USS Sunfish (SS- 649) Christmas

USS Sunfish (SS-649)"Christmas I Remember Best:Ocean depth fail to dampen spirit of Christmas" by Mark R. Clary EM2 Story in Heroes Beneath the Waves...

HEROES BENEATH THE WAVES, FOR STUDENTS

STUDENTS/SCHOOLS Heroes Beneath the Waves: Submarine Stories of the Twentieth Century, is an ideal history book for students to learn and research how important submarines are for spying, transporting, and rescuing without the world knowing. The seas hold many secrets. Students will learn what training the submariners had to acquire to qualify, and how the crew lived and survived. Many young men starting at the age of seventeen sign-up, but few were chosen. Pets aboard were important to many, for this was their first time away from home.

Field of Honor Datebase

https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/

PEARL HARBOR

TODAY - DECEMBER 7 PEARL HARBOR DAY: NEVER FORGET!

Heroes Beneath the Waves Textbook

https://www.vitalsource.com/…/heroes-beneath-the-waves-mary…Textbooks  Teachers can find lots of teaching material to share with students (all ages) by search "submarines" on Google.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard Undocks USS La Jolla

https://www.militarynews.com/norfolk-navy-flagship/news/top_stories/norfolk-naval-shipyard-undocks-uss-la-jolla/article_7a4f2acc-e113-5a31-8c0d-6d1057db19a0.html

e-Textbook Heroes Beneath the Waves

https://www.vitalsource.com/products/heroes-beneath-the-waves-mary-nida-smith-v9781510700468

Book Signing

https://www.facebook.com/events/366329160480889/
A story and poem in Heroes Beneath the Waves, share how some submariners spend Christmas away from home during duty on a submarine.

Al Konetzni, Jr., Vice Admiral, US NAVY

https://plus.google.com/110447209942807836799/posts/So9v58t2r92

From the book "Heroes Beneath the Waves

USS GUAVINA SS-362

This is a chapter from the book Pacific Patrol, self-published in 1993 by Marion Shinn. He tells his experiences in his own words on the last half of the fifth war patrol of the submarine D.S.S. Guavina (SS362) in February 1945 (reprinted with permission).

It was Valentine's Day, 1944, when our boat arrived at Cam Ranh Bay, off the coast of what was then French Indochina; but love and red hearts were far from our minds. The weather was still bad, but the waves were not as vicious as we had experienced here the previous December. The electronic surveillance from the beach still caused interference on our radar screens, but it was not persistent. The captain felt reasonably safe patrolling close to the beach. There was no little patrol boats, only low- flying float planes continuing to search. They kept us submerged most of the time.

Our assigned patrol station was familiar. It was from Cam Ranh, past Phan Rang, to Padaran Cape, a forty- or fifty-mile coastline. For several consecutive days, we raced to battle stations at 0730 hours. This was breakfast time, and we left our plates of food on the tables. The captain made no attacks. The possible targets were either the tiny boats from the local ports or big ones that were too far away.

On 20th February at 0730, the mess cook had breakfast ready, and we had just started eating. The battle stations bell rang, "Bong, bong, bong" throughout the boat just as it had for three or four days. Many of us went half-hardheartedly to our battle stations. I thought a cold breakfast wasn't the way to start the day.

I proceeded at a reasonable rate to my battle station in the forward torpedo room. Put on my headset to the JP sound gear. As I rotated the sensitive listening head, I could clearly hear the sound of the screws from a passing ship. The sound became closer and closer until it appeared to be directly overhead. I thought it was odd there was no comment or action from the conning tower.

I relaxed for a moment thinking maybe the ship had left the area. Suddenly, I sat upright as orders came from the conning tower, "Stand by forward." I rapidly spun the sound head around straining to hear the activity above the sea. Suddenly, the captain shouted, "Fire 1, Fire 2, Fire 3, Fire 4!" 

Brothers and Sisters,

The search is still on for our neighbor's boat. All of us in the International Community of Submariners are praying for a good result of that rescue mission. Argentina is a member of the International Submariners Association, and they do attend the congresses.

