This html article is produced from an uncorrected text file through optical character recognition. Prior to 1940 articles all text has been corrected, but from 1940 to the present most still remain uncorrected. Artifacts of the scans are misspellings, out-of-context footnotes and sidebars, and other inconsistencies. Adjacent to each text file is a PDF of the article, which accurately and fully conveys the content as it appeared in the issue. The uncorrected text files have been included to enhance the searchability of our content, on our site and in search engines, for our membership, the research community and media organizations. We are working now to provide clean text files for the entire collection.
Captain Walter S. DeLany, Jr.,
U. S. Navy Associate Editor
130 The USS Tucumcari (PGH-2)
By Ensign Linton Wells,
U. S. Navy
133 The American Bureau of Shipping and Commercial Submarines
By Andrew Neilson 136 Harbor Defense in Vietnam
By Lieutenant Richard G. Bachmann, U. S. Navy
138 AUTEC and Inner Space
By Captain L. L. Jackson, Jr., U. S. Navy
140 Shipbuilding Technology in Japan
By Admiral Sadayoshi Naka- yama, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Retired), and Masa- taka Chihaya
143 The Third Thursday Society:
A Professional Experiment
By Captain James T. Strong, U. S. Navy '
THE USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2)
The waters of Puget Sound have long bed1 accustomed to the flow of conventional naval traffic to and from the shipyard at Bremerton or the various ports of Washington State. Of late, however, these same waters have witnessed the trials of some of the most radical craft to be designed for the Navy >n many years. Some of these, like the Asheville (PG-84)-class patrol gunboats, hav0 all-welded aluminum hulls and fiber glass superstructures. Others, such as Boeings USS High Point (PCH-l) and Lockheed’s USS Plainview (AGEH-l) have hydrofoils. (Se(j Progress photo of the Plainview on page 150-/ Most vessels integrate advanced propulsion techniques; the Asheville use diesels and gaS turbines to drive variable pitch propellers linked by a complex series of automat'0 clutches; the High Point has two gas turbineS turning two sets of tandem, sub-cavitatnU propellers. -.
But the latest of the craft to appear ° Seattle is also, perhaps, the most revolt1' tionary. She is the USS Tucumcari (pgH'2' and she is the forerunner of what may beconie a whole series of hydrofoil patrol vessels. She was placed in service 7 March 1968.
The Tucumcari is the product of a contra0 let in April 1966 to Boeing for one of tvv° prototypes of a PGH (patrol gunboat, hydr° foil). The Flagstaff is being built by Grunin1311 Aircraft in Stuart, Florida. j-
The Advanced Marine Systems Division 0 Boeing had begun operations with expe1'1 mental hydrofoils in October 1962, when 11 Little Squirt, a water-jet propelled hydrofo1 boat got underway, The Fresh-1 (Foil P-f search Ship) was built for the Navy in 1' to provide data on varying foil configurations’ and the High Point, a 115-ton hydrofoil an11 submarine warfare vessel, wasdelivered in 17
The Tucumcari contains the fruits of this research and experience. Her hull is all- welded aluminum, 74j feet long and 19£ feet lr> beam. The position of the foils alters this considerably (see the Table 1). The hull was fabricated by the Gunderson Brothers Engineering Company in Portland, Oregon, and shipped by truck to Seattle, where it was niated with the foils prior to launching in
| July 1967.
The success of the water-jet propulsion sVstem in the Lillie Squirt led to its adoption f°r the Tucumcari, thus making her the largest '''ater-jet propelled craft in the world. The Power plant for foil-borne operations is a Bristol Siddeley Proteus gas turbine, similar to that found in some of the newer British ntotor torpedo boats (MTBs). The turbine is c°upled directly to a two-element, doubleaction, centrifugal pump. Water is drawn trough inlets in the after foils and expelled trough two nozzles beneath the hull. Each }ofet feeds a separate side of the pump, which ln turn feeds an individual nozzle, and hence, uarnage or blockage of one side of the plant 'yhl not result in a total loss of power. When the turbine is developing its rated 3,200
s.h.p., more than 100 tons of water per minute are forced from the nozzles, providing speeds in excess of 40 knots.
A separate, diesel-driven, water-jet unit provides mobility when not “flying” on the foils. The pump exit is in the transom and can be directed, through 180°, for steering or reversing thrust. Directional control while on foils is provided by the forward strut, which is steerable.
The distinct advantage of the water-jet system is its simplicity. Aside from the turbine, the foil-borne propulsion unit has only one major rotating part. There is no need for complex transmissions, long shafting or critical lubrication systems, which are required of a propeller drive. In light of the maintenance problems which have plagued the Asheville class PGs, and the small number of engineering personnel assigned, this simplicity may well be the difference between the TucumcarPs future ability or failure to meet her operational commitments.
Fundamentally, the choice in foil systems lay between self-stabilized (surface piercing) foils, such as are found on many European and commercial designs, and fully submerged
foils. The latter, while requiring complex control and stabilization systems, are virtually independent of wave motion. On the other hand, the self-stabilizing foils, while inherently simple, tend to conform to the topography of the ocean’s surface, resulting in an excessively unsteady gun platform. With submerged foils thus selected, the control system was worked out in the Little Squirt, while extensive tests on Fresh-1, model tank data and computer solutions were used to determine the actual configuration of struts and foils.
The Tucumcari uses a canard foil arrangement in which the primary loading is on the two after foils. The bow strut is steerable and acts as a rudder “in flight.” A unique feature of the after foils is their anhedral, inverted V design, similar to the horizontal stabilizer on the F-4 aircraft. This offers a twofold advantage: First, there is directional stability from the horizontal component of the generated lift; and secondly, it is possible to turn with steep angles without bringing the foil tips out of the water.
The PGH-2 is manned by a crew of one officer, two chief petty officers, and ten enlisted men. The officer-in-charge, Lieutenant (j.g.) Martinn Mandles, U. S. Navy, previously served as the engineering and, later, as executive officer of the Asheville.
The pilot house is an aircraft-style compartment in which the helmsman, navigator, communicator, and OOD sit in chairs equipped with seat belts. An elevated chair is provided on the centerline for a maneuvering and gun control station. An interesting feature of the navigational display is a position plotter, built for an Army tank, which Is used in lieu of a DRT.
Although she ran most of her trials with' out armament, the Tucumcari is designed to mount a single 40-mm. gun forward, 311 81-mm. mortar aft, and two twin .50-caliber mounts in tubs on the pilot house amidships' The machine gun positions are accessible from inside the pilot house.
Foil-borne, the gunboat is more nearly flying than sailing. In fact, her helm is a°
The USS Tucumcari (PGH-2)
Boeing
Variable dimensions of PGH-2
74 feet 7 inches 80 feet 4 inches 35 feet 4 inches 28 feet 3 inches 4 feet 6 inches 14 feet 1 inch 4 feet 8 inches
aircraft-style wheel. A sophisticated, automatic control system that employs a sonic device to determine “altitude” which, in connection with outputs from accelerometers and attitude sensors, are fed into a computer. This in turn commands adjustments for the hydraulically activated control surfaces, resulting in an astonishingly stable platform at all speeds in virtually any sea state. Even when hull- borne, the foils exert a marked stabilizing force. Turns at speed are banked, with the conning officer designating turning rate rather than rudder angle or angle of bank.
Future deployments of the Tucumcari probably will be in coastal waters. Her shallow draft, either foil-borne or hull-borne, makes her ideal for shoal water operations. The Water-jet propulsion system is less susceptible to damage than are propellers. Her foils and struts, made of corrosion resistant steel, are extremely strong. This was evidenced recently ln a collision, with a large log in Puget Sound, Which damaged the retracting hinge of the forward strut, but did not significantly disturb the assembly as a whole.
The Tucumcari is also a versatile craft, with a convertible compartment forward for use in a variety of operations. These could include Missions with UDT personnel, rapid transport °f small numbers of troops or supplies such as Medical gear to disaster areas, evacuation °f civilians or soldiers, or coastal patrol, and search and rescue duties such as are being carried out presently in Market Time opera- tt°ns. With a degree of modification, she c°uld also be used to evaluate hydrofoil ar>tisubmarine capabilities.
Che success of the trials of the Tucumcari Promises to spur further work in the development of naval hydrofoils. She has shown that uiany concepts, which were but dreams a few years ago, are now not only feasible but also eminently practical.
TABLE 1
ength, foil-borne ength, foils retracted . aximum beam, foil-borne aximum beam, foils retracted aximum draft, foil-borne aximum draft, foils down aximum draft, foils retracted
THE AMERICAN BUREAU OF SHIPPING AND COMMERCIAL SUBMARINES
As interest in the commercial development of the vast untapped resources beneath the sea has swelled in recent years, so also have grown the demands upon the U. S. Navy to provide information about designing, building, and maintaining undersea vessels. Naturally, civilians look to the Navy for guidance, since it has had the most experience in all phases of the creation and operation of sub- mersibles, both large and small.
Though the Navy’s Ship Systems Command and other departments endeavor to co-operate with civilians, the Navy recognizes that there should be significant differences between the design and operational criteria it has established for combat submarines and that needed to build commercial submarines.
Thus, the Navy decided to encourage and aid civilians, especially interested oceanographers, in this new field by establishing regulations governing commercial submers- ibles. At a meeting on 18 May 1966 in Washington, the Commander, Naval Ship Systems Command, formally asked the American Bureau of Shipping to establish the machinery for creating such standards; it was agreed to set up the ABS Special Committee on Submersible Vehicles.
After many months of searching industry for qualified men to comprise a balanced panel, an 18-man group was formed, encompassing every discipline needed to build, maintain, and inspect a vessel for operation beneath the sea and for sustaining life within it.
