Closeup Hi res of USS Jimmy Carter SSN-23

[anonymous]

040604-O-0000C-002 Groton, Conn. (June 4, 2004) - General Dynamics Electric Boat moves the third and final Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine, Jimmy Carter (SSN 23) outdoors for the first time. The move of the 453-foot, 12,139-ton submarine precedes her christening June 5th by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Former President Jimmy Carter will also be in attendance and will participate in the ceremony. The new submarine honors the 39th president of the United States who is the only submarine-qualified man who went on to become the nation's chief executive. Differentiating the Jimmy Carter from all other undersea vessels is her Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which includes a 100-foot hull extension that enhances payload capability, enabling it to accommodate advanced technology required to develop and test an entirely new generation of weapons, sensors and undersea vehicles. Photo provided to U.S. Navy courtesy General Dynamics Electric Boat (RELEASED)



Good detail here of the boats torpedo tube shutters and undersides. Note how well blended in the WAA flank arrays form into the hull. Flood grates midships. Teardrop shape of adhedral fins, and the split horizontal control surfaces. On this model, paint is applied with a roller!

Steve Reichmuth

[bobcowan]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for posting that

Hi Steve,

Thanks for posting that shot! That's an amazing pic! I see a few underside items that look like transducers or something related. I know that SSN-23 is equipped with a pod for manuevering thrusters for hovering in that same general area-probably behind some doors we can't see to be deployed as needed.

Bob Cowan

[wayne frey]

If you go to the

If you go to the subsim site,it has daily updates on submarine related happenings. There are two more high res pictures other than this one to look at.
It is a good site. Lot of submarine related happenings posted there.
Excellent picture Steve. Good job!

[novagator]

If you go to the

If you go to the subsim site,it has daily updates on submarine related happenings. There are two more high res pictures other than this one to look at.
It is a good site. Lot of submarine related happenings posted there.
Excellent picture Steve. Good job!

Wayne,

You got the weblink for that site.


BTW that is an awesome pic!

[wayne frey]

www.subsim.com
I check it every

www.subsim.com
I check it every day.

[anonymous]

Thank you Wayne!

Steve Reichmuth

Thank you Wayne!

Steve Reichmuth

[PaulC]

Steve,

Rollers may have been used

Steve,

Rollers may have been used to apply the paint but I do detect some airbrushing if you know what I mean...

It does appear that you can see the hull tiles on the bottom where they haven't painted yet. But the overall finish of the hull is entirely different, from the 688s for example, in that the tiles are not distinct and appear to have been coated over themselves. Is this a new treatment? I don't think the paint is hiding them. You'd have to build a lot of mils!

[JWLaRue]

Paul,

If the JC was launched

Paul,

If the JC was launched in the same way as the Seawolf, the hull currently does not have any anechoic coating on it at all. (Note I did not say "tiles")

The Seawolf was given her anechoic coating just prior to her first operational mission. The process as explained to me by the COB of the Seawolf was that the coating was poured on the hull using forms (sort of like pouring a concrete slab). Once a section had set (or hardened?), the next section was poured, etc., etc. What they end up with is essentially a single piece covering the hull.

Any EB folks out there that can confirm/correct what the COB told me?

-tnx,

Jeff

[feet wet]

Jeff,
That is an interesting

Jeff,
That is an interesting idea. However, look at the TT outer doors. It certainly appears that some form of "coating" has already been applied. Any thoughts?
Jonathan Eno

[PaulC]

I agree, it appears there

I agree, it appears there has been a coating applied of some sort.

When Virginia rolled out, you could tell that she hadn't been coated. Hull fittings and other items, such as the bow planes, though retracted, were not flush with the hull. In Steve's pic everthing is flush or fared in (including the angular build-up on the tube shutters).

[JWLaRue]

I agree with Paul.....the lack

I agree with Paul.....the lack of raised areas would tend to indicate she may already have her (coat of) rubber on.

The area around the torpedo tube doors looks especially interesting. If that is an area that is already coated, then that's some technique that they use!

Either way....I think the era of individually applied tiles is gone.

-Jeff