Submarine Warfare: The Revolutionary Columbia-Class Submarine
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
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I read a funny story about some reactor engineers who put on full hazmat gear and ran through the boat shouting "the reactor's gone critical", causing a certain amount of trouser-browning among the crew. The joke, of course, is that the reactor has to be at critical to even work. That's their job: keeping it critical.
I smell a safety briefing in the works
@@NotProFishing I smell a court martialin'. Captain would be PISSED
Submariners, amirite?
That's not funny 😂😂
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ nerd
A submarine is not a boat that can go below the water, but a boat that can come back up
Quotes my 13 year Navy father used to say or leave around his man cave.
Habits are like submarines; they run silent and deep
Falling in love is like submerging
beneath the ocean with a submarine;
you leave the outside world and
wander in the silence of dimness
This one always made him feel proud:
I can imagine no more rewarding a
career. And any man who may be
asked in this century what he did to
make his life worthwhile, I think can
respond with a good deal of pride and
satisfaction: 'l served in the United
States Navy.
- John F. Kennedy
Nice 1
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ Pass.
Not unless it's a russian sub they are known to stay submerged
@@markprendergast1718 Kursk .
I worked at Electric Boat, I’ve seen the Columbia sections, abs they are a beautiful sight to behold.
What facility at EB?
@@edwarddutra7829 QP
Cool
Don’t tell ‘em they’re glowies dude!! Going to get you fired
A sub has abs?
Great video! I was previously a nuke engineer with Electric Boat and left in late 2021, right as Columbia's first structures were arriving, and yes, they are huge. The site is currently constructing a new building specifically for Columbia class construction. Side note - the SS stands for 'ship-submersible' so ssn is ship-submersible-nuclear, and ssbn is ship-submersible-ballistic-nuclear
I was liking it until he talked about piston driven engines in subs. No nuclear sub (at least in the USA) has ever used such a silly system. Even an educated layman should know that steam from the reactor drives turbines that power the propulsion.
@@pdoylemi
Agreed
When he said that I had no idea what he was referring to ... me, I'm picturing big lumbering MAN Diesel engines, noisily chugging away in a dirty, dark and hot confined space ... akin to an old black and white sub warfare film.
I've little reason for concern, but it makes me question accuracy in other portions of his material ...
areas outside of my sphere of experience.
Also, propulsion is a significant component of the topic!
Leads me to believe he's simply reading script, rather than conveying his collected knowledge on the subject.
Oh well, just another content creator.
@@FOH3663
He clearly is no expert.
@@FOH3663 Yes, Deputy Fife, he is in fact just reading a script.
I don't think someone with your grasp of the English language is in a position to be looking down on anyone, though.
@@Cemi_Mhikku
You're right!
It's not up there with learning about Santa, but it breaks the illusion of this infinitely wise Bruce Wayne type ... sharing the vast knowledge he's gleaned from decades pursuing his doctorates in everything.
1:55 - Chapter 1 - The program
8:10 - Chapter 2 - The boat
12:30 - Chapter 3 - The weapons
16:00 - Chapter 4 - Conclusion
this needs a pin
You make it sound like hell, being a submariner. It's not that bad. I only nearly knocked myself out on piping four or six times. It was the cold for me. Chipping ice from the bilge on an Arctic transit. Back to the sea at -3C.
Sorry for the long rant ahead of this read 😅
Just think about the guys who served on diesel subs. My father joined the military and his first choice of assignments was submarines. He basically stayed in the navy for 13 years if I'm correct before jumping to the Air Force then military Reserves to stay close to family he was starting.
He basically was in the military his entire life before he died in civil service on a military base.
He told me multiple stories and just stopped short of telling drunken stories that were classified. He never revealed any secrets but his life as a Submariner was far from the comfortable settings now used.
He used to joke about how close the guys bed above you and around you. He said he was never claustrophobic but could see why some guys felt like they were during military war service times. Trying to cram more guys into one area when they had partial damage to the boat and lumped back to port.
He said that I would never suggest any of his family to follow his footsteps in being a submariner unless conditions changed, and thank God they kinda did.
@@nomore-constipation sorry for your loss
@@Yuki_Ika7 Thanks, he went out swinging. Just like he started his life. However he definitely had a full life, tried to stay very active.
Oddly enough, he died in an airport baggage claim area waiting for his luggage as he had just arrived in Hong Kong to visit Disney (there to meet someone else who got stranded because he reserved the room, had the tickets, etc. Tons of money never refunded)
Total cluster ferk trying to figure out what happened and get him home. This was before the pandemic but it still was exhausting and expensive (think about foreign embalming and refrigeration of the body back home)
However definitely Appreciate the condolences.
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ I can't because Jesus doesn't love a pussy so we have to.
On top of your nuke sub building overload you now have us Aussies waiting for the one's you promised to build us mate 😃😃
A relative retired from the Navy after a career spent on subs, then in port overseeing the refueling efforts of several as well. The amount of planning and labor that goes into the refueling is worthy of a megaprojects video on its own. It is really incredible.
4:07 - Am I the only one who loves it when Simon sounds EXTRA English when he says things like “The company tasked with the final design missed - _AH’one_ of their milestones”? Lol 😄🤷🏻♂️
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ just gonna keep thumbs downing your comments until you get a ban. Proselytize somewhere else, nobody here cares for it.
@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist8 REPENT
@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist8
Let us pray -
Oh mighty one, we raise our noses to you blocked and unblown, send the handkerchief O blessed one that we may be wiped clean.
🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧 🤧
…Bless you 🙏👃🏼
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ Matthew 6:5-15 (see you in hell)
Software updates, for high end design programs are not simple. You don't just update. And it's not just they don't know to use it. The update has to be verified, checked against all other programs in the workflows, I work in aerospace. A revision update, from x.5 to x.6 or whatever can take 6 months for all the verifications, user acceptance testing, intergration testing. Software updates are both looked forward to and dreaded. Add in any retraining if required.
I've always heard the main limitation for a submarine these days is how much food for the crew they can carry
That is 100% accurate
They had that figured out a long time ago.