Those, which have gone down to the sea in a submersible ship know all too well that this could be one of us fighting for our lives. Using our skills and experience to beat once again the odds of ending up in Davy Jone’s locker. Our prayers are that the sea is so rough that they are keeping their heads down in hopes of riding it out.

Thanks Bud

An Argentinian national flag with messages in support of the 44 crew members of the missing ARA San Juan submarine at the Mar del Plata naval base. Photograph: Marcos Brindicci/Reuters

(CNN)Sounds,  which were detected during the search for a missing Argentine navy submarine did not come from the vessel; the navy said late Monday.

Noises that had been detected earlier Monday were thought to be a possible distress signal from the crew of the sub.

A US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft was brought to the area to record an acoustic footprint of the sound, but analysis of the file determined the noises were not from the missing vessel, Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said from Buenos Aires.

The noises were possibly from the ocean, or marine life and two vessels searching for the sub had heard a "noise" at a depth of about 656 feet. The location of the noise coincided with the route the submarine would have taken on the way to its home port in Mar del Plata.

Argentina's missing submarine: What we know

The sonar systems of the two ships had detected noises sounding like tools being banged against the hull of a submarine, according to a senior US Navy official familiar with the Navy's assistance in the search for the Argentine vessel. The official said that crews of submarines in distress bang on the vessel's hull to alert passing ships to their location.

The missing submarine -- ARA San Juan -- has a crew of 44. The sub was heading from a base in southern Argentina's Tierra del Fuego archipelago to Mar del Plata. It was scheduled to arrive there Sunday.

'Failure' reported in the vessel's battery system

The vessel's captain reported a "failure" in the vessel's battery system shortly before it disappeared last week, Navy spokesman Gabriel Galeazzi said.

After he reported the sub had experienced a "short circuit," he was told to "change course and return to Mar del Plata," said Galeazzi.

This type of problem is considered routine, and the vessel's crew was reported safe, he added.

The Argentine navy had one more communication with the captain before the sub went missing, said Galeazzi. The Navy did not give details of the content of that final communication.

Mixed signals as rescuers hunt missing Argentine submarine

On Saturday, seven reported communication attempts were initially believed to originate from the San Juan -- but on Monday officials said the radio calls had not come from the missing sub.

The last confirmed contact with the submarine was Wednesday, the Argentine navy said.

The US official said that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean where the sounds originated are extremely deep. The official stressed that search efforts thus far have yet to locate the submarine.

The Argentine military has also been working with a US company that specializes in satellite communication to determine the location of the submarine.

The search area, off the Patagonia coast, is notorious for strong storms.

Clock is ticking

In the "worst-case scenario," the missing sub could run out of oxygen in two days, Balbi said.

Under normal circumstances, the vessel has sufficient fuel, water, oil and oxygen to operate for 90 days without external help, Balbi said, and the vessel could "snorkel" -- or raise a tube to the surface -- "to charge batteries and draw fresh air for the crew."

If the sub is bobbing adrift on the surface and the hatch is open, it will have an available air supply and enough food for about 30 days, he said.

If it is immersed and cannot raise a snorkel, oxygen may last about seven days. When the sub last made contact on Wednesday, five days ago, it was immersed, Balbi said.

"This phase of search and rescue is critical," Balbi said. "This is why we are deploying all resources with high-tech sensors. We welcome the help we have received to find them."

A large number of international ships and airplanes, including a British polar exploration vessel, are braving strong winds and six-meter high waves in the area off the coast of Patagonia where the submarine was lost.

The rough conditions were shown in footage posted online by the Argentinian navy on Monday. “These were the meteorological conditions and the state of the sea yesterday in the search and rescue operations zone,” the navy tweeted.

The US Navy has also joined the search, deploying unmanned submersibles and airplanes to the South Atlantic.

Two US air force planes landed in the southern coastal city of Comodoro Rivadavia on Sunday carrying a US Navy submarine rescue team, including a mini-sub, a submersible rescue vehicle and a remote control unmanned submersible equipped with video cameras.

A British Royal Navy Hercules C-130 plane and the HMS Protector, ice patrol ship, are also participating in the rescue effort.

Mauricio Macri met relatives of the crew at the Mar del Plata naval base on Monday morning. The president said on Twitter that the government was “deploying all possible national and international resources to find [the crewmembers] as soon as possible.”

