The Requin

May 14th, 2008

by: Raul Colon      

The relative obscure Requin (Shark) class of submarines had its origin in the French Navy’s experience during the Great War. In that complex military campaign, France demonstrated a near complete dependency on Great Britain’s submarine force for transportation and offensive/defensive engagements. A fact clearly demonstrated on the failed Gallipoli Expedition. The lead boat of the class, the Requin, was laid in the spring of 1923. Launched in July 19th 1924, the boat’s hull measured 256’-7” with a beam of 22’-6”. Its conning tower had a height of 16’-9”. The sub displaced 990 tons on the surface and 1441 ton while submerge. A twin screw configuration was powered by a set of diesel-electric engines. This configuration gave the Requin a top speed of 15 knots on the surface and just above 9 knots underwater. With its full complement of fuel, the sub was able to operate at a distance of 5650 nautical miles utilizing a 10 knots average speed. A crew of 54 officers and men was needed to adequate operated this new French boat. But the most impressive feature of this remarkable sub was its torpedo tube alignment. Ten 27.7” tubes were fitted in the forward and aft section of the submarine. The Requin was officially commissioned in the summer of 1926.

Eventually, nine subs made up the Requin class. The complete class was refitted and modernized between the fall of 1935 and the summer of 1937. When war broke out in Europe in 1939, the whole class was activated for combat operations. When the Germans invaded France they went on to seize the bulk of the fleet. They got the Requin, Espadon, Dauphin and Phoque in December 1942. Although all these boats were in German hands, none of them became operational while serving the Nazi regime. In fact, the four were broken up years later. The Morse sank of Sfax when it hit submerge mine on June 10th, 1940. On the 29th of the same month, the Souffleur was spotted and sank by the Royal Navy’s submarine Parthian near the Palestine coast. Narval was also sunk by a mine en route to the island fortress of Malta in December 15th, 1940. The last surviving boats, the Marsouin and Caiman were able to escape the Allied landings in North Africa in 1942. Both managed to made the major French naval base at Toulon were they were scuttled. @

Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754

The Enrico Toti

May 12th, 2008

by: Raul Colon     

This fine submarine was the lead boat in a class of four. It had the distinction of being Italy’s first submarine designed since the end of World War II. The main drive behind the Toti’s design conception was Italy’s need for a modern costal hunter-type boat to counter the perceived Soviet naval threat of the mid 1960s. As per its operational profile, the Enrico was designed to have a very small sonar cross section. The Toti’s hull measured 151’-7” in length with a 15’-5” beam section which supported a 13’-0” conning tower arrangement. Displacing 524 ton on the surface and 582 tons while submerge, the Enrico was able to travel at speeds of 14 knots on the surface and 15 knots underwater. This was the result of a combination of a massive diesel engine and two electric motors powering a single screw alignment. Traveling at a five knot clip, the Toti was able to operate at a range of 3000 nautical miles from its departed base. The boat was manned by a crew of just 26 officers and men.

What separated the Enrico from its counterparts was its offensive/defensive weapon system which incorporated the vaunted Whitehead/Motofides A-184 wire guided torpedo which was able to function as an Anti ship system possessing an active-passive acoustic homing warhead as well as an enhanced Electronic Counter Measures mechanism designed to counter Soviet decoy systems. These systems were operated form the boat’s four 21 inch torpedo tubes.

Launched on May 12th, 1967, the Enrico Toti went on to serve with distinction in the Italian Navy for nearly thirty years. The boat was officially retire from active duty service in the spring of 1993, although it was nearly mothballed a few years early.@

Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754

Virginia-class Initial Operating Testing & Evaluation

May 9th, 2008
By Team Submarine Public Affairs, May 8, 2008
WASHINGTON –  USS Virginia (SSN 774), the lead ship of the Navy’s new class of attack submarines, embarked upon its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) period in April, under the direction of Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (COTF), the Navy’s operational test agency, and overseen by Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), Department of Defense. 

 During this rigorous six-month testing period, the Virginia Class’s war fighting capabilities will be evaluated in operationally realistic and demanding scenarios across its seven mission areas - Anti-Submarine; Anti-Surface Ship; Strike; Naval Special Warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; Battle Group Support; and Mine Warfare. 
This comprehensive evaluation will include operations with a U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group in a major naval exercise, simulated combat operations against surface ships and other submarines, the launch of TOMAHAWK test missiles, and execution of a simulated Naval Special Warfare mission using Special Operation Forces.  Upon completion of this testing, COTF and DOT&E will issue assessments of the combat effectiveness and suitability of the Virginia Class design in support of the Defense Department’s Full-Rate Production decision in April 2009.

