Posted by Jack
The USS Virginia-class submarines are the United States newest and most advanced submarine. The first Virginia slipped beneath the waves just eight years ago and only nine vessels have been completed. They take more than five years to build and run about $2.4 billion apiece. The Virginia-class submarine is a new breed of high-tech post-Cold War nuclear subs. The submarines are nearly 400 feet long and have been in service since 2003.
The ships were designed to function well in both deep sea and low-depth waters. So far, nine have entered service.
Here (right) is a drawing showing how a pump-jet propulsor replaces the conventional propeller and makes the sub much quieter and more stealthy. This design 
cuts back on corrosive damage. The engine room, near the sub’s stern, is the place where power from the SG9 nuclear reactor core drives the ship to nearly 32 mph when it’s submerged.
Submariners eat well – the quality of the food is designed to offset the stress and burden of living underwater for months at a time. As one sailor said, “It’s like having comfort food 24-hours a day.
The command center on the Virginia subs are much more spacious compared previous submarines. The command center doesn’t have to be directly under the deck of the ship in the Virginia-class subs because there isn’t a periscope. The monitor the Commander uses is the sub’s “periscope” – a state-of-the-art photonics system, which enables real time imaging that more than one person can see at a time.
The Virginia eliminates the traditional helmsman, planesman, chief of the watch and diving officer by combining them into two stations manned by two officers. The subs are equipped with a spherical sonar array that scans a full 360-degrees.
Pretty cool, eh?
No wonder Navy types are called “Squids”.
Only 9? So cost so far is only $21.6 Billion.
I have to ask…. Why do we need these?
Quick answer…because the Chinese have them and have been sitting off our shores?
Examiner:
Jack…welcome back!
Given the new deal Kerry just made with Iran I’m glad to see we have a few of these babies!
Students across the country can feel proud. Their student loan interest paid for them:
NewsMax:
Most people have a hard time imagining the enormous amount of money that goes into the federal government. Obama took this money out of the private sector (power and money grab) where interest would have been used to issue more loans I imagine. Bet they wouldn’t have raised the interest rate like the federal government did either.
Tina, I don’t have the full story yet, but from what I have heard our allies are not at all pleased with the deal Kerry made.
I have known a few “Nukes” in my time. Submariners are a special class of dedicated people.
I thought you military buffs might like this story. Just by coincidence I recieved it in my email today from a retired military friend who ran the SR-71 program for many, many years. That’s a story in itself!
As late as the 80’s U.S. Navy nukes were still identifiable by a 60 Hz signature off the straits of Gibraltar. Things have changed quite a bit since then.
Nice to see technology is still advancing. Stealth is what submarines are all about. I welcome this latest class.
In the Hunt for Red October, author Tom Clancy writes about a fictional catapillar drive the Russians developed. The drive moved water thru a tunnel to propel the sub quietly and without any prop noise. I think Clancy was describing our internal propeller system and he didn’t even know it.
Re” #8 Post Scripts:
Krauthammer’s take on Obama’s latest debacle sums it up nicely.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-suckers-deal/2013/11/21/9d03e966-52dc-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html
What was it Obama said…something like, “Tell Putin I’ll have a lot more flexibility after the election.”
Not only do we need these subs, we need a lot better border security. A new President would be nice…three more years to go. Sure hope they are peaceful.
I still think it’s incredible that student loan interest rate profits covered the cost of the subs.
In the book the Red October sub did indeed have a pumpjet drive, very similar to this one. However in the movie it had an magnetohydrodynamic drive with no moving parts.
It’s nothing new, jet skis have had theses for years.
None the less this is a very cool sub. Tina is right, we do need to stay ahead of the Chinese military.
Jim, that’s right, I remember now. It was a great story line that was founded in theoretical science. I think what is novel about this pump drive system is that it has finally been shown to work on large vessels like a sub and it can be very quiet when properly designed. Yep, same principle as those jet skis, which makes me wonder why they didn’t use it earlier?