But the wait is taking its toll on the relatives of the missing submariners. “Every day is leading us closer to a sad ending, regrettably,” Carlos Mendoza, brother of crew member Fernando Ariel Mendoza told the Infobae website. “It’s sad, but we have to be realistic.”

Karina Vargas, the wife of crew member Cayetano Vargas, told the local newspaper San Juan 8 that she had seen her husband in a dream after the submarine had left Ushuaia.

“I’ve never had a bad feeling before, but this time I saw him arriving at home before time. He said hello, and I made a joke about asking him to look after the boys so I could go out.”

Other family members have used social media to ask for support during the search.

“Pray so that my husband Fernando Santilli can return home,” Jesica Gopar said on Twitter. “He’s on the San Juan submarine.”

In another message, she tweeted a picture of her missing husband, with the message: “Your son and I are waiting for you. I love you.”

Local Authors Book Signing

https://www.facebook.com/events/366329160480889/

God Bless our Military

Book Signing December 9th Baxter County Library 10-2

Author, Mary Nida Smith will be attending to promote and sell, "Heroes Beneath the Waves: Submarine Stories of the Twentieth Century." An easy read for preteens and up, to learn more about the U.S. Navy Submarine Service and the men who served. Hopefully,family members and friends will understand why their love one, who served, will not talk about it . The submariners were taught "Loose lips Sink Ships." I tried to gather stories and information that would help young kids, wives, and others to have a better understand what happens below the seas --- and of the ones, who never returned, as sea became their final grave.

https://www.facebook.com/events/366329160480889/?active_tab=discussion

Heroes Beneath the Waves

Heroes Beneath the Waves

https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mary+Nida+Smith&source_code=MSNGBWS080516903E

Diesel Submarines

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2230330221/?hc_ref=ARTZI_OOHSvbdTB1p9Zd6wmCxPutdsUP1-sZweCw19HdgazvsuxNw4mVpC7Fs99D-sA

AUDIO BOOK HEROES BENEATH THE WAVES

https://www.audible.com/pd/History/Heroes-Beneath-the-Waves-Audiobook/B01ATPCEJU

The Veterans Site

http://blog.theveteranssite.com/naptown-funk/?utm_source=vet-vetfan&utm_medium=social-fbpc&utm_term=VETFAN-PC-naptown-funk-5cCPM-W30-KWvet-MOBI&utm_campaign=PC-naptown-funk&origin=VET_VETFAN_SOCIAL_FBPC_PC_NAPTOWN-FUNK

http://blog.theveteranssite.com/

Lone Sailor Takes a Stand in Hawaii

http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/10/12/lone-sailor-takes-a-stand-in-hawaii/

Shop on Line Exchange for Veterans

https://www.vetverify.org/index.xhtml

USS Wahoo (SS 238).

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=26378

TRICARE CHANGES

http://www.moaa.org/Content/Take-Action/Top-Issues/Currently-Serving/TRICARE-Publishes-New-Changes--Beneficiaries-could-see-increased-costs-next-year.aspx?utm_source=legis&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=IFRPublished

In Honor of our World War II Submariners

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SubvetsWWII/?multi_permalinks=1567423573320635&notif_id=1507255578397760&notif_t=group_highlights

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association

http://www.bluewaternavy.org/

History Museum in Camden, New Jersey - Battleship

https://www.facebook.com/BattleshipNJ/

Submarine Veterans of WWII (Delaware Valley)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1556741027722223&type=1

WORLD WAR II VETERANS WEBSITE

http://ww2.vet.org/

https://www.facebook.com/marynida.smith

Lifes Struggles After War

https://pamelafosterspeakerwriter.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/in-the-twinkling-of-an-eye/#comment-1726

, Fiction & Fact: A War Dialogue with Veterans

https://www.cals.org/fiction-and-fact/

USS John S. McCain Collides

http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Article/1283836/uss-john-s-mccain-collides-with-merchant-ship-near-strait-of-malacca/

USS Sennet (SS-408) 2017 Reunion

http://www.sennet.org/


USS Sennet (SS-408) 2017 Reunion
October 01 - 04, 2017Landmark Resorts, Myrtle Beach, SC 