Their diversified skills included naval architecture and marine engineering, oceanography, and the designing, building, and operating of existing research and commercial
134
submersibles. The U. S. Coast Guard, which is preparing Federal legislation to cover submersibles, and the Marine Technology Society, an organization which has done a great deal of constructive work to establish parameters for submersible standards, also sent representatives. The Navy assigned to the Committee an officer with an extensive background in the building and operating of many different types of Navy submarines.
With the guidance and assistance of the Committee, ABS prepared a Guide for the Classification of Manned Submersibles. Because of the limited experience in the operation of submersibles and the still unexplored nature of their applications, the Committee felt it was premature to formulate rules. The Guide, therefore, as the name indicates, is intended to make basic information available during an interim period prior to accumulating actual operating experience, upon which rules might be based. The Guide will be flexible toward new state-of-the-art developments and is expected to cause a good deal of discussion about safety and reliability. The practice of formulating a Guide instead of hard and fast rules at first follows similar previous patterns. In the case of nuclear ships, for example, a guide was written and it is now used by industry. In time, the Guide will become the basis for establishing the first Rules for the Classification and Building of Nuclear Vessels.
In considering submersibles, we do have the advantage in that they are more adaptable than a surface vessel, since they can be more easily tested in controlled environments that far exceed their worst operating conditions. This serves to demonstrate reliability to owners and government authorities.
The submersible Guide, as it has been written, covers every facet of building, operating, and maintaining an underseas craft. Excerpts from the beginning of an early draft demonstrate the detail as well as the latitude of the Guide. This draft is expected to be similar but not identical to the final version approved by the Committee:
Guide for the Classification of Manned Submersibles
1.1 Certification—This guide has been prepared to present the basic requirements and
procedures which must be considered in the
certification of submersibles by the American Bureau of Shipping. A submersible is any vessel, capsule or craft capable of operating under water, submerging, surfacing and remaining afloat under heavy weather conditions, not less than Sea State 3, without endangering the life and safety of the crew and passengers. If under normal operating conditions a submersible needs the assistance of a tender vessel or submersible, it will be known as “attended Submersible.”
1.2 Normal Ship Requirements—The referenced portions of the Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels apply also to submersibles.
1.3 Submittal of Drawings and Data— Drawings, design calculations, and other recordable evidence are to be submitted for review and approval:
1.3.1 Drawings:
Scantling Profile
General Arrangements of Machinery Pressure Hull with Details Scantlings of Non-pressure Hull Rudder & Diving Planes with Activating Machinery Access and Escape Hatches Diver Lock-out
Anchor Handling Arrangements & Mooring Facilities Pumps and all Piping Systems All Electric Wiring & Equipment including Motors and Generators Propeller
Propulsion Machinery Propulsion Shafting & Bearings Stowage of Batteries All Electrical Penetrations and Connectors Non-portable Pressure Vessels with Details
Fire Extinguishing Drawings
Life Support System
Material Lists and Specifications
1.3.2 Calculations:
Stability
Buoyancy
Minimum Freeboard Pressure Hull Life Support System
1.3.3 Operating manual intended for the information and guidance of the operating personnel in their duties on all matters relating to the operation of the submersible, has an in1' portant bearing on safety and even in the pee" liminary stages of preparation would provide necessary vital data to check design features-
A large portion of the following paragraph3 of this Guide will attempt to outline the min*'
mum required information that the above drawings and calculations should cover for favorable certification consideration. The remaining paragraphs will deal with required surveys during and after construction that the Surveyors should carry out to their satisfaction in order to report and recommend favorable action to the Committee.
1.4 Hydrodynamics—This section covers the hydrodynamics requirements that are to be met in the certification of submersibles.
1.4.1 Buoyancy characteristics for the following conditions.
1.4.1.1 For Positive Buoyancy—The designers should submit either calculations, or tests, or both that would satisfy the Committee that the submersible can come and stay on the surface without endangering the safety of the vessel under normal sea conditions and be able to maintain a minimum freeboard.
For the purpose of this Guide, the minimum freeboard is defined as the distance measured vertically downward from the upper edge of the hatchway coaming to deep water line. For submersibles less than 80 feet in length, this distance should not be less than 48 inches; for submersibles less than 30 feet in length, where this distance may be impracticable, a reduction of the above freeboard may be considered.
Sufficient reserve buoyance should be provided, so that if the inside of the pressure hull is 15 per cent accidentally flooded, the submersible would remain on the surface, with the edge of pressure hull opening above deep Water line. This requirement may be modified for relatively small submersibles.
1.4.1.2 Neutral Buoyancy—The ability of a submersible to remain suspended, at zero speed while submerged within operating depth, unless acted upon by an outside force, may have to be demonstrated either by calculations, or tests or both.
1.4.2 Stability and Trim Characteristics— The designer should demonstrate either by calculations, or by tests or both that the stability and trim characteristics of the submersible are adequate for the following conditions.
1.4.2.1 Normal Conditions—Normal conditions involve the following three main phases.
(a) Operation on the surface. While operating on the surface, the same order of stability and trim calculation should be required as for ordinary ships.
(b) Period of submergence. As the calculations of stability for the submerging period are involved and necessitate arbitrary assumptions, the submission of above calculations are left to the discretion of the designer as long as submergence tests prove that the operation is safe.
(c) Underwater operation. Sufficient static and dynamic stability in the submerged conditions under the various loadings should be demonstrated.
1.4.2.2 Emergency or Damage Condition —Extreme loading conditions and the resulting stability should be analyzed. For example, some submersibles jettison relatively large weights to achieve buoyancy in an emergency. There is an attendant risk that significant weights might be jettisoned inadvertently while in normal operations. Special means should be provided to slow down the ascent, so no unstable conditions exist when you reach the surface. The designer should show that the submersible would have adequate stability under these conditions.
1.4.3 Ballast System Requirements—The ballast system as a whole is considered as necessary for the safe operation of the submersible; therefore, before proceeding with the work, plans giving complete details of as well as material specifications are to be submitted for approval.
Materials used in the construction of tanks and piping are to be tested and inspected by the Surveyors and should comply with the requirements of Section 40 of the latest edition of the Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels or such other appropriate material specifications as may be approved in connection with a particular design.
Fabrication, installation and testing of the water-ballast system should also be carried out in the presence and to the satisfaction of the Surveyors.
(Sections 1.5 and 1.6 on loading conditions and standard environment and temperature, respectively, are not shown here.)
1.7 Maneuverability & Controls—Submersibles should be provided with efficient means for maneuvering both when surfaced or submerged, and at any speed. If rudders and or diving planes are used, detail drawings should be submitted for approval. These drawings should include the steering mechanisms and all necessary controls. Calculations should be submitted to justify the size and scantlings of these rudders and diving planes. If other means for maneuvering are used, which have a dual function in the operation of the submersible, the extent of their contribution toward this purpose should be fully explained in the operating manual.
Submersibles should be provided with view-
Lapel Button
To Members only: one dollar
Write:
Secretary-Treasurer U. S. Naval Institute Annapolis, Maryland
ports or other means of visibility for operators when hatches are closed during surface and submerged operations.
The Guide will also cover in detail other major aspects: pressure hull; fabrication; inspection and testing; superstructure; environmental control and ballast (which includes oxygen supply and carbon dioxide removal systems); mechanical equipment; electrical equipment (which includes power source options of batteries, fuel cell or nuclear reactor); emergency equipment; spare parts; and surveys (which will include sea trials witnessed by an ABS surveyor).
Satisfactory compliance with these Guide requirements will result in an ABS certified vessel. Until rules are established, the ABS will continue to use the term “certification” instead of “classification.”
Even now, the American Bureau of Shipping is using the Guide for the PX-15, a 130-ton submersible designed by Dr. Jacques Piccard and being built in Switzerland for the Ocean Systems Division of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation. The Bureau expects this vessel to be the first commercial submarine to be certified by a ship classification society when she enters service later in 1968.
The initial task of the 50-foot PX-15 will also be another “first.” Dr. Piccard and five other scientists will drift at one-and-a-half to two knots in the Gulf Stream Current at depths ranging from 300 to 2,000 feet on a 1,500-mile oceanographic mission that will take them from Florida to Nova Scotia. Following this six-week mission, the PX-15 will be converted to a different configuration for commercial work. The exact configuration has not yet been determined, but the vessel could engage in such tasks as inspecting communication cables, drilling on the ocean bottom for geological samples, or placing sacrificial anodes to protect pipes from electrolytic corrosion.
The ABS is also engaged in certifying the Beaver Mark IV, a 25-foot submarine work- boat now being built in Houston, Texas, for North American Rockwell Corporation’s Ocean Systems operation. It will operate in support of commercially oriented tasks such as maintaining oil well heads for offshore wells and taking soil samples from the sea floor.
We of the Bureau are most gratified to be able to offer its services to the fast growing field of undersea exploration and develop' ment. And we fully expect that as the needs of the industry change, we will be ready to meet these needs in the years to come.
By Lieutenant Richard G. Bachmann,
U. S. Navy, formerly of Inshore Undersea Warfare Group One
HARBOR DEFENSE IN VIETNAM
The Navy’s harbor defense effort tfl Southeast Asia has evolved from a basic concept to the existence of well equipped operational units. Responsibility for the pr°' tection of five principal anchorages rests with the Inshore Undersea Warfare Group One (iUWG-l), Western Pacific Detachment, Units One to Five. Personnel are assigned for a normal Vietnam tour of one year. Group One is based in Long Beach, and operates under Commander, Mine Force, Pacific Fleet. The WestPac Detachment was created last year to relieve the Mobile Inshore Undersea War' fare Surveillance (MIUWS) units which, home ported in the United States, deploy for short periods to harbors in hostile areas.
