MidiBlog

Murchison launches $1b bid for Midwest

2007-10-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

Australian market news that matters, in 90 seconds or less

Murchison launches $1b bid for Midwest
11 October 2007 - Melbourne Australia

Murchison bids AU$1 billion for Midwest

Home loans drop due to interest rate rise

Telstra to switch on 211 broadband exchanges

Westpac confident RAMS deal will move forward

ASX could hit 7,000 by Christmas

After failing to convince Midwest that a friendly merger was the way to go, Murchison Metals has made a bid for the company valued at approximately AU$1 billion. The move has been seen by some as an attempt by Japanese interests to head off the Chinese in the race to open up WA's lucrative Mid West. The most recent interest rate rise, coupled with low housing affordability, caused a drop in first-home buyer loans and investor led construction in August. Telstra has met the federal government's deadline and agreed to switch on 211 ADSL broadband exchanges, meaning that all Australians will now be able to access broadband internet. Westpac boss David Morgan has expressed confidence that the bank's proposed acquisition of RAMS will go ahead. Meanwhile, the All Ordinaries and ASX 200 were setting new highs again yesterday, prompting some analysts to predict the market will pass 7000 before Christmas.

All the details below...

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Japan v China for WA iron ore
In what is being seen as a battle between Japanese and Chinese interests for access to West Australian iron ore, Murchison Metals (ASX:MMX) yesterday launched an AU$1 billion bid for Midwest Corporation (ASX:MIS). Murchison, backed by Japanese company Mitsubishi (TYO:8058), made the bid after failing to convince Midwest – backed by Sinosteel – that a friendly merger was the way forward. The companies have different plans on how to open up WA's lucrative Mid West region.

Home loans plummet as housing moves out of reach
First-home buyer loans and finance for investor-led construction dropped substantially in August, as a hike in interest rates and a lack of affordable housing took their toll. Nationally, housing affordability may be at its lowest since interest rates hit 16-17% in 1989-90.

Coonan makes another U-turn
Telstra has agreed to switch on 211 ADSL broadband exchanges around Australia, meeting Communications Minister Helen Coonan's deadline for signing off on approximately AU$40 million in funding for the project. The company's solicitor also wrote an open letter questioning Ms Coonan yesterday, after she said that the federal Government would consider using taxpayer monies to fund a fibre-optic network to Australian homes.

Westpac bid as good as it gets for RAMS
Westpac (ASX:WBC) chief David Morgan has said that he is confident the bank's bid for distressed lender RAMS (ASX:RHG) will be successful, as a rival bid is unlikely to emerge. Mr Morgan also said that the trouble surrounding RAMS is an isolated case.

All Ords on track to crack 7000 before Christmas
The All Ordinaries set a new intraday high of 6667.6 yesterday, with BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) playing a significant part in the index's climb. Analysts say that the market could reach the symbolically significant 7000 mark before Christmas.

All the best,

Chloe Wilson

Gold Breaks Out, But How Many Benefit?

2007-10-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Gold Breaks Out, But How Many Benefit?
By Chris Weber

I've been noticing a strange thing.

I sometimes meet with readers of my letter, the Weber Global Opportunities Report. Occasionally, they hire me to go over their holdings with them (the only way I can really give good advice is when I know the person and their complete situation). Some I meet at conferences, and even sometimes on trips.

But the strange thing is that with every one of these readers I've come into contact with since the first of the year, they either have very little exposure to the gold and silver area or – in more cases – none at all.

I wonder, they pay to read my opinions and what I am doing, so they must value what they read at least somewhat. In some cases, they actively don't believe gold is going up.

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"Why do you really think this?" is how one put it. Or they think it is going to fall before it rises, and maybe then they can buy it cheaper. "Gold will go to $540 before it goes to $740," said another with great confidence. (He'd never bought any.)

But one blamed me. "You don't seem positive enough about it in your letter, always saying that you may be wrong." Well, I don't know how much more positive I can be. I do enter into almost every investment with the view that I could be wrong, and I try to protect myself in case I turn out to be.

But I say "almost" every investment. I may take my principal out on stocks and even currencies, but I have not done so on my physical gold and silver. This alone should tell you that I don't regard them in the same light. I am willing to risk all of my prior profits because I believe we are still in the early phases of a huge bull market in the precious metals.

I suspect this person who blames me that he doesn't have any metals is the type who usually blames others for his mistakes. But he may have a point. I don't jump up and down and dramatically scream that you should do anything.

There was an advisor back in the 1970s during gold's last bull market. He was famous for saying, "Mortgage the home, mortgage the kids, but buy gold and silver." That's dramatic. Well, he was right. But like so many others, he stayed too long at the party and did not get out or get his readers out at anywhere near the peak.

Maybe I'm too superstitious. I approach investments with maybe too much humility, "rendering to the gods what is theirs." I've always found that the less fanfare you announce something, the better the chances are that it will work out. Anyway, it's not my style to scream and say "GET INTO GOLD AND SILVER NOW!!!"

I can only tell you what I have done, and what I think will happen. I've repeatedly said that my target for gold was $3,000 per ounce and $187 for silver.

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Thailand: An Extraordinary Story of Stability

However, for so many readers not to have any makes me think I am not getting the point across. But then, I think that every bull market takes as few people with it as possible.

The activity gets heavy only just before the bull market makes a temporary high and gets severely overbought. This happened in the weeks leading up to the May 2006 highs. Then, when the market corrects, these latecomers get out in a panic.

But many others never get on until near the very end. This may be what I'm seeing. And with so few people owning gold or silver, it makes me think that we are still very close to the start of the bull market, and not near its end.

Good investing,

Chris Weber

Editor's note: Chris Weber is hands-down one of the best investors we've ever known. In over 35 years of investing, he has never had a losing year.

Right now, Chris is recommending three little-known ways to play the bull market in gold and precious metals - and also a savings account that yields double-digit returns annually. If you're interested in learning more about where Chris is putting his money, click here for the details.

Ho Chi Minh City, VN

2007-10-03T00:40:00.000-07:00

Here is your 5-day forecast for:

Ho Chi Minh City, VN

Qwikcast.com

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Partly Cloudy Hi 26° Lo 24°	T-storms Hi 27° Lo 24°	T-storms Hi 28° Lo 23°	T-storms Hi 28° Lo 24°	T-storms Hi 28° Lo 24°

View current conditions, records & averages, weather maps and additional information for this location...

