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Hidden Hunter: Life aboard a nuclear submarine
WTOP's National Security Correspondent J.J. Green spent a week with the crew of the USS Miami. Check back daily for new blog entries.
J.J. Green, WTOP Radio
WASHINGTON - Cmdr. Rich Bryant picked up the ship's intercom and addressed the USS Miami: "Booya, Miami!"
The crew of 140 men on the fast-attack submarine responded: "Booya, Sir!"
It was mutual recognition for a successful "underway," which is the official term for a voyage or mission. Their assignment? Preparation to go to a sensitive part of the world where submarines, like the USS Miami, rule.
"It is one of the most deadly weapon systems known to mankind," quips Bryant, aboard his L.A. Class nuclear submarine.
U.S. adversaries have dangerous well-known weapons: Russia has the "White Swan" and China has a million man Army, but the U.S. Navy has what submariners call "The Silent Service."
"One of our strengths is our stealth, and that is the inability for other submarines, other surface ships' sonar systems to detect us, so the concept of our acoustic quieting is one of our treasures."
Another is the Miami's ability to fire tomahawk missiles. "In Iraqi Freedom," Bryant says there were 800 Tomahawks that were launched, 33 percent of those came from U.S. submarines.
The sub also can launch Harpoon missiles, MK-48 torpedoes, lay mines in the water and watch and listen very closely to what's going on on land from the middle of the ocean with no one noticing.
The Miami is the second U.S. Navy ship to be named for the Florida city. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp. in Connecticut on Nov. 28, 1983, and the keel was laid down on Oct. 24, 1986.
The voyage was full of highlights, including the sensation of blasting out of the water and splashing down on the surface. If you saw the movie, "The Hunt for Red October," you may remember when the USS Dallas is being chased by a torpedo and Lt. Commander Thompson says "Come on Big D, fly."
This series of reports is designed to give you a glimpse of life aboard a nuclear submarine. Everything from the air they breathe and the food they eat, to the unique mindset of submariners.
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Day 1: The View
Streaking above the treetops aboard a low-flying Army helicopter in Baghdad in 2006 with doors open and two 50 caliber machine guns locked and loaded; standing at the foot of the Himalayas and looking up at the peaks through the orange haze, knowing Osama bin Laden's up there; watching the sun set on the sweltering desert floor in Djibouti and watching the look on Jose's face, who lives in the desert of Paraguay, as he recounts how he had been kidnapped as a teenager, locked in a cage and put on display in the Asuncion as a circus act for those who'd never seen an Indian man. These are some of my most memorable moments as a journalist.
However, none of these events compares to standing on the sail of the USS Miami as she plowed through the cold, deep waters of the Narragansett Bay operating area en route to the Atlantic Ocean.
Climbing through the hatch of the sail and walking out onto the narrow honeycombed bridge, a sudden surge of fear raced up my spine. As I looked down about 30 feet at the mighty vessel charging ahead, I felt humbled and excited at the same time.
I guess it was something about being way up there, tightly strapped into a bright orange harness and anchored to a metal railing with a stiff wind whipping me around. I realized that releasing my grip on the bridge railing could result in one less table setting in the captain's mess that night if I wasn't careful.
The thrill of being so insignificant was awe inspiring
I've seen countless movies where the captain stood out there and pensively surveyed the destiny of his boat and crew. But this time, I was out there alongside Cmdr. Rich Bryant as he and his crew charted their course and streaked toward the deep water for sea trials.
It was very different from the movies. Bryant was joined by Cmdr. Harvey Guffey, Submarine Squadron 4 deputy commander, a force protection officer with an M-16 and two crew members who were navigating the boat.
Despite the serious business going on around me, it was one of the most peaceful experiences I've ever had. It was almost as if they were not even there. It was more like I was standing on the deck of a harmless sailboat.
But that's exactly what the USS Miami wants you to think.
** Read more about J.J.'s experience in his Tuesday blog