This orginal concept was named SKASHAR1’’ for Southeast Asia Semi-Permanent Harbor Protection. Operationally, the five u°ltS
1
Unction as part of Task Force 115 (Market Time).
In addition to site personnel and boat crews, an ordnance disposal (EOD) team of °ne officer and three enlisted men is attached *° each unit. This team makes frequent mspections of ships bottoms and anchor chains.
The Harbor Entrance Central Post VHECP) functions as a CIC, and is equipped Wlffi radio, radar, and lookouts. A plot is maintained of all the ships at anchor; the Patrol boats that work among them are controlled by radio.
Unlike most in-country activities, the I*hCP locations were constructed on a selfbasis. MIUWS mobile equipment was ’>sed until the Advanced Base Functional opponents (ABFC) could build sites and Release the mobile units for deployment. _°me HECP locations have been built on old rench fortifications, whose large guns were 'ntended as a passive defense against hostile neets.
There is a small but important difference etween Harbor Defense and Port Security, "e Harbor Defense, which refers to the Protection of ships at anchor only, has been assigned to the Navy. Once a ship has tied up to a pier, she becomes the responsibility °rt Security, which is usually provided y the Army. One exception is Da Nang,
where the Navy does both jobs. Harbor Defense is then part of the Naval Support Activity, not IUWG-1.
The current concept of harbor defense is based on the rapid employment of wellarmed patrol boats. In Vietnam, the threat is from swimmers, small craft, and saboteurs. While the HECP is the nerve center of the operation, the Harbor Patrol Element provides the muscle power. The boats used by the Harbor Patrol Element are Boston Whalers, LCPLs Mark XI, and 45-foot picket boats. The LCPL, the backbone of the patrol, is 36-feet long, armed with two .50-caliber machine guns, and equipped with radar. It is generally in the charge of a first or second class petty officer. They remain on station for periods of up to 12 hours.
A boat’s daily routine consists mainly of boarding and searching fishing boats in the harbor. The Vietnamese Navy and the National Police provide interpreters to aid in communicating with the fishermen. Virtually every boat in the bay is examined each day, which makes the Navy’s presence a very credible one.
The growth of harbor defense in Vietnam has been sporadic, which is a pattern that continues to the present. The potential enemy has changed and, thus, the job continues to be an active one, essential to the protection of shipping.
By Captain L. L. Jackson, Jr.,
U. S. Navy,
Commanding Officer,
Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center
AUTEC AND INNER SPACE
In the Tongue of the Ocean, a 2,000-square- mile area of ocean surrounded by the Bahama Islands, the U. S. Navy has in operation a center for testing and evaluating advanced undersea systems called the Atlantic Under Test and Evaluation Center. The Tongue, usually called TOTO, is well suited for this purpose. The ocean area is a hundred miles long, and from 15 to 20 miles wide, with depths ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by islands and shallows on three sides, thereby minimizing outside oceanic noises. As a result, TOTO has a background noise factor low enough to permit signal-to-noise levels generally superior to those found in the open ocean. Since the Tongue is a cul de sac, accessible by ship only through a 15-mile passage at the northern end, the entry of ships can be readily observed. There are no large ports on the shores of TOTO, with no significant commercial shipping to interfere with testing.
Although Andros Island is the largest of the three thousand island sand cays [or keys] making up the Bahamas, it is sparsely populated and has no industry that might attract commercial shipping. However, it is within easy reach of Florida, either by aircraft or by ship through the Northwest Providence Passage. TOTO and Andros Island lie in the path of most Atlantic hurricanes, but are seldom hit directly by a destructive hurricane and, if hit, they quickly recover. Except during hurricane season, when stationary fronts and the absence of the easterly trade winds permit the seas to subside to State Zero, TOTO experiences relatively short seas four to six feet high that are caused by the prevailing trade winds of 15 to 20 knots. Because of its size, isolation, low background noise level, deep water close to shore, proximity to the
U. S. mainland, and excellent year-round weather, the Tongue of the Ocean is perhaps closest to an ideal, full-scale laboratory to be found anywhere for deep water testing.
Exploiting the advantages of TOTO for testing hydro-space systems began with Navy auxiliary and commercial research vehicles fitted with sophisticated instruments. Best known of these is the mobile noise barge) MONOB-1, which began operating in TOTO in 1961. The Naval Underwater Weapons Re* search and Engineering Station, formerly the U. S. Naval Underwater Ordnance Station) Newport, since the early 1950s had planned to use TOTO as the site for a highly advanced undersea weapons range for the precise tracking of undersea weapons in three dimensions' The advent of low-frequency, high-powered sonars, requiring full-scale testing under controlled conditions in a known oceanic environment, led sonar developers to the Tongue of the Ocean.
Therefore, after studying the natural advantages of the Tongue of the Ocean, along with the pressing need for acquiring data on the at-sea performance of antisubmarine weapons, and on the performance of l°'v' frequency, long-range sonars, in 1959 the Secretary of the Navy authorized the development of an Atlantic Undersea Test a no Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the TOTO. 1° addition to weapons, acoustics and sonar ranges, an environmental monitoring system> a surface navigation system, and a supp°rt base were constructed. By 1963, an international agreement had been completed be' tween the United States, the United King' dom, and the Government of the Bahama Islands, that set forth the conditions un<for which the Center would be installed, oper' ated, and maintained. By October 1966, the U. S. Naval Underwater Weapons Rescarc1 and Engineering Station had built the weap' ons range and testing commenced. On - February 1967, AUTEC was commissioned as a fully operational field activity under the com mand and support of the Naval Ship System8 Command.
AUTEC is commanded by an engineering duty officer captain, who is qualified in sob marines, from the headquarters in West Pah" Beach, Florida. There, in a city noted for ltS intensive interest in ocean matters, Hea quarters AUTEG is staffed by six officers, 60 civil service employees, a small systems engineering analysis group under contract, and the representatives of the maintenance and operations contractor.
The technical director is a physical science administrator. At Fresh Creek on Andros Island, 177 nautical miles by air from the Headquarters, the Andros Ranges of AUTEC are Maintained and operated by the contractor Under a U. S. Navy commander, who is the officer-in-charge. His staff consists of eight officers, 53 enlisted men, and three government employees. The contractor employs a total of 345 engineers, technicians, and administrators, as well as 140 Bahamians. A Royal Navy liaison officer is also assigned at Andros Island. Ten British contractor’s employees care for the DECCA navigation installation.
The activities of the Andros Range are concentrated at the main base three miles south Coakley Town at Fresh Creek. There, on a ^30-acre site are located: the command and control center for the weapons, acoustic, and sonar ranges; a well-equipped range support shop designed basically as a weapons shop; a small port with a 20-foot access channel; and the base support facilities that include two hiple-deck quarters, two cafeterias, a dispensary, a small auditorium, a laundry, an administration building, several recreation areas, and a small company store. South of the Fresh Creek Site, along the western boundary of the Tongue of the Ocean, are hye small down-range sites, each equipped VV|th a berthing and messing building, a diesel generator power plant, water and fuel storages, a microwave transmission tower, and all the instrumentation to measure the performance of weapon systems tested there, hree additional sites, together with a station °n one of the Andros sites, complete the four- nation DECCA Navigation System.
lu use now is the weapons range situated in a body of water five miles wide, 35 miles long, and a mile in depth. This range tests the VVeapon systems on board submarines, surface Vessels, missiles, aircraft, and torpedoes.
The ranges complement each other in test Programs and one weapon system may go om range to range while undergoing tests. °ng the length of the weapons range, at the
five down-range sites on the eastern coastline of Andros Island, are the shore-based instrument stations, which include radar, cinetheo- dolites, telemetry receivers, radio timing stations, and facilities for microwave relay communications between sites. The radar and cinetheodolites are used for tracking missiles in flight, aircraft, and surface ships. Underwater, there is an array of hydrophones for in- the-water tracking. Weapons, which involve both water and air travel, can be tracked with precision throughout their entire trajectory.
A hypothetical weapons system that might be tested on the weapons range is one in which a submerged submarine launches a rocket- propelled torpedo against a submerged target many miles away. The missile is tracked from its underwater launching, through its inflight phase, to its arrival in the target area, and through its re-entry into the water; even the target submarine is tracked. Radar and cine- theodolites track the missile during its in-air portion of the trajectory. All activity is timed from a central, radio-timing transmitter and every downrange site transmits its tracking data via microwave relay to the main-site computers. The computers provide correlated measurements of the tracking, proximity of torpedo to the target during re-entry into the water, and the limits of accuracy of the tracking data.
The AUTEC hydrophones are located in arrays on the bottom of the weapons range. These hydrophones were the first known to operate for "an extended (five years) period at great depths, a major accomplishment in deep ocean technology. Over 50 arrays were installed in 1966 and no failures or degradations in sensitivity have occurred.
In the process of developing AUTEC over the past six years, it has been necessary to advance undersea technology in many areas, including oceanographic measuring, underwater acoustics, materials corrosion, and ocean dynamics. That much of this technology supports the Fleet is an indication of benefits to come.
Of greater importance, AUTEC has now given the Navy the capability of going from the general to the specific in analyzing the effects of the integration of a deep ocean environment while developing an undersea system. It is of little value to develop a sophisti-
cated weapon which misses its mark at various depths, either because of unreliability or misinterpreted performance. Similarly, a sonar powerful enough to reach a target at a great range would prove of little use if it were unable to give accurate ranges and bearings. AUTEC, therefore, supports the Fleet through systematic test programs which evaluate and provide data on the performance of an operational undersea system. With this information in hand, a developer can then analyze and correct weak areas in a system, prior to Fleet acceptance. AUTEC thereby reduces the time lapse between the statement of a requirement and the availability of a proven system to be incorporated into Fleet use.