Submarines Gallery in naval-technology.com

2007-09-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Normand Pioneer was used as a mother ship for the LR5 in the Kursk submarine rescue attempt and this photograph was taken while en route to the scene.	The LR5 submersible in the water.	The LR5 rescue chamber.
The LR5 refitted stern hatch.	The LR5 stern hatch.	The LR5 profile.
LR5 submersible vehicle.	The Scorpio remotely operated vehicle.	An Electric Boat computer-generated image of the Virginia Class new attack submarine.
Submarine authorisations chart.	Artist's impression of the Virginia Class new attack submarine.	Virginia Class (NSSN) co-production diagram.
Noise level reduction progress chart.	Virginia Class (NSSN) characteristics.	Possible torpedo rounds being considered include the Raytheon lightweight Hybrids Mk 50, Mk 46 Mod 5A(S), Mk 46 Mod 5A(SW) as well as the Mk 46 Mod 8.
Artist's impression of Sea Dagger.	The concept consists of six modules: one and two the bow and stern, with the remaining four specific mission modules.	Schematic of Small Attack Submarine (SAS).
Schematic of Autonomous Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (ASDV).	Schematic of Advanced Surveillance Vehicle (ASV).	Schematic of Advanced Target Submarine (ATS).
The Delta IV is a strategic ballistic missile firing nuclear propelled submarine.	The Delta IV class submarine flying the Russian Ensign.	The Delta IV is equipped with the Brick Spit optronic mast.
The submarine has a double-hulled configuration.	Missile launch is activated with the submarine at a depth of 50m.	The nose horizontal hydroplanes are arranged on the sail.
The propulsion system provides a run speed of 24 knots surfaced and 24 knots submerged.	Four Ohio Class submarines are being converted to SSGN (conventionally armed nuclear-powered) submarines.	USS Alaska SSBN 732.
The Ohio class submarine is equipped with the Trident strategic ballistic missile.	Ohio Trident Class submarine running on the surface.	The ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741).
USS Maine.	The Conning Tower and Fins SSBN 741.	USS Alaska.
FNS Triomphant.	The submarine carries 16 vertically launched ballistic missiles.	The submarine's propulsion system is a nuclear turbo-electric system.
The submarine has the capacity to carry a mixed load of 18 ECAN L5 Mod 3 torpedoes and Exocet missiles.	FNS Temeraire.	The SSBN Triomphant.
Two Typhoon Class submarines, part of the Russian Northern Fleet.	Typhoon Class on manoeuvres.	Typhoon Class showing sail with retractable masts.
The submarine's design includes features for travelling under ice and ice-breaking.	The deck with missile hatches open.	Typhoon Class control room.
The submarine carries 20 RSM-52 intercontinental, three-stage solid propellant ballistic missiles.	Line drawing of Typhoon Class submarine.	HMS Vanguard on exercise.
Vanguard class at night.	Vanguard class running on the surface.	Initial training for Trident and Polaris crews takes place at the Faslane base on the Clyde.
HMS Vigilant test fired a UK Trident II D5 missile as part of her DSO.	The Trident missile compartment.	The control room.
The sound room.	The larger Oscar II submarines were built between 1985 and 1999 at the Sevmash yard in Severodvinsk.	The bow horizontal hydroplanes are retracted into the hull.
The HF and UHF radio-masts and masts of radio direction-finder, satellite communication and navigation masts are located on the air-shaft to feed compressors.	The Oscar II is also characterized by a substantially enlarged fin, which should improve underwater manoeuvrability.	The two periscopes, radio-sextant and radar masts are located within the retractable devices area.
The design represents a double hull of variable diameter, divided into ten compartments.	The Agosta 90B Class Attack Submarine.	The Agosta 90B is a direct derivative of the Agosta class.
The fully integrated combat system.	The Agosta 90B can dive deeper than its predecessor.	Agosta 90Bs can be fitted with the MESMA AIP system.
Exocet SM 39 sub-launched anti-ship missile.	A French Navy Agosta submarine.	HMAS Waller.
The Collins has a range of 11500 miles at 10 knots surfaced.	HMAS Collins.	HMAS Collins running on the surface.
Fin mounted hydroplanes.	The Type 471 Collins class is a single hull design.	A Mark 48 Mod 4 Heavyweight Torpedo.
Collins is equipped with Thales Optronics CK043 search periscope and CH093 attack periscope.	The Collins combat system is to be upgraded with a variant of the Raytheon CCS Mk 2.	Israel's three Dolphin Class submarines were designed by Ingenieurkontor Lubeck Prof Gabler Nachf GmbH (IKL), a subsidiary of Howaldtswerke-Deutche Werft AG (HDW) based in Lubeck, Germany.
INS Dolphin was commissioned in 1999, INS Leviathan in 2000.	The weapon control system is the ISUS 90-1 TCS supplied by STN Atlas Elektronik, which provides automatic sensor management, fire and weapon control, navigation and operation.	The mission of the submarines is to carry out interdiction and surveillance operations and special missions.
Torpedo room with reserve stowage.	The submarine has two periscopes supplied by Kollmorgen.	HMS Gotland first of class.
The submarine is equipped with a Kollmorgen search-and-attack periscope.	The submarines are fitted with four 21in and two 15.75in torpedo tubes.	The 9SCS Mark 3 Combat Management System has three multifunction consoles.
HMS Uppland.	The design of the A19 Gotland is similar to that of the A17 Vastergotland class submarine.	Kilo Class Type 636 INS Sindhurakshak.
The submarine is equipped with six 533mm forward torpedo tubes.	A 636 Kilo class submarine submerging.	Kilo Class Type 636 under construction.
A bulkhead in the Kilo Class.	Kilo Class Type 636 is only 1.2m longer in length than Kilo Class Type 877EKM.	Kilo Class Type 636.
Machinery controls.	The yard model of the 636 Kilo class submarine.	Kilo Class Type 877EKM in harbour.
China has two Type 877EKM, Iran has three Type 877EKM and India has nineType 877EKM.	Kilo Class Type 877EKM showing two torpedo tubes above the water line.	INS Sindhuvir Type 877EKM one of eight Kilo Class SSK's currently in service with the Indian Navy.
The torpedo compartment.	The Kilo Class 877 EKM's predecessor, the Kilo Class 877.	A Type 877EKM control room.
A control console aboard Kilo Class Type 877EKM.	The submarine loading torpedoes with automatic rapid loader.	The SSK Scorpene Class submarine.
Two Scorpene submarines have been commissioned by the Chilean Navy.	Scorpene is equipped with six 21in torpedo tubes which can launch a variety of weapons, including wire-guided torpedoes and pop-up anti-ship missiles.	Scorpene's SUBTICS integrated combat system from DCN performs all weapon command and control functions.
Scorpene combines modular design and state-of-the-art technologies.	The vessel's sonar suite includes a long range passive cylindrical array, an intercept sonar, active sonar, distributed array, flank array, a high resolution sonar for mine and obstacle avoidance and a towed array.	Scorpene's design readily accommodates the Mesma AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system.
The Brazilian Navy Submarine Tupi (S30).	The radar warning receiver on the Tupi and the Improved Tupi (Tikuna) is the DR-4000.	The submarine is equipped with two Mod 76 periscopes.
The propulsion system provides a surface speed of more than 10 knots.	Tupi class off Rio de Janeiro.	The Brazilian Navy submarine fleet operates four Tupi class submarines, in service since 1999.
Russian Akula class submarines are deployed in the Pacific.	The Akula submarine design is under constant upgrade.	The Russian Navy has 16 Bars class Project 971 submarines known in the West as the Akula class.
The Akula can launch a range of anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel torpedoes.	The submarine has a double-hulled configuration with a distinctive high aft fin.	The Akula class propulsion system provides a maximum submerged speed of 33 knots.
The Royal Navy's Astute class submarine is a nuclear-powered attack submarine.	The forward dome of the Astute submarine under construction.	Nuclear power for the Astute will be provided by the Rolls-Royce PWR 2 pressurised water reactor.
The Astute submarines are being built at BAE Systems Barrow shipyard.	The Astute Class submarines will be based at Faslane in Scotland.	BAE Systems is building three Astute Class nuclear powered attack submarines for the UK Royal Navy.
The Astute weapons load will be 50% greater than Trafalgar Class submarines. A total of 38 weapons, including Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles, can be carried.	Astute design is similiar to the Trafalgar Batch 1 (HMS Triumph) shown.	HMS Talent (Trafalgar Batch 1) was launched in 1988.
The Astute Class will replace Royal Navy Swiftsure Class submarines, in service since the 1970s. Shown here is HMS Superb (S109).	USS Greeneville SSN 772.	The Los Angeles class submarine USS Louisville.
A crew member on board the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Scranton (SSN 756) stands by for an at-sea mail delivery.	The nuclear-powered Los Angeles class attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722).	USS Buffalo surfaces from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Los Angeles Class SSN 753.	Crewmen control the ship's depth, speed, and trim.	Submarine launch of the Harpoon Anti-ship-missile.
The French Navy operates six Rubis Amethyste class submarines.	A Rubis Amethyste class attack submarine on patrol.	The SSK Turquoise class submarine control room.
The six Rubis Amethyste submarines are nuclear powered.	The Rubis Amethyste class is armed with the torpedo tube launched Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile.	The Turquoise SSK submarine is a derivative of the Rubis Amethyste class.
Underwater endurance of the Turquoise can be considerably extended.	The Turquoise class SSK has an endurance of more than 60 days, as opposed to 45 days for the Rubis Amethyste class.	The Seawolf Class was built by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics.
The first of class, the Seawolf (SSN21).	A Seawolf class submarine in action.	Seawolf's first sea trials, July 1996.
The nuclear-powered Seawolf has a GE PWR S6W reactor system.	Personnel man the underway main control watch, aboard the US Navy nuclear powered submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 21).	Seawolf has eight 660mm torpedo tubes for launching torpedoes and missiles.
The U212 attack submarine.	Four U212 submarines are being built for the German Navy and two for the Italian Navy.	The diesel propulsion system is combined with an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, used for silent slow cruising.
U31, the first of class, began sea trials in April 2003.	The U212 is fitted with six torpedo tubes for DM2A4 heavyweight torpedoes.	The AIP system is very quiet and produces no exhaust heat, making the U212 very difficult to detect.
The AIP fuel cell allows the U212 to cruise underwater for weeks without surfacing.	U31 completing construction.	U212 submarine schematic.
U212 submarine cross section.	The Class 214 submarine will have an increased diving depth and an improvement in AIP performance.	The Integrated Sensor Underwater System – ISUS.
The Canadian Maritime Force has four Victoria class diesel-electric submarines, formerly Upholder Class submarines of the UK Royal Navy.	The first of class, HMCS Victoria, was commissioned in Halifax in December 2000.	The Victoria Class submarines replace the three Oberon Class submarines, decommissioned in 1998 and 2000.
Victoria Class submarines are armed with 18 Gould Mk 48 Mod 4 heavyweight torpedoes.	The submarine's surface speed is 12kt. Dived speed is 20kt. The range at an 8kt snorting speed is 8,000 miles. The submarine has a patrol endurance of 56 days.	The Upholder Class was withdrawn from service in the Royal Navy in 1994, following a defence review by the UK government.
The diesel-electric propulsion is based on two Paxman Valenta 16SZ diesel engines, rated at 2.7MW (3,620hp) each.	The six Barracuda nuclear-powered attack submarines will replace the four Rubis submarines and two Amethyst class submarines in the French Navy.	The Barracuda will have a displacement of about 4,100t surfaced, an increase of 70% compared to the Amethyste class submarines. Maximum speed will be 25kt and diving depth over 350m.
The Barracuda missions will include anti-surface and fast deep anti-submarine warfare, land attack using stealthy long-range cruise missiles, surveillance and special operations.	Barracuda will be armed with the Naval Scalp cruise missile which has long-range precision attack capability against targets at ranges of up to 1,000km.	The Barracuda's anti-surface missile is an upgraded version of the SM39 Exocet missile, which travels at high subsonic speed, Mach 0.9, to a target range of 50km.
The Black Shark heavyweight torpedo, developed by DCN and Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS).
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RBA to decide on rates tomorrow

