Houston Visits Malaysia During Spring Patrol

 SEPANGAR, Malaysia (January 31, 2011) - Sailors of the Los Angeles- class fast-attack submarine USS Houston (SSN 713) standby to come alongside the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40). Cable conducts maintenance and support of submarines and surface vessels deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Catherine Bland)

By Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Corey Hensley

SEPANGAR, Malaysia  – The Los Angeles-class fast- attack submarine USS Houston (SSN 713) arrived in Sepangar, Malaysia on Jan. 31, as part of its spring patrol.

Houston’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. David Schappert, said that the subs presence in this country is not only important to the United States but for Malaysia as well.


“The USS Houston is here representing the American Navy,” said Schappert. “We’re here to develop the relationship with the Royal Malaysian Navy, to learn all that we can from our partner, and for regional stability and prosperity in this region.”


Shapperd is hoping that the subs arrival will result in an exchange of ideas and information between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy.


“We’ve heard a lot of great things about the country and the Navy,” said Schappert. “We’re excited to share things we know about our submarine force, and learn all we can from their submarine force.”


The submarine’s Chief of the Boat, Senior Chief Machinist’s Mate Jay Cherland, said the crew has been working hard during their deployment and hopes they get some much deserved rest.


“We had about two months out, came in for stand down for about two weeks, and then went back out right away,” said Cherland. “The crew has worked very hard and done extremely well. There has been a couple of really big operations in the Pacific, so for them to get out, have a good time, and relax a bit is very important for their health as well as their mental state.”


For many of the Houston’s crewmembers, this is their first time visiting Malaysia. Sonar Technician (Submarines) 1st Class Martin Davis said he is very excited to be here.
“

The fact that it is a Muslim culture makes it even more intriguing, and I’m looking forward to seeing all the nature and cultural sites that this country has to offer,” said Davis. “I’m looking forward to going out into the wilderness, a white water rafting trip, and some of the hiking. The mountain sounds very exciting.”


The Houston measures more than 360 feet long and weighs more than 6,900 tons when submerged. This submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface ship warfare. With a crew of approximately 110, Houston conducts a multitude of missions and showcases the latest capabilities of the submarine fleet. Houston is one of 43 Los Angeles (SSN 688) class submarines that comprise the backbone of the submarine force.


Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces; carry out Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support Strike Group operations, and engage in mine warfare.

Source: c7f.navy.mil

Navy embarks on replacements for aging Trident submarines

The first Ohio-class submarines to arrive at Naval Submarine Base Bangor are pushing 30, and the Navy is preparing to replace them.

By Ed Friedrich

Kitsap Sun

Related

BANGOR — The first Ohio-class submarines to arrive at Naval Submarine Base Bangor are pushing 30, and the Navy is preparing to replace them.

Rear Adm. David Johnson spoke about the changeover Thursday before a luncheon crowd of Navy supporters. Johnson, as Program Executive Officer, Submarines, in Washington, D.C., is responsible for new submarine construction programs.

Fresh out of the Naval Academy, he was assigned to Bangor's Trident Refit Facility in December 1982, coming just as the USS Ohio returned from its first patrol. Much has changed since then. Silverdale was horse pastures and an Elsie's restaurant, he said. There was a Soviet Union, and a Cold War.

Today, stores have overtaken fields, and the USS Ohio doesn't even carry nuclear warheads anymore. It and three sister ships were converted to conventional weapons. Fourteen ballistic-missile subs remain — eight at Bangor and six at Kings Bay, Ga. Over the next three decades, they'll give way to a dozen new ones. The new nuclear fuel cores will last as long as the boats themselves, unlike the Ohios that need a two-year midlife refueling, so the Navy can cover the same ground with fewer subs, Johnson said.

Construction of the first new boat will begin in 2019, be completed by 2026 and it will be patrolling by 2029, Johnson said. The Navy intends to add one per year, through 2040. With a 42-year life span, matching the Ohios, the final boat will remain on duty until 2082, 70 years from now. The first Ohio-class sub will be retired in 2027, followed each of the next 13 years by another.

The Ohio-class boats have 24 tubes for D-5 ballistic missiles. Each missile can carry eight warheads. New subs will keep the D-5 missiles, at least to begin with, but pare down to 16 missile tubes.