SHIPBUILDING TECHNOLOGY IN JAPAN
Is it possible to construct, in a building dock, a ship that is longer and wider than the dock itself? Is it possible to connect ship bodies together at sea without using a dry dock?
These techniques were seemingly impossible until very recently, but now, in Japan, they are almost commonplace, thanks to the ever-improving shipbuilding technologies of that island nation.
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, for example, built three 276,000-dwt-ton tankers at its Yokohama yard for National Bulk Carriers of the United States in a dock that was too small for the ships. Three more
identical ships are to be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the same owner. Three other supertankers to be built by IHI will measure 346 meters long and 53.3 meters wide, and the building dock to be used for the construction measures only 330 meters in length and 52 meters in width. Obviously> the ships cannot be built by conventional methods. The builders plan to build the main body of the mammoth tanker, minus her bo'W and one side, and, when the major portion is complete, add the chopped-off bow and side parts in a repair dock at the same yard. The repair dock measuring 354 meters in length and 56 meters in breadth, was completed in 1966, nearly two years after the building dockWorking on a ship while she is still in the water is a new shipbuilding method which Mitsubishi Heavy Industries recently developed in order to eliminate the drydock m building a new ship or enlarging a ship. The new method enables two ship bodies that were built separately at a slipway or dock to be connected and welded into one body while afloat. This is done by means of a watertight rubber belt that extends along the ship’s underwater connecting part. The ship’s metacenter, trim, and list have been delicately adjusted beforehand through use of ballast and weights.
This epochal method means that shipyards need not construct new shipbuilding faciliUeS to fit the mammoth vessels; it also eliminates the need for huge investments. So rapid is the trend towards large tankers that a new building dock completed only a few years ago may prove inadequate to meet the increasing demands of the newer and bigger tankers, as is the case of IHI’s Yokohoma yard, completed only in 1964. By taking advantage of this ne'v method, however, it would be theoretically possible for Mitsubishi to build a tanker of 3 half-million deadweight tons, though the present capacity of its new building dock at Nag3' saki yard, completed in 1965, is limited t0
300,0 tons dwt. The method can also be applied when jumboizing a ship for a large1" capacity cargo.
\
Ship jumboizing or enlarging was introduced after the war. The technique has developed so well that not only can a ship be lengthened, but her breadth and even he1" depth can be increased to the point that her
^rgo-carrying capacity may be almost dou- ed. A typical example was the ill-fated Tor- rey Canyon, which was enlarged from 66,883 j° HB,285 dwt. tons in 1965 by Sasebo Heavy ndustries. Recently, IHI has also developed a jumboizing method which incorporates e use of “bulges” attached to both sides of th« ship.
These are only some examples of new meth- ^us Japan’s shipbuilders have been employing unprcve their shipbuilding technology and too JUSt l^elr building facilities. It is evident, to°’ 4iat renewed efforts are now being made fa ejTancl even further the industry’s building juties in the light of ever increasing world- e demands for larger ships. t CCently, the projection was made, by the Panese government’s advisory organ on a in r^.'ran§e policy for the Japanese shipbuild- lOo dC^‘t*es> that the demand for ships, of over y dwt. tons, to be built by Japanese
l97nS Wou^ exceed present orders between Und anC^ whHe the orders for ships
er that size would be below present de- hy 19 ^“dation also noted that
c 'tl, demands for repair docks would ex- the capacity of existing facilities for all VPCs of shipS.
Considering only those new shipbuilding facilities capable of building ships in excess of
200.0 dwt. tons. Japan presently has four huge building docks, namely, those of IHI in Yokohama, Mitsubishi in Nagasaki, Hitachi in Sakai, and Kawasaki in Sakaide. Although the oldest of these was completed in 1964, most of them are able to build ships as large as
300.0 dwt. tons. There are a number of yards capable of building ships within the range of 100,000 to 199,999 dwt. tons. Mitsui Shipbuilding & Engineering is now completing at its Chiba yard a new dock measuring 400 meters long and 72 meters wide. Nippon Kokan Kaisha recently announced and is acting on a plan for constructing at Tsu in central Japan, a new shipyard 500 meters long and 75 meters wide. Kure and Sasebo also are reported to have plans to expand their building facilities to accommodate ships measuring over 300,000 dwt. tons.
NKK’s new Tsu yard will be completed in the summer of 1970, and is particularly noteworthy. The new yard will be constructed on 200 acres of reclaimed land, surrounded by the sea on three sides, and will include a building dock and a repairing dock. The docks will be constructed so that both ends
open to the water. All shops will be arranged at right angles to the dock’s center line, in sharp contrast to the usual parallel arrangement.
The dual sea entrances will have an advantage over single-entrance, conventional docks, because this new system makes it possible to launch ships from both ends. A customary procedure among Japanese yards is to build the stern of a second ship while the first ship is under construction in the dock. Called the semi-tandem building system, this enables shipbuilders to improve the turnaround time of the dock operation; but, the system also has some disadvantage in that the stern body of the second ship must be moved to the other part of the dock to permit the first ship to be moved from the building dock. NKK’s new system eliminates the need for moving the stern of the second ship, since ships can be launched from either of the two entrances. The new docks will be fitted with a removable intermediary dock gate so to adjust the capacity of each end of the dock.
The T-shaped layout of the yard, according to the builders, makes for the even distribution of steel materials by two 200-ton capacity Goliath type cranes. The powerful cranes straddle the full width of the dock plus the pre-erection belt to be built along the full length of the dock. They will pick up the heavy prefabricated sections from the preerection belt and lift them into position inside the dock.
Construction methods in other newly-constructed shipyards in Japan reflect similar improvements, based on a production control systems as well as past experiences. While the manner of laying out these new yards differs from firm to firm, the basic concepts shared by all projects are:
(1) The yards are planned as pure assembly yards for the exclusive purpose of building larger ships;
(2) A large measure of automation is built into the facilities, in the anticipation of a shortage of labor in the near future;
(3) Building docks have replaced shipways;
(4) Block construction, with prefabricated assemblies ranging in size, according to the system chosen, from 80 to 600 tons, has been universally adopted, along with the installation of large-scale equipment, particularly
cranes and other forms of transportation;
(5) The shops incorporate line assembly syS' terns and are arranged to provide maximun1 prefitting of the block assemblies prior to erection in the building dock.
Mention should be made about the extremely systematic, step-by-step procedures employed by Japanese shipbuilders. Until recently, the outfitting of a new ship had bee° most diversified and complex, with little chance of improving production methods’ The operation depended almost solely on the knowledge, skill, and experience of the ship' yard workers themselves. For example Japanese shipbuilders generally build a 200,000-dwt-ton, or larger, tanker in only Si* months, allowing three months for hull construction and three for outfitting.
Japanese shipbuilders have finally succeeded, through application of extensive vvor analysis, in dividing the ship-to-be-built int0 several segments necessary for construction engineering. A list for each of the ship’s seg ments includes all the components and pafts together with necessary specifications, cover' ing quality, quantity, and time of delivery 011 the site. This new system has aided immenSW in streamlining the hitherto troublesome J°D of outfitting. Fitting equipment, such as pipeS) to a fabricated block of the ship is done bef°^e the block is moved to and erected in the dot* and usually most of the outfitting work haS been completed when the ship is launche • This is one of the keys to the very short co° struction period required by Japanese ship builders.
The world lead in shipbuilding present) held by Japanese industry was not made w the mere expansion of facilities in anticipatt0,11 of the future demands for large ships. Its p°sl tion of leadership came from the vigor0 efforts on the part of naval engineers since the late 1940s have been planning n° to improve construction technology. TheI^ are more than 5,000 naval architects university degrees working in Japanese sh'P yards, and 300 more are added every year-
Future developments in the Japanese ship building industry depend mainly on 1 ^ mechanization of designing operations a'j
i
>»
shop procedures, in further improvements
etF
welding techniques, and in the enhancern1 of manufacturing accuracies
return
to their normal preoccupation with
72-77
May 1966 Proceedings). Reading and
The third Thursday society:
A PROFESSIONAL EXPERIMENT
L'°r more than a year a group of naval officers have gathered in Norfolk on the third Thursday of every month in an experiment airned at the establishment of a new professional society. At 1930 on these nights the men Join in one of the public rooms at the NOB Officer’s Club. During the ensuing and rela- hvely short social period, the officers trade 0° small talk of their profession. Promptly at ooO the men move to their places around a table set for them in a private room, and oere the “big” talk of their profession begins.
discussion centers around a scheduled miliarY topic. Each of the members of the group as read the book under consideration prior the meeting. Two of them have prepared a st of questions that are used, when necessary, ,° Snide discussion as the group probes for the lrnportant ideas of the author. Participants ?re encouraged to submit and support their Ju<Jgments. Argument sharpens disagreement, an<i an occasional touch of humor livens the exchange.
^t 2115, the end of the formal discussion Period is signaled by the appearance of appropriate refreshments. Discussion and conten- tra‘P off and the group shifts to attend to e minimum amount of Society business. cr the books for the following month’s Meeting are passed out, members depart to
concerns of career and family, j ne genesis of this experiment began durr? missile patrols on board the USS Lafayette “N-616). In rare moments of relaxation, lecture turned to the impact on profes- ^ °al standards and institutions of ships like «p Lafayette and weapons like Polaris. (See r^ess'onal'sm: A Wardroom Debate”; pp.
discussion are two endeavors required to a greater degree of many naval officers in the future. Several of the Lafayette's officers expressed a desire to inject some constructive, professional effort into the otherwise steady diet of duty, drill, and study that characterizes a Polaris submarine patrol. During the ship’s tenth missile patrol, these thoughts led to two brief semi-formal discussions.