2007-09-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

RBA to decide on rates tomorrow
1 October 2007 - Melbourne Australia

By Al Robinson

RBA to decide on rates tomorrow

Coonan attacks Telstra

Seven raises Unwired offer by AU$65.6m

Virgin to compete with Qantas on US route

Oxfam accuses Oceanagold of harassing villagers

Tomorrow the RBA will make its monthly interest rate decision. The expensive Aussie dollar may be enough to induce an upward adjustment from our central bank. Strong economic growth is backing the currency. Economic output doesn't appear to have suffered any permanent damage from credit fears. But most analysts are expecting no change to the cash rate. Helen Coonan has fired a return shot at Telstra. The federal communication minister has accused the telco of acting irresponsibly with shareholder funds. Seven is offering Unwired another AU$65.6million for all of the business. The initial bid was AU$127 million. Virgin Blue is looking to muscle in on Qantas territory. US and Australian governments are working on an aviation agreement. This agreement would clear the way for Virgin Blue to operate on the Australia-US route. Meanwhile, a five-year study by Oxfam has the charity organisation accusing Oceanagold of intimidating Filipino villagers.

All the details below...

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RBA to meet as dollar thunders
Tomorrow the Reserve Bank of Australia will hold its monthly interest rate meeting. The Australian dollar is at its highest level in 23 years against the US currency. But the futures market indicates investors expect no change to the cash rate.

Govt bites back at Telstra
Communications minister Helen Coonan has criticised Telstra (ASX:TLS) for waging a mass-mailing campaign against her and the federal government. The company is currently suing Coonan. According to Telstra's version of events, she imposed an unfair licensing condition on the telco.

A truly globetrotter robot

2007-09-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

June 20th, 2007

A truly globetrotter robot

Posted by Roland Piquepaille @ 10:49 am Categories: Robotics, Science & Nature, Engineering & Innovation Tags: Meter, Robot, Roland Piquepaille

A British robotic submarine, Isis, has a very busy schedule these days. Last January, it was taking a 3-week Antarctic dive. In May, it was exploring a giant canyon just off the coast of Portugal. Its next mission will be the exploration of the Whittard Canyon, another deep submarine valley, this time off the coast of Ireland. This deep-diving remotely operated vehicle (ROV) looks like a van. It is 2.7 meters long, 2 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, it weighs 3,000kg and can dive down to 6,500 meters. But this van has enough equipment to take high-quality videos of sharks appearing at an unusual depth of 3,600 meters…

Above is a picture of the Isis robotic submarine (Credit: National Oceanography Centre, Southampton). As you can see, it's not built for speed. Instead, it has "lights, cameras to produce high-quality video and still pictures, sonars for acoustic navigation and imaging, and two remotely controlled manipulator arms to collect samples or place scientific instruments on the sea-bed."

This robotic submarine has been developed by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, in collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the U.S.

And because it was built to withstand enormous pressure, it was able to discover the effects of climate change in the ocean remote ecosystems. "We've seen signs of change at the surface and in other parts of the deep ocean at 5,000m; so we need to see what's changing here. There is nowhere on the planet that is immune from climate change," said Professor Paul Tyler, a marine biologist.

For more details about the previous trip of Isis in the Antarctic, you can read a previous article from BBC News, "Robot heading for Antarctic dive" (by Rebecca Morelle, December 28, 2006) or what the NOC wrote after the mission the successful mission.

And if you want to look at more images about this robotic submarine, here is a selection of sites where you'll be able to get more information.

Sources: David Shukman, BBC News, June 19, 2007; and various websites

You'll find related stories by following the links below.

Roland Piquepaille lives in Paris, France, and he spent most of his career in software, mainly for high performance computing and visualization companies. For disclosures on Roland's industry affiliations, click here.

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Dreaming up a new defence contractor

2007-09-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

May 22nd, 2007

Dreaming up a new defence contractor

Posted by Paul Murphy @ 9:08 pm Categories: General Tags: Paul Murphy, NASA, Submarine, Bureaucracy, Paul Murphy

On August 22, 1963 a guy named Joe Walker flew the Bell X-15 experimental
spaceplane to 354,200 feet - a record not equalled until Brian Binnie flew
SpaceShipOne to 367,442 feet in October of 2004.

What happened at NASA in between was basically that the national
urgency put into the moon missions forced NASA to choose the heavy lift rocket approach over continuation of the space plane program
- with the long term consequences we see today: a classic case of not having
the time to do things right, and then getting trapped
into spending fifty years trying to pretend
that a successful short cut based on doing more of what you
know how to do can substitute for real research and development.