The only reason they need to surface is for supply.
so why not put robots in it?
@@oolurorn9131 why would they?
There were a couple of one-off boat designs that were EXCEPTIONALLY quiet. Narwhal was one. I qualified on the plant design at a prototype in Idaho and boy... who would believe you could power an entire submarine with so few pieces of rotating machinery (yes, it had a few, but I'll not go into details). Was truly amazing.
It worked quite well at sea, too, I assure you.
S5G and Narwahl SSN-671 were amazing feats. They set the stage for all that came later. Including Russian designs
I'm starting out in a month at EB! Hopefully I get to work on something as impressive as these
I just received a book titled, "Silent Service" the inside story of the Royal Navy's Submarine Heroes. I'm looking forward to a very good read. I've always been fascinated by submarines and their operations even though I served in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.
Proud to say I worked on this program before it was even known as Columbia. Left the Electric Boat shipyard in 2014 but definitely miss it sometimes.
Fr dude? That's awesome. Prolly you've some sort of classified information don't you
Lots of little technical mistakes put this video below your usual fine level. What I recall: DDG 1000 propulsion plant, treaty limited offensive capability regarding ballistic missiles, use of pistons for propulsion, MK 48 torpedo detonation effects, B1 as a nuclear asset, assigning SSN missions to an SSBN. I also think it has been released that the Columbia will have nuclear power driving steam turbine generators. The question is what type of electric motors will be used and whether they will be inside or outside the pressure hull.
I appreciate that he took the time to explain that nuclear weapons are loud
WHAT?
LMFAO!
OK, Boomer. 🤣💥
When I was in(60's-70's), we called them 'boomers' but not for his reason. Quite simply, the designation SSBM. B... M... BMer... Boomer. Sheesh, the way urban legends grow.
It’s the details like that we tune in for
The picture at the 1:15 mark has dolphins playing in the bow wave of the nuclear sub and that's the most adorable-yet-terrifying thing I've seen all week.
So, if you're using sonar, and WW3 is approaching and you see a bunch of dolphins playing at 30mph....... be F*+&£-g afraid!
Watching the dolphins jumping the bow wave during the day and the bioluminescent glow at night are such small things that are so hard to describe. Watching a star filled night sky devoid of light pollution change to a sunrise astern as youre heading home is a feeling that's hard to find anywhere else.
I've seen them myself. I will never forget
Was pretty common depending on where you were transiting out of. Had it happen both times I was in San Diego.
Steam turbines do not use pistons.
What do you expect from his writers. They believe in the “ Big Bang”, Macro Evolution, and man made Global Warming.
Came here to see if anyone else said this.
A nuclear powered submarine or ship uses the powerplant to heat steam and turn a turbine. This turbine generates electricity and then uses electric motors to turn the prop.
I cringed every time he said pistons!
@@TestyMcTesterson Close, but there are turbines directly driving the propulsion train. We only had a small electric motor as an emergency backup.
@@jthomas. must be one helluva gearbox and reduction ratio
Great video. I love all your videos. There was one thing that needs clarification though. The Trident II D5 ICBMs are manufactured with the ability to carry 14 MIRVs. Each MIRV has a yield range of 100kt- 475kt. It's the same on the OHIO Class. On the OHIO Class, the Tridents carry 8 MIRVs each. They can carry 14, but due to the START Treaties, they are limited to 8 warheads, MIRVs, each. This will be true for the Columbia Class as well. One part of treaty was thrown out. That was the medium range ballistic, nuclear capable, missiles. The reason why it tossed is because China is not part of START. They've been building hundreds of these missiles, and it leaves us at a severe disadvantage in theatre China Sea region war.
* I edited a portion. Also, per START, even though the Ohio Class have 24 launch tubes, they were obligated to decommission 4 of these tubes in 2017. That leaves them with 160 nukes on 20 Trident II ICBMs. It was 192. The original subs were limited to the 100kt W76. After that, the subs can cary the W88 which has a yield of 475kt.
That's one of many reasons why the US nuclear stockpile has, on paper, decreased over time. The US was smarter than the Soviets and Russians though and kept focusing on precision of their nukes eve before the treaty which is a major reason why the Soviets increased the sizes of their nukes faster than the US. the Soviets also focused more on mass nuclear assaults in their strategy while the US focused on precise strikes. Today the US could likely do more meaningful damage with a nuclear or conventional missile than the Russians even though the Russians may have larger payloads and/or more missiles.
That all barely matters when you know some Scientists worked out probably 300 of America's NATO standard B61-12 Nuclear Bombs would kick up enough of an ash cloud and radiation to start a mini Ice Age, and kill anyone left with Cancer. So one and a half subs could theoretically wipe out humanity. The frightening part is India and Pakistan have over 300 Warheads between them, and they have a Border Conflict every 5 years, like it's on a Schedule. Humanity could cease to exist without the US, Russia or China even being involved in a conflict.
What is an MRIV?
Reminds me of 1 of your early Megaprojects presentations - Soviet Akula/Typhoon Class - That was mint! 😍👍👍
Hey Simon, the reactor powers a turbine which in turn drives a motor-generator that produces the electricity to run the boat. Now, on the nuclear-powered cruiser I served on, the (former) U.S.S. Truxtun, CGN-35 (Cruiser, Guided-missile, Nuclear-powered), our two 98 MW reactors produced steam that powered turbines that propelled the ship and also powered motor-generators to supply the electrical needs of the ship. The primary coolant loop goes into a heat exchanger where it transfers the heat from the reactor to the secondary coolant loop, which goes to the turbines that turns the shafts via a gearbox that turn the screws (they are NOT propellers -- those are on airplanes!). The only thing that had pistons in them were the motors in our ship's boats and the two emergency diesel generators, plus some lube oil pumps and such (there was one in the #2 Engine Room just forward of my berthing compartment that was connected to about 400-500 gallon oil tank and it cycled on-off all day and all night; it was directly on the other side of the forward bulkhead -- to the aft bulkhead was the #2 Emergency Diesel Generator that had to be cycled periodically, inboard was the Missile Magazine, and the hull of the ship was opposite; we were below the waterline [3rd deck] and my rack was next to the hull with a cable raceway between it and the hull; since we were in the middle 3rd of the ship, we didn't get much up & down pitching, though got the roll).
