NAV SAT
Gyro/ Gyroscope—Electrical compass using a rapidly spinning gyroscope.
Head—Seagoing term for bathroom.
Helm—The wheel that turns the ship’s rudder. Also short for helmsman.
Hovering System—A depth control system managed by a computer that keeps the ship in one point underwater. Used by boomers when launching missiles.
Used by fast attack submarines to establish a desired vertical speed (depth rate) to vertical surface through polar ice.
Hull Array—One of the sonar hydrophone element assemblies (arrays) of the BAT EARS sonar suite, consisting of multiple hydrophones placed against the skin of the hull over about one-third of the ship’s length. Used mostly as a backup to the spherical array because the hull array’s sensitivity is reduced by own ship noise inside the hull.
HUMINT—Human intelligence, that gained from foreign agents or American intelligence officers.
IR—Infrared.
JOOD—Junior Officer of the Deck; Assistant to the OOD. When in transit, the JOOD is usually an unqualified officer in a training position, given the Conn and supervised by the OOD.
KH-17—Newest generation of Bigbird spy satellites.
The KH stands for Keyhole—appropriate for a spy platform.
LAMPS—Light airborne multipurpose system. Cute acronym for a Seahawk ASW helicopter carried aboard a U.S. Navy surface ship.
Leg—The straight line travel of a submarine doing passive sonar Target Motion Analysis (TMA) between maneuvers. During a leg the crew attempts to establish a steady bearing rate to the target and establish speed across the line-of-sight to the target.
Two legs determine a firecontrol solution. Three legs confirm the solution. Four legs indicate the captain is afraid to shoot. A large sign at Prospective Commanding Officer School in Groton, Connecticut, reads “you don’t need another
GODDAMNED LEG!”
List—Tilt of a ship to the side.
Locking In/ Locking Out—Entering or leaving a submerged submarine through the escape trunk (airlock).
Lookaround—(1) A periscope observation. (2) A warning by the OOD or captain to the ship control team that the periscope is about to be
raised. The Diving Officer and helmsman report ship’s speed and depth as a reminder, since high speeds can rip the periscope off and flood the ship through the periscope hole.
MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector)—A detector flown on an aircraft that measures changes in the earth’s magnetic field that could be caused by the iron hull of a submarine.
Main Ballast Tank—Tank that is used solely to hold seawater ballast, weight that allows a ship to sink, or, when blown, allows a ship to be light enough to surface.
Main Engines (Propulsion Turbines)—The large turbines that extract energy from steam and convert it to power to turn the screw.
Main Steam Valves One and Two (MS-1, MS-2)-Large gate valves on the port and starboard main steam headers, at the forward bulkhead of the aft compartment. These can isolate the main steam system in the event of a major steam leak.
Maneuvering—The nuclear control room, located in the aft compartment upper level. Smaller than most closets.
Maneuvering Watch—The watch stations manned when a ship gets underway in restricted waters.
Mark 36 or 38—A torpedo-sized decoy vehicle that transmits the sounds of a submarine and can be programmed to maneuver through the ocean like a submarine; used to evade a trailing hostile ship or torpedo.
Mark 50—Latest breed of torpedo. Also called the “Hullcrusher.”
Mark 80 SLAAM—Submarine-launched anti-air missile.
Mark On Top—Term used to note that a hostile aircraft is flying directly over the submarine. Generally means the submarine has been detected by the aircraft and will be under attack almost immediately.
Usually followed by an expletive, i.e.”
“P-3 mark on top, dammit.”
Natural Circulation—Water flow through a reactor caused only by the heat of the core—hot water rises and cold sinks. Eliminates use of noisy main coolant pumps, allowing quieter operation.
NESTOR Secure Voice—A UHF radio-telephone communication system that encrypts a voice signal prior to transmission and de crypts it after reception.
Can be transmitted to the satellite and beamed worldwide. Fast, secure means of communication.
New Kuomintang (NKMT)—A Chinese revolutionary group modeled after the unsuccessful faction of the 1940s. The NKMT, with Japanese support, is dedicated to the overthrow of the Chinese Communists.