Bomb threat at Naval Station Norfolk Today

http://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/08/02/after-bomb-threat-at-naval-station-norfolk-more-called-in-at-little-creek/

Pinterest Heroes Beneath the Waves Photos

https://www.pinterest.com/marynidas/heroes-beneath-the-waves/?lp=true

PIGBOATS

" I dragged my gear down to the shore and saw the submarines, the way they stood aloof and silent, watching their pigboat with loving eyes. They are alone in the Navy. In the entire fleet they stand apart." - James A. Michener,Tales of the South Pacific.

Heroes Beneath the Waves...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/768105816626244/?source_id=123309264714266

SUBMARINE STORIES

https://www.facebook.com/submarinestories/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Heroes Beneath the Waves - Bookstores

http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/…/Heroes%20Beneath%20the%2… Heroes Beneath the Wave: Submarine Stories of the Twentieth Century, can be published at Andersons Book Shop or other bookstores. Thank you.

Navy Officer who saved Midway

http://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-is-the-united-states-navy-officer-who-saved-midway?utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=Evergreen&utm_source=Newsfeed&utm_content=navy-officer-who-saved-midway

70th Anniversary Of The Battle Of Midway Commemorated In Washington

In This Photo: Henry Kudzik

WWII submarine veteran Henry Kudzik sits with other veterans while holding a Life magazine picture of a Japanese ship sinking after being torpedoed by the U.S.S. Nautlis, during a ceremony and commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway at the U.S. Navy Memorial on June 4, 2012 in Washington, DC. The battle of Midway took place in the south Pacific, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and is regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign.

(June 3, 2012 - Source: Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America) 

VETERANS CRISIS HELPLINE

https://activeheroes.org/

VETERANS CRISIS HELPLINE

Call: 1-800-273-8255 then Press 1

The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline. Receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Support for deaf and hard of hearing individuals is available.

Chat: Click here to start a chat 

Text: any message to 838255

**These services are provided by the Veterans Crisis Line. They are NOT affiliated with Active Heroes**

Henry S. Kudzik USS Nautilus (SS-168)

 In the book, Heroes  Beneath the Waves: Submarine Stories of the Twentieth Century are two more stories of ones who served at different times aboard the USS Nautilus (SS-Nautilus) Jerome S. Gross and Boots Hanson.

NHF Co-Sponsors Successful Battle of Midway Dinner 2013

http://www.navyhistory.org/2013/06/nhf-co-sponsors-successful-battle-of-midway-dinner

In the picture on this page is Henry "Hank" S. Kudzik, who's story is in "Heroes Beneath the Waves: Submarine Stories of the Twentieth Century." The book was reviews by Vice Admiral, Al Konetzni, Jr. US Navy (Retired).

I received a  special letter today from Henry S. Kudzik notifying me, like every year, he will be there to help celebrate Midway's 75th Anniversary in Washington DC June 2- 6th.

75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Battle of Midway

http://www.midway.org/bom-75

Battle o
Battle of Midway 75th Anniversaryf Midway 75th Anniversary

USSVI BASE AND FLEET RESERVE PICNIC

A small group of  Mountain Home, Arkansas USSVI Base and Fleet Reserve members enjoying a beautiful day relaxing and enjoying each others company on the White River below the  Rainbow Bridge at Cotter. God Bless our veterans and their families.

War History and Photos

http://www.historynet.com/ A list of military magazines and it is filled with lots of articles and photos. Interesting site.

Al Konetzni,JR Vice-Admiral, US NAVY (Retired)

I  received this special book review from "Big AL the Sailor's Pal." Thank you Sir.
30 March 2017


Dear Mary,


I just finished reading “Heroes Beneath the Waves”! What a wonderful tribute to our Submarine Veterans and Our Greatest Generation!!
You have collected a wonderful assortment of submarine stories that truly tell the “rest of the story.” Thank you so very much!
The importance of your book rest in the fact that those American Sailor were able to tell their “story.” Your book completes the vivid history of our Submarine Force.
Thanks so much for your most wonderful efforts. Please know that your book
has been a highlight of my association with SubVets of WWII over so many years.