I believe a piston pump was used to pressurize the primary coolant system. It was that way on the Bainbridge. I had fun riding through a typhoon. The mess deck was always open. No mess deck schedules. Eat what you want, (cold cuts0, when you want. My dad's ship The Escatapwa (spelling?) was permanently grounded by a typhoon.
I'm sure the Chinese will be very interested to know the exact location of such key components. If you have a security clearance, you just lost it. But I'm sure your ego got a nice thrill.
SEE KIDS. This is the difference between REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE and WHAT YOU COPY AND PASTE FROM THE INTERNET.
@@delavan9141 the CGN-35 was scrapped nearly 35 years ago and the Bainbridge scrapped in the same time period. all that info is way past the mandatory 25 year declass period.
Thanks for your service dude
~8:30+.... Crews don't rotate "between" boats.
Two crews rotate on/off the same boat. Blue and gold crews. One will be on the sub in and out of port. The other will be on leave or under going training in class rooms. This includes officers (including the captain) Not sure what amount of time they spend in each cycle now.
I work for one of the two aforementioned contractors building our lovely subs. I'm in VA design not CLB, but, when you mentioned how there is anxiety about running behind schedule, I only wish I could properly state just HOW much anxiety there is... 😋. Some muy importante redesign work has been done and is still being done(will not say more on the matter).
However, I'm confident that we will, like nearly every time find our way through and get SSBN-826 out on schedule.
The VA projects future is VERY interesting!
Is it a case of "the beatings will continue until morale improves"?
Hello brother!
Simon, talk to a marine engineer before you speculate on propulsion systems. 1. Current nuclear submarines use steam turbines, not pistons. 2. The only practical way to use the heat generated in a reactor is by boiling water to make steam. The steam powers a turbine. 3. The propulsion problem is that steam turbines spin at high speed and with low torque. Propulsors need to turn at slow speed and with high torque. There are two ways of converting high speed to low speed: mechanical gearboxes or electrical conversion. Traditionally, mechanical systems have been used. It seems that here they want to use electrical conversion as it has advantages of low maintenance and lower inherent noise. 4. Yes there is a battery but it is limited and is a short term reserve of power for occasions when the reactor is temporarily unavailable.
You refer to most nuclear powered vessels using a piston engine. I'd be surprised if that exists: typically reactors use a steam turbine (that then directly powers the driveshaft), now it'll power a generator that powers a motor.
Yeah there’s no pistons. Don’t know what’s going on with Simon lately as there’s been tons of blatantly obvious mistakes and false information
Nearly the whole propulsion section of this video is a comedy routine. I know a lot of info isn't out there, but they made up some wacky shit trying to fill in the gaps
There has only been one nuclear submarine that's ever used steam Pistons like a train and it was a very small Russian nuclear sub. Pretty much every nuclear substance and every American nuclear sub uses a steam turbine with reduction gearbox
This has to be purposeful disinformation
Imagine if we focused our intentions on helping each other instead of killing each other. It’s absolutely insane to imagine where we’d be as a race
Some of our greatest achievements came out of our attempts to kill each other. Almost every early computer was built for military purpose. ENIAC was the first true computer built and was made for calculating artillery trajectories and the Bombe’s built by Turing were for military code breaking. Both the US and USSRs space programs only existed due to ballistic missile development.
A large part of our advances in metallurgy are due to making weapons and armor. Add greed into the mix and you get most of humanity’s drive to advance.
It’s entirely likely we’d be still be painting on cave walls if it weren’t for our drive to kill each other and our greed.
Something I have never heard of, thanks for making this!
Really? It’s been being developed for a while now
fascinating video. thank you
There are two types of ocean vessels - submarines and targets. And boomers are SSBNs, not SSBMs.
This channel makes at least 1 cringe mistake per episode.
Sometimes, like the A-10 video, they get it all wrong. In this video he says steam powers pistons that generate power. This steam doesn't power pistons, it turns turbines.
It's just entertainment, don't take anyting Simon says as fact.
He called it ssbm at the beginning then called it ssbn for the rest of the episode
Fast Attack for life!
The submarine is the only ship in the Navy that sinks itself.
@@jerryplante4239 All ships can sink...but subs are designed to come back up!
Thanks. It’s nice to know someone cares. Technology marches forward.
B-1 was de-nuked due to treaty. B-2 and B-52 are the current nuclear-capable bombers in the US arsenal, however nukes can also be carried by fighter-size airframes.
I like to pretend I'm a very powerful world leader, and Simon Whistler here is my Military Advisor and Secretary of State and I'm having yet another delightful Briefing with him. 😆 👍
No US submarine puts the torpedo tubes in the bow that has not happened for a long time. The torpedo tubes are a long midship and angled out to leave room in the bow formuch better sonar listening.
Yep. The last US submarine class to have bow tubes (6) was also the first of our nuclear subs to feature the teardrop hull design. That class was the Skipjacks. My first boat was the last of the class, USS Snook, SSN-592, out of Ballast Point San Diego.
We docked the Blueback at Ballast point in the mid 80's, it was the last diesel fast attack and had the bow tubes. One of the later classes had the nose cone removed for maintenance & the transducer array was very interesting, it looked like the Death Star.
As an recently retired Submarine Builder At General Dynamics (Eletric Boat Division) I always find these video and comments extremely entertaining, not only did I work on Tridents and Ohio's but worked on Seawolf Virginia and Columbia I started after; (My ten year Navy service in 1979 I worked at Site One Holy lock Scotland for four years from 1984 till 1988) and left in 1990 to work at EB then in 1995 took ten years off to pursue My engineering degree. returning in 2005 and just retired in 2021 . Some of the people posting comment have an outside idea, they might have served onboard a Submarine, but chances of an individual crewing a Boomer and a fast attack are rare indeed. I wont bloviate or pontificate as to my knowledge or expertise . truth be told ,I cant even correct you .as this is an unsecured site an none of you have clearances (to the best of my Knowledge) but please continue to speculate. And again thank you for the Entertaiment.