Look at NASA today and what you see is a titanic struggle between past winners who claim the right to repeat the mistakes of the past and a much smaller group of entrepreneurial
scientist/engineers who're trying to get the spaceplane program back on track. These are the people using SpaceShipOne's success as both the hammer and the anvil for their attacks on NASA's established bureaucracy -and getting no where fast because that bureaucracy extends far into the industries
affected and has roughly the splendid indifference to mission and tax dollars
otherwise characteristic of nationalised industries like the British and Canadian national health services.

The field of anti-submarine warfare offers a remarkable parallel to this: in which a detour undertaken for the best of reasons came to dominant subsequent planning to the point where it became impossible to return to the original long term path. There is no Ansari-X prize for submarine detection, but a private company able to do this significantly better than the U.S. Navy might well kick start a similar internal conflict -one that, in the end, can only be won by proponents of the long term right answer.

The right answer comes from a simple observation: a submarine moving under water leaves a three dimensional wake - and that wake distorts the surface in predictable ways even if the sub is crawling along amid the rocks 900 feet below the surface of a Norwegian Fjord.

In other words: don't bother listening for the thing, because the other guy can always make his subs quieter - but look for its surface trace because the ability to do that well keeps the other guy's submarines in port, where they waste his resources.

So how? Well it's actually a relative simple (cough) photogrammetric application - one for which Altivec equipped parallel machines like IBM's cell processor are almost perfectly suited. The
processing volume is high, the best and most timely data sources aren't
directly available to civilian companies, but the job itself is not that hard: take a real time surface image, subtract surface differences that are both chaotic and consistent across the image, and look for the characteristic "embossed i" the submarine's wake leaves as it interferes with other surface motion.

Organisationally this is a matter of having the right people, with the right access, make the right pitch - technically it's a matter of racking up a supercomputer of whatever size is
needed for the demonstration work by assembling enough Mercury blades (sold by IBM as the QS-20). customising some fairly standard codes, and getting false positive recognition down to some manageable level.

Okay, it's not a weekend's work, but it could make it possible to follow every Chinese or other suspect sub through every step of every sortie - and that's a big money contribution to U.S., and therefore world, security.

Blog This

history of submarine

2007-09-25T22:41:00.001-07:00

A submarine is a vessel which has been designed for underwater operations. It has the capability to operate underneath the surface or on the surface of the water. This along with it's armament makes it a vital piece to our nations sea power and sea control.

Evidence of this type of craft goes back into history an estimated 2000 years. Aristotle has described for us a type of submersible chamber that was used in the year 332 B.C. These were used by the sailors of Alexander The Great during the blockade of Tiros in order to put obstacles and some types of charges of unknown kind.

In China there had also been a report that a primitive submarine was in existence around 200 B.C. In fact, this submarine was reported to be able to move by the bottom of the sea.

Later on after many centuries in 1578, a man by the name of William Borne drafted the first submarine design. His design included ballast tanks which are used to submerge and surface the craft. Unfortunately his submarine never got passed the drawing stage.

The first successful submarine was built in 1620 by a Dutchman named Cornelis Drebbel. Cornelis had designed a wooden submersible vehicle encased in leather. It was able to carry 12 rowers and a total of 20 men. Amazingly enough, the vessel could dive to the depth of 20 meters and travel 10 km. He conducted several series of trips below the surface of the Thames River which lasted many hours. This early submarine was the first to address the problem of oxygen replenishment while submerged.

In 1775 or 1776, an American engineer and student at Yale, David Bushnell invented the Turtle. The Turtle was egg-shaped and carried only a one man crew. It was driven by two hand-cranked screw propellers, one for forward movement and the other for versicle movement. The Turtle had a complex system of valves, air vents, and ballast pumps to control submergence, these were made out of lead and kept the vehicle upright, and it also had a mine with a time fuse. The mine was supposed to be attached to the bottom of the target ship with a detachable screw.

Piloted by Sgt. Ezra Lee, the Turtle was the first combat submarine. On 6 September 1776 the Turtle attacked the British flagship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. When Lee tried to attach the mine to the ship, the screw was deflected by the ship's copper sheathing. Lee had no other choice but to jettison the mine.

Robert Fulton used the principles that were used in developing the Turtle to make his own creation in 1798, the Nautilus. It uses two forms of power for propulsion, diving planes, shape, armament, and under sea air replenishment.

Fulton built a sail for surface runs and a hand-cranked screw propeller for use while submerged. The Nautilus had a streamlined shape to reduce water resistance and it also had ballast tanks to raise and lower the craft. It also had diving planes which could be adjusted to determine the vessels angle of ascent of descent. The vessel was 21-24.5 ft long and carried a crew of 4. The only armament on board the Nautilus was an explosive mechanism called a torpedo. Basically, it was a box of dynamite.

Some people have stated that the Nautilus could stay under sea for 24 hours at a depth of 8 meters while others say it could stay submerged only up to 6 hours.

Fulton also was the first to experiment with compressed air for the replenishment of oxygen while under the sea. However, when he tried to get government support money he did not receive any so the whole project was dropped.

Later in 1850, Germans constructed the submarine Sea Devil under the supervision of the Barbarian Bauer. This submarine supposedly made over 130 divings with a large crew of 14.

During the civil war the confederates built 4 submarines to use against the Union fleet. The Huntley was the most famous of the four. In 1864, the Huntley rammed into the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. A torpedo on the Huntley spar exploded and sank both of the vessels. This was the first submarine that made a successful attack on a warship, during the civil war.

After the war was over two designers concentrated on the submarines. Simon Lake, who died in 1945, worked out the idea of submerging by negative buoyancy, which is used today. John Philip Holland experimented in other directions and won a U.S. Navy contract in the late 1890's. In fact, most of the latter half of the 1800's was used in attempt to develop an adequate means of submarine propulsion. Both of the inventors experimented with compressed air, steam, and electricity as power sources.

The French Navy made the most serious and successful efforts in the construction of submarines. The Narval class submarines were the product of there effort. They were equipped with intergrated systems and mechanisms for autonomous propulsion and under the sea surface sailing.

Soon after the Narval class submarines were unveiled other big countries joined the "game." Another big factor in the success of the submarines was the invention of the automobiled torpedo by a fellow named Whittehead in 1870. This gave the submarine the ultimate weapon.

In 1886 Greece, a naval country, acquired for the first time a submarine. It was the Swiss made Nordenfelt which was steam powered and could reach speeds up to 9 knots. The Nordenfelt was meters in length and displaced 160 tons. There was also a torpedo on board for armament. This submarine was in service until 1901.

In 1898 J.P. Holland launched his submarine and it was commissioned the USS Holland. This was the United States Navy's first submarine. It was 53 feet long and displaced 75 tons. The USS Holland used a gasoline engine while running on the surface and an electric motor while submerged. At top surface speed, it could reach a speed of 7 knots.

The United States was pushed into World War I partly because of the German's unrestricted submarine warfare. The Germans were sinking allied ships anywhere and anytime they came upon them. They bombed merchant and passenger ships killing British and American citizens. The United States noticed that the development of the periscope and self-propelled torpedo, the submarine became a major factor in naval warfare. The success of the submarines for the Germans led to the development of depth charges.

The U.S. launched the first of the "S" boats. The boats were 219 ft in length and were considered the first "fleet" type submarines because for the first time they were able to preform operations with the fleet. The armament of these boats were torpedoes and deck guns. If it was a small target they would use the deck guns and if it were a large target, it would get a torpedo.

Between the World Wars there were new improvements in submarine design and operation. Underwater sound devices were made for communications and for the detection of enemy ships. There also was rescue devices made such as the Momsen lung. This was a lightweight breathing apparatus used by the crew in case of emergency. The typical U.S. submarine had increased its speed to 18 knots on a surface run using diesel engines and 8 knots submerged using electric motors. Most of the time that the submarine would have to surface was to recharge its batteries to continue underwater.