“The initiation of Virginia Class IOT&E marks a significant milestone in the Virginia Class Program,” said Rear Adm. William Hilarides, Program Executive Officer for Submarines.  IOT&E represents the Defense Department’s final exam for determining the relevance and value of acquisition programs.  In the case of the Virginia Class Program, IOT&E is the culmination of a submarine design, development and construction effort that began over 15 years ago. 

 “I am confident it will demonstrate that the Virginia Class submarine provides the flexibility and adaptability needed to become the backbone of the Navy’s submarine force for decades to come,” said Hilarides.
“The start of the IOT&E test period has tremendous significance,” said Rear Adm. (sel) David Johnson, the Virginia Class Program Manager. “Turning the system over to the operational test community indicates the development work is essentially complete and the system is ready for an independent evaluation of its capabilities.  Being able to reach this point is a testament to the expertise and commitment of our government team and industry partners.”

The commencement of IOT&E marks yet another important milestone accomplished by the Virginia Class Program this year.  North Carolina (SSN 777), the fourth ship of the class, was delivered earlier this year and commissioned on May 3 in Wilmington, N.C.   The fifth Virginia Class ship, New Hampshire (SSN 778), will be christened in June at General Dynamics Electric Boat’s Groton, Conn., facility, and is scheduled to deliver in August  — eight months before its contract delivery date.  New Hampshire will be commissioned at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, on October 25.  This will mark the first time in twelve years that the Navy has commissioned two submarines of the same class in the same year. 

 

 

New Mexico (SSN 779), the sixth Virginia Class sub, had its keel laying ceremony in April at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News, Va., facility.  Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced in January the names of the seventh, eighth, and ninth ships of the class -Missouri (SSN 780), California (SSN 781), and Mississippi (SSN 782). 

The Virginia Class Program Office released the Request for Proposals for the eight-ship Block III contract and is working toward awarding the contract for SSNs 784-791 before the end of the fiscal year.

 

 

 

TSR

The Zoea

May 5th, 2008

by: Raul Colon   

This Italian submarine was part of a three class boat of costal mine laying platforms built for the Italian Navy just a few years prior of the advent of World War II. The Zoea and her sister subs, the Foca and Atropo were all built in the mid 1930s. The Zoea was launched on a clear morning on February 3rd, 1936. With a hull length of 271’-8” and a beam measurement of 23’-6”, with a conning tower height of 17’-5”; the Zoea was bigger than most costal submarine platforms of the day. She was able to displace 1333 tons on the surface while 1659 underwater. A pair of diesel engines powered a twin screw alignment which was able to produce a top speed of 15.5 knots on the surface. For underwater operations, a twin electric motor system gave the Zoea a respected speed of 7.4 knots. Maximum operational range was an impressive 8,500 nautical miles at an 8 knot clip. This Foca-class boat was heavily armed for a minelayer sub. Six 21” torpedo tubes provided the boat with an impressive defensive/offensive punch. This arrangement was augmented by one 3.9” deck gun mounted in a training turret mechanism. Later on the class life, the gun was permanent mounted on the deck area in front of the conning tower. A total of 60 officers and submariners were needed to man the sub.

The Foca was the only boat of the class to be lost on combat operations when she went down on October 15th, 1940 while laying a mine barrage off the coast of Palestine. The Zoea was captured by the advancing Allies in late 1942. She actually was use by the Allies to run supplies to the beleaguered British garrisons on the Aegean Islands. She and her sister, the Atropo; survived the war. By the time they were decommissioned in 1947 both boats were a shell of their former self. Today, only still photos of this very singular submarine class are available.@

The author Raul Colon is a freelance writer who resides in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.)

