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SSN21 Sea Trial Report, 12 Nov 2006, Edina, MN
15:30 hrs: Seawolf leaves port for first sea trials under command of Captain DanL and TMSmalley, Chief Technical Officer.
Still in primer, the boat is fully fit for cautious first run, with basic systems operational except sail, periscope system and cheater rudder (left on the workbench). Initial trim and buoyancy seem almost perfect.
15:50 hrs: A speed run and first dive are completed. Modified Dave W. propulsor provides excellent speed forward and astern.
16:20 hrs: Under a heavy overcast and rapidly approaching sunset, all systems perform well except rudder response. The initial plan to hug the shoreline yields to poor judgement and an attempt is made at a wide sweeping turn out in open water. The first signs of trouble are an erratic rudder and intermittent propulsor response. Could it be the brand new Polk Tracker III com system or antenna placement. No way - it’s a first-class digital state-of-the-art electronic marvel. Attempts to steer to shore get no response. Then the red primed bow begins to rise slowly from the water, as the dark gray stern blends into the murky surface. On board, only the worst could be happening.
16:30 hrs: The initial e-team assessment: The stern compartment is flooding, disabling the main drive and stern control systems. Darn, should have used bellows! In minutes, the bow is pointing skyward as the gray (someday) lady slips below the surface. Shoreline rescue equipment is inadequate to deal with the distance out to sea, the extreme 1,440 ft. depth and frigid 40 degree northern waters. An emergency plan is put into action – call in the divers for a search and recovery mission.
But the late year sun is fading fast at the northern latitudes, and a 40 minute trip to assemble dive gear doesn’t help on the now critical mission timeline. Neither does the fact that the much needed powerful HID dive light system is useless without charged batteries (How many chargers do I own?)
17:10 hrs: A sole Navy diver, with full ground technical support from TMSmalley, slips into the dark water under a black sky with only a really sissy looking lime-green flashlight, totally inadequate to search the murky depths.
17:30 hrs: The search is called. Although the last location was well observed, the inadequate lighting in the black night-time sea makes further efforts useless until daylight. A disappointed DanL returns to shore, hoping mission Alpha doesn’t become Mission Omega.
The saga will continue, hopefully happily...
15:30 hrs: Seawolf leaves port for first sea trials under command of Captain DanL and TMSmalley, Chief Technical Officer.
Still in primer, the boat is fully fit for cautious first run, with basic systems operational except sail, periscope system and cheater rudder (left on the workbench). Initial trim and buoyancy seem almost perfect.
15:50 hrs: A speed run and first dive are completed. Modified Dave W. propulsor provides excellent speed forward and astern.
16:20 hrs: Under a heavy overcast and rapidly approaching sunset, all systems perform well except rudder response. The initial plan to hug the shoreline yields to poor judgement and an attempt is made at a wide sweeping turn out in open water. The first signs of trouble are an erratic rudder and intermittent propulsor response. Could it be the brand new Polk Tracker III com system or antenna placement. No way - it’s a first-class digital state-of-the-art electronic marvel. Attempts to steer to shore get no response. Then the red primed bow begins to rise slowly from the water, as the dark gray stern blends into the murky surface. On board, only the worst could be happening.
16:30 hrs: The initial e-team assessment: The stern compartment is flooding, disabling the main drive and stern control systems. Darn, should have used bellows! In minutes, the bow is pointing skyward as the gray (someday) lady slips below the surface. Shoreline rescue equipment is inadequate to deal with the distance out to sea, the extreme 1,440 ft. depth and frigid 40 degree northern waters. An emergency plan is put into action – call in the divers for a search and recovery mission.
But the late year sun is fading fast at the northern latitudes, and a 40 minute trip to assemble dive gear doesn’t help on the now critical mission timeline. Neither does the fact that the much needed powerful HID dive light system is useless without charged batteries (How many chargers do I own?)
17:10 hrs: A sole Navy diver, with full ground technical support from TMSmalley, slips into the dark water under a black sky with only a really sissy looking lime-green flashlight, totally inadequate to search the murky depths.
17:30 hrs: The search is called. Although the last location was well observed, the inadequate lighting in the black night-time sea makes further efforts useless until daylight. A disappointed DanL returns to shore, hoping mission Alpha doesn’t become Mission Omega.
The saga will continue, hopefully happily...
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