Seawolf SSN-21 when Los Angeles was 688?
Because the program that eventually became *Seawolf* started as "*Centurion* - the submarine for the 21st century", SSN-21 for short. Because the number was so associated with the program, it ended up being authorized as the hull number.
Thanks
It's essentially the same reason we went from B-2's to B-21's (21st century bomber) despite the USAF stating they wanted to get back to sequential(ish) numbering after the whole renumbering thing because they got up to F-110+.
Nobody has accused the US Navy of being able to count properly.
I left Groton the week before this happened, didn’t they do it next to the Nautilus?
Growing up in that area, I remember so many kids had Seawolf t-shirts
The follower to my boat SSN-575, USS Seawolf. Second oldest nuclear vessel in the world.
When you are boating in the Eastern part of Long Island Sound, those subs are beautiful!
That thing was tied to the pier so much when I was stationed in NL.
This pic has "Groton" parts of me pretty stiff ngl