NationStates Jolt Archive

In response to recent threats on Collins' ally of Irish-Americans, the SSBN fleet of Collins has left port and is currently heading to locations bringing them within range of Anglaisia, the country who has threatened to invade IA. Normally, IA could handle them on its own, but they just underwent a Revolution and are weakened. In addition to my SSBN fleet (consisting of 20 Ohio class SSBNs), the 1st High Seas Fleet has left its port of Larsongrad. This fleet consists of 1 Nimitz class CVN, 4 guided missile destroyers, 7 cruisers, 10 corvettes and ammunition and supply ships. In addition, a submarine screen of 1 Seawolf class SSN and 4 LA class SSNs are escorting the fleet.

OOC: Ohio class SSBNs carry 24 tubes for Trident I and II. Nuclear weapons. Each missile carries Nuclear MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle), which means each missile has independent warheads which can each destroy a city. So one Ohio class SSBN can cripple an entire country. And on top of that, they are so quiet, our own forces cannot detect them, but rely on them to boradcast their position every once in a while to know where they are.

OOC: That is impossible.

They are nuclear, therefore depend on their nuclear power plant to power them, and not only the engines.

This includes lights, oxygen generators, everything electrical.

And nuclear reactors require coolant constantly flowing around them, usually seawater. This means there is water always flowing, as the reactor has to be on. This water can be heard and that way, the Ohio is found. Just a nice pointer.

Boomers need to be silent. Look it up. I may be wrong but I was under the impression that since they were vital to the USA's survival during the Cold War, as they put the fear of God in the Commies, they were made to be especially quiet. I have heard this from more than one source. Ill see if I can find it.

Water flowing... Hmmm.... theres a lot of that in an ocean. It would be hardly distinguishable at the depths they travel at.

Hehe.

Its easier to read books from the likes of Tom Clancy and Patrick Robinson.

Anyway, the commies where afraid. Have you noticed everything they designed and produced in the cold war was solely for defence.

They could barely invade Afganhistan, and the US did it in 2 weeks.

Actually they are very quiet, with all that mass you can have some serious acoustic dampening.
Yes nuclear submarines do make some distinctive noises (its not so much that the water flows but the way in which it does it) but with good dampening you can reduce this signature so that it is only detectable at fairly short range.

Hehe.

Its easier to read books from the likes of Tom Clancy and Patrick Robinson.

Anyway, the commies where afraid. Have you noticed everything they designed and produced in the cold war was solely for defence.

They could barely invade Afganhistan, and the US did it in 2 weeks.

Actually the russians took afghanistan in a matter of days but holding it against a massive msotly united resistance force that was receiving massive amounts of foreign aid (soviet hinds and Hips were brutally savaging the afghans until the americans suplied them with the brand new stinger (and i think britain gave them some blowpipes/javalins aswell)) and had a safe haven to run to (pakistan) in contrast the allied "invasion" was msotly fought by afghans (and for once the british got things right, the Northern alliance were our pets during soviet occupation and the talibhan the US pets) with a level of airpower that could have spraked WW3 if it had been deployed during the cold war and against a world where suddenly all the neighbouring regiemes have to be freinds to the US.

Boomers need to be silent. Look it up. I may be wrong but I was under the impression that since they were vital to the USA's survival during the Cold War, as they put the fear of God in the Commies, they were made to be especially quiet. I have heard this from more than one source. Ill see if I can find it.

This is true ... so far as it goes. However, the objection has even more merit, since the US Navy's Ohio-class Ballistic Missile Submarines (which are not called Boomers) are merely difficult to detect- not impossible.

Anything that moves through the water makes noise. Anything holding still in the water as the water moves overand around it will make noise. The reactors of US Navy submarines are designed to operate as much as possible without using pumps (a primary source of noise), but even the flow of Primary and Secondary coolant through the reactor chambers without using pumps makes noise.

As much noise as possible is dampened by the construction of the hull, the mounting platforms for the equipment, anechoic sound-insulation both within and without the submarine, and extensive use of non-rotating equipment where possible. This is not always possible. Certain vital operations will aboslutely make noise, and this can be heard at a considerable distance underwater.

The advantage is still with the SSBN, because there is so much ocean out there, and any potential enemies might not be close enough to hear the sounds, isn't able to hear it due to ambient noise nearer to the listener, is in the wrong location to pick up the noise, or maybe the listeners don't interpret the noise properly.

The Ohio-class SSBN's are marvels of real-life technological progress, and should seriously scare the Hell out of anyone with half a brain that knows what they're capable of, but they are not undetectable.

Trust me, I am an ex-bubblehead (submariner) and former Sonar Technician in the US Navy. SSBN's can be detected.