We talked before about we feel that the US Navy has made a narrow minded decision to only have nuclear powered subs in the fleet. It’s the humble opinion of this layperson observer that we should diverseify with a mix of nuclear boomers, large and ICBM equipped, smaller, nuclear attack and special ops boats plus a contingent of smaller, ultra quiet AIP subs. These smaller AIP subs would be ideal for covert missions plus sneakin’ and peakin’ at targets at sea and inland. “Course what do we know ? – We’re watching from the sidelines as the chess game at sea unfolds between increasing numbers of international AIP subs and our outstanding fleet that’s getting smaller in numbers.
In the past the US Navy has spent some time with the Swedish attack submarine HMS Gotland at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., in 2005 conducting a one-year bilateral training effort with the U.S. Navy’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces. Now our forces have a chance to spend some time with Italian submariners when the ITS Scire pays a visit the Mayport Naval Station, Florida to take part in a Joint Task Force Exercise. Including the Scire, 13 ships from nine countries will work with the U.S. strike group centered on the strike group led by the USS Harry S. Truman, is designed to test the group’s reaction to a variety of wartime scenarios as the carrier prepares for an upcoming deployment. For its part, the Scire will both work within the task force and serve as an enemy, allowing the Navy’s submarine hunters to do their job.
The Scire has a 28-man crew and is the most modern vessel in the Italian fleet. From its high-tech fuel cell engine to its automated torpedo loading system, the ITS Scire has advanced technology crammed into its narrow body. The crew’s focus will be on leveraging their technology, particularly a fuel cell that produces electricity from hydrogen and oxygen, allowing the boat to stay submerged for three weeks while running completely silently. The propulsion system is a combination of a conventional diesel generator with a lead acid battery and a fuel cell equipped with oxygen and hydrogen storage. The fuel cell system is comprised of nine Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, each of these cells providing between 30 kW and 50 kW.
The Todaro-class submarine comes out of a joint Italian-German project started in the 1990s, focused on producing a virtually undetectable vessel with a much lower magnetic, acoustic and thermal signature than other subs. The “Salvatore Todaro” was delivered to the Italian Navy in mid 2005, followed by the sister boat “Scire” in mid 2006. The two Italian boats and four German type 212A boats are submarines of the 212A class, using a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell plant, which produces electrical energy from oxygen and hydrogen, permits this class of submarines to cruise under water for weeks without surfacing.
The 212A class is designed with
with a highly integrated Command & Weapons Control System which interfaces with sensors, weapons and navigation system. There are six torpedo tubes in two groups of three. Type 212 is equipped with a water ram expulsion system for torpedo launch. The submarine is equipped with an automatic torpedo loading system. For countermeasures the sub is equipped with effectors which are jammers and decoys with hydrophones and acoustic emitters.
and China had the capability to do so. The submarine, unveiled at a recent ceremony, will be able to launch missiles at targets 700km away. Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated that India has no aggressive designs on anyone.
In a photo photo released by the Ministry of Defence, wife of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gursharan Kaur (foreground R), breaks a coconut on the hull of India”s first nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant during a ceremony at Visakhapatnam, some 800 kilometers from Hyderabad, on July 26, 2009.