FYI, the B-1 bomber is no longer a nuclear weapons platform. That capability is currently supported by the B-52 and the B-2 until the B-21 comes online to replace the B-2 in the theater, which is not expected until the 2030s. The B-52 will continue on as a nuclear weapons platform until they're retired.
Personally speaking as a Navy that and a proud graduate of the Navy nuclear propulsion school I find it highly offensive that they named anything after the District of Columbia other than a garbage scow
You make me smarter. I love your programs. THANKYOU
I'm pretty sure the zumwalt is power by gas turbines, not nuclear, but it's a very good video as always.
I believe he was referring to the propulsion system and not the inclusion of the reactor. I think the wording was just ambiguous.
correct, the navy hasnt had a nuke cruiser since 1999.
@@SnapshotTube2 no. It was that the power goes to a battery first, regardless of the power source. Zumwalt uses fuel but powers a battery. Columbia uses a nuclear reactor to power a battery.
You are correct the Zumwalt class destroyer is not nuclear powered
@@TheBooban there are no batteries, the Zumwalt has two main GTG's and 3 GTGs that are smaller, all are fuel driven that feed a DC buss around the ship... no gigantic battery helps the ship along.
I always enjoy your videos and learn something. If I heard correctly, the Columbia class sub was described as “nuclear electric”, without the steam boilers and noisy pumps.
That REALLY caught my ear; to the best of my knowledge, other than a handful of unmanned space craft powered by radioisotopes, ALL terrestrial nuclear reactors built to date employ steam boilers, with associated pumps, etc.
Other sources describing the Columbia class as retaining “the nuclear reactor and steam turbines typical of US Navy submarines.” The propulsion system is variously described as being electric motor or turbo-electric, powering propellers or pulse jet.
Best wishes for the new year! Take care and stay safe!
All these different words are confusing. It's just integrated electric propulsion. Quite a few ships have it. Including the 2 British aircraft carriers. Only this sub uses a nuclear power plant for electricity.
0:29 "There are 3 types of submarine currently employed by the U.S. Navy." *Shows picture of submarine flying Canadian Flag*. I actually laughed out loud.
whole video was fucked with that kind of shit
I was on an attack sub in the late 80s for a week or so during summer in the Caribbean. The environment was comfortable. We wore jeans, long sleeve work shirts and T-SHIRT.
10:00 - Incorrect. Nuclear powerplants use steam turbines to generate electricity. There has never once been a nuclear sub, or other nuclear powered vessel that has *ever* used steam powered pistons...
It's SSBN for nuclear ballistic missile subs.
Exactly
SSBN = Submersible Ship Ballistic Nuclear.
As a former nuclear engineer and chemist who served aboard USS Will Rogers (SSBN 659), I'm only a minute into the video and I'm appalled.
Firstly, that's a Russian/Soviet submarine at 0:34!
Secondly, acronyms. The "SS" designation stands for "Submersible Ship", not "submarine". SSN, the designation for fast attack submarines, stands for "submersible ship, nuclear". SSGN stands for "submersible ship, guided, nuclear", and it's not SSB*M*, it's SSBN, for "submersible ship, ballistic, nuclear.
Fun fact, depending on when the image used at 0:57 to depict a ballistic missile boat was taken, USS George Washington could've been SS*N* 598 as her missiles were offloaded in the early 80's to comply with nuclear disarmament treaties with the USSR.
Also, as Polaris, Poseidon and Trident missiles are submarine-launched, they're technically SLBM's, for "Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile", not ICBM's.
The term "nuclear triad" is a United States military construct consisting of land-based ICBM's and nuclear bombs and missiles delivered, under the auspices of the Air Force, as well as the Navy's SLBM's. So, the Navy comprises a single leg of the deterrent triad.
2:10 - Submarine naming conventions are based on class. There is no "long tradition" of naming submarines for "cities, states or regions". Witness my first sentence. All "41 for Freedom" boomers were named for notable individuals. In fact, prior to USS Los Angeles (1974), SSN's continued (with some exceptions) the fish or sea animal naming convention.
10:03 - *Steam is not used to "power pistons".* Full stop. Steam turns turbines that, through a gear train, turns the propeller (also known as the "screw"), as well as turbines that turn motor generators to produce all the boat's electrical requirements.
10:30 - Only aircraft carriers and submarines are nuclear-powered. Back in the day, up to nine cruisers were nuclear-powered, but they've all long since been decommissioned. So, including images of USS Zumwalt is perplexing to say the least.
10:58 - The statement that nuclear-powered submarines are noisier than diesel-electric submarines is just false. As mentioned earlier, I served on what was then the newest ballistic missile submarine in the fleet. That was over 40 years ago. When I boarded Rogers, the boat had successfully completed more than 35 strategic deterrent patrols undetected by friend or foe. The truth is that US Navy submarines are the most stealthy underwater vehicles on the planet. Again, full stop.
Yes, diesel-electrics are quiet when running on batteries while submerged. However, they're slow with limited range. The same is true of boats equipped with air-independent propulsion systems. Though submerged endurance is significantly increased, speeds are dead slow with AIP.
12:40 - This is *not* a Trident SLBM.
Regarding characterizations of Trident submarines, here's a key statement: If a single Ohio-class SSBN were a nation, she'd be the fifth most powerful nation on Earth. Mind you, that's for single hull. We have 14 such boats, plus 4 SSGN's, each of which carry up to 154 nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
Additionally, Ben Franklin-class SSBN's, such as the USS Will Rogers, carried 16 Poseidon SLBM's. Ohio-class submarines, while capable of carrying 24 missiles, actually carry only 20 Trident D5 SLBM's.
As to their destructive potential, each Trident D5 carries 4 independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRV's. These are the actual warheads, and each one is approximately 100 kilotons yield. For comparison the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during WWII was a 14KT device.