NMCC (National Military Command Center)—A nerve center in the Pentagon where, in theory, orders would originate for fighting a nuclear war. Seasoned officers scoff at the idea that NMCC would survive the first ten minutes of a surprise decapitation assault.
Nukes—(1) Nuclear weapons. (2) Nuclear-trained officers and enlisted men.
OOD (Officer of the Deck)—Officer in tactical command of the ship, a sort of acting captain. Directs the motion of the ship, giving rudder, speed, and depth orders. Responsible for ship’s navigation, operation
of the ship’s equipment, and employment of the ship’s weapons. Usually has the Deck and the Conn. Needs captain’s permission to do certain operations, such as go to periscope depth, start up the reactor, transmit active sonar or transmit radio, or launch a weapon. Done best while smoking a cigar and telling sea stories.
OP—Operation or mission.
OP AREA—A specific ocean area devoted to a particular exercise or operation. Some OP AREA are permanent, some are established only for one exercise.
OP REP 3 PINNACLE—Name of a message that is sent with FLASH priority to the White House and NMCC telling of a dire emergency requiring immediate action, such as an incoming nuclear assault.
Overhead—Nautical term for ceiling.
Ow-Sow—Pronunciation of ASWSOW, antisubmarine warfare standoff weapon.
PA. Circuit One—Shipwide Public Address announcing system.
PA. Circuit Two—Similar to PA. Circuit One, except that it only announces in the engineering spaces.
PA. Circuit Seven—Speaker announcing system used between the Conn, Maneuvering, the bridge, and the torpedo room.
Passive Sonar—Most common mode of employment of most submarine sonar systems. Sonar system is used only to listen, not to ping out active sonar beams, since pinging gives away a covert submarine’s presence. Use of passive sonar makes it difficult to determine a contact’s range,
course, and speed (solution). TMA is the means of obtaining a solution when using passive sonar.
Patrol Quiet—Ship system’s lineup to ensure maximum quiet while allowing normal creature comforts such as cooking and movie watching. Maintenance on equipment is allowed, if it does not involve banging on the hull. Noisy operations are permitted only with the captain’s permission, such as reactor coolant discharge, steam generator blow downs etc.
PD (Periscope Depth)—An operation in which a ship comes shallow enough to see with the periscope.
Certain operations can be done only at periscope depth by decree of the Submarine Standard Operating Procedures manual. Such items include steam generator blow down shooting trash from the TDU, and blowing sanitary. Some things can only be done at PD, including radio reception of satellite broadcasts, reception of a NAV SAT pass, and ESM activities. Slows the ship down since high speeds can rip off the periscope. Dangerous operation since quiet surface ships can get close without being detected by sonar.
Pilot—A person who has detailed knowledge and experience of a port and approach waterways. Taken on prior to entering or exiting port to serve as an advisor to the captain. A mixed blessing for ship captains, since a pilot’s mistake still gets the captain fired (the ship is the captain’s ultimate responsibility, not the pilot’s), while ignoring a pilot can also get a captain fired, especially if the ship runs aground.
Ping—An active sonar pulse.
P.L.A—People’s Liberation Army.
The Chinese military, composing both the army and navy.
Polymer Injection—The injection of a polymer into the boundary layer of a submarine at the nose cone
The slippery liquid reduces the skin friction of the ship, reducing the drag. The result is the ability to dramatically increase ship’s top speed for short periods of time. Ideal for torpedo evasion.
Poopy Suit—Underway uniform worn by American submariners. Usually cotton coveralls. Origin unknown, but probably refers to frequent occurrence of showers and laundry service being curtailed when rigged for ultra quiet or when the evaporator is broken, causing the coveralls to stink.
Position One (Pos One)—Furthest forward console of the firecontrol system. Usually set up with the captain’s and XO’s guess solution to the contact, or shows the geographic display for a God’s eye view of the sea.
Position Two (Pos Two)—Firecontrol console between Pos One and the Firing Panel. Usually set up to the Line-of-Sight mode so that the Pos Two officer can come up with his own independent firecontrol solution under the XO’s supervision.