Raul Colon
e-mail:
rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico 00929  

 

The Goubet II

April 29th, 2008

 by: Raul Colon  

Laid down just one year after the original launch date of the ground braking Goubet I, the ingeniously developed Goubet II was one of France’s early entries into the world of full hulled submarines. It also represented the country’s first attempt at building an all electrically powered submersible. This “little” boat measured just 26’-6” in hull length with a beam of 6’-6”. The complete sub displaced 4.5 tons on the surface and 5 tons while underwater. The boat’s dimensions are not this indigenous sub was about. It was the sub’s propulsion system that made the Goubet II standout against its peers. Powering a single screw alignment was a 4hp Siemens electrical road automobile engine which consisted on a massive battery of Laurent/Cely accumulators placed on the lower portion of the inside hull. This arrangement gave the Goubet II a top operational speed of 6 knots on the surface. Underwater capability is estimated at 3.5 knots. This clever propulsion configuration gave the boat a profile range of just above 20 nautical miles. The Goubet II was manned by a crew of two.

The Goubet II was launched in the spring of 1889 and like its predecessor, the boat ran a series of sea trials before the whole concept was canceled the following winter. Nevertheless, the concept was well developed and the testing phase gave French engineers an in depth look at the problems associated with the use of electrical engines inside small hulled platforms. However, from all of the data gained on the Goubet I and II programs, it was the Germans, not the French, whom ultimate developed a streamline electric propulsion system which was not that difference from the one aboard the Goubet II.@

(The author Raul Colon is a freelance writer who resides in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.)Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico 00929
  

 

Scuka Class

April 28th, 2008

by: Raul Colon  

This medium size submarine class was destined to become the Soviet Union’s main submarine platform during its struggle against Germany in the Great Patriotic War. When the Scuka design was originally laid out, it represented the USSR’s first true attempt to design a fleet-type submarine. The first hull of what would become a 91 boat production line was laid out in the summer of 1930. The lead boat was commissioned in 1931. With the delivery of the first unit began a construction process that would involve all of the USSR’s four main shipyards. When the last of the Scuka was delivered to the Soviet Navy in 1939, she became the first sea platform to have been mass produce by a Russian-based yard. There were three main versions of the Scuka during its long production run. But in each, the boat retained its original configuration.

Displacing 549.2 tons on the surface and 678.1 while underwater, the Scuka was a relative  big boat for a medium size class (compared to its contemporaries). Its hull was 188’-8” in length with a beam of 23’-6”. One massive 1,200hp petrol engine gave the Scuka a top surface speed of 12.5 knots, while for undersea operations a 450hp electrical engine propelled the boat at a clip of 6.5 knots. Four 21” torpedo tubes were placed on the bow section. These were augmented by a pair of 21” mounted on the stern. Up to a total of twelve torpedoes were carried aboard the sub. For surface engagement, two 1.77” guns were placed on the sub deck. A total of fifty officers and submariners were needed to manage the Scuka.

This incredible boat, which became the backbone of the Soviet undersea fleet during World War II, was deployed to all of the USSR’s theaters of operations during that struggle. They saw extensive action in the Pacific, North and Baltic areas as well as in the Black Sea basin. Because of their large number and the fact that they represent the bulk of the Soviet submarine force during the early years of the war, the Scuka class also received the most casualties among Soviet submarines. Thirty four boats, nearly 70%, of the entire class were lost due to combat operations. The few boats that survived the war were decommissioned soon after V-Day Europe. Today, only still photos remained of this once powerful submarine platform.@

(The author Raul Colon is a freelance writer who resides in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.)Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico 00929
 

The Espadon

April 25th, 2008

by: Raul Colon  

Back in the early days of the Twentieth Century, most developing nations were involved in the process of designing and developing ever larger submarines platforms. And although many of those early sub designs did not produce a workable platforms, they did rendered value service as test-bed systems. One of those early experimental submarines designs was that of France’s Espadon (Swordfish). Developed from a French Navy specification dated back to the spring of 1900, the Espadon was conceived as a propellant experimentation platform. As the French and most of the world’s navies of the times came too realized, in those early years; the main roadblock to the design and development of an ocean going type of submarine was its propulsion mechanism, especially it’s underwater component.

Espadon, c.1915 - Sirene Class Submarines

The first set of French sea trials conducted on submarine propulsion systems in the late 1880s utilized compressed air as its main power source. Although these trials showed promising results, the amount of storage space needed for this kind of system was simple too big for a sub platform. By the early 1890s, steam power was regular used to propel the sub on the surface while a new type of engine, the electrical, were beginning to find its way into their hulls. The Espadon was one of the first submarines in the world to utilize both systems.