It's also worth noting that many things, from the number of missiles, to the number and yield of warheads, are artificially capped by various treaties.
To put a point on range, accuracy and overall capability, at any point in time, there are up to 14 SSBN's deployed, each with 20 Trident SLBM's carrying 4 warheads. That's 1,120 warheads, or 112,000KT, or 8,000 Hiroshimas. With a nominal range of 4,000 miles, these SLBM's are capable of striking any target anywhere on the globe in under 15 minutes.
15:50 - While the MK48 torpedo is an extremely powerful and effective weapon, *no ship is "sent to the bottom in less than 30 seconds".* Again, full stop. Additionally, while the keel of Torrens was, in fact, broken, she was dead in the water, unmanned and in a scuttle configuration, meaning that she would sink much more rapidly than an operational military vessel rigged for battle.
16:34 - Make no mistake, "popping up within range of a target to let the adversary know that they're within striking distance" is not part of any mission profile, let alone a strategic deterrent patrol.
The entire point of a ballistic missile submarine is that it's a covert, mobile missile launching platform. So, no, we don't advertise our presence. In fact, after steaming to the submerge point, SSBN's affect a covert egress, not to be detected until surfacing at the end of a patrol.
Every adversary is well aware that their strategic military assets are targeted 24/7/365 and that one or more element of the nuclear deterrent triad are capable of striking them at any time.
Rest assured that, in the event of a first strike from Russia or any other nuclear-capable adversary, one or more RV, from one or more SLBM, from one or more SSBN, will rain down on them in under 15 minutes from launch detection.
Lastly, while life aboard modern nuclear submarines is demanding, it is nothing even remotely close to what's stated at 16:50. And, yes, crew members do, in fact, get a full night's rest. It would be simply impossible to maintain operational readiness for the extended duration of submerged patrols without proper rest, etc.
Now, if you'd like to get a glimpse of what life aboard a US Navy ballistic missile submarine is actually like, head on over to SmarterEveryday or Physics Girl. They've both recently published excellent videos on this very subject.
THANK YOU!!! Even as a non-Naval expert, it is so easy to realize he tossed together this video with little desire for accuracy. He's so full of his presentation style I guess that he feels he doesn't need to be accurate or truthful. But he will always have an adoring fan base regardless, and that's what matters, right? Get those views, pay the bills. . .
Hey Fact Boy - you should do one on the Parche spy submarine. It had a fascinating mission, and became the most decorated vessel in USN’s history.
It's hard to find any useful info on Parche. All of the good stuff is classified. They could get a lot more out of a video on Seawolf and Halibut since a ton of that stuff got leaked.
A friend of mine reitred from Parche as chief of the boat. He didn't know anything about that stuff.
😂😂😂😂
Technically, even nuclear-powered submarines need fuel and regular maintenance. There is an on-board heavy duty diesel engine that needs to be strong enough to provide power if the nuclear reactor needs to be shut down. This is to prevent nuclear disasters like Fukushima and also the USSR submarine K-19.
And the reactor has nuclear fuel.
I ALWAYS say a prayer for our fighting men and women at sea. Mom was Navy. Dad, USMC
“How deep will this thing go?”
“Oh she’ll go all the way to the bottom if we don’t stop her.”
As a former bubblehead, I have my suspicions what those numbers look like, but even the LAs I served on they're still classified so can't really say.
@@1337penguinman The most I could get out of a cold war era bubblehead was "thousands of feet". So, quite deep.
My biggest issue from working on both new and old boats was the smell. The new ones had a lot of your standard paint and other chemical smells, but the old ones stank. So did the aircraft carriers. Just the smell of so many people per cubic feet of space, a lingering odor that seemed to be soaked into the paint of the walls. Then there was the freezer on the carrier. Holy crap that smelled bad.
You never forget the smell of amine.
Those poles you see (the white pvc lookin ones), we would bust em out on the nice days during our transit to or from the sea to have one last round of tether ball before having to get back to work.
The usual practice when a milestone is about to be missed for the platform's IOC is to extend the operation of the existing asset until the new platform passes all of its milestone tests. So the USA will not be in jeopardy if the SSN DC of Columbia does not meet its requirements in 2027.
I want to thank everyone in submarines from our country and that I appreciate their service I know you have really good food down their but most of the time I'm sure is boring but then you go through a lot of mind games for your sanity on board good luck to all of you
You are welcome 🍻
Anyone else keep picturing senior citizens out at Sea every time he says Boomer?
Hey, I'm still surprised to realize I'm the same age as old people but I'm not a boomer. My dad was!
I'm a "boomer" (born in the '50s), though when talking subs, a "boomer" is ALWAYS an SSBN. Btw, I'm a Navy vet, so a boomer to us is automatically a FBM - Fleet Ballistic Missile sub. :)
Very entertaining, and with the usual inaccuracies that COULD have been avoided. Still...very entertaining and well worth listening to.
Submarine technologies have truly come a long way, and are already being looked at 2 or more generations ahead of the Columbia class.
One of the tenets of the Naval Reactors program from the very beginning was to develop a reactor core that would last the life of the ship. We've been there since the later flights of the Los Angeles class. One ship, one core...30+ years.
Aircraft carriers get one mid-life refueling at the 25 year point.
These boats are true engineering and technological marvels, and anybody who thinks otherwise, or that it's "easy" to design, built, operate, and maintain them, I would issue this challenge to them:
Design a simple workhorse of an automobile, something that is actually meant to do WORK and not be pampered in Jay Leno's garage. Then operate it as it was designed to be operated for 33 years...without ever refueling it.
These boats are built so well that we literally slammed a Los Angeles class submarine into an underwater mountain at flank speed and she not only survived, but made it back to port under her own power.
And, believe it or not, it was repairable.
Try that with your favorite heavy duty pickup truck and see what the insurance adjuster tells you.
The submarines are the navy equivalent of the department of mysteries in the ministry of magic. Nobody except them knows what the hell they’re doing
Hell, much of the time, most of the crew doesn't know what they're doing or where they are - except in general terms.
1:15 I like the still you got. Something quaint about launching nukes with prancing dolphins leading the charge.