The Lafayette discussion pattern was based on the procedures employed by the Great Books Foundation, a nonprofit, educational organization. While the Great Books Foundation is dedicated to the furtherance of liberal education through the reading and study of the great ideas of the ages, its guides and procedures were directly applicable to the study and discussion of military topics.
In September 1966, the first of a series of full-blown discussions was conducted at the officers’ club in Norfolk. With the support of the naval station and Sixth Naval District librarians, the Library Section of the Bureau of Naval Personnel purchased and loaned ten copies of Beaufre’s Introduction to Strategy for this session. In succeeding sessions, procedures were developed for selecting and obtaining other books without Navy Department support. Policies were established for the conduct of the program and for obtaining new members. On 16 March 1967, having survived in good health for six months, the fledgling society was founded with a membership of 15 officers and one civilian scientist.
The motive for and problems of expansion were recognized from the beginning. Expansion was necessary for its continued existence. The best size for a discussion group appeared to be about 12 members; however, this placed a limit on incremental growth. Discussion deteriorated in a larger group. As the size grew, the difficulties of obtaining sufficient numbers of books also began to skyrocket. It was decided, therefore,to expand by splitting into as many separate groups as the size of the membership might dictate. In January 1968 a second group was established to meet at the same time and to center discussions on books that had already been thoroughly digested by the veteran members in earlier sessions.
Attendance has been steady but unspectacular. About two-thirds of the members are usually present at any meeting. Only about
U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings PROFESSIONAL READING GUIDE
In the same format as the Proceedings it contains: Notable Naval Books of 1967, from the December 1967 Proceedings; A Guide to Reading on Vietnam, from the August 1967 Proceedings; and an alphabetical composite listing of the monthly Professional Reading pages which have appeared in the Proceedings in 1967.
$1.00 each (No Discount)
United States Naval Institute Annapolis, Maryland 21402
(Please use order form in booklist section)
three-quarters of those who showed enough interest in the group to take a book actually attend a meeting. A member who attends his first meeting, however, usually continues to attend. Only about 25 per cent attrition has occurred during the first 16 months; that loss has been split equally between those who ceased attending for personal reasons and those who departed the area as a result of military orders.
It was initially conceived that the greatest benefits from attendance might accrue to the younger officers. Only a handful of them have responded, however. Even though young officers have been encouraged to join, captains outnumber all other ranks in the organization. The lowest rank represented is that of one lieutenant. Officers attached to operating ships have not been able to attend regularly in spite of the best of intentions. Consequently, most of the active members are staff officers.
The ideal book for discussion is one that is controversial. Desirably, the book would abound in ideas, it should be less than 200
pages in length, or be capable of abridgement. If its topic is one of immediate interest and, particularly, if it is written by a man in the military eye at the moment, it becomes especially exciting and challenging for discussion. Book topics have included military strategy, unconventional warfare, intelligence, government, politics, economics, international law, and military organization.
The most significant limitation in the selection of books has been the availability 0 good titles in sufficient quantity for each mem' ber to have a copy to study at the same time- A test in the sharing of a few copies among several members was not successful. While there are 11 military libraries in the Norfolk area, it is remarkable that only a few of then1 have a considerable supply of what might be termed serious military titles. In fact, the Nor folk Public Library has proven to be a more consistant source of books than any military h brary except for the Auxiliary Library SefV ice Collection and the Armed Forces Sta College Library. The rather thin fare of the military science shelves in most station 1 braries is an interesting circumstance.
Supplemental copies have been obtaine from two sources. Lor a limited list of titles, the Armed Lorces Staff College has copies111 quantity but, since these titles are on the read ing list for their students, they may not he issued to outsiders except during the three months between terms. In other months> titles have been sought from those available m paperback editions. Supplementary copies 0 these books are purchased with Society fu° generated by dues. Unfortunately, few appr°^ priate titles are issued in this form. While 1 would be more stimulating to discuss the boo when it first appears, rather than after pub 1 debate and interest have passed on to neyvcr ideas, limitations have prevented the Society from the study and discussion of the new’cr’ better books. j
The objectives of the Society are express^ in the three words of its motto: “Study DlS cussion—Fellowship.” It is believed that these endeavors can benefit the Armed Services1,1 many ways.
The Third Thursday Society encourage^ the study of current ideas of importance 1° military officer. Members read at least 011 book of quality per month, promoting a rea
lng habit that is important in these days when ■fiany of the newest ideas that affect the c°urse of military affairs come, for good or tad, from civilian, intellectual circles.
The Third Thursday Society provides a forum for the practice of the art of discussion ln the roles of both leader and member. Much the Navy’s co-ordination is achieved these tays through the medium of the conference, aud almost every military officer has particiPated in the agony of conferences where representatives were unable to express them- Scfo'es adequately or where progress was frus- hated by the distractions of irrelevant matter, ‘ta a Society member progressed, from his ln'tial meeting, through an introduction to foe discussion leader’s manual, and, finally, I0 the participation as a leader, his burgeon- *ng skill in discussion was usually traceable.
Guided discussions are an ideal medium °r the development of clear thinking. In its "Manual Jor Co-Leaders, the Great Books Foun- ation sets forth principles for training the !tllnd in reflective thought. The Society, hav- jta no course of instruction, adapted the ,°Undation’s Manual. In the heated discus- Sl°ns, clear thinking is as distinguishable as a SUnny day in winter. Should the discussion §r°up idea take hold in the services, the means j3n be found to train the participants better. a a time when military officers often find Clnselves pitted with or against highly edited civilian thinkers, this development is Valuable indeed. Our senior service colleges r°ady use the discussion group technique Pensively; the Third Thursday Society is a ^eans to extend this.
■^he Society fosters a healthy feeling of 'TTorateness among military officers. It does ls through the good fellowship of meeting gether in an enjoyable, constructive atmo- Phcre, and in so doing, the Society can com- ^etuent the role already played so well by j^c academies and professional organizations j helping to bind these efforts into a single 3* professional excellence, be idea is not expected to sweep the service in a spectacular manner. Quite properly, perhaps, relatively few naval officers achieve satisfaction from the pursuit of study and discussion. Of those who find that prospect attractive, many are already involved in formal school or correspondence study, and others have their energies fully committed to vital professional projects.
But if it should come to pass, the study, discussion and fellowship stimulated by an expanded Third Thursday Society can provide our Navy with a useful and enjoyable endeavor to supplement the many activities that already exist. There are men available who are willing to co-operate in the realization of this objective. The procedures are already developed and adequate; sixteen productive sessions at Norfolk have proven this.
THIRD THURSDAY SOCIETT FIRST TEAR READING LIST
An Introduction to Strategy by General A. Beau- fre, Praeger, $4.95.
On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Se Tung, Praeger, $4.50
The Craft of Intelligence by Allen Dulles, New American, $.75 (paper)
Old Myths and New Realities by J. W. Ful- bright, Vintage, $1.45 (paper)
Science and Government by C. P. Snow, Harvard University, $.60 (paper)
International Military Forces by L. P. Bloomfield, Little-Brown, $2.50 (paper)
A Study of Communism by J. E. Hoover, Holt, $3.95
Decision Making for Defense by C. J. Hitch, University of California, $3.65 In Every War But One by E. Kinkead, Norton, $4.95
The True Believers by Eric Hoffer, Harpers, $.60 (paper)
Thinking About the Unthinkable by H. Kahn, Horizon, $.95 (paper)
Decision Making in the White House by T. C. Sorenson, Columbia University, $1.25 (paper)
★
Progress
Aluminum Hydrofoil—The USS Plainview (GEH-1), the world’s largest hydrofoil vessel, is being tested by Lockheed for delivery to the Navy later this year. The 220- foot, 300-ton aluminum craft is powered by two diesel engines when hullborne, and uses two jet engines when foil-borne. "Inflight,” on two 13-foot, winglike foils, the Plainview obtains speeds in excess of 40 knots from two titanium propellers positioned in pods on the two forward struts. A third foil at the stern serves as a rudder and stabilizer. Height sensors located in the bow and stern provide information for the control display and automatic pilot. The Plainview will be manned by a crew of 20 officers and men.
Lockheed
Floating Armor—The Navy’s experimental buoyant flak jacket has received favorable reports from test use by river patrol boat crews in Vietnam. Made of layers of nylon fabric, polypropylene felt, and polyethylene plastic foam, the air in the foam keeps the wearer afloat, and the nine-pound jacket provides protection against fragmentary ordnance. A second type of buoyant armor under development, incorporating ceramic material enclosed in plastic foam, would provide protection against armor-piercing projectiles up to .30-caliber.
Largest "Laker”—Scale models contrast size of present 605-foot Great Lakes ore boat with the 1,000-foot length of Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s new vessel scheduled for completion by the Erie Marine Division of Litton Industries in mid-1970. With a beam of 105 feet and a draft of 25f feet, the automated, self-unloading giant has a capacity of 52,500 gross tons of iron ore pellets. Four diesel engines provide a speed of 16 miles per hour, thrusters are installed at both bow and stern for maneuverability.
Bethlehem Steel
Fuel Tank—End view of world’s largest rubberized fuel storage tank, built by Goodyear, presents deceptive appearance as it is filled with air for testing. Built for the Army, the pillow-form collapsible tank, which can hold 210,000 gallons of fuel, is being considered for use in combat areas.
Goodyear
New Naval Aviation Museum— Architects’ renderings show the proposed new Naval Aviation Museum to be built in Pensacola, Florida, to replace the present frame structure. Sponsored by the Naval Aviation Museum Association, the project, estimated to cost $4 million, will contain about 150,000 square feet of space, along with a large outdoor area for display of the dozens of Navy aircraft and exhibits on the 14-acre site. Construction on the project may start in 1970.
