“San Francisco Marine Operator to the USS Gurnard. Mrs. Sardo is on the line waiting sir, go ahead”.
“The following is a press release...."
SCOOPING THE COMPETITION
Launching a newly constructed nuclear submarine was big news, about as big as it got at the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Mare Island; a story virtually assured front-page billing in a large regional newspaper such as The Vallejo Times Herald. As Brendan Riley recounts from his days as a local reporter in Vallejo:
"The Times-Herald always went out of its' way to cover everything related to the Navy. Sea trials, launchings, any kind of projects, new contracts, even the social calendar on the shipyard. Because the shipyard was the economic engine for the entire town from 1854 to 1996."
Not only did the San Francisco Bay Area Naval Shipyard help to support residents in and around the city of Vallejo, but operations there and at its' sister location at Hunters Point in San Francisco provided steady, good paying employment to thousands of residents in communities all across the Bay Area. So, it came as no surprise that northern California newspapers, both large and small, would cover events which happened at these locations.
Local news outlets weren't the only ones interested in what transpired at the shipyard. Less than twenty years after the launch of USS Nautilus (SSN 571), the world's first nuclear powered submarine, underwater nuclear warships such as the USS Gurnard had evolved from a technological curiosity with unproven potential into a reliable and critical part of the national defense strategy. Their ability to bring devastating nuclear destructive capability to literally any point on the globe, to eavesdrop on enemy shipping and communications, to land special forces units in global hotspots - all while remaining underwater and virtually invisible to all but the most sophisticated listening devices - all these facts and more made them an incredibly powerful deterrent against any would-be aggressor nation.
For national news outlets, the exploits of these underwater warriors made reporting on them big business. The cold war seemed, to most average Americans, to be inching closer and closer to a hot war, and they wanted to know what was happening in this global struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. News organizations understood this and reaped financial rewards as they shifted the focus of their papers to feature stories that covered these confrontations in depth. Taking full advantage of the global tug-of-war between the forces of democracy and communism, they used this escalating conflict to sell more newspapers, broadcast more radio programs and televise more news programming to an information-hungry public, promising up to the minute news and editorial viewpoints, giving readers, viewers and listeners a feeling of "being there" as major world events unfolded.
So, as another brand new nuclear submarine was launched and made ready to take her place on the front lines of the global struggle against tyranny, there was excitement and competition to get the story - and get it out first.
"The USS Gurnard successfully completed her first sea trials today, period. With the Gurnard, the Navy has a total of seventy-seven nucular(sic)-powered submarines of which thirty-six are of the attack type and forty-one Polaris. During these trials the ship steamed at full power both surfaced and submerged."
(reel-to-reel tape recording, courtesy of Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum)
(reel-to-reel tape recording, courtesy of Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum)
The message on the tape left no doubt as to what we were listening to. It was, as the faded handwriting on the back of the cardboard box had alluded to - and Brendan had expected - a ship-to-shore call from the nuclear fast attack submarine USS Gurnard to Mare Island, reporting on the progress of her very first sea trials.
This was the first time I had ever heard such a recording and I have to say, it was an exciting moment, listening to nuclear submarine history being made. The voice on the recording coming from the Gurnard was clear, almost as if it had been recorded yesterday. Of course, it sounded as if it was a recording of a phone call - which it basically was - but the voices were loud and crisp, not muffled at all. The quality of it was so good that we could hear people speaking on board the submarine, in the background, and we could also hear what I believe was the submarine's propeller shaft whirring away, pushing the ship through the pacific ocean, back to Mare Island.
To have come across this little tape with its' short but important piece of maritime history was something truly exciting, something both Brendan and I wanted to know more about.
This was the first time I had ever heard such a recording and I have to say, it was an exciting moment, listening to nuclear submarine history being made. The voice on the recording coming from the Gurnard was clear, almost as if it had been recorded yesterday. Of course, it sounded as if it was a recording of a phone call - which it basically was - but the voices were loud and crisp, not muffled at all. The quality of it was so good that we could hear people speaking on board the submarine, in the background, and we could also hear what I believe was the submarine's propeller shaft whirring away, pushing the ship through the pacific ocean, back to Mare Island.
To have come across this little tape with its' short but important piece of maritime history was something truly exciting, something both Brendan and I wanted to know more about.