People think an aircraft carrier is the deadliest thing at sea when in reality, it's the submarine. The submarine has more kills than all other naval platforms combined in WW2.
More ship kills, but not aircraft.
@C Lofing LOL. If you're hunting aircraft with a submarine you're either a very incompetent captain or something very wrong has happened preventing you from you know, diving. Aircraft are submarines archilles heel. Hell, a single helo with depth charges can take out a submarine.
@@Nesstor01 The USS Barb SS-220 did destroy (sink?) a train. OK, it used a landing party that set demolition charges, but still! :-) It was the only ground combat operation in the Japanese home islands.
Nuclear steam propulsion uses turbines, not pistons. The noise from pistons would be deafening under water. The loudest part of the sub is the reduction gears that reduce the efficient speed of a steam turbine down to the efficient speed of a propeller. In fact, the Navy experimented with a no reduction gear propulsion system in the USS Narwhal (SSN-671). It had an 80 stage double reduction turbine that ran at the same speed as the prop. It also had a natural circulation system in the reactor cooling loops that allowed them to turn off the circ pumps at speed.
Don't forget the turnine/electric USS Lipscomb
SSN 671 was the first sub cut-up project I worked on. Engine room and RC were a unique layout, and she had two tunnels.
@@Kriss_L Saw the prototype in Idaho. They had to be sure the natural convection reactor cooling would work at sea, so they built the entire section of the engineering space hull in a dry dock, filled it with water and had 2 big gyros to roll the hull 45° side to side.
Great, just what we need, another district of Columbia.
Let's hope this one actually works.
D’oh!
Just you watch. "Since a SSBN is named after District of Columbia, that means we must give statehood to the District of Columbia because SSBNs are only names after states."
@@johnlynch5300 USS Henry M. Jackson. Close.
please do a video on the virginia-class hunter killer SSN submarine!
Life aboard a submarine (at least in the USN) is anything but hot..... AC is running nonstop and it is quite cold all the time - regardless of the outside water temp. Also, my last deployment, I probably slept at least 12 hours every day/watch cycle....... Soooooooooo........
The temperature is probably up to the captain... its not like the reactor cant provide the heat
@@the_retag it's not. AC units utilizing R114/134A are continuously running to ensure a standard (cold) temperature aboard to support both personnel and equipment. Hundreds of servers and electronics racks in conjunction with actual machinery puts out a lot of heat. It is always cold on a modern US submarine.
I was a NavET (Navigation Electronics Tech) on boomers. We had temp alarms that would go off at 72 degrees.
@@ThisGuy291 I was NavET as well. I ended up as quartermaster
You slept 12 hours every cycle? Wasn't it 6 hour watch, 12 hours off?
Your description of the design and construction process of these boats is truly terrifying Simon. I'm going to lose some sleep thinking about this...
Great video, as usual, though Im going to mention you guys still have rendering artifacts in your videos (when you use overlays or insert video). It's not the end of the world, but it's very distracting, and you guys are better than letting it go.
Uh, maybe. He turns these around so fast with so little care, it's not surprising you see the problems you are seeing. He's leaning way too heavily on delivery and charm. But to many people, that equals competence.
They are not rendering artifacts. They are a deliberate filter to make them look like old slightly damaged filmstock. And yes it is distracting and they should stop using it.
as always, great info doc........, thanks
"... In the us navy hunter killers"... Shows a submarine with Canadian flag
Small note, the B-1s are no longer used as part of the nuclear triad. Right now the bombers used are the B-52 and the B-2. The B-21 of course, coming into service in coming years.
The B-1 is no longer nuclear capable. The B-52 still is tho.
Uh, huh. At least that's what the government says.
They proved it. The fusing hardware was removed and laid out in the open for Russian satellites and aircraft to verify treaty compliance. Furthermore, Russian observers were allowed to visit the B-1 in person and watch as fusing hardware was destroyed. This transparency was normal for arms control treaties at the time.
The treaty is about to expire however and the US could add in new fusing hardware to the remaining B-1B if desired. This would likely be updated hardware to support newer weapon types if this was done.
The current plan appears to phase out B-1 instead because the have been used much more heavily than other bombers and are wearing out.
Well that didn't last since it was announced recently the B-1's are nuclear capable again.
With respect, a lot of the info towards the end of this video is incorrect. SSBNs DO NOT carry cruise missiles on them, nor do they do "sneaky stuff" like inserting SOF or anything like that. Neither the Ohios nor the upcoming Columbias will do that type of stuff. The reason why is fairly obvious. It would be insane to risk the discovery of your submarines that are carrying a bunch of nuclear ballistic missiles by firing off conventional cruise missiles or getting close enough to shore to insert SOF.
SSBNs have one job and one job only...staying hidden so that the USA can vaporize an enemy nation if we are ever attacked with nukes first. You can't have a reliable sea-based nuclear deterrent if the enemy knows where all of your SSBNs are because they could be attacked and sunk right before a large nuclear first strike is launched against the mainland USA, thereby eliminating or nearly eliminating the chance of a retaliatory strike by the US and making that nuclear first strike a more palatable option.
The reason you guys are probably confused is because four of the 18 Ohio-class SSBNs that were built have been converted to do the "sneaky stuff" that you mentioned towards the end of this video. Those four Ohios...the first four Ohio-class subs ever built...no longer carry ANY nuclear weapons. They no longer have Trident SLBMs onboard. They were instead converted to carry about 150 conventional Tomahawk cruise missiles in addition to SOF personnel. The Columbia-class SSBNs WILL NOT carry any cruise missiles. They will carry the 16 Trident SLBMs and torpedoes for self-defense.
That is why the newest Block 5 Virginia-class SSNs (the attack subs) are all having approximately an extra 80 feet of length added to them for something called a "Virginia Payload Module" that will enable each sub to carry about 65 Tomahawk cruise missiles and/or Harpoon anti-ship missiles in total. Because the four Ohios that were converted into SSGNs were the first four Ohios ever built, and are therefore the oldest and are already between 39 and 41 years old, those four subs are rapidly nearing necessary retirement due to age.