In World War II the Balao class was launched. It had a super thick hull design so it could submerge over 100 feet more then the previous Gato class submarines. All in all, there were 122 submarines of this class launched making it the largest class of submarines ever built.

Later on in 1943, the German Navy invented a new piece for their submarines. It was a snorkel mast. This would allow the submarines to run on diesel power while under water at periscope depth and recharge their batteries. Amazingly enough, the Germans also came up with an alternative power source in 1944. Hydrogen Peroxide was found to be a good alternative fuel source for the submarines.

Starting with the Trench class submarines, the Navy removed their deck guns and proceeded to streamline the hull. They also added the snorkel mast and additional battery power so they could run faster and longer then the previous submarines.

Although the submarines only accounted for 2% of the U.S. Navy, it proved that the submarines were a needed part of the Navy. They are credited with the sinking of over 50% of the Japanese naval and merchant fleets.

In 1953 the USS Albacore was launched and commissioned. It had a new hull design which resembled a blimp. The new hull type proved so successful in providing greater submerged speeds nearly all of the following submarines after it copied its style.

The USS Nautilus was commissioned in 1954. This was the most technologically advanced submarine of its time. It was the worlds first nuclear powered submarine. It could reach speeds of more than 20 knots when submerged, and could remain under water for an indefinite period of time. In fact, in 1958 the USS Nautilus made the first undersea transit of the North Pole. The development of the Naval nuclear propulsion plant was the work of a team Navy, the government and contractor engineer who were led by Captain Hyman G. Rickover.

When we entered the year of 1960 the first submarines incorporating a battery of solid-propellent submarine-launched ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads were built in the U.S. These new weapons were capable of hitting targets about 2500 miles when fired from the submerged submarine.

In 1970 the Ohio class submarines were built with 24 launching tubes for intercontinental ballistic missiles ICBM each with a range of 4600 miles. The USS Ohio, the first of the class, was commissioned in 1981.

From then to present day, there has been many changes in the submarines. Such changes are those of the technological advances like the computer of smaller size and more up to date equipment. In our world ever changing, there will always be something new to replace the old.

Submarines have come a long way from Alexander The Great in 332 B.C. to those in our present day. We have found new ways of propulsion, air replenishment while underwater, communication, depth control, and armament. Indeed, the submarine does play a vital role in our history and the existence of our Navy. Without it, where would we be?

"Yeah, that's a lot about Submarines, but not what I wanted to know!"

2007-09-25T22:38:00.001-07:00

"Yeah, that's a lot about Submarines, but not what I wanted to know!"

This is how a submarine can dive and then surface.

Just like any boat, a submarine uses what is sometimes referred to as Archimedes' Principle, which is

"a body that is submerged into a fluid, loses exactly the same amount of weight, as the weight of the displaced fluid".

This means that a big heavy hollow boat loses a lot of weight when it is in the sea. What a submarine can do is change the amount of water it displaces. This is done by having a ballast tank which can be filled by water or air. Pressurized air is contained in another tank in the submarine.

Fill the ballast tank with water - the submarine will sink.
Fill the ballast tank with air - the submarine will rise.

                                                                                |   |                          | | |                        --------       Air tank        |        |             |         |        |             |         |        |    ---------|---------|        |------------------   /  |ooooooooooooooo|                            \  /    ---------------                              \ (                                                   )  \    _______________                              /   \  |wwwwwwwwwwwwwww|                            /    ---------X-----|-------------------------------             |     |                    |     -----------Ballast Tank             ---------Valve

Lesson Plan - Build A Submarine

2007-09-25T22:35:00.003-07:00

Lesson Plan - Build A Submarine

LESSON PLAN MATERIALS:

· Build a Submarine activity sheet

· empty 16 or 20 oz. plastic soda bottle with hole in cap (the hole should be big enough to pass a flexible straw through)

· three wide rubber bands

· 24 pennies

· aluminum foil

· adhesive tape

· flexible straw

· large tub of water

LESSON PLAN PROCEDURE: Build a Submarine activity sheet

1. Cut three holes in side of the soda bottle.

2. Stack the pennies into three piles containing 4, 8, and 12 pennies.

3. Carefully wrap stacks of pennies with foil.

4. Place a rubber band around the plastic bottle and slide it next to the closest hole. Position the other rubber bands next to the two remaining holes.

5. Place the four-penny stack under the rubber band closest to the bottle's top.

6. Place the eight-penny stack under the middle rubber band, next to the middle hole.

7. Place the 12-penny stack under the last rubber band (NOTE: The weights should be next to the holes NOT over them.)

8. Push the shorter end of the straw (about 1 inch) through the hole in the bottle's cap. Reattach the bottle cap to the bottle. Keep the flex section outside and bent upwards. Tape straw securely into place in bottle cap.

9. Lower the "submarine" into the water. Do not let long end of straw take in water.

10. Observe the action of the "sub" and record your observations.

11. When the sub stops sinking, blow into the straw.

12. Observe the action of the sub and record your observations.

LESSON PLAN QUESTIONS:

1. What makes your submarine sink?

2. What makes it surface?

3. After you learn the basic properties that make submersibles dive and surface. What is your soda bottle model missing that real submarines have to navigate underwater? Think of your sub as an underwater plane.

The Future of Submarines

2007-09-25T22:35:00.001-07:00

The Future of Submarines

The evolution of future submarines for military use will be driven by the trend to use smaller, autonomous, and unmanned vehicles to perform missions both under and above the sea. Submarines of the future will be used for their inherent stealth to link and provide support to a deployed network of sensors and weapons. These deployed systems will act to increase the area over which the submarine performs its missions and improve its effectiveness in performing these missions, while reducing the threat to the submarine and its crew.

Modularization coupled with the development and use of off-board systems will allow a wide range of payloads to be employed by submarines. These remote sensors and weapons will include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs); Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs); advanced cruise missiles; undersea acoustic and non-acoustic sensors and weapons; and new forms of submarine based systems for Anti-Submarine, Anti-Surface, and Anti-Air Warfare.

These capabilities combined with the submarine's advantage of being able to remain on-station and undetected for extended periods will multiply the effectiveness of these systems by adding the element of surprise and survivability.

The following timeline summarizes the evolution of submarine design, from the submarine's beginning as a human-powered warship to today's nuclear powered subs.

1578 <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_2.htm>

The first submarine design was drafted by William Borne but never got past the drawing stage. Borne's submarine design was based on ballast tanks which could be filled to submerge and evacuated to surface - these same principles are in use by today's submarines.

More Info <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_2.htm>

1620 <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldrebbel.htm>

Cornelis Drebbel, a Dutchman, conceived and built an oared submersible. Drebbels' submarine design was the first to address the problem of air replenishment while submerged.

