|
|
|
Vol.
5, No. 11 &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; November
2009 Newsletter
of Charleston Base, United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. |
![](3D"0911_files/image002.jpg")
![](3D"0911_files/image004.jpg")
![](3D"0911_files/image005.gif")
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; ![](3D"0911_files/image006.gif")
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; ![](3D"0911_files/image007.gif")
|
|
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; USSVI Creed &=
#8220;To
perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives |
|
![](3D"0911_files/image009.jpg")
![](3D"0911_files/image011.jpg")
| Base w=
eb
page: =
www.ussvicb.org Nation=
al web
page: <=
span
style=3D'color:blue'>www.ussvi.org Base Meeting: November
12, 2009 Social
hour 1800, General Meeting 1900 Location: Fleet
Reserve Association Branch 269, Low Country Home
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minutes of the October 2009 meeting
Attendance for the Oc= tober 8, 2009 meeting was 110 Opening Ceremony:&nbs= p; Base Commander called the meeting to order. A Quorum was present and the mee= ting was commenced at 1900. Guest Speakers were D= enise Phillips and Rebecca Jordan. They were introduced by Mike Karriker. The subject was ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. Military veterans are 2X more likely to die from ALS than the general population and ALS is now listed = as a service connected disability. Our POC with the local support chapter is M= ike Karriker and their website is: www.SCA= LSA.ORG Introductions: New people were introduced; Bob Call (MT), Doug Pratt (MM2), and J= ohn E Traxler (ETC). Welcome ab= oard. Secretary: Secretary Rick Collins asked for a motion to approve the meeting minutes from last month. A = motion was made and seconded. Minu= tes approved. Treasurer: Rick Collins gave the treasurer’s report. Storekeeper: 2010 USSVI calendar on sale for $7. Chaplain: September Report:=
The
family of K. Russ ‘Pappy’ Cline acknowledges with grateful
appreciation your kind expression of sympathy. Thank you very much for the
support of the Sub Vets. Their presence was noted by many, and remarked o=
n.
Their presence, kind words and prayers assures me I am not alone. God Ble=
ss,
Judy A. Cline. The family of Richar= d Lee Horton, III acknowledges with deep appreciation your kind expression of sympathy. Mary, Danny, Lee, Brandy and Nick Horton<= o:p> =
= Cards were sent as follows to: =
Family of Dave Harnish. Dave de=
parted
on Eternal Patrol on September 19th. He was a retired QMCM (SS) and the p=
ast
Western Region Director, Subvets RV club wagon master, Perch and Bremerton
Base member. Family
of Richard Horton. Rich departed on Eternal Patrol on September 18th. He was a ret=
ired
RMC (SS). He was not a member of Charleston Base. Family
of Gerald Mosseau. Gerald departed on Eternal Patrol on September 13th. He served =
on
the Simon Bolivar and was not a member of Charleston Base. Ben
McDonald
who had knee replacement on September 15th. His surgery went well and he =
is
expecting full recovery. Ken
Hutchinson.
He received the results of PET scan and needle biopsy for the spot on his
lung and even though the results were not definitive, there appeared to be
abnormal cells present. Ken has chosen to have surgery on October 15th at
0530 at MUSC. =
Family
of Ronald Gossen. Ronald
departed on Eternal Patrol on September 29th. He was a retired Submariner=
Chief
Petty Officer and was not a member of Charleston Base. =
Several
follow-ups were made on those who’ve had surgery or illnesses in the
last couple of months along with the base sending additional cards. If
you know of shipmates or spouses from other bases who are having a diffic=
ult
time, had surgery, etc. and would like for USSVI Charleston Base to send =
them
a card please send their name and address to the Chaplain via email or ph=
one
call. Vice Commander Report: Sub Vets WWII: Stacy Power invited everyone to = the next Swamp Fox Chapter meeting at Ryan's Family Steak House 1314 North Ma= in Street in Summerville on the 15th, the 3rd Thursday in Oct, at 1200 (noon). We need to raise so= me money to pay for the Amberjack memorial that we are putting up at Patriots Point. Lee Allison has WWII calendars and Lost Boat cards for sale at a g= reat low price of $18 for the two. |