Those four SSGN Ohios that each carry about 150 Tomahawks and SOF personnel are going to be replaced by the Virginia-class SSNs with the "Virginia Payload Module". They will carry less than half as many Tomahawk cruise missiles as the much larger converted Ohio-class SSGNs carried, but that's just an inescapable reality that will be compensated for by the fact that far more than four (the number of Ohios that were converted to SSGNs) of those Virginias will be built. Ten of those "Block 5" Virginias have already been ordered, and the prior Blocks of Virginia SSNs also carry Tomahawk cruise missiles, just fewer than the 65 that the Block 5 boats will carry. Also, it's possible that more than ten Block 5 Virginias may be ordered, and any future Blocks (6, 7, beyond) will also carry AT LEAST 65 Tomahawks, if not more.
So the other 14 Ohio-class SSBNs and the upcoming Columbias that will replace them are all EXCLUSIVELY nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines. They will never be used to launch conventional cruise missiles or to insert SOF personnel, and their torpedoes will not be used to go out and "hunt" enemy subs or warships. Those torpedoes are intended to be used solely as a self-defense measure against enemy subs or warships if an SSBN was ever discovered during a wartime scenario.
well, i mean, they dont have to refuel the submarine but they DO have to refuel the crew lol
Yes, but thats a matter of days or weeks after each patrol
The crew actually walks on canned food the first few weeks. Bulkheads become higher the longer you are at sea
@@RichardMiller-tq6ut Yep, we store things everyone there is an empty space. Chop even once got chewed out because he made an absolute heinous error.... probably the absolute worse things you could possible do in the Navy...... I would not be shocked if in teh long term it help up promotions for him later in life......
In one stores load he directed the cans of coffee to be stored under the deck in the void where the steam pipes ran to the the SSTG's. During deployment due to the heating the steam piped did to the small void and the can, you couldn't touch them or get them out, and so we ended up with a coffee shortage underway. An unforgivably crime aboard a navy vessel.
@tekitron the worst thing that happened with me is my dumbass shipmate kept a little monkey from Pearl. Crew talks and Cap'n got wind. We had to jettison poor little monkey with compact waste. I still feel the horror
I think you made a mistake regarding the USA's nuclear triad. IIRC, the B-1B have been denuclearized since 1995 and the aircraft is slated for retirement. Moreover, the B-52H is still in service for nuclear missions using nuclear-armed ALCMs and is slated to be maintained for several more decades.
We should all just be given a nuclear reactor when we turn 18 and just plug that thing as we go about out day to power all our things.
16:50 Thank you to the crews of the US and Allies submarines who protect freedom and democracy.
"Boomer" was the nickname for Soviet submarines during the cold war, on account of how noisy they were.
No they weren’t.
But after the toshiba scandal they were called black holes for their silence.
WRONG The U.S. navy has always called their missile boats boomer.
Its caz they carry nukes.
16 missiles away, a mushroom cloud, and it is miller time.
I think the Mark 48 torpedo deserves a megaprojects video all on its own. Its a tremendous piece of kit and needs a video to showcase that!
Although I'm one of those idiots named pacifists, I know a pair of submariners. They are excellent people, with an incredible work ethic and brilliant skills to solve problems. Cheers from Z to F.O. and H.M. if u guys read this.
On 7 June 2021, the U.S. Navy budget office announced that the total cost for District of Columbia would reach $15.03 billion, which includes planning costs for the entire program.
You demonstrated a degree of ignorance when you said the US would be out of it’s sea-based nuclear deterrent if they missed the target window or exceeded the 2/6 month buffer. 5:45 That’s simply false. The Navy routinely extends the service life of vessels and it never retires a whole class of vessels simultaneously. I am left with the glaring impression you’re a speculative outsider and certainly not an industry expert.
I don't know if you could find enough material to make it worthwhile, but it would be interesting to see a video on the British R-class submarine from World War I. It was an early attempt at designing a submarine that could operate at high speed submerged. It's considered a forerunner of modern attack submarines.
No nuclear powered submarine in the US inventory uses piston engine's to drive the propeller, they're all steam turbine powered. From what little I've read about the Columbia's, their instead using the turbine to generate electricity that then gets used for both the electric motor driving it to running everything else on board. It also gets rid of the biggest weak spot in the hull, the shaft seals.
I am sure that no nuclear power plant (land based or marine) in the world uses pistons for that matter.
As an ex-squid I think it's a safe statement to say that the _ONLY_ piston engines still in use are big ass diesels powering supply ships (other than as auxiliary power). Since the Iowa class was commissioned, I believe that ALL steam powered vessels (either boiler or nuke) are TURBINE powered.
So... They get rid of the biggest weak spot in the hull yet they can still only dive to 200m. Someone is lying and I am sure it isn't you. Damn Navy and their secrets.
@@davidpalmer4184 This is the type of thing you usually want to keep classified. This has been the standard line since the the launch of the Nautilus back in the mid 50's. For what it's worth, I've seen claim's that the crush depth of the Thresher was around 750~800 meters, but the Navy won't confirm that. Back it up to 600 meters for emergency operations, maybe we're getting somewhere, we could also just be barking up a tree.
@@7891ph I know my friend. I am ex army and know how to keep secrets. Sometimes it is just fun to poke the bear.
Listened to this on my way to work where I will work on the this program.
1:49 the program
8:03 the boat
12:26 the weapons
15:57 conclusion
What would I do without you..
Nuclear engineer here. Worked in the Naval Nuclear propulsion program from 2011 to 2016, and if I say anymore than that I'll get in trouble :)
Best part of working there: Never had to do work at home or even check emails at home because practically everything is classified. If you are a new engineer grad, this is a great program to work in and the people are extremely professional and really care about the work.
Nuclear steam pistons?? Ever heard of turbines? Dang it, I like the subjects your channel covers but sloppy stuff like this makes me distrust all of your information.
Having served in the ass end of navy nuclear propulsion this mental picture actually made me laugh out loud.
Yeah you're completely wrong about what a Nuclear Electric drive is.