Notebook
U. S. Navy
s Navy Wants Convertible Helo
(.Aviation Week & Space Technology, 27 May 1968) Navy wants approval for a sea-air rescue (SAR) version of the Lockheed AH-56A armed helicopter capable of relatively quick conversion to a gunship configuration. The belly turret of the SAR version would be replaced by a rescue hoist operator, providing capacity for four other men. Side-opening door could be dropped downward during rescue attempts. Steps on the inside of the door would facilitate entry to the helicopter. Belly turret and an ammunition can would be available as conversion kits.
s Blue Angels Adopt F-4B Aircraft
(Aviation Week & Space Technology, 10 June 1968) Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team will transition to new aircraft after completing the present schedule of appearances in November. Dwindling supply of parts for the aging Grumman F-ll aircraft used by the team since 1959 is the reason. Prime contender for replacing the F-ll is the McDonnell-Douglas F-4B. Selection of that aircraft would break the continuous use by the Blue Angels of Grumman aircraft. Guidelines for selecting replacement aircraft require that they be Navy-developed and be equipped with afterburners.
s Sonobuoys Studied for ASW Aircraft
(Aviation Week and Space Technology, 13 May 1968) Two complementary types of airdroppable sonobuoy are likely to be carried aboard the Navy’s Lockheed P-3C patrol aircraft and the projected VSX carrier-borne aircraft as part of Navy’s growing effort in antisubmarine warfare. The sonobuoys would be ejected into the sea from the aircraft and their operation monitored by operators in the aircraft.
In the command active sonobuoy system (CASS), the Navy expects to have a selfpowered sonobuoy that can be commanded remotely to turn on and off, as desired by the
ASW aircraft. The CASS system, which i*1' eludes an airborne processor as well as the dispensable buoys, will give the Navy range to submarine threats as calculated by sign2* returns at several buoys. Magnavox has de' veloped an airborne processor to perforin I analysis of signals from the CASS sonobuoyS' The Navy recently awarded Magnavox 2 contract to begin production of the direction2* low frequency analyzer and ranging (DIFAK) system, which will improve the ability 0 ASW aircraft to determine direction to sub* j marine threats. The DIFAR system include airborne analyzer, recorder, and dispM'
It permits the aircraft to triangulate on 2 threat from only two passive sonobuoys.
s Dolphin Is First of New Submarine
(Ocean Science News, 7 June 1968) USS D^' phin (AGSS-555), designed to be the deepest' diving full-scale submarine and the pare11* of another generation of Navy combatant sub' marines, was launched Saturday at Ports' mouth, N. H. Dolphin is about 150 feet lot1?’ displaces some 900 tons and will dive, we he2r’ to around 6,000 feet. She has one torped0 f tube, a single propeller, and glass-fibefj reinforced plastic fins. She will be capable 0 firing advanced-model, Subroc type weapon5- Her pressure hull is a constant diametef cylinder (HY-100, we believe) with hem1' spherical end closures and internal deep ^ frames (ring stiffened) in place of structur2 bulkheads, . . . deliberately kept simple t0 facilitate structural experiments.
The Dolphin is to be capable of carry*11** some 12 tons of oceanographic equipment f°r , her secondary role as a deep-water ocean0 graphic vessel. Lieutenant Commander J0*1’! ' R. McDonnel of Kansas City, Mo., vV* command her. The Dolphin will be to 111 next generation of deep diving submarinej what the Albacore was to the present fleet 0 nuclear boats. The Albacore introduced 1 concept of a submarine designed for a • underwater operation. The Dolphin presag the deep-diving Navy of the 1970s.
Other U. S. Services
S3 Army May Switch to Methane Fuels
(Aviation Week & Space Technology, 17 June 1%8) Army may switch to methane-fueled engines for its helicopters, possibly starting 'v'th the second generation of aircraft after 'he present fleet. Methane could permit a ^0~40 per cent reduction in engine size and a 400 per cent increase in s.h.p. Portable Processing plant would permit manufacture °f the fuel in the field, eliminating a logistics Problem, and the methane could be stored in 'he earth.
53 A.F. Officers Push for Modern A-l
'Aviation Week & Space Technology, 13 May 968) Air Force officers with combat expense in Douglas A-l aircraft are pushing hard 0r development of the proposed AX turboprop attack aircraft on the grounds that such an aircraft can maneuver better in cramped areas than can jets. A case in point is the shau Valley of Vietnam, only a mile wide, here A-ls have operated under a 500-foot p’hog on close-support missions. In contrast, tng-Temco-Vought A-7s would have been bouncing off the walls of the valley,” an *" lr I'orce officer said. Without the AX air- ^raft, the Air Force will have to turn a certain tentage of its close-support missions over 0 Army helicopter gunships.
Army Reorganizes Air Defense Units
nj rrny Digest, June 1968) Infantry, mecha- • ecb armored, airmobile and airborne divi- c^ns being reorganized, with major organic anges expected to be completed by 1 Jan. anges include:
j Redeye Missile System added to all tubantry, mechanized infantry, airborne and ro^e artillery battalions, and armored squad-
^ * Ayiation battalion eliminated from in C”an'Zed and armored divisions. Com- hsh ^ av'at*on section (six helicopters) estab- hean^ *n mec*ranized and armored division ^quarters and HQ Company. Infantry and airborne divisions retain aviation battalion, less OV-1 Mohawk.
• Air Defense Artillery battalion added to all divisions except airborne. New organization has two batteries each of full-tracked self-propelled Vulcan automatic weapons and Chaparral missiles.
Q Casualties to Jets by Birds Rise
(.Aerospace International, March-April 1968) Birds are becoming an increasing hazard to military and civilian flying as planes get faster and bigger. They pose a particular danger to the F-lll, expected to fly considerable portions of its combat missions at or near supersonic speeds on the deck, and to the huge C-5A transport.
A study conducted by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research shows bird strikes are definitely on the increase. The USAF Directorate of Aerospace Safety requires a report on bird hits when damage is sufficient to be classed as an accident. The number was 53 in 1962, 70 in 1963, 145 in 1964. In 1965 the USAF called for a report on all bird strikes, whether or not appreciable damage occurred, and received 839. In 1966, the last full year for which statistics are available, 291 strikes were classified as accidents.
Damage reports cite a constant toll of windscreens, canopies, air intakes, radoines, wing and fuselage panels, flaps and landing gear, and, particularly, jet engines. A single bird can reduce a jet engine, costing several hundred thousand dollars, to a pile of scrap in an instant if compressor blades are broken off and ingested. USAF alone replaced 75 bird- damaged engines in 1965.
Most encounters occur below 1,000 feet (304 meters), often over the airfield. Transport type aircraft and trainers are the chief victims. Two-thirds occur in the southern half of the U. S., with peak periods in March- April and September-October, coinciding with bird migratory activity.
Seagulls, starlings, and blackbirds are most frequently encountered. In Boston some years ago an airliner ingested a large flock of star-
lings and crashed with the loss of 62 lives. But rare birds are killers too. Another commercial plane crashed in Maryland in 1960, killing 17, after its stabilizer struck a whistling swan, almost unknown in that area.
At one training base, T-37s regularly flew through flocks of blackbirds, which roosted only a few hundred yards from the main runway. To meet tight training schedules, the Air Force for a time put up with the toll of engines, windscreens, landing lights, and wing and tail surface damages. But flying at that base is now curtailed at dawn and dusk, when birds are most active in flying to and from their roosts. The lesson to be learned from that example, says the Air Force report, is that the existence of a huge blackbird winter roost with a population estimated at five million was known to area residents long before the base was built. Yet, it adds, New York City is considering a new jetport site located in a major waterfowl refuge.
Some USAF aircraft are now equipped with birdproof windshields, strong enough to protect the pilot from hits of four-pound (1.8 kg) birds at 500 knots. Protecting jet-engine inlets is another matter, for as yet no way has been found to birdproof one without paying a stiff penalty in aerodynamic efficiency. Under a contract from the Federal Aviation Administration, LTV Aerospace Corporation of Dallas, Texas, is seeking to develop a protective device to prevent damage to turbine aircraft engines from in-flight collision with birds.
Many measures have been tried to disperse birds—noisemakers, bird calls, traps, and others. Trees and grass have been cut, dumps and other refuse cleaned out, marshes
NEW SHIP MODELS
Waterline 1:1250 Scale
New NAVIS. HANSA. VIKING, DELPHIN, NEPTUNE. MERCATOR, STAR. TRIDENT and other ships, over 1000 models, highly detailed, hand painted, many American prototypes.
NEW COMPLETE CATALOG NOW AVAILABLE FOR 35tf German Warships of World War II, 108 pp. $ 5.95
U.S. Warships of World War II, 442 pp. 6.95
Japanese Warships of World War 11, 400 pp. 5.95
Warships of World War I. comb. vol. 6.75
Warships of World War II, comb. vol. 8.75
Italian Warships of World War II 5.95
Weyer's Taschenbuch der Kriegsflotten 1914 14.95
Greener's Die Deutschen Krlegsschlffe 1815-1945 Vol. I 25.00
Groener's Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 Vol. II 25.00
NATHAN R. PRESTON & CO.
P.O. Box 187—Des Plaines, Illinois 60017 Immediate Delivery
drained. But most airfields are located in areas naturally attractive to birds, such as filled areas near water, farmland, and woods-
The problem is a long way from solution' In fact, concludes the USAF report, it is only now beginning to receive serious attention in the United States.
Foreign
H Britain To "Deep Six” Fathom
(Marine Engineering/Log, May 1968) Ap' parently concluding that the decimal age has arrived, the British Admiralty has decided t0 abolish the fathom. Henceforth, Royal Navy deep-sea charts will have depths in meterS instead of fathoms.