More Info <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldrebbel.htm>

1776 <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_3.htm>

<http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_3.htm> <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_3.htm> View Full-Size <javascript:zpu(515,'http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/b/D/submarine10.jpg',800,800,'FSI')> Francis BarberDavid Bushnell builds the one-man human powered Turtle submarine. The Colonial Army attempted to sink the British warship HMS Eagle with the Turtle. The first submarine to dive, surface and be used in Naval combat, its intended purpose was to break the British naval blockade of New York harbor during the American Revolution. With slight positive buoyancy, it floated with approximately six inches of exposed surface. Turtle was powered by a hand-driven propeller. The operator would submerge under the target, and using a screw projecting from the top of Turtle, he would attach a clock-detonated explosive charge. More Info <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_3.htm>

1798 <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_4.htm>

<http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_4.htm> <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_4.htm> View Full-Size <javascript:zpu(515,'http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/e/D/submarine11.gif',800,800,'FSI')> LOCRobert Fulton builds the Nautilus submarine which incorporates two forms of power for propulsion - a sail while on the surface and a hand-cranked screw while submerged. More Info <http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Submarines_4.htm>

1895 <http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventors/a/JohnHolland.htm>

<http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventors/a/JohnHolland.htm> <http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventors/a/JohnHolland.htm> View Full-Size <javascript:zpu(515,'http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/a/D/submarine11.jpg',800,800,'FSI')> LOCJohn P. Holland introduces the Holland VII and later the Holland VIII (1900). The Holland VIII with its petroleum engine for surface propulsion and electric engine for submerged operations served as the blueprint adopted by all the world's navies for submarine design up to 1914. More Info <http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventors/a/JohnHolland.htm>

1904

The French submarine Aigette is the first submarine built with a diesel engine for surface propulsion and electric engine for submerged operations. Diesel fuel is less volatile than petroleum and is the preferred fuel for current and future conventionally powered submarine designs.

1943 <http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/Military_Subs_2.htm>

The German U-boat U-264 is equipped with a snorkel mast. This mast which provides air to the diesel engine allows the submarine to operate the engine at a shallow depth and recharge the batteries

More Info <http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/Military_Subs_2.htm>

1944

The German U-791 uses Hydrogen Peroxide as an alternative fuel source.

1954 <http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/Military_Subs_3.htm>

<http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/Military_Subs_3.htm> <http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/Military_Subs_3.htm> View Full-Size <javascript:zpu(515,'http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/_/D/submarine12.jpg',800,800,'FSI')> U.S. NavyThe U.S. launches the USS Nautilus - the world's first nuclear powered submarine. Nuclear power enables submarines to become true "submersibles" - able to operate underwater for an indefinite period of time. The development of the Naval nuclear propulsion plant was the work of a team Navy, government and contractor engineers led by Captain Hyman G. Rickover. More Info <http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/Military_Subs_3.htm>

1958

View Full-Size <javascript:zpu(515,'http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/-/D/submarine7.gif',800,800,'FSI')> U.S NavyThe U.S. introduces the USS Albacore with a "tear drop" hull design to reduce underwater resistance and allow greater submerged speed and maneuverability. The first submarine class to use this new hull design is the USS Skipjack.

1959

View Full-Size <javascript:zpu(515,'http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/Z/D/submarine8.gif',800,800,'FSI')> U.S. NavyThe USS George Washington is the world's first nuclear powered ballistic missile firing submarine.

Nuclear Propulsion Submarines - Admiral Hyman Rickover

2007-09-25T22:34:00.004-07:00

Nuclear Propulsion Submarines - Admiral Hyman Rickover

In the 1950s a revolution in sub design occurred - the introduction of nuclear propulsion. With nuclear power the submersible torpedo boat of old became a true submarine - a ship with greater endurance than its human crew.

Hyman Rickover - Background

Admiral, Hyman Rickover, the Father of the Nuclear Navy, was born in Makow, Russia (which is now Poland) on January 27, 1900. At the age of six, he emigrated with his parents to the United States, settling in Chicago, Illinois. Hyman Rickover entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1918 and was commissioned an ensign in June 1922.

Following sea duty aboard USS La Vallette (DD-315) and USS Nevada (BB-36), Hyman Rickover attended Columbia University, where he earned the degree of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. From 1929 to 1933, he qualified for submarine duty and command aboard the submarines S-9 and S-48.

In June 1937, he assumed command of USS Finch. Later that year, he was selected as an Engineering Duty Officer and spent the remainder of his career serving in that specialty.

During World War II, Hyman Rickover served as Head of the Electrical Section of the Bureau of Ships and later as Commanding Officer of the Naval Repair Base, Okinawa. In 1946, he was assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission laboratory at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and, in early 1949, to the Division of Reactor Development, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

USS Nautilus

As director of the Naval Reactors Branch, Hyman Rickover developed the world's first nuclear powered submarine, USS Nautilus </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/USS-Nautilus.htm> (SSN 571), which went to sea in 1955. In the years that followed, Hyman Rickover directed all aspects of building and operating the nuclear fleet.

Hyman Rickover - Awards

Hyman Rickover's numerous medals and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Navy Commendation Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. In recognition of his wartime service, he was made Honorary Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Hyman Rickover was twice awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for exceptional public service. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter presented Admiral Rickover with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest non-military honor, for his contributions to world peace.

Hyman Rickover retired from the United States Navy on January 31, 1982, after over 63 years of service to his country and to 13 Presidents. His name is memorialized in the attack submarine USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) and Rickover Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy. Hyman Rickover died on July 8, 1986 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

World War II Submarines

2007-09-25T22:34:00.003-07:00

World War II Submarines

Both sonar and radar technology matured during World War II, and both were used by the Allies to combat German U-boats. Sonar and radar were also added to Allied submarines to warn of aircraft attack and counterattack from surface vessels. Since World War II sonar has been the most important of the submarine's senses. Hydrophones are the submarine's ears, and they listen for sounds from other ships and the echoes of sound waves transmitted from the submarine itself. See Photo: Typical WW II Submarine Layout </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/WW-II-Submarine-Layout.htm>

Submarine Snorkels

During World War Two German submarine losses increased sharply as radar-equipped Allied aircraft attacked U-boats running on the surface recharging their batteries. To charge the batteries that powered the electric motors for submerged operations, all submarines had to surface to run their air-breathing diesel engines.

To counter the Allied radar threat the Germans perfected a Dutch device known as the snorkel. Using a snorkel a submarine could run its diesel engines and recharge its batteries while operating just below the surface. Air for the diesel engines was drawn into the submarine through the snorkel that was extended to the surface. To some extent the snorkel reduced vulnerability to detection and attack, but it protruded above the surface and could be detected by radar. The Germans introduced the snorkel too late in the war to make a difference.

Japan

Although the U.S. Navy still had a relatively small number of subs when World War Two broke out, this fact did little to dampen the spirits of American submariners. On January 7th, 1942, one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Pollack (SS-179) sank a Japanese freighter off Tokyo Bay. It would be the first of many sinkings by U.S. submarines. When the figures were finally tabulated, it was found that American submarines sank five and one-half million tons of Japanese shipping, over half of the entire Japanese merchant fleet. U.S. subs accounted for about 60 per cent (over 1300 ships) of all Japanese merchant and warship tonnage sunk, yet the submarine strength at that time comprised less than two per cent of the entire U. S. Fleet.

The U.S. sub campaign deprived Japanese industry of raw materials and effectively shut down Japan's economy. The price of this success was high, 52 American submarines and over 3500 sailors remain on eternal patrol.

Greater Underwater Propulsion Program

Technological advancements like sonar, radar, and the snorkel came about as a result of the pressures of WW II, and the U.S. Navy applied these advances to improving its Submarine Force. In the late 1940s the Navy began the Greater Underwater Propulsion Program (Guppy </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/Guppy-Type-Submarine.htm>), a modernization program for World War Two fleet-type submarines.

Under Guppy the fleet boats were streamlined by reducing the submarine's superstructure and removing deck guns. Snorkel masts were installed to allow Guppys to remain submerged while they ran their diesel engines and charged batteries. Finally, improved storage battery technology permitted longer submerged operations between battery charges. However, the Guppy program was evolutionary, a development of existing technologies

Military Application Submarines

2007-09-25T22:34:00.001-07:00

Military Application Submarines

In 1912 the U.S. Navy replaced its submarine gasoline engines with safer and more efficient diesel engines. The oil-burning diesel engine required no complicated ignition, or sparking systems, and it produced fewer noxious fumes. The USS Skipjack (SS-24) and USS Sturgeon (SS-25) were the first U.S. submarines equipped with diesel propulsion.