"Navy developers explain that electric-drive propulsion technology still relies on a nuclear reactor to generate heat and create steam to power turbines. However, the electricity produced is transferred to an electric motor rather than so-called reduction gears to spin the boat's propellers." - Business Insider.
The Navy has had an earlier SSN test bed for turbine electric drive - the USS Lipscomb. It used two Propulsion Turbine Generators to drive a large DC motor instead of reduction gears. Although quiter, it was not too sucessful as the top speed was quite a bit less than her SSN 637 class sisters. Also there were electrical problems with the PTGs.
The USS Glenard P Lipscomb (SSN 685) had lots and lots of problems in it’s later life, so much so that other boats tended to refer to it as “Building 685”.
1 st
Well done.
I miss serving on subs. As a sonar supervisor, fast attacks are the only way to go for me. The thrill of hunting for and chasing other subs and ships is what made the job fun. I couldn’t imagine being on a boomer where the job is to hide far away from anything. Having the set schedule that boomers have would be nice, but for me, the job would be boring. I would have loved to be on a seawolf class, especially the Jimmy Carter! It isn’t all fun an games though. On my last sub, I extended to over 5 years onboard. I was definitely ready to leave when it was time, but the longer I’m away, the more I forget the negatives and miss them.
I could only imagine the adventure aspect of your service that looms in your heart. You should write a book. Seriously. I'm a retired HW boxer that got to spar some of the best ever (George Foreman hurt me more than a car at 40 mph, no shit. His fist is the size of a 5 lb ham) and I've been writing for a while now. You should at least try and see if it takes. Thank you for your service.
1:25 B-1 bombers haven't been part of the Triad (nuclear capable) for decades. He also failed to mention the B-52 which IS a nuclear capable bomber.
Don't forget missile truck fighter jets
The B-1 bomber isn't used for nukes. The strategic bombers currently in service are the B-52 and B-2.
True, due to treaty restrictions, not technical restrictions. But that treaty is expiring soon and the limitation could then theoretically be lifted.
Although it isn’t currently planned, the B-1 could have nuclear fusing hardware added back in and become nuclear weapons capable again. If this was done then B-1 could fully replace B-52 as the backup to the B-2 and B-21 primary nuclear weapons platforms.
There would then be no need for keeping B-52 in USAF inventory any more and they could perhaps all be sold off to India to counter the PLA H-6 bombers.
The reason why this is not being pushed right now is likely to protect B-21 procurement numbers. They don’t want a repeat of the B-2 deep order cuts that forced the continued use of B-52 in the nuclear deterrent role long after it was scheduled for replacements.
@@stupidburp I think the B-52 should still be upgraded as planned and maintained. The B-1 is actually the more likely one to be retired due to operating costs. The B-52s ability to operate as a standoff cruise missile truck is still powerful. Of course, the B-1 has the capability as well and is more survivable, but the BUFF is the more practical option to fill that role. Especially when they get their new engines.
With that said, I absolutely love the Lancer, so purely as a fan, I'd love to see it stay in service instead.
US Navy. America's greatest weapon, for freedom...
I like it its so powerful
While not powered by a nuclear reactor. The United States Navy did use the turbo electric drive on its standard class battleships. It's was the treaty weight limits that removed their use due to the sheer weight of the electronic systems.
I think it is slightly interesting that these videos on newer military equipment are even attempted. Mainly due to the common theme amongst them, which is "speculation" and "classified". I do still appreciate the effort the writers put in them and I understand the secrecy behind the actual specifications of the equipment. It just almost seems like one could say "The United States is building a new submarine" and end the story. Of course we would then miss out on the wonderful story telling abilities of Simon.
Huge fan. As a former missile technician (I worked on the Tridents) on an Ohio-class submarine, I would be more than willing to answer any questions you may have and further expand on some of this. I still remember what’s classified and what isn’t 😂
I quit being such a huge fan when he said steam pistons drove the props on nuclear subs. I find that level of ignorance rather astounding.
Your memory is a lot better than mine then... I was on surface ships, but after all these decades, I really don't know what might still be classified... I'm pretty sure some of the systems that I worked on would be considered antiquated technology these days, but I just consider it all still classified since that is probably safer...
Howard much slbm..?24 ?
I remember when the Navy tested the Trident off the California coast back in 2015. It was quite eerie to look up at the night sky in the Bay Area and see the ghostly glowing trail of that missile but not knowing what it was at the time.
I saw one of those shots from Santa Cruz back in the late 80's.
I knew what it was, I was afraid I would see a second, third and so on...
I've watched the launch of a couple of Trident missiles while about a foot from the missile tube. I was watching the missile through a viewing port. There wasn't much to see, but feeling the sub flex and bounce was exciting/interesting.
I love the way Simon says the word tubes. Tyoobs. :)
Thank you again for a well researched and very informative video, my friend. Always appreciate how the title of your videos actually match the information contained there in.
Have a fantastic week, my friend. 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸
There is one small problem with your first sentence. It is NOT "well-researched." It is so full of holes and untrue statements as to make it completely ridiculous. An authoritative presentation does not equal informed or truthful.
@@delavan9141, then I await your video, my friend.
@@marksanney2088Delavan is absolutely correct. This thing was full of invalid info. I hope there are other more accurate videos on the subject.
Cool video! Thanks Simon and crew!
"200 meters." Most people don't realize that the actual top speed of the SR-71 is still classified despite being about to outrun a SAM with ease and having plenty "of throttle to spare." Not trying to belittle anything, quite the opposite, I find myself frequently fascinated by the achievements of humanity... It is a pity that the focus is on how to kill and intimidate each other instead of cooperation.
Interesting fact: Submarine rolls, known most commonly as sub rolls, or 'subs'; are named so as their shape is reminiscent of a submarine. You can find these prefilled as sandwiches in a lot of sandwich shops, including chain restaurants such as "Subway", who are named after their most popular menu item.
One error in your screen graphics. You wrote “SSBM”, maybe thinking ballistic missile. It is SSBN. The N is still for nuclear powered.