Warm regards & thanks so much,
Al Konetzni, JR,
Vice Admiral, US NAVY (Retired)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SubvetsWWII/?ref=nf_target&fref=nf

‎Joe Rosas‎ to 

 to In Honor of our World War II Submariners

· 

 

 

Friends Who Like Heroes Beneath The Waves...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/768105816626244/

USS Razorback Engine Start-up

https://youtu.be/P_kd7Xk6S0g

Al Konetzni, Jr., Vice Admiral, US NAVY (Retired) reviews Heroes Beneath the Waves – Submarine Stories of the 20th Century by Mary Nida Smith

  

AL KONETZNI, JR

I just received this special book review from "Big AL the Sailor's Pal." Thank you Sir.

30 March 2017

Dear Mary,

I just finished reading “Heroes Beneath the Waves”! What a wonderful tribute to our Submarine Veterans and Our Greatest Generation!!
You have collected a wonderful assortment of submarine stories that truly tell the “rest of the story.” Thank you so very much!
The importance of your book rest in the fact that those American Sailor were able to tell their “story.” Your book completes the vivid history of our Submarine Force.
Thanks so much for your most wonderful efforts. Please know that your book
has been a highlight of my association with SubVets of WWII over so many years.

Warm regards & thanks so much,

Al Konetzni, JR,
Vice Admiral, US NAVY (Retired)

USS Gato (SS-212)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SubvetsWWII/ Great must read story on the USS Gato.

USS Silversides Museum

https://silversides.store/collections/donations/products/buy-a-brick-engraved-memorial

Jessie Francis Yarger USS Submarine Veteran

YARGER, Jesse Francis, passed unexpectedly on March 17, 2017. Jesse was born July 22, 1932, in Bloomington, IL. Preceding him in death were his mother Sybilla, father Jesse E., former wife Marilyn (Zook), and brothers in-law Donald and Russell Zook. He leaves his wife Patty of 34 years, daughter Sarah J. Allen, sister Judy Johnson, brother Jim Yarger (Karen), brother-in-law Robert Zook (Linda), stepchildren Mike Meskimen (Winny), Carrie Munyan (Russell), Jennifer Meskimen, 10 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren.  After high school, Jesse joined the US Navy and served in the Korean War. He was a submariner serving on the USS Barb, USS Archerfish, and USS Sennet. Following discharge, he returned to the telephone industry. He moved to Fort Myers in 1960 and was employed for over 33 years with United Telephone (Sprint), retiring in 1993. Jesse's passions were his family, restoring vintage cars, and activity in the Porsche Club of America in which he was a national award winner and served as a national judge. Upon retiring, he worked part time for a private automobile collection in Naples, FL where he remained for 29 years. He became a sought-after docent at the Rev's Institute. He was a member of the Church of the Cross and served on the ushering team. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 25th at 2:00pm at the Church of the Cross, 13500 Freshman Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33912. Reception following the service. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Jesse be made to the Church of the Cross. Published in The News-Press from Mar. 19 to Mar. 21, 2017

Silversides Submarine Museum

https://silversidesmuseum.org/


Exciting new product for sale check it out.

USS 0-7

http://www.subvetpaul.com/Tin_TheO7.htm

HEROES BENEATH THE WAVES

Stories from WWII to the Cold War, written for preteens to adults. This book's stories will help family and friends understand what a love one may endured during his service in submarines.

Navy Country Band

https://www.facebook.com/AllHandsMagazine/videos/vb.126834980750296/999905300109922/?type=2&theater&notif_t=live_video&notif_id=1487789222738167

U.S. Pacific Command

https://www.facebook.com/pacific.command/videos/vb.61575637587/10156336218382588/?type=2&theater&notif_t=live_video_share&notif_id=1487707797370008

USS Plunger

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-thunman-submarine-standoff-0216-20170215-002-photo.html

I had the opportunity to be on two SSBN's that did a missile launch - one as an Navigation Electronics Technician, the other as the COB and was the Diving Officer during the launch. Kirk Smith
USS Daniel Webster (SSBN-626) USS James Monroe (SSN-622) 