The diesel engine and the electric battery remained the power source for submarines until nuclear power was introduced in the 1950's. While many modern submarines are still diesel powered, nuclear power has become the propulsion system of choice in US submarine construction. The British Royal Navy's submarine force is also entirely nuclear-powered. The French, Russian, and Chinese Navies use nuclear propulsion for some of their submarines.

World War I

The United States entered World War I in 1917 with a total of 24 diesel powered submarines.

U.S. Navy subs patrolled the waters off the U.S. East Coast and deployed overseas to the Azores and Ireland. The American submarines primary missions were to escort Allied shipping and counter the German U-boat threat.

Though there were no confirmed sinkings of U-boats by American submarines the number of German attacks repulsed by near misses showed the submarine to be an effective anti-submarine weapon. However, it was Germany's use of the U-boat in World War I that demonstrated the vital role the submarine would play in the next global conflict.

Naval Shipyards & All-Welded Submarines

After the war, the U.S. Navy slowly built up its sub force. Construction contracts with commercial shipyards were cut back, forcing the Lake Torpedo Boat Company to go out of business in 1922. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire became one of the largest submarine builders in the U.S. and between 1924 and 1929 the Portsmouth yard designed and built five 381-foot V-class submarines. Between 1932 and 1941, Portsmouth built an additional 22 submarines in the 1500-ton category.

It was during this period that the first all-welded submarine, USS Pike (SS-173), was completed. The welded hull allowed Pike to submerge to much greater depths than her predecessors and at the same time provided greater protection against depth-charge attacks.

Sonar

Sonar </od/sstartinventions/a/sonar_history.htm> is a system for detecting submarine sound in the water. It was first developed by the British for use against U-boats in World War I. Radar uses radio waves to detect objects on and above the land and sea surface. Radar was developed in the 1930s to detect aircraft.

The USS Holland Submarine - John Holland

2007-09-25T22:33:00.003-07:00

The USS Holland Submarine - John Holland

In 1862, the United States Federal navy tested a prototype submarine called Alligator </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/The-Alligator-Submarine.htm>. The Alligator submarine was intended for operations in the James River below Richmond, Virginia. However, the Alligator proved too large for diving in the river's shallow waters. The Alligator sank at sea while it was being towed to the Charleston operating area.

In 1872, the Navy unsuccessfully tested Intelligent Whale </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/Intelligent-Whale-Submarine.htm>, another hand crank-powered submarine that failed. After the Intelligent Whale's failure as a submarine, inventors realized that until a propulsion method better than manpower could be developed for underwater use, submarines were not going to be worth the effort.

John Holland

By the last decade of the nineteenth century steam propulsion had replaced sail power in the U.S.

Navy. In 1896, the Navy insisted that submarine designer John Holland build his first contract submarine named the Plunger, with a steam engine for surface propulsion.

John Holland, an Irish-American school teacher and inventor, objected to steam power in submarines. Nonetheless John Holland built the Plunger with three steam engines to meet the Navy's prescribed surface speed.

The Plunger

During dock trials of the Plunger submarine, the temperature in the fire room reached 1370F with the power plant at 2/3 rated output. Similarly, during Plunger's sea trials a crewmember reported, "When we tried to submerge, it was so hot no one could live in her." Today, the nuclear reactor has eliminated this drawback to a heat source and submarines are driven by steam. But, before the advent of nuclear power, the internal combustion engine was the submarine's first viable source of power.

Internal Combustion Engine

The internal combustion engine </library/inventors/blinternalcombustion.htm> offered speed and comparative endurance on the surface, but its deadly carbon monoxide exhaust fumes and high oxygen consumption were obstacles to life beneath the surface. By 1900, submarine designers had solved this problem with the storage battery and electric motors. John Holland was the first to conceive of employing electric motors and the internal combustion engine to power a submarine.

John Holland and Simon Lake

John Holland and another American, Simon Lake, became the first modern submarine designers. They began their experiments in the last decades of the nineteenth century, John Holland in the 1870s and Simon Lake in the 1890s.

John Holland built six submarines, including one under government contract, before the Navy would accept one of his underwater boats. The Navy also considered, but decided not to accept, Simon Lake's Argonaut, an advanced version of his Argonaut, Jr.

Simon Lake's Argonauts had wheels with which to crawl along shallow bottoms and air locks to permit divers to enter and leave the wooden hulk while it was submerged.

USS Holland

In 1900, John Holland sold the US Navy its first viable submarine, USS Holland (SS-1) </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/USS-Holland--SS-1-.htm>. This submarine was originally named Holland VI and was not developed under Navy contract. Holland VI was designed and built by its namesake using his own funds. USS Holland had the "amazing speed" of seven knots surfaced, made possible by her 45-horsepower internal combustion engine. She also had an endurance of several hours submerged when running on rechargeable storage batteries.

The USS Holland was armed a single torpedo tube and a pneumatic dynamite gun that fired through an opening in the bow. The Holland carried three Whitehead torpedoes, each with a pressure-sensitive piston that controlled the depth of the torpedoe run. The torpedo's stability was controlled by a pendulum, while direction was controlled by a gyroscope. A number of modern torpedoes used similar principles.

John Holland and Simon Lake were at odds in developing their submarine concepts.

John Holland and Simon Lake were at odds in developing their submarine concepts.

Simon Lake experimented with boats that ascended vertically according to negative or positive buoyancy controlled by pumps and tanks.

John Holland's boats were given neutral buoyancy by admitting water to balance the weight of the boat with the weight of water it displaced. With diving planes and a constant source of power, Johm Holland's boat could dive and surface on diagonal lines.

John Holland Submarine Diving

John Holland's principle, with some alternatives for fast diving and surfacing, is still used by modern submarines.

For all its innovations, the USS Holland </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/USS-Holland--SS-1-.htm> had at least one major flaw; lack of vision when submerged.

The submarine had to broach the surface so the crew could look out through windows in the conning tower. Broaching deprived the Holland of one of the submarine's greatest advantages, stealth.

The Periscope

Lack of vision when submerged was eventually corrected when Simon Lake used prisms and lenses to develop the omniscope, forerunner of the periscope </library/inventors/blperiscope.htm>.

Sir Howard Grubb, designer of astronomical instruments, developed the modern periscope that was first used in Holland-designed British Royal Navy submarines. For more than 50 years, the periscope was the submarine's only visual aid until underwater television was installed aboard the nuclear powered submarine USS Nautilus </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/USS-Nautilus.htm>.

· More on John Holland

· Photo of USS Holland (SS-1) </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/USS-Holland--SS-1-.htm>

· John Holland (1841-1914) <http://www.geocities.com/gwmccue/>

· John Holland - Submarine Inventor <http://www.allaboutirish.com/library/people/holland.shtm>

Robert Fulton and the Nautilus Submarine

2007-09-25T22:33:00.001-07:00

Robert Fulton and the Nautilus Submarine

Then came another American, Robert Fulton, who in 1801 successfully built and operated a submarine in France, before turning his inventing talents to the steamboat </library/inventors/blsteamship.htm>.

Robert Fulton - Nautilus Submarine 1801

Robert Fulton's cigar-shaped Nautilus submarine was driven by a hand-cranked propeller when submerged, and had a kite-like sail for surface power. The Nautilus submarine was the first submersible to have separate propulsion systems for surfaced and submerged operations. It also carried flasks of compressed air that permitted the two-man crew to remain submerged for five hours.

William Bauer - 1850

William Bauer, a German, built a submarine in Kiel in 1850, but met with little success. Bauer's first boat sank in 55 feet of water.

