AT SEA ABOARD THE TEXAS — On her way from Norfolk to Galveston, the new submarine USS Texas stopped at Cape Canaveral, Fla., to flex her muscles for the media. As she departed the pier for a three-hour transit to deep water, the crew guided reporters through the different sections, displaying a thorough understanding of their ship, her capabilities and their responsibilities.

Built by Newport News in partnership with Electric Boat Company, Texas is the second of the new Virginia class of fast-attack subs. A host of technical innovations unlike anything on submarines before makes Texas unique. The sub is powered by an advanced nuclear reactor that will not need refueling during the ship’s 33-year life cycle. Designed to meet the Navy’s requirements in a post-Cold War era, Virginia-class submarines use advanced technologies to increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth. The 377-feet long Virginia-class submarines are capable of submerged speeds of more than 25 knots and can stay submerged for up to three months at a time.

A pilot and co-pilot, who manage the sub’s steering and diving control with joysticks, replace the familiar helmsman and planesman stations with their aircraft-like yokes.

The “sonar gang” has been integrated into a control room with more than 40 monitors. Listening through the sonar operator’s headphones, one can hear the clear sound of a diesel engine. So clear, in fact, that it seems to be right outside the hull instead of several miles away.

“In many cases, our operators can tell what kind of diesel it is, what make, how many cylinders and if it needs a ring job,” said the sonar supervisor.

And most remarkably — there are no periscopes in the control room. The polished poles that have been a staple in submarine movies have been replaced with sail-mounted photonic masts that do not protrude into the sub’s pressure hull. The cameras beam a high-resolution image onto a 30-inch monitor. The command “Up periscope” may be replaced by “Raise the photonic mast.”

“After 20 years of looping my arm around the periscope handles, I have to make an adjustment,” said Capt. John Litherland. “This control room is more advanced and allows more efficient tactical communication. All that’s missing is a captain’s chair out of Star Trek.”

All this advanced technology requires the brightest and most motivated sailors the Navy can provide.

“I have over 300 ‘clients’ to look after,” said Petty Officer Michael Granito, an IT technician who has been aboard Texas since Nov. 2002.

“All the sub’s laptops, desktops, monitors, and around 11 non-tactical servers. Each sonar console has its own server.”

He deftly touched a screen to illustrate how individual servers are connected within the sub. The level of complexity is staggering yet “we’ve logged 98 percent uptime,” Granito said.

Brown Water Mission

The Virginia class has been engineered to match the Seawolf class in stealth and open-ocean warfare, but that’s yesterday’s war. The new mission in the war against terror is to fight and gather intelligence in “brown water” (shallow coastal waters in hostile regions).

The control surfaces and the position of the sail help the hydrodynamics and the hovering system, giving Texas superb close-in capability, and also augment another Texas strength — deploying Special Forces, Litherland said.

Some aspects of life aboard submarines have not changed. The living space is confined, forcing sailors to squeeze by each other in passageways. There are four restroom facilities and a single washer and dryer for 140 men.

Dive, Dive, Dive

When the sub reaches deep water, the bridge is secured and the sub is made ready to submerge. The familiar dive alarm sounds throughout the ship. The pilot eases the 7,800-ton vessel below the waves. Soon, the surrounding sea pictured on the monitor is obscured by bubbles and foam as the sail dips under the water. The gentle rocking motion stops, replaced by a silent, steady sensation. Being on a sub underwater is much like sitting in an office building.

That’s about to change. After careful scrutiny of the surrounding waters, the crew of the Texas performs a series of maneuvers known as “angles and dangles.”

Beginning at 150 feet, the pilot pushes his joystick forward and the sub noses down to 650-feet at a steep 25-degree angle. The undersea warriors in the control room lean away from the slanting deck, still performing their tasks without interruption.

The overhead speaker announces a simulated torpedo launch. In the torpedo room, a petty officer carefully coordinates the process with the fire control operator in the control room. Texas and other modern U.S. subs use wire-guided torpedoes.

“The torpedo will go out there and acquire the target and when it does, it tells us where the contact is,” explained Cmdr. Jim Gray. “That’s where the wire comes into play.”

Gray is at ease explaining the intricacies of the fire control systems, with good reason. He is slated to be the next skipper of the Texas, taking over command Sept. 20.

Texans On The Texas

Of the 140-man crew abroad Texas, 20 are Texans, including Al Onley, the executive officer.

“Texas is pretty big, I’m from Greenville, so it’s a long haul for my family to attend the commissioning, but I don’t think anything could keep them away,” he said.

Onley’s family will have a lot of company. The Sept. 9 commissioning ceremony is expected to draw more than 10,000 guests and visitors to Galveston, including ship sponsor First Lady Laura Bush, Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. Sponsored by the Greater Houston Council of the Navy League of the United States, the commissioning ceremony is by invitation only.

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.   Psalm 144:1

"...my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me." He added, after a pause, looking me full in the face: "That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave"

General "Stonewall" Jackson

Having security forces go berserk a couple of years back over intel on the USS Howard (sister ship of the USS Cole) commissioning here in the Houston Ship Channel, every local, state, port, federal, DHS,  & BTF LE agency in the area is on maximum overload right now pending Mrs. GWB commissioning of the Texas next Saturday. The Texas is arriving Monday (Labor Day), height of the recreational boating season (read unregulated and mostly inibriated operators) through Bolivar Roads on the Houston Ship Channel (less than one mile wide) in which 2500 international commercial vessels transit a day. Oh, and the channel has been recently dredged by USACE to 45 feet deep at 600 feet wide.

It's going to be HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT..... Stand by for updates.

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.   Psalm 144:1

Here is site for the investigation on the collison, but I gotta warn you, it's very long, drawn out reading.

http://navsci.berkeley.edu/ns12b/Documents/Ike-Urdulitz%20collision.htm

SMSB

"Let's Go Downtown" - Flight of the Intruder
 

http://www.327infantry.org/second/c_co 

Same Mud Same Blood - NBC documentary filmed 1967 RVN, chronicle Frank McGee

Michael Petters, president of Northrop Grumman Newport News, the builder of the ship, recalled the first sea trials of TEXAS.

"It was a truly amazing experience," he said.   "I found myself standing next to the captain and I reached over and shook his hand and said, 'Congratulations Captain, we have a great ship; take good care of her,'.  The captain looked at me and he said, 'Mike, I don't think I can do that'.  He said 'We plan to take TEXAS into places that are very dangerous, because that is what we built her for'."

Many quotes on near shore SF missions capabilities Nine man deployable airlock camber; vessel maintains platoon size sortie capabilities for special ops missions.

http://www.guidrynews.com/06September/25306USSTexas.htm

Hoooah.

Skip,out

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.   Psalm 144:1