Launched in September 1901, this experimental French submarine had a hull length of 106’-8” with a height of 12’-10” and a sail height of 10’-2”. Total surface displacement was 159 tons. While undersea displacement tonnage was 216. The boat was powered by a single screw, triple expansion steam engine supplemented by one electric motor. This combination gave the Espadon a top surface speed of 9.7 knots and eight knots on underwater operation. Operational surface range was 600 nautical miles on an eight knot clip. The boat carried four 17.7” torpedoes for offensive/defensive engagements. The new French boat had a 30-stronght crew complement.

The Espadon was use extensively as a research platform from 1902 to the end of 1915. She expended her last few years in port while the newest French submarines engaged the German Navy in the naval battles of the Great War. The Espadon was officially decommissioned on October 1919. Almost twenty years after being launched. A truly remarkable feat for such an early trailblazer submarine.@

(The author Raul Colon is a freelance writer who resides in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.)

Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754

WWII Submariner Anonymous No More

April 19th, 2008

David Ross sends into TSR a remarkable accomplishment that started out by perusing thru some old online High School yearbooks.  A Submariner finds a fellow Submariner.  BZ Shipmate! A Great Find for sure and a proper tribute posted.  I will let David’s email speak for itself.      TSR

*********************************************************************************************************************

I was perusing some on-line yearbooks of my high school, Newburgh Free
Academy, Newburgh, New York.  The 1945 yearbook had a WWII KIA page and
Karl Hammond’s name was mentioned as being lost on the USS Gudgeon,
sunk on April 18, 1944 off the island of Iwo Jima 

I knew about the website http://oneternalpatrol.com which chronicles all submariners’ deaths while on patrol and checked to see if it had any info on Karl.  When I found that it listed his name, but had no picture
or personal information on him, I started a quest to give a face and some personal information to Karl..

Using e-mails to the local library and the high school library, I was able to put some life to his name.  He and a photograph are now on the website. See: http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/hammond-k-l.htm

There is a port of no return, where ships May ride at anchor for a little space

And then, some starless night, the cable slips, Leaving an eddy at the mooring place . . . Gulls, veer no longer.

Sailor, rest your oar. No tangled wreckage will be washed ashore.

USS Gudgeon (SS-211) a Tambor-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gudgeon.

Armed with the pride born of her successes on eleven previous war patrols, GUDGEON, under Lt. Cmdr. R.A. Bonin, sailed from Pearl Harbor on April 4, 1944 to conduct her twelfth patrol in an open area in the northern Marianas. She left Johnston Island on April 7, 1944, after having topped off with fuel, and was never heard from again.
 

You can conatct David here Dave@SSN571.com  Website: www.SSN571.com

TSR

The SS-396 Ronquil

April 16th, 2008

by: Raul Colon   

Surfacing for the last time after more than thirty years of front line service, the USS Ronquil (SS-396), a Balao Class submarine, moved smoothly through the United States Navy Seven Fleet’s ships anchored at San Diego Bay, California. She would be decommisioned for the second and last time under the United States’ flag. In a few days, a ceremony would be held on one of San Diego’s Bay port officially transfering the SS-396 to the Spanish crown. As the memorable ship put to port, seamen, officers and visitors alike were all at awe. The sight of one of the Navy’s last diesel powered submarine calling port for the last time was emotional. The SS Ronquil was a proud member of the longest running submarine class in the US Navy: the amazing Balao Class. Born out of necessity during the later stages of World War II, the Balao boats went on to have a distinguish career during WW II as well as on post war operations. It is a testament to the wisdom of their designers that the last combat active boat of the class was finally decommisioned in the spring of 1996, more than fifty years after its conception!

The Ronquil’s hull was laid out on September 9th, 1943. Five month later, the sub was launched for sea trials. Finally on April 22nd, 1944; the 396 was officially commissioned to the US Navy. The boat remained on active duty after the war and in May 1952 was briefly de-commissioned. After refitting and a major system overhaul, the Ronquil was back to active duty, less than a year after being removed from it. The SS-396 went on to serve undisturbed until that July morning in 1971 when she was transferred to the Spanish government. Many fine seamen and officers served on the boat during its long and distinguish service career. One of those brave men is Submarine Sonar Technician (STS2-SS) 2nd Class David Barleen. Recently I had the opportunity to communicate with Mr. Barleen regarding his service aboard the Ronquil. He was very kind in sharing some of his recollection about this incredible submarine.