"We took a little risk in the number of missile tubes," said Johnson, explaining that the Navy is balancing capabilities with cost so the price doesn't get out of control and threaten other shipbuilding programs.

Development and design work have begun. The Navy received $497.4 million in research and development funding in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for what's called the SSBN(X) program, and requested $672.3 million more in FY2011. The first boat is expected to cost $6 billion to $7 billion, with the ensuing ones possibly dipping to $5 billion, according to a congressional report.

Johnson has credentials for containing prices. He helped reduce the costs of the new Virginia class of fast-attack subs by $4 billion, and the program won major awards for value engineering and acquisition excellence. He'll use that program as a model, he said.

"They were delivered at less cost, more complete and more deployment-ready out of the chute," he said.
Source: SeattleTimes

Virginia Class: Nuclear-powered attack submarine

The US Navy's Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine is as a successor to the Los Angeles class. It was designed as a smaller, cheaper and more versatile alternative to the Seawolf class. It is worth mentioning that the Seawolf class showed itself to be too costly and insufficiently versatile at a time after the dissolution of the USSR info the CIS had removed the grand strategic  threat of the Soviet forces and ushered in a new world order demanding cheaper solutions for a whole range of lower threat operational tasks. The US Navy therefore wanted a new generation of SSNs. Production run of the Seawolf was stopped with only three vessels built.

   The Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine, was conceived as an advanced 'stealthy' type with multi-mission capability for the completion of deep-ocean service in the anti-submarine role and also for shallow-water service in a whole range of littoral tasks. A total of 30 of these submarines are planned. Currently five boats of Virginia class are commissioned and are in active service. These are USS Virginia, USS Texas, USS Hawaii, USS North Carolina and USS New Hampshire. The USS New Hampshire is a Block II submarine and has a number of improvements. The Virginia class submarines are built by the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corporation and Northrop Grumman Newport News. The building programme is in fact collaborative, with Electric Boat making the cylindrical central section of the hull, and Newport News the bow and stern sections as well as three modules to be inserted in the central hull, each of the companies makes the reactor plant module foe the submarine it completes.

   The Virginia class submarines are fitted with 12 vertical launch system (VLS) tubes and four 533-mm torpedo tubes. The VLS can launch 16 submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missile. Torpedo tubes are used to fire a total of 26 Mk.48 heavyweight torpedoes and Sub Harpoon anti-ship missiles. These boats can be also used for special operations. It is the first US submarine to employ a built-in Navy SEAL staging area allowing a team of 9 men to enter and leave the submarine.

   The Virginia class submarines incorporate newly designed anechoic coating, isolated deck structures and new design of propulsor to achieve low acoustic signature. It is claimed that noise level of the Virginia is equal to that of the Seawolf class.

   These submarines are powered by the S9G pressurized water reactor, two turbine engines with one shaft and pumpjet propulsor. It is worth mentioning that nuclear reactor was designed to last as long as the submarine. It will run for 33 years without refueling. Submarines of this class are fitted with with multi-band satellite communication system.

Name	Laid down	Commissioned	Status
USS Virginia (SSN-774)	1999	2004	in service
USS Texas (SSN-775)	2000	2006	in service
USS Hawaii (SSN-776)	2004	2007	in service
USS North Carolina (SSN-777)	2004	2008	in service
USS New Hampshire (SSN-778)	2007	2008	in service
New Mexico (SSN-779)	2008	expected in 2009	-
Missouri (SSN-780)	2008	expected in 2011	-
California (SSN-781)	?	expected in 2013	-
Mississippi (SSN-782)	?	expected in 2013	-
Minnesota (SSN-783)	?	expected in 2014	-
North Dakota (SSN-784)	?	expected in 2014	-

Entered service	2004
Crew	134 men
Diving depth (operational)	over 250 m
Diving depth (maximum)	?
Sea endurance	unlimited
Dimensions and displacement
Length	114.9 m
Beam	10.3 m
Draught	9.3 m
Surfaced displacement	7 800 tons
Submerged displacement	?
Propulsion and speed
Surfaced speed	25 knots
Submerged speed	32 knots
Nuclear reactors	1 x S9G
Steam turbines	2 x ?
Armament
Missiles	12 x vertical launch system tubes for UGM-109 Tomahawk missiles
Torpedoes	4 x 533-mm bow tubes for Mk.48 torpedoes
Other	smart mines in place of torpedoes

Source: Military Today