Breaking the ice

[redboat219]

It's is widely known that the Sturgeon and LA class of boats have hardened sails and the ability to rotate their sail-mounted dive planes to a vertical position for breaking through the ice when surfacing in Arctic regions. My question is why?

I understand that if we were dealing with missile boat (during the cold war Russian boomers would hide from American HKs under the ice and when the order came would punch through and launch their missiles). But why an attack boat?

[greenman407]

Re: Breaking the ice

Just to venture a guess( I do a lot of that) I would say that there is a need to breach the Ice in order to raise sail antennas to link up with satelites for comunications and ECM. Also in case of emergency they could vent the boat on the surface in case of fire or other problem and the men could actually get off the sub until rescued.

[wlambing]

Re: Breaking the ice

Gents,

Greenman got this one! Get him a cigar!! Oh, and a teddy bear!

Communications are the biggest reason, but all he's listed bear considerably. The capability is also very handy for evacuating injured and ill crew. That feature has been used a lot since we started to visit the great white north. Oh, only Sturgeons could rotate the planes. Early 688s could not and thus were restricited to ops in the Marginal Ice Zone. The Flight 3 688s regained the capability with the bow plane design.

B^)

[redboat219]

Re: Breaking the ice

the 688s have ringed props for underice ops. Did the sturgeons ever sport them?

[wlambing]

Re: Breaking the ice

No.

B^)

[subicman]

Re: Breaking the ice

A common misconception is that the early 688's could rotate their fairwater planes 90 degrees to surface through tthe ice. This isn not true, the 688's with fairwaters did not have hardened sails or 90 degree fairwaters, and were not capable to surface through the ice unless it was an emergency, then the max limit was less than 4 feet of ice, and they could do it one time. The ringed props on the Improved LA's was for more than ice ops also, would tell you about it, but then I would have to kill you
I was one half of the two person team trained to surface the boat through the Ice in an emergency when I was on the USS Augusta SSN-710. The Chief of the Watch (COW) and the Diving Officer of the Watch, I was the COW, but was trained as the DIve also, the whole show was pretty much the COW. Very interesting training, and many hours in the Dive and Drive simulator at sub school.


V/R
Tim


ETC(SS), former IC man, COW/DOOW God, EOG Lectec master, Electrical A-ganger, and general pain in Bill's hindquarters

[subicman]

Re: Breaking the ice

Missed your other post about the 88's Bill, didnt see that reply

[redboat219]

Re: Breaking the ice

The ringed props on the Improved LA's was for more than ice ops also, would tell you about it, but then I would have to kill you

My guess is that the ring prevents or lessen the vortices coming off the blade tips.