Launching a Missile From a Submarine Is Harder Than You Think
David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, February 13 

Launching a missile from a submarine isn't as easy as pressing a big red button. It takes a lot of engineering and rocket science to ensure a missile gets from an underwater launch tube to streaking through low-Earth orbit at more than 13,000 mph—and sometimes, that delicate dance of physics can go wrong.
As these missiles increase in lethality, like today's Trident II D-5 missile, so do emotions surrounding the ethics of using such a weapon in the first place. But knowing Trident's future, and the future of other nuclear missiles, requires a trip to the past and an exploration of how you even launch a missile from under the sea. Here's how a missile makes it way through the water, into the air, and on its way to a target.
How We Got Here
Submarines couldn't always launch airborne missiles from under the sea, of course. During both World Wars, submarines were armed with torpedoes and deck-mounted guns—heavy cannons for engaging surface ships and lighter anti-aircraft weapons. Mine-laying submarines also terrorized the sea in the first half of the 20th century.
But at the dawn of the Cold War, it became clear that nuclear missiles would decide future world conflicts. The earliest versions of this technology—such as what went into the Nazi V-1 and V-2s, proto-cruise missiles used to bomb London—were used as a design starting point. These missiles had a range of just a few hundred miles, which meant you needed an aircraft or ship to carry them within range. A submarine with a capable missile carrier would be the perfect weapon, able to get weapons of mass destruction within incredibly close range of the enemy without being detected.
In 1947, the United States launched a JB-2 Loon, a direct copy of the German V-1, was launched from the deck of the submarine USS Cusk. This test proved it could be done, but the Cusk used an unpolished, jerry-rigged system. By 1953 the USS Tunny had been adapted into a true missile submarine, but firing the Regulus cruise missile was still an awkward process. The submarine had to surface, then the missile was manually loaded from storage onto a launch rail on the submarine's deck before it could fire. During the whole process, the surfaced submarine was visible and vulnerable to attack by enemy aircraft. The Grayback class of submarines were subsequently built to launch missiles from the surface.
At the end of the 1950s, weapons systems still had yet to master the tricky science of shooting a rocket through water. But technology was progressing quickly, and at the turn of the decade, the Navy developed the Polaris A1 Fleet ballistic missile. Successfully launched by the USS George Washington, this missile was a revolutionary development because it allowed a boomer, another name for a ballistic missile submarine, to remain submerged. Subsequent missiles have all been refinements of the same basic design, invisible and unstoppable.
Decades later, the ballistic missile submarine is still considered the most secure leg of the nuclear triad (land-, air-, and sea-launched nukes). And sub-borne missiles have only increased in range, power and accuracy. The original Polaris had a range of about a thousand miles and delivered a single 600-kiloton warhead with an accuracy of around a mile. In 1972 a new version entered service (originally known as the Polaris B3 but then renamed Poseidon C3) with had a range of almost 3,000 miles, and carried up to twelve warheads. In 1979 came the sea god's most trusted weapon—the Trident C4, which carried the same payload to a distance of 4,600 miles. It meant a sub in the Pacific could hit any target in the Soviet Union.
Today, American Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class submarines are equipped with a sixth-generation Trident weapons system. But perhaps more impressive than its awesome destructive capability is the mechanical process that launches the missile in the first place.
The Physics of a Launch
Made by Lockheed Martin, the current Trident II D-5 missile is a squat, blunt-nosed, 44-foot-long cylinder weighing nearly 120,000 pounds. It's fired by a steam cannon. First, an explosive charge flash-vaporizes a tank of water into steam. As the pressure of the expanding steam drives the missile out of its launch tube, it provides enough momentum for the weapon to clear the water's surface. This cocktail of high pressure and dangerous explosives is a crucial phase of every launch. Multiple safety mechanisms are in place to deactivate the missile if it fails to get away from the sub.
The missile slows down as it leaves the water and gravity tries to pull it back down. Motion sensors monitor the changes as the missiles hang in the air for a brief moment before the first of three rocket stages ignites.
Here, things can go spectacularly wrong if you're unlucky. Trident's first test launch from the USS Tennessee in 1989 failed because the plume of water trailing behind the missile interfered with a rocket nozzle. The resulting asymmetric thrust sent the missile spiraling in a spectacular pinwheel lasting four seconds before ending in a shower of flaming debris.
If all goes well, though, the first stage rocket burns for 65 seconds. During this phase, the missile extends an aerodynamic spike to smooth the airflow over the blunt-nosed cylinder. Without this spike, the missile can't survive its brief, high-speed transit through the atmosphere.
Finding Its Target
During this first minute, the missile should now be well on its way. It will eventually reach 600 miles above sea level. The remaining rocket stages still need to ignite, separate, and remain on the correct trajectory.
Again, this isn't so easy sometimes. According to a recent leaked report, a British Trident missile launched off the coast of Florida in June 2016 as part of a testing program was supposed to head east toward a target site near Africa. Instead, the missile allegedly veered east toward the U.S. before it was destroyed.
If the missile stays on the correct path, Trident then navigates with an inertial guidance system, based on a set of sensitive accelerometers measuring precisely how much the missile accelerated and for how long. An onboard computer uses this data to calculate speed and position of the missile. In most military technologies, inertial guidance has been replaced by GPS because the older way is expensive and has a tendency lose position over time. But that's not such a huge problem when your flight is only a few minutes long. The U.S. Navy has never fired a GPS-equipped Trident, largely out of fear of possible GPS tampering.
Because of the internal guidance system's limits, Trident also has a star sighting navigation system. Like an old-time sailor, this sensor gets a location fix by measuring the position of the stars to provide fine detail correction. This correction may be needed because the orientation of the submarine may not be precisely known at launch. A compass can be thrown by magnetic disturbances, and conditions at Earth's poles (where subs sometimes operate) don't help things either. Even odd gravitational anomalies may be great enough to throw the missile miles off course, so missiles—as well as Navy seamen—are well-versed in reading the stars.
Once all those stars align, the missile finally streaks toward its deadly destination.
Coming In For a (Destructive) Landing
As the missile approaches, it ejects twelve independent warheads at different targets. Each warhead has a yield of 100 kilotons—six times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. The missile's accuracy is quoted as less than 400 feet Circular Error Probable (CEP), meaning there is a 50 percent chance it will land less than 400 feet from the target.
But everything has to function perfectly for the missile to hit a target, and a glitch at any stage can be disastrous. There is also the new hazard of cyber sabotage of nuclear delivery systems. Malicious software, or even hardware which interferes with the missile controls, is a cheap way of disabling a nuclear deterrent. Although it sounds unlikely, such an attack wouldn't be without precedent.
The Royal Navy's latest botched test has only renewed calls from nuclear opponents who would like to see these destructive monsters of the deep retired completely. But as long as nuclear weapons exist, it's likely that that the Trident is going anywhere anytime soon.