TRIALS OF THE DEEP
Sea trials didn't receive the pomp and circumstance - or the word count in a newspaper story - that a launching did, but it would be fair to say they could potentially contain much more drama. These trials were, in many respects, a vastly more important part of the story of a new nuclear-powered submarine. Launching the submarine was the glamorous part, full of the spectators, the speeches and the VIPs. Away from the bright lights and cheering crowds, however, there was important work left to be done, to make sure this new weapon of the deep was ready for action.
Also known as the "shakedown cruise", sea trials were then - as they are now - the first voyages a new, repaired or upgraded seagoing vessel would embark upon, designed to test the soundness of all onboard structures and systems, verifying beyond any reasonable doubt that the boat was ready for duty. While these trials were mostly for verification purposes only, to give a real-world demonstration that the vessel was sound and prepared for a life at sea, they were potentially hazardous events, filled with a real amount of uncertainty. On a new and untested vessel, equipment as well as human failures could come from anywhere, and they could be dangerous - even deadly
USS SQUALUS
The USS Squalus (pronounced "squay-lus") was a US Sargo-class submarine built by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine and launched on 14 September 1938. On May 12th, 1939, Squalus left port for the first of what were to be a series of test dives off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. On the morning of May 23rd, off the Isle of Shoals, on her nineteenth test dive, USS Squalus suffered a main induction valve failure, and sank 243 feet to the bottom. Fortunately, 33 survivors were rescued from the sunken submarine. The Squalus was eventually raised, refitted and on February 9th, 1940, was renamed the USS Sailfish.
HMS THETIS (HMS THUNDERBOLT)
On June 29, 1938, the HMS Thetis (N25), a Group 1 T-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, England, was launched into Liverpool Bay. She commenced her sea trials on March 4th 1939. Along with her normal compliment of 59 crew members, Thetis was sailing with an additional 44 people, both navy personnel and technical observers. As she commenced one of her planned test dives, an inner torpedo tube door, which had been left open allowed sea water to quickly rush in and flood the bow of the submarine, sending it to the bottom, 150 feet below the surface. Of the one hundred and three men aboard that day, only four survived. Thetis was subsequently raised, refitted and launched once again, this time as HMS Thunderbolt (pitcured above).
THE TRIALS BEGIN
The first sea trial for the USS Gurnard occurred on September 15th, 1968. She left her moorings at Mare Island at 5:30 am and headed for the Pacific Ocean, prepared to execute a series of specific operations, which would be monitored closely by all on board. In attendance, aside from her standard compliment of officers and crew, were select individuals from the various private contractors, government agencies and San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard departments involved in her design and construction.
During the period of time in which the Sturgeon-class nuclear attack subs were being launched into service, their sea trials were being attended not just by the government and shipyard “regulars”, but also by a true Navy VIP. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, dubbed the “Father of the Nuclear Navy”, who had almost single-handedly pioneered the concept of using nuclear reactors as the primary source of propulsion in military submarines, had made it a priority to be aboard each of these new subs as it embarked on its’ first round of sea trials. Rickover was a brilliant, hard-working officer who was a strict taskmaster, and he demanded the best from himself and from everyone who served aboard his nuclear submarines. He personally interviewed each and every nuclear submarine officer candidate during his tenure, and worked tirelessly to ensure that his reactor technology was the best – and the safest – in the world.
The idea of using nuclear energy to power submarines was revolutionary when Rickover proposed it for the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet. The concept had the potential to vastly expand the capabilities of the submarine, giving the U.S. Navy an incredible leap forward ahead of her adversaries in the battle for dominance of the oceans. Unlike the diesel-powered submarine, which required refueling after approximately 11,000 nautical miles, and needed to surface in order to do so, a nuclear-powered submarine could travel underwater almost indefinitely, taking advantage of a virtually inexhaustible, self-contained power supply. The nuclear reactors that powered these subs were so efficient in fact that, while they were providing one hundred percent of the propulsion needed to drive the submarine, they could simultaneously power all additional onboard operational systems, which meant the only real limit a nuclear submarine had was its’ food supply, and the crews ability to endure long ocean patrols.
TESTS, TESTS AND MORE TESTS...