Position Three (Pos Three)—Furthest aft console of the firecontrol system. Usually set up to program torpedo tubes and weapons.
Power Range—Nuclear power level above the intermediate range. In the power range, steam can be produced by the reactor for propulsion.
PRC—People’s Republic of China, the Communists.
Propulsor—Sophisticated screw that uses ducting and multistage water turbine blades for propulsion instead of a conventional screw. Similar to a water jet.
Extremely quiet and nearly impossible to cavitate.
Disadvantage includes slow response and acceleration due to relatively low thrust compared to conventional screws.
Radar Intercept Officer (RIO)—Weapons officer aboard a U.S. Navy fighter aircraft.
Range—Distance to a contact.
Reactor Compartment—Compartment housing the reactor, pressurizer, steam generators, and reactor main coolant pumps. Access fore and aft is through a shielded tunnel, since anyone inside the compartment when the reactor is critical would be dead within a minute from the intense radiation.
Reactor Main Coolant Pumps—Massive pumps, each consuming between 100 and 400 horsepower, that force main coolant water through the reactor and then to the steam generators. Three are in each main coolant loop. Special design allows zero leakage.
Reactor Plant Control Panel (RPCP)—Control panel in the maneuvering room where the Reactor Operator controls the reactor.
Reduction Gear—The mechanism that converts the high RPMs of the two main engines (propulsion turbines) to the slow RPM of the screw. Solves the problem of how to get two turbines to drive a single screw. Also solves the problem of how to let the main engines rotate at high RPM where they are efficient while letting the screw rotate at the low RPM where it is efficient. Unfortunately, the reduction gear is one of the noisiest pieces of equipment aboard.
REM—Roentgen Equivalent Man. A unit of radiation dosage that takes
into account tissue damage due to neutron radiation. Convenient since it allows gamma, alpha, and neutron radiation to be measured with the same units. 1000 rem will kill. 500 rem may kill. Yearly dose for submarine personnel is restricted to less than 25 to 100 milli rem
Rig For Black—Submarine term meaning “turn off the lights in the control room.”
Rig For Dive—A detailed valve and switch lineup done in preparation to dive. Initially done by a dolphin-wearing enlisted man and checked by a dolphin-wearing officer.
Rig For Patrol Quiet—Ship systems lineup to ensure maximum quiet while allowing normal creature comforts such as cooking and movie watching.
Maintenance on equipment is allowed, if it does not involve banging on the hull. Noisy operations are permitted only with the captain’s permission, such as reactor coolant discharge, steam generator blow downs etc.
Rig For Ultraquiet—Ship systems lineup done in a tactical situation such as a close trailing OP or in wartime. Only the quietest equipment is running.
Offwatch personnel are required to be in bed. The galley, showers, laundry, movies, and maintenance of equipment are all prohibited to minimize noise.
Hard-soled shoes are prohibited. Lights are shifted to red to remind the crew of the need for silence.
The ship is eerily quiet, as if run by ghosts.
Rig For White—Submarine term meaning “turn on the lights in the control room.”
TO (Reactor Operator)—Nuclear-trained enlisted man who mans the Reactor Plant Control Panel and reports to the EOOW.
RPG—Rocket-propelled grenade.
Run-To-Enable—Initial torpedo run taking it away from own ship. During the run-to-enable, the warhead is not armed and the sonar is not operational.
When the run-to-enable is complete, the weapon activates the active or passive sonar and swims the search pattern. The warhead is not armed until it has a detect on the target.
Sail—Conning tower. Named because, unlike the conning towers of World War II diesel boats, which were misshapen and asymmetrical, modern nuclear submarine conning towers are smooth fins with square profiles when viewed from the side. Someone in the distant past called it a sail and the term became official.
SCRAM—An emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor, done by driving control rods to the bottom of the core using springs. A term left over from the 1940s when primitive lab reactors had a single control rod suspended by a rope. An emergency shutdown would be done by cutting the rope and letting the rod drop by gravity. The safety man was called the Safety Control Rod Ax Man-hence SCRAM.