Kirk Smith

Listen to Heroes Beneath the Waves

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=heroes+beneath+the+waves&filterby=field-keywords&sprefixRefmarker=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9&sprefix=heroes+be

WWII Submariners

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=41109

HEROES BENEATH THE WAVES; SUBMARINES STORIES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The unbelievable stories of the heroic men who sailed under the sea.

In Heroes Beneath the Waves, many brave men who rode submarines to great depths and across the oceans into unknown territory share their experiences, fears, and thoughts. They allow us to travel back in time through their memories. Trained for years to keep silent—for “loose lips sink ships”—many still believe what they know to be classified and refuse to disclose even the minutest of recollections. Others, however, want to leave a legacy of reminiscences for people to learn and live by—to know that freedom is not free.

Some stories will never be told. Held within the secret confines of their souls, these deep sea veterans block them out for self-perseverance. Yet, there are others who will never escape their own minds; they relive their underwater experiences over and over with eyes open or shut.

Heroes Beneath the Waves is about teenage boys who left farms, small towns, and inner cities to defend the United States and democracy worldwide. Signing up for United States Navy submarine duty was an adventure of a lifetime during the early 1940s. Dreams of torpedoing Japanese and German ships and subs consumed their thoughts. Those who returned home as young men were older and wiser. Heroes Beneath the Waves was written to honor these men—gallant heroes—who served and are serving today on submarines.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.