They called it the “Proposed Schedule of Events – Sea Trial”, and as the name suggests, it was a prearranged, chronological list of tests that took place during the submarines' sea trials, her first voyage outside the shipyard. While the official copy of this schedule for the USS Gurnard has yet to be unearthed, I was fortunate to be able to go to the National Archives, where I was given access to the same document, for the sea trials which the USS Haddock (SSN 621) undertook, occurring on June 22nd and 23rd of 1968, approximately three months earlier than the USS Gurnard, also originating from Mare Island. While she was an older Permit class boat, it is believed (as of the publishing of this story) that the evaluations both the Haddock and the Gurnard went through during their sea trials were quite similar, if not identical. It also gives a much clearer understanding of the rigorous testing these submarines underwent before being cleared for sea.
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| (photo courtesy of The National Archives) |
Sea trials were a tightly scripted set of performance tests, and while this schedule on the first page ("Enclosure (1)", pictured above) shows what appears to be a very limited number of events during the two days at sea, additional documentation for the USS Haddock made it clear that the time between these main events was jam-packed full of systems checks and event simulations. So, by the time the sub and her surface escort returned to Mare Island, she had endured an exhaustive battery of drills, tests and examinations, above and beyond whatever shipyard evaluations she had gone through, all in an effort to make sure she was safe and prepared to fulfill her duty to the country.
Tasks (or "events" as they were called) to perform during these trials were varied and extensive, as can be seen from this partial listing which I have created:
Sea Trial Agenda
First Day
101 - Test all radio transmitters and receivers on all possible antenna combinations.
106 - Take fixes by all electronic, celestial and visual means and compare.
111 - Test fathometer and compare with charted soundings.
113 - Operate torpedo tube muzzle doors by hand and power and shoot water slugs from each tube.
117 - Operate distilling plant making primary grade water.
119 - Test variable ballast system for proper operation.
117a - Operate diesel exhaust door.
118 - Test fairwater and stern plane operation in all modes.
118a - Operate trim and drain pumps.
126 - Test all bottomside sonar.
130a - Operate all periscopes, checking optics, radar and leakage.
136 - Event 136 cancelled.
Second Day
153 - Conduct test of EMBT Blow System.
156 - Measure resistance to ground of all electrical external cables.
201 - Self noise and cavitation checks.
202 - Run and observe air conditioning plant throughout trials.
204 - Time raising periscope and mast at max depth and speed designed for.
206 - Calibrate the AN/BRD-6 antenna.
Deep Dive Agenda
Events would occur at specified depths (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 feet)
(@ 200 feet)
D11b - Check shaft bearings and stern tube for heat, leakage and noise.
D11d - Operate hull and backup valves ASW 600, 601, 617, 618 and TD-338
D11f - Operate trim and drain pumps
D11g - Check accuracy of depth gauges and repeaters.
A NEW CHAPTER OPENS
As the Gurnard returned to Mare Island, her sea trials successfully completed, Admiral Rickover sat somewhere inside the newest of the United States' nuclear attack submarines, and composed a letter (a portion of which I am reproducing here), which he addressed to New Hampshire representative Louis C. Wyman:
Dear Mr. Wyman: We are returning from the first sea trials of the U.S.S Gurnard (SSN 662), our 36th attack type nuclear submarine. The ship completed all tests, including full power operation, both surfaced and submerged. The Gurnard, second U.S. submarine to bear this name, was built by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.
In addition to the 36 attack type nuclear submarines, we also have 41 Polaris submarines, making a total of 77 nuclear submarines in operation. When all nuclear submarines presently authorized by Congress are completed, the United States will have a nuclear submarine fleet of 41 Polaris and 64 attack submarines, and a small submarine capable of exploring the ocean bottom.
In addition to the 36 attack type nuclear submarines, we also have 41 Polaris submarines, making a total of 77 nuclear submarines in operation. When all nuclear submarines presently authorized by Congress are completed, the United States will have a nuclear submarine fleet of 41 Polaris and 64 attack submarines, and a small submarine capable of exploring the ocean bottom.
The Gurnard is the first U.S. submarine to go on sea trials since the tragic loss of the Scorpion. Many fine young men - fine husbands, fathers, sons - went down with her. I knew many of them personally. They were outstanding representatives of the best of America's youth.
As a reminder of man's dependence on God, I present a bronze plaque to each submarine Captain as he completes his training in nuclear power. On it is inscribed the prayer which has been used by Breton fishermen for hundreds of years: "Oh God, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.
Respectfully,
H.G. Rickover
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(This is Part Three of a multi-part story.)
(Click here to read Part One) (Click here to read Part Two)
(Click here to read Part One) (Click here to read Part Two)
(Updates to this story will also be made from time to time, as new information becomes available.)
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