Mr. Barleen grew up near the Mare Island naval yard in Solano County, California. His interest in the silence service grew out of the excitement the service could offered a young man looking for an adventure and that fact that being a submariner was an elite honor. He followed his dream and enlisted with the Navy in 1963. Assigned to the US Navy Submarine Reserve Force, young Barleen entered to active duty status two years later.

His first combat patrol was on the Ronquil in 1965. At the time, the boat was based at Yokosuka Naval Base as part of the Seventh Fleet forward deployment elements. He saw extensive action during the Vietnam War when the SS-396 was assigned to “data accumulation (visual, audible and electronic)” all over the vast Pacific Ocean. Mr. Barleen would not elaborate on the boat’s primarily mission profile, but it is understated that the Ronquil was an intelligence gathering platform. He pointed out that the boat had a “current” and “fit” electronic surveillance package, which could only emphasize the nature of the sub’s missions. On regular patrols, the Ronquil’s carried a crew complement of 75 men, a few more on irregular ones. I questioned Mr. Barleen regarding the sub’s possible aggressive engagements with other submarines, but again, he was evasive, most likely due to the Ronquil’s sensitive mission profile. His only comment was that the SS-396 performed “evasive measures” when confronted. David went on to serve with the SS Ronquil until 1967. After completing his Navy tour, he went back to college. Now the once young sonar technician operated his own manufacturing company. I finish the interview asking him what were his feelings when hear of that the SS-396 would be decommisioned and although he was not part of the ceremony, he did commented that it was a “sad day”. A comment shared by many of the fine crewmen who serve on this remarkable boat.

On July 1st, 1971, the USS Ronquil was officially transferred to the Spanish Navy who renamed it the Isaac Peral (S-32) as a tribute to the famous Spanish inventor and submarine pioneer. The Peral served with the Spanish Armada until 1982 when it was retried from active service, but with Spain’s transition into a more modern force lagging far behind schedule, its retirement was postponed for an additional two years. Finally, on April 3rd, 1984, the Peral was decommisioned. Almost forty one years after first being layout, the Ronquil was laid to rest for the final time. His longevity and endurance is a tribute, not only to its designers, but to the men who worked on it for nearly half a century.

If you would like to know more about this incredible submarine, you can visit the Ronquil’s official website at http://www.ussronquil.com/. There’s also a webpage about the 396’s reincarnation with the Spanish fleet: http://perso.wanadoo.es/pfcurto/s32.html. @

(The author Raul Colon is a freelance writer who resides in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.)

Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754

Italy’s Beta

April 13th, 2008

by: Raul Colon     

In the summer of 1912, the Venice Naval Ship Yards constructed two small, harbor defense submarines for the Italian Navy: Alfa and Beta. Both were completed before hostilities broke on Europe in 1914. But neither boat served any active day with Italy’s Fleet. By the spring of 1916, as the war clouds moved to the Adriatic coast, Italy’s interest in costal patrol submarines was renew it. Work commenced in earnest on the design of the next generation of harbor defense boats. Codenamed the B Class, from which the Beta was the lead boat, this new and improved harbor defense sub would incorporated many of the features that made the Alfa and Beta such an innovating underwater platforms. The Beta or B1 as it was designated by the Italians, had a single hull structure of 49’-7” in length and 7’-8” in height. Its conning tower measured 8’-3” in height. A petrol engine powering a single screw gave the B1 a top surface speed of eight knots. For underwater operations, a small electrical engine would provide up to four knots of speed. The boat displaced 40 tons while on surface running and 46 tons undersea. The Beta carried a crew complement of 20 men and officers.

Launched in July 1916, the B1 was one of only three boats of the Beta Class that were activated for combat patrols. The original plan was to build six of these patrol vessels, but with the cessation of major combat operations around the Trieste area, the Italians decided to terminate the class at its mid point. The three remaining subs were never finished. The three active ones saw only limited action around the Italy’s Adriatic coast. When the Great War ended in November 1918, the operational life of the Betas ceased. The three active boats were decommissioned in 1919 and broken up, along with the three partially built, in the fall of 1920.@

(The author Raul Colon is a freelance writer who resides in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.)

Raul Colon
e-mail:rcolonfrias@yahoo.com
Telephone / Fax 787-748-7312-Mobile 787-297-1593
PO Box 29754