The Admiralty decision is part of Britains shift to decimals, including coinage, by 1971' The first decimal pennies were issued last month in a sort of “get acquainted” exercise for the country’s more than 50 million people who have been counting in sixpence, shilling and half-crowns for so many years.
Royal Navy planners look for a big surSc in sales for the meter-measured charts. Last year nearly two million of the fathom-mark^ charts, worth the equivalent of about SI’3 million, were sold.
The U. S. Navy uses fathoms on its deep' sea charts, but puts feet and inches on shall0" water ones.
H New MiG Imperils U. S. Superior**! (Donald C. Winston in Aviation Week & SpaCl Technology, 3 June 1968) MiG-23 fightet' interceptor, now undergoing final modifi*-^” tion before introduction into the Soviet alf inventory, has emerged as a major threat [ U. S. air superiority, according to recent A*f Force testimony before the House Appropr*3' tions Committee.
Known also as Foxbat, the new Soviet a>r' craft is believed superior to any U. S. figbtef or bomber, at least until introduction of *1’*' FX advanced fighter and the Advance Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA). ®otj aircraft are under Defense Dept, study are expected to be operational by the n” or late 1970s.
The Russians are understood to be plaIV ning to use the Foxbat first in a ground-att*1*^ role, starting in 1969 or 1970. With ir*tr°
ted io Lich aS woods. ; ilutiofl’ I is only ' tion
) AP"
ige has ided to
1 Navy meters
, I
ritain’s
y 1971-
ed last ;xercise people hilling5 ‘
v surge :s. Las' nark^
at si-5
s deep'
shallot I
priority
S? Sp“ct fighter'
□difica'
/iet a'r treat to , ent A'r ! iropr'a' |
det air
fightef , of the
vanoc
. Bot'1
-lv ant*
: plan' -attach l intro*
nit1
Auction of advanced avionics, including an airborne radar and computer complex, a Version will be used as an interceptor, starting in 1971.
The Foxbat is said to be capable of sustaining a speed of nearly Mach 2.8 for more dtan 18 minutes and has a dash speed of aPproximately Mach 3. Soviet sources say it Can carry a load of 4,000 lbs. at these speeds, ft first appeared in public at the July 1967 °rnodedovo air show near Moscow, when °Ur of the twin-engine, twin-tailed aircraft ,llac-le a single low-altitude supersonic pass 0Ver the field.
As an interceptor, the MiG-23 will sup- Plentent the Tupolev Fiddler in the Soviet antibomber defense force, and will be used in injunction with Tupolev TU-20 Bear bombers> currently being modified to carry downward-looking radar.
Emergence of the MiG-23 was cited by Scveral Appropriations Committee members evidence that the U. S. has fallen behind . c Soviets in aircraft development, accord- lnS to a transcript released in censored form
last week. The hearings were held earlier this session in connection with the Fiscal 1969 defense budget request.
Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. McConnell told the Committee the Foxbat was “the only fighter aircraft they [the Soviets] have that we cannot match,” and that it would be far superior in performance to the current MiG-21 series.
s Australian Navy Adds Ships, Missiles
{Navy News, 24 May 1968) The Australian Navy has taken delivery of three Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyers, as well as a destroyer tender, HMAS Stalwart (A-215), two 0heron-class submarines, and 11 of 20 patrol boats. Two more type-12 escort ships are due for completion in 1969. Two more submarines are building.
In aircraft, the Navy has now received its ten A-4 Skyhawk fighter bombers and 14 S-2 Trackers.
HMAS Melbourne (R-2l) is currently undergoing an extensive overhaul and refit.
The Australian-designed antisubmarine
are you asking one electronics specialist to do the work of two?
Then your command is typical in this period of severe shortages of qualified military electronics personnel.
And rapidly increasing electronics maintenance requirements promise to make the shortage even more acute in the years ahead.
CREI offers you an extra source of qualified electronics personnel—at no cost to the Service. Men enrolled in CREI Home Study Programs acquire technical knowledge beyond the scope of military courses. They pay their own tuition, devote off-duty hours to study.
CREI Programs cover every phase of modern electronics— from communications to radar and sonar engineering
__ as well as the increasingly important field
of nuclear engineering technology.
Many officers not only encourage CREI students but also recommend CREI study to particularly ambitious men.
And they welcome the CREI Field Service Representative who visits their command.
Unfamiliar with CREI Programs? We’ll be glad to send you complete information as well as typical lesson material for your evaluation.
CREI, Home Study Division, McGraw-Hill Book Company
3224 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20010
Dept. 6P
Closs told the audience that since the m11^ 1950s, turbine temperatures have increasC from 1,400° F to 1,700° F today and & increase to 2,000° in only a few short ye3 “Down the road, we are looking at turb1 temperatures of 2,500 to 2,600° F,” he s31^ In the same time span, the industry has se
missile system, Ikara, has been installed in four of the type-12 escorts that are in commission, and in the guided-missile destroyer, HMAS Perth (D-38) of the Adams class.
s Unidentified Subs Sighted in Pacific
(Air Force Management, June 1968) Submarine activity in the Pacific Ocean had increased by 50 percent in the past five years, a high U. S. Pacific Fleet commander said. There are now 40 to 50 reliable sightings of unidentified submarines each year. Soviet submarines, of which there are about 100 permanently based in the Pacific are ranging further from home. There are also about 30 Chinese submarines, most of which stayed fairly close to the coasts of the Chinese mainland, said the U. S. admiral.
There is now every indication that Australia, Japan, New Zealand and others will increase their antisubmarine warfare capabilities and modernize their weapons.
Research and Development
Urethane Foam Used in New Life Boat
{Marine Engineering/Log, May 1968) A plastic “survival capsule” may soon replace the conventional type lifeboat as a means of saving lives at sea. Shaped much like a space capsule, the completely enclosed circular craft is constructed of rigid polyurethane foam, which is covered with polyester-impregnated glass fiber. It is designed to protect 28 passengers from two of the greatest dangers during any disaster at sea, that is escape from the
ALNAVCO
Box 3 Westfield, N.J. 07091
stricken ship and protection from exposure.
The 5,300-lb, 12-foot-diameter craft can be launched from a single lifeboat davit in less than 60 seconds, regardless of ship hst' Some of the hazards of conventional life' boats of spilling passengers, capsizing °n impact or swamping in heavy seas are elin11' nated.
Once in the water, the capsule’s many safety features facilitate rescue. Its skin lS impregnated with a special radar reflecting material. The dome-like super-structure pr°' tects passengers from wind, sunlight and sal* water. The craft is equipped with a sma1 propulsion diesel and a steering system. Othef features include a two-way radio, fresh snorkel system, bilge pumps and survive equipment.
Shipowners will be pleased with the ecO' nomical aspect of the capsule. Its price is 3 relatively low $15,000 and it is said to re" quire no maintenance.
The Upjohn Company, using polyurethane foam technology developed by its Division cooperated with Life Spheres Cotp- in the design and manufacture of the unifllie craft.
s Big Future Seen for Gas Turbines
{Marine Engineering/Log, May 1968) A tre mendous future for the marine turbine "'aS predicted by William J. Closs at a lunche° ^ address before the Gas Turbine Conference ° the American Society of Mechanical Eng1 neers (ASME) in March. The number ofse3 level gas turbines has increased 12-fold lfl only seven years, he said, and gas turbifej horsepower installed or on order has increase ^ from five million to 60 million, in all industn applications, including marine.
He said, “R & I) efforts have resulted in large increase in turbine temperature *° increased horsepower. There have beel1 equally significant improvements in the con1 pression ratio which, in turn, reduces n>e consumption and increases thermal efficient'
•d
*
Compression ratios rise from 7:1 to 10:1 and Pratt and Whitney is anticipating ratios of 24:1 and higher in future aviation-type gas turbine engines.
The industry also has noted a marked improvement in time between overhaul or uiajor repairs in all types of turbines. “Avia- Uon turbines have seen increases in TBO (time between overhauls) from approximately *.000 hours up to 12,000 hours with significant improvements as a near-term expectation. Gas turbines in non-aviation applica- t'ons have seen similar improvements in pliability and time between major servicings.”
Going to the marine field, Closs singled °ut the 694-foot, roll-on, roll-off cargo vessel Mm. William M. Callaghan as an example of the successful use of the marine gas turbine h)r ship propulsion. This vessel, which has t'vo Pratt & Whitney Aircraft FT4-A engines
25,000 hp. total each, was placed in service a few months ago and holds the transatlantic sPeed record for cargo vessels (in excess of 26 knots).
S3 SeaLab III Seems Firm for October
'Oceanology International, May/June 1968) The first week in October seems firm for the start of SeaLab III tests. I think most of our Problems are behind us,” stated Capt. George • Pond, principal investigator for the Navy’s ^lan-in-the-Sea” project.
The occasion was the first public display 0 the command and medical vans built for he SeaLab III program by the Nortronics *vision of Northrop, Anaheim, Calif. The Va'is will provide the control and data moni- [P'ng stations for the aquanaut habitat near an Clemente Island, California.
Some of the many experiments planned for Pe 60-day, sea-floor operation were reviewed ' Commander Jackson Tomsky, on-the- ^ene commander of SeaLab III. These in. l’ue: human performance (minimum visibil- 7 operation; team member relationships n<fer habitat conditions); salvage studies; ^valuation of gas generators and lift buoys; |TC of chemicals to prevent stirring up of °ttom sediments; evaluation of underwater obstruction methods and tools; and bac- Cr‘ological studies.
0nd, pioneer of saturation diving techniques, indicated that the problems in using the method at SeaLab III depths had been solved. In wet tests in Washington, D. C. laboratories, aquanauts have been subjected to pressures equivalent to a depth of 305 meters without mishap.
Success of these tests, Bond pointed out, has permitted placing of the SeaLab III habitat at 183 meters instead of the originally planned depth of 137 meters.