As his craft was sinking, he opened the flood valves to equalize the pressure inside the submarine so the escape hatch could be opened. Bauer had to convince two terrified seamen that this was the only means of escape. When the water was at chin level, the men were shot to the surface with a bubble of air that blew the hatch open. Bauer's simple technique was rediscovered years later and employed in modern submarines' escape compartments that operate on the same principle.

Horace Lawson Hunley

During the American Civil War, Confederate inventor Horace Lawson Hunley converted a steam boiler into a submarine.

This Confederate submarine called the could be propelled at four knots by a hand-driven screw. Unfortunately, the submarine sank twice during trials in Charleston, South Carolina. These accidental sinkings in Charleston harbor cost the lives of two crews. In the second accident the submarine was stranded on the bottom and Horace Lawson Hunley himself was asphyxiated with eight other crew members.

The Hunley

Subsequently, the submarine was raised and renamed the Hunley </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/Horace-Lawson-Hunley.htm>. In 1864, armed with a 90-pound charge of powder on a long pole, the Hunley attacked and sank a new Federal steam sloop, USS Housatonic, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor.

After her successful attack on Housatonic, the Hunley disappeared and her fate remained unknown for 131 years.

In 1995 the wreck of the Hunley was located four miles off Sullivans Island, South Carolina. Even though she sank, the Hunley proved that the submarine could be a valuable weapon in time of war.

Biography - Horace Lawson Hunley 1823-1863

Horace Lawson Hunley was born in Sumner County, Tennessee, on 29 December 1823. As an adult, he served in the Louisiana State Legislature, practiced law in New Orleans and was a generally notable figure in that area.

In 1861, after the start of the American Civil War, Horace Lawson Hunley joined James R. McClintock and Baxter Watson in building the submarine Pioneer, which was scuttled in 1862 to prevent its capture. The three men later constructed two submarines at Mobile, Alabama, the second of which was named H.L. Hunley. This vessel was taken to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863, where it was to be used to attack blockading Union ships.

During a test dive on 15 October 1863, with Horace Lawson Hunley in charge, the submarine failed to surface. All on board, including Horace Lawson Hunley, lost their lives. On 17 February 1864, after it had been raised, refurbished and given a new crew, H.L. Hunley became the first submarine to successfully attack an enemy warship when she sank USS Housatonic off Charleston.

History of the Submarine - David Bushnell 1742-1824

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History of the Submarine - David Bushnell 1742-1824

From Mary Bellis </mbiopage.htm>,

David Bushnell's Turtle Submarine

The first American submarine is as old as the United States itself. David Bushnell (1742-1824), a Yale graduate, designed and built a submarine torpedo boat in 1776. The one-man vessel submerged by admitting water into the hull and surfaced by pumping it out with a hand pump. Powered by a pedal-operated propeller and armed with a keg of powder, the egg-shaped Turtle gave Revolutionary Americans high hopes for a secret weapon - a weapon that could destroy the British warships anchored in New York Harbor.

Turtle Submarine - Use as a Weapon

The Turtle's torpedo, a keg of powder, was to be attached to an enemy ship's hull and detonated by a time fuse. On the night of September 7, 1776, the Turtle, operated by an Army volunteer, Sergeant Ezra Lee, conducted an attack on the British ship HMS Eagle.

However, the boring device that was operated from inside the oak-planked Turtle failed to penetrate the target vessel's hull.

It is likely that the wooden hull was too hard to penetrate, the boring device hit a bolt or iron brace, or the operator was too exhausted to screw in the weapon. When Sergeant Lee attempted to shift the Turtle to another position beneath the hull, he lost contact with the target vessel and ultimately was forced to abandon the torpedo. Although the torpedo was never attached to the target, the clockwork timer detonated it about an hour after it was released.

The result was a spectacular explosion that ultimately forced the British to increase their vigilance and to move their ship's anchorage further out in the harbor. Royal Navy logs and reports from this period make no mention of this incident, and it is possible that the Turtle's attack may be more submarine legend than historical event.

· David Bushnell Larger Photo of Turtle Submarine </od/weirdmuseums/ig/Submarine-Photo-Gallery/David-Bushnell-s-Turtle-Sub.htm>
David Bushnell built a unique vessel, called the Turtle, designed to be propelled under water by an operator who turned its propeller by hand.

· David Bushnell's American Turtle <http://www.usna.edu/NAOE/new/turtle.pdf>
The only working, full-scale model of David Bushnell's 1776 invention, the American Turtle.

· David Bushnell 1740-1826 <http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/bushnelld.html>
The most sensational contribution of patriot and inventor David Bushnell to the American Revolutionary War effort was the world's first functioning

Submarines

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Submarines

From Mary Bellis </mbiopage.htm>,
History and Design of Submarines

Designs for underwater boats or submarines date back to the 1500s and ideas for underwater travel date back even further. However it was not until the 19th century that the first useful submarines began to appear. During the Civil War, the Confederates built the H.L. Hunley,the submarine that sank a Union ship. The U.S.S. Housatonic was built in 1864. But it wasn't until after World War I began that the first truly practical and modern submarines were invented.

Early History of the Submarine

The submariner's problem has always been how to improve his underwater endurance and performance, and both capabilities are defined by the ship. Early in submarine history the submariner's problem often was how to make his ship work at all.

Hollow Papyrus Reeds

Historical accounts point out that man has always sought to explore the ocean depths. An early record from the Nile Valley in Egypt gives us the first illustration. It is a wall painting that shows duck hunters, bird spears in hand, creeping up to their prey beneath the surface as they breathe through hollow papyrus reeds. The Athenians are said to have used divers to clear the harbor entrance during the siege of Syracuse.

And Alexander the Great, in his operations against Tyre, ordered divers to destroy any submersible vehicle (submarine) defenses the city might undertake to build.

While in none of these records does it actually say that Alexander had any kind of submersible vehicle, legend has it that he descended in a device that kept its occupants dry and admitted light.

William Bourne - 1578

Not until 1578 did any record appear of a craft designed for underwater navigation. William Bourne, a former Royal Navy gunner, designed a completely enclosed boat that could be submerged and rowed beneath the surface. His creation was a wooden framework bound in waterproofed leather. It was to be submerged by using hand vises to contract the sides and decrease the volume.

Although Bourne's idea never got beyond the drawing board, a similar apparatus was launched in 1605. But it didn't get much farther, because the designers had neglected to consider the tenacity of underwater mud. The craft became stuck in the river bottom during its first underwater trial.

Cornelius Van Drebbel - 1620

What might be called the first "practical" submarine was a rowboat covered with greased leather. It was the idea of Cornelius Van Drebbel </library/inventors/bldrebbel.htm>, a Dutch doctor living in England, in 1620. Van Drebbel's submarine was powered by rowers pulling on oars that protruded through flexible leather seals in the hull. Snorkel air tubes were held above the surface by floats, thus permitting a submergence time of several hours. Van Drebbel's submarine successfully maneuvered at depths of 12 to 15 feet below the surface of the Thames River.

Van Drebbel followed his first boat with two others. The later models were larger but they relied upon the same principles. Legend has it that after repeated tests, King James I of England rode in one of his later models to demonstrate its safety. Despite its successful demonstrations, Van Drebbel's invention failed to arouse the interest of the British Navy. It was an age when the possibility of submarine warfare was still far in the future.

Giovanni Borelli - 1680

In 1749 the British periodical "Gentlemen's Magazine" printed a short article describing a most unusual device for submerging and surfacing. Reproducing an Italian scheme developed by Giovanni Borelli in 1680, the article depicted a craft with a number of goatskins built into the hull. Each goatskin was to be connected to an aperture at the bottom. Borelli planned to submerge this vessel by filling the skins with water, and to surface it by forcing the water out with a twisting rod. Even though Borelli's submarine was never built it provided what was probably the first approach to the modern ballast tank.