US Submarines collides with Japanese Tanker

[Nightmare]

TOKYO - A U.S. nuclear submarine and a Japanese tanker have collided in the Arabian Sea, a Japanese defense ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

The spokesman said the ministry was investigating the incident but no other details were immediately available.

This breaking story will be updated.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16533096/

I wonder which boat and I hope nobody is hurt.

[Bubblehead Nuke]

USS Newport News was involved.

Both ships are damaged but no reported fatilities at this time.

[LoBlo]

*Another* collision? Why can't these skippers drive their boats anymore. That's the 3rd collision in the past 6 years. The Greenville, the San Franciso, and now the Newport News... :nope: ... this is becoming a disconcerting trend.

[baggygreen]

How is it that you just happen to *miss* a supertanker bearing down on you... :doh:

make him walk the plank i say!:arrgh!:

[Oberon]

It's easier than you think depending on the sonar condictions, and I should imagine in the Straits the condictions are bloody awful. Not only do you have a constant stream of merchant ships, the depths are quite shallow in some places, and if you're trying to move about unseen and unheard, it limits the areas you can move in (note that the collision took place off the Iranian coastline ;) ).

Just ask Bill how treacherous sonar condictions can be, IIRC there was an incident in the Med with an aircraft carrier.... :oops:

[nikimcbee]

try this:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070109/D8MHHQD00.html

[XanderF]

It's easier than you think depending on the sonar condictions, and I should imagine in the Straits the condictions are bloody awful. Not only do you have a constant stream of merchant ships, the depths are quite shallow in some places, and if you're trying to move about unseen and unheard, it limits the areas you can move in (note that the collision took place off the Iranian coastline ;) ).

Just ask Bill how treacherous sonar condictions can be, IIRC there was an incident in the Med with an aircraft carrier.... :oops:

What, and they've removed the periscopes from them or something?

I mean, seriously, this isn't a sub-on-sub collision, here. To collide with a TANKER, you are at periscope depth!

[baggygreen]

Well no, PD is not necessary to hit the tanker. Those things have ridiculous drafts, the NN coulda been much deeper.

[Abraham]

Given the intensity of naval patrolling and merchant maritime traffic in the area these things are bound to happen, I guess.

[U-533]

Why is it always the Japanese that get hit?:hmm:

[The Avon Lady]

Why is it always the Japanese that get hit?:hmm:
Nah! Can't be!

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1897/dec7db0.jpg

;)

[Oberon]

Also, bear in mind that any mast stuck up out of the water runs the risk of getting sniffed by radar. Any ship or merchant in the area that picks it up could pass the information on to the Iranians, who might just be able to get one of their Kilos working long enough to deploy it, or send over a little ASW ship to make the Newport News's life a bit more difficult.
So the NN was probably relying more on sonar than visual, and like I said, sonar condictions in Med-like waters can be very misleading.

Either that, or the US Navy is still fighting World War 2 :-?

[Godalmighty83]

newport news? what an awful name for a sub.

[Abraham]

Why is it always the Japanese that get hit?:hmm:
The motto of most submariners is: "If it floats, it's a target."
Combine that with the fact that historically Jap tankers are the natural enemy of US subs and there you are...

(This might even happen more frequently after Silent Hunter IV is released!)
:D

[sonar732]

I'd hate to be on watch during the Straights of Hormuz or Persian Gulf due to all the merchant traffic. It's funny reading the people complain in the DW forum about 'contact madness' for sonar operator for a game. We had periods of contact madness that they would freak out due to contacts crossing each other on the TA.

[joea]

Anyone consider they were maybe following the tanker for a reason? Ie. Not to get discovered? Pretty noisy behind a tanker you know.

[TteFAboB]

And that, joea, gives me a brilliant idea!:sunny:

Why not build a fake tanker on top of a submarine?! Mount the fake tanker on top of the submarine with the ability to eject it if all hell breaks loose. The perfect disguise! Sure, you may need a very realistic model, with inflatable dolls moving around, lights and everything else. Well, there's the problem of the sound, you need to simulate a tanker's engine & prop, so you'll actually need a real engine and real tanker screws running on the thing.

Now forget everything I've said because from now on this is a top secret project. :88)

[Enigma]

I thought you said the idea was a brilliant one? :lol:

[August]

And that, joea, gives me a brilliant idea!:sunny:

Why not build a fake tanker on top of a submarine?! Mount the fake tanker on top of the submarine with the ability to eject it if all hell breaks loose. The perfect disguise! Sure, you may need a very realistic model, with inflatable dolls moving around, lights and everything else. Well, there's the problem of the sound, you need to simulate a tanker's engine & prop, so you'll actually need a real engine and real tanker screws running on the thing.

Now forget everything I've said because from now on this is a top secret project. :88)

That would have to either be a darn big submarine or a darn small tanker.

How about putting bottom doors on a real tanker and use it as a mobile sub pen?

[Linton]

How about this:http://www.bondnet.de/galerie/movies/bond/10tswlm/liparussubs.jpg
The liparus from James Bond's The Spy who loved me.

[Linton]

How about this:http://www.bondnet.de/galerie/movies/bond/10tswlm/liparussubs.jpg
The liparus from James Bond's The Spy who loved me.

[geetrue]

Anyone consider they were maybe following the tanker for a reason? Ie. Not to get discovered? Pretty noisy behind a tanker you know.


That's how we use to get into the Med after we would leave Rota, Spain
back in the early 70's.

Our captain would find a nice big cargo vessel and we would not follow her,

oh no that's a mistake with her wake being so turblent.

We would get right underneath her and let her be our guide into the
Med through the straits of Gibratar.

It was quite an expeirence. I wish ya'll could have been there.
We had to match their speed and slide right under the freighter
(I don't remember how many feet), plus we were on full battle
alert. The recorders that record sounds on paper in sonar have
repeaters on the conn and they were all switched to fast speed
so you could see the slightest variness of course change.

After we got inside the Med we would slowly pull away to a safe
quite zone and listen to see if we had been followed.

The Russians were waiting for us on the other side in their old
sneaky diesel boats, Romeo's and Whiskey's they called them
in those days, but the nuc's were called Novembers always a threat.

All you could hear from a November class was a hiss and it usually
was fast and headed straight for you.

Uh, wait a minute I think the NSA is knocking at the door
I'll go see what they want.

[ASWnut101]

And that, joea, gives me a brilliant idea!:sunny:

Why not build a fake tanker on top of a submarine?! Mount the fake tanker on top of the submarine with the ability to eject it if all hell breaks loose. The perfect disguise! Sure, you may need a very realistic model, with inflatable dolls moving around, lights and everything else. Well, there's the problem of the sound, you need to simulate a tanker's engine & prop, so you'll actually need a real engine and real tanker screws running on the thing.

Now forget everything I've said because from now on this is a top secret project. :88)

And when the Sub has to surface? Seeing a supertanker balanced on stilts that are 100 feet vertical from the sub seems a little to suspicious, to most that is.

[sonar732]

Hey geetrue...are you a former STS?

[geetrue]

Hey geetrue...are you a former STS?

You better believe I am ... surface craft and submarine ...
diesel and nuc's ... I did it all, but wow 36 years ago is
a long time ago ...

All I have left is subsim.com for a nice place to rest ...

too bad Neal can't find all of our sea story threads we had
to pass the time with five years ago in here ...

USS Ethan Allen SSBN 608 Blue Crew fired seven in a row from the
Canary Island's to the missile range off P.R. and all hit within fifty (50)
yards of their target.

Proud of it too ...