The habitat is scheduled to be mated with the surface support ship, the modified LSMR IX-501, in early September. The IX-501 is undergoing systems integration tests with the Nortronics vans at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard. The ship will be brought to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard by September for final system integration tests.
In these tests, the habitat will be lowered to a depth of nine meters for checkout. If all is in order, the equipment will proceed to San Clemente in late September for final habitat placement.
NAVY MUTUAL AID
ASSOCIATION
MemLersliip Provides
$12,000 TOTAL DEATH BENEFITS
$7500 Primary Death Benefit (available from five permanent membership plans)
$4500 Additional Death Benefit
No War Restrictions
Membership does not terminate upon retirement, discharge, or release from active duty. Amount of Benefits Not Affected by Increase in Age VALUABLE ASSISTANCE TO BENEFICIARIES (Accredited by VA to represent survivors) IMMEDIATE LOAN SERVICE (Membership accrues cash and loan values) ALL Active Duty Officers of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are eligible to apply Membership over 50,000 Assets more than $96,000,000
NAVY MUTUAL AID
ASSOCIATION
Navy Dept., Washington, D. C. 20370 Since 1879
Write for Further Information and Brochure
CONSULTED Inc.
Management and technological services in:
DEFENSE AND SPACE SYSTEMS . . . engineering, operations research, logistics analysis, reliability analysis, program management, systems acquisition, and related areas.
SHIP DESIGN . . . preliminary, contract, and detailed design; design agent services.
. . . and associated capabilities in systems economics, computer sciences and management systems.
CONSULTEC, INC.
1725 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone:(202) 293-1280
Though optimistic about the upcoming SeaLab work, Bond cautioned that a major change in approach is needed before deeper SeaLab tests can take place.
“Thus far, we have been working with empirical, catch-as-catch-can information. If we are to go deeper, we must have a comprehensive program of purely basic research,” Bond declared.
s Divers Discover Current at 700 Ft.
(Ocean Industry, April 1968) Two divers set a new record depth for open ocean dives and discovered a significant 5- to f-knot current during a 15-minute biological survey at 700 feet in the Bahamas early in March.
The dive was part of a four-week project in which Ocean Systems, Inc.’s lock-in, lockout submarine Deep Diver was used to collect biological samples and make surveys at depths ranging to 1,000 feet. Biologists were from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Miami.
With the submarine at a depth of 700 feet, Ocean Systems’ divers Roger Cook and Denny Breeze entered the lock-out chamber and pressurized it at a rate of 155 feet per minute, reaching the bottom pressure of 700 feet (326 psi) after 4j minutes. Then they opened the pressure lock and entered the water.
In the water, they collected specimens of algae and other flora, invertebrates and other fauna, and took samples of the gently sloping hard sand bottom.
The unexpected current encountered reversed direction 180° and made it necessary for Deep Diver pilot George Bezak to reposition the sub during the dive. The strong current canceled the divers’ plans to collect some fish specimens. The divers found that it was very dark at that depth without lights! visibility was limited to from 25 to 50 feet.
At the end of the 15-minute excursion, the divers re-entered the submersible’s pressure chamber to begin their decompression stint. Including compression time in the chamber, the pair spent a total of 30 minutes at the 700 feet pressure level.
Both reported that they were unable to detect any difference in pressure between the 700-foot dive and other dives made to the 200-, or 300-foot depth.
Final decompression was still in progress at a dock in Bimini when a serious storm hit' Decompression was completed in heavy swells during the return trip to Florida.
s Chamber Will Simulate 1,730 ft.
(Ocean Industry, April 1968) Installation wiU begin soon on a four-chamber, high-pressure test facility at the University of Pennsylvania which will simulate pressures up to 750 psi, equivalent to the pressure 1,730 feet beneath the ocean’s surface.
The facility has three chambers set aside for testing pressures found at great sea depths; the remaining chamber will be capable of simulating aerospace conditions by creating vacuum in varying degrees.
Of the three compartments earmarked f°r underwater testing projects, one chamber actually will be partially filled with sea water to allow research divers to undergo exact conditions which will be encountered in the opeI1 ocean.
To withstand the 50 atmospheres of pres' sure, the 8-foot-diameter compartments are fabricated of 2 £-inch steel. Each vessel underwent up to 75 atmospheres of water pressure during shop testing to ensure safety.
Installation is expected to take about si* months, with final tests scheduled for late this year. The construction project began h1 1966 when the university awarded a $600,000 contract to Vacudyne Corporation ofChicag0 Heights, Illinois. Since receiving the contract, Vacudyne has been working constantly wid1 Bruns & Roe, the university’s consultants, and the architectural firm of Francis, Cauff' man, Wilkinson & Pepper.
The engineering phase involved investigation of numerous aspects of pressure and temperature control—such as high-pressure Compressors, air storage bottles, vacuum Pumps, cooling and heating units, lighting systems, inter-communication system, fire Protection system and emergency equipment for personnel protection.
Merchant Marine
53 World Shipyard Orders at Record High
[Marine Engineering/Log, May 1968) Figures released by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping peg ^orld shipyard orders in hand at 40,632,120 tons—a record total.
It comes as no surprise that Japan has Ragged more than a third of these. Her position has been enhanced by 481,676 tons in the fifst three months of 1968 to a peak 17,646,189 tons of new ships on order.
Sweden has the second largest orderbook "Pth 3,001,233 tons, followed by West Germany (2,587,923), France (2,456,388) and P'feat Britain (2,094,000). In the first three uionths of 1968, Britain received twice the 0rders that it got in this same period last year. Things are even looking up in the United tates, where 208,898 tons were ordered in first quarter for a total backlog of 1»304,810 tons. This jumps America to the Cumber eight world shipbuilder, up from
P. O. BOX 1002. DARTMOUTH. N.S.. CANADA TELEPHONE 902-469-4351
CANADA
LIMITED
pairey
BEARTRAP...
proven and accepted by the Canadian Armed Forces, is now being installed and evaluated on United States Navy and Coast Guard vessels.
Safe, controlled landings by the helicopter on board a ship are possible regardless of weather conditions.
Secured immediately upon touchdown, the helicopter remains secure while being traversed into its hangar.
2^0sPital at Staten Island, N. Y., graduated °f a new breed of mariner from a recently let up Purser/Pharmacist Mate Training chool. The graduation exercises marked the jafo of the merchant marine’s 100-year-old attle to circumvent quarantine anchorage. /ij°w any ship carrying a certified Purser harrnacist Mate can radio a clean bill of aith in any American port and avoid stop- /In? *n 9uarantine f°r inspection. Purser mrrnacist Mates will save their employers’ ‘;°ney as well as time. A New York Port thority study shows that it costs a freighter p a for each hour spent in quarantine and Sures the cost of all such delays to all ships alering its harbor at $1.1 million annually.
may the U. S. Public Health Service
H
53 New Rate to End Quarantine Delays
[Marine Engineering/Log, June 1968) Late
last mo»,_______ tt c d..ui:„ i_r nu c :
last year.
Italy Plans Inland Waterway
{Marine Engineering/Log, May 1968) If its promoters can get the needed government financing, a canal-river water route will run from Milan to the Adriatic Sea. Plans call for its completion within five or six years, providing Italy with its first major inland waterway system.
Only about one million tons (metric) of freight was barged on the Po River last year. This is expected to double in 1968, with increased traffic in petroleum, chemicals and other bulk products.
s Otto Hahn Undergoes Nuclear Trials
(Defense Transportation Journal, May-June 1968) Europe’s first nuclear-powered freighter put to sea on 1 February, however, the craft, the Otto Hahn, of 16,870 registered tons, was handed over to her new owner, a research corporation set up by the FRG coastal States, without benefit of power from her reactor. Sea trials will continue until summer with a conventional powerplant, though the reactor has been installed. During the summer, nuclear-powered trials will be held.
The Otto Hahn was built at a cost of $13.75 million at the Howalt Shipyards, Kiel. Her reactor is the product of the German member of the Babcock Wilcox group, in association with Interatom. It is the pressurized water type, similar to that used by the American Savannah, though more compact. It will enable the engines to deliver 10,000-horsepower for a speed of 16 knots.
s Largest Ship Enters Lakes
(Marine Engineering/Log, May 1968) During April Cleveland played host to the largest ocean-going vessel ever to ply the Great Lakes- The Norwegian freighter, Rolwi, is 709 feet long. She discharged the largest single consignment ever delivered by a “salty” late in April at Cleveland. The cargo was over 20,000 tons of steel loaded at Antwerp and produced in Germany’s Ruhr district.
★
We Sound Best
Under
jtmMflu
Water...
IHI0.0-0-0.QftM
Bunker-Ramo’s advanced BR-441 Acoustic Projector, for example, is a highly efficient sound source at any depth. The BR-441 is the latest projector in a series of deep-operating projector developments that began nearly 10 years ago.
Our extensive knowledge of the ocean’s inconstant properties related to propagation, reverberation and ambient noise as well as its effects on materials enable us to keep pace with new developments — from concept formulation to installation and operation.
In the past 10 years our ASW/Oceanographic Laboratory has developed a wide range of products and services. Miniature hydrophones, airborne avionics systems, distance measuring equipment, transponder buoys, checkout instrumentation, data displays, signal processing techniques, deep-ocean sonar, advanced airborne sonar and pressure-insensitive electronic components. Our knowledge and "in-depth" experience may be of assistance in your program. Contact Jim Caldwell in Washington, D.C. at (202) 337-1500 or write to:
THE BUNKER-RAMO CORPORATION
DEFENSE SYSTEMS DIVISION
8433 FALLBROOK AVENUE • CANOGA PARK. CALIFORNIA 91304