SCRAM Breaker—A circuit breaker that interrupts power to the latching electromagnets of the control rod drive mechanisms. When the breaker opens, electrical power to the electromagnets is shut off, the magnets lose their magnetism, and the latches of the rods open, . il lowing springs to drop the rods to the bottom of the core.
Scrambled Eggs—The gold branches of leaves sewn onto the brim of a senior officer’s cap.
Scrubber—COz scrubber. Atmospheric control equipment that rids the ship of carbon dioxide (from breathing, the diesel, and the CO burner) by blowing it over an amine bed.
SEAL—Sea/Air/Land commando.
Sea Trials—Post-construction shakedown cruise of a ship. Done to ensure the equipment lives up to specifications and is ready to perform its mission.
SECDEF—Secretary of Defense.
Section Tracking Team—A firecontrol team stationed to man the plots and firecontrol system when tracking a hostile contact for extended periods of time. Modified battle stations So named because each watch section (similar to a shift) has its own tracking team.
Ship Control Panel (SCP)—The console from which the ship’s depth, course, and speed are controlled.
This console resembles a 747 cockpit, with the Sternplanesman on one side, the Helmsman on the other, and the Diving Officer behind and between them.
Ship Control Team—The watch standers manning the Ship Control Panel, including the Sternplanesman, the Helmsman, and the Diving Officer. Sometimes includes the Chief of the Watch, off to the port side at the Ballast Control Panel.
Shoot On Generated Bearing—Captain’s order to shoot a torpedo based on the firecontrol solution’s estimate of where a target should be, not on the last actual bearing from sonar. When ordered, the firecontrol team locks in the firecontrol solution to the target, and when the torpedo
reports back, the captain is given one last chance to say either “Shoot” or “Check fire.”
SITREP—Situation report, a high priority radio message to a high-level commander reporting the status of a contact or enemy.
Signal Ejector—A small torpedo tube used to eject flares (for signalling surface ships), communication buoys (which can transmit hours after the ship has cleared datum; also used for SUB SUNK buoys), and countermeasures (torpedo decoys).
SLAAM—Submarine-launched anti-air missile.
Snapshot—A quick r
eaction torpedo shot, usually done only when fired upon first.
Snorkel—A mast designed to bring air into the submarine so that the air breathing diesel generator can use it for combustion when the reactor is scrammed.
Solution—A contact’s range, course, and speed. A great mystery when using passive sonar. Determining the solution requires maneuvering own ship and doing calculations on the target’s bearing rate. Can be obtained manually or with the firecontrol computer.
Sonobuoys—Small objects dropped from ASW aircraft that float on the surface and listen to the ocean below, then transmit that information up to the aircraft. A method of giving an aircraft sonar capability.
SPEC-OP—Special operation, usually top secret, and usually very hairy.
SPEC WAR—Special warfare. Commando operations.
Spherical Array—A sphere in the nose cone of a submarine fitted with transducers over most of its surface to be able to hear in all directions (except the baffles). Useful since it not only tells the bearing to an incoming noise, but also its DE (deflection elevation). The DE can give clues that the sound is relayed via bottom bounce or surface bounce, or even that a close contact is deeper or shallower than own ship.
Spin Up—Start the gyro and computer system of a weapon in preparation for launch.
Spook—A spy, either from Naval Intelligence, CIA, National Security Agency, or a nameless U.S. Navy organization that sends riders onboard to gather electronic intelligence when the ship is on a special
OP.
SSN—A fast attack submarine. Literally stands for Submersible Ship Nuclear, although most crews agree it means Saturdays, Sundays, and Nights.
Steam Leak, Major—When one of the large steam pipes ruptures in the engine room Result is rapid cooking of engineering crew unless the leak is isolated using MS-1 or2 valves. Steam leaks are also dangerous because they will overpower the reactor.
Steam Plant Control Panel (SPCP)—Console in the maneuvering room that monitors the steam plant.
Attack Of The Seawolf Page 37