Scholarship: Jim Yates was not present. Tickets are being sold for a dra= wing for a Hunley print that is already framed. Tickets are $1 or 6 for $5. Drawing at the Christmas party. Do not have to be present to win. Challen= ge coins are being sold by the base to support the scholarship fund. Public Affairs<= /u>: Having problems getting certain newspapers to put our meeting notices in them. Asking for a POC for the b= ase paper. Webmaster: The
website is constantly updated. If you have anything you want posted send =
it
to Veteran’s Affairs: No report District Commander:&n=
bsp;
Nov. 4th thru the 7th in Fleet Reserve: No report Membership: Pay your dues! Little David: Thank you all who were at the Tractor Pull. Newsletter: Your name will be in the newsletter if you don’t pay your du= es. Base Historian: Looking for names of Charleston Base plank owners. He has the name= s of the base officers but needs the list on regular members. After Chief of the Boat: 1. WW11 meeting @ Ryan’s in Summerville be there at 11:30. 2. Hog roast @ 1300 Saturday, 24 October. $5 bring a dish but we do not ne= ed hash, slaw, or rice. 3. Veterans Day celebration at the Taste of Summervil= le. We will do a Bell Tolling like last year. Come and wear your vest. 4. Veterans Day ceremony on 11 November @ 1100 in Summerville. Amberjack Memorial dedication 1400 at Patriots Point.= We need two volunteers for the reading of the “Lost Boats”. 5. Christmas party at=
the
“Gatherings” in Base Commander: Asked for a motion to donate $1000 to the Swamp Fox chapter WW2 to help pay for the Lost Boats Memorial at Patriots Point, (Amberjack). Moti= on made, seconded, no discussion, passed. Nuclear Historian:&nb= sp; No report Old Business: None New Business: Hats were passed to collect money to cover remaining cost of the L= ost Boats Memorial. $1,431.43 was donated for a combined total of $2,431.43. = Good Job All!!!! Remember this will be our memorial also. Good Of The Order: D=
epth
Charge drawing to winner Gary Samples who donated $110 back to scholarship
fund. Thanks The Base Commander ad=
journed
meeting at 2010.
"Don't tell mom I'm a submariner, she thinks I =
play
piano in a whorehouse." |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
=
=
November 8
– Patriotism In The Park, November 11
– Veterans Day Ceremony, Summerville County Services building on November 11 – WWII Lost Boat Memorial dedication, at the Cold War Memorial, 140= 0 November 11 – British submarine Seraph memorial and wreath laying. The Citadel at 1600 November = 12 – Regular meeting, 1900; social hour 1800
=
=
Veteran
Appreciation Nights Active duty, and veterans can have a free entree at Applebee’s restaurants on 11 November. http://applebees.com/ The same is available at the Golden Corral restaurants= on 16 November. Military Appreciation
Monday Free "Thank You&qu=
ot;
Dinner Monday, Nov. 16, 2009,<= o:p> 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Golden Corral's 9th annual Military Appreciation Monday dinner will be held on Monday, November 16, 2009, from 5 to 9 pm in all G= olden Corral restaurants nationwide. The free dinner meal is a special "thank you tribute" to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the Nation= al Guard or Reserves, you are invited to join us for Golden Corral's Military Appreciation Monday dinner. =
Yes, It's St=
ill
Our N A V Y This is a copy of the=
speech
that our Honored Guest, Harry Levins, made to the members of the St. Louis
Council of the Navy League of the My thanks to Capt. Kane for inviting me here tonight.=
You
ought to know how honored I am. After all, I'm an old soldier. To me, the
Navy is a mysterious institution. It's an institution in which the NCOs d=
ress
like the officers, and the officers almost never get their hands dirty. I=
t's
an institution whose people call a rope a line, and a stairwell a ladder,
even though it's as plain as the nose on your face that you're looking at=
a
rope or a stairwell. It's an institution that never warns you about weari=
ng a
hat into the wardroom - and then glares at you when you wear a hat into t=
he
wardroom. It's an institution in which people take frightfully brief show=
ers.
I've gotten damper in the predawn dew. And it's an institution that somet=
imes
speaks and behaves as if we're all Englishmen living in, oh, 1880 or so, =
and
Queen And then there's the Army, my Army. One author wrote a
book about the cultural differences among the services. This author - he =
was
once a sailor, by the way - said that the Air Force's first loyalty is to
technology, to its airplanes. He said the Navy's first loyalty is to the =
Navy
itself. And he said the Army's first loyalty was to the Republic, of which
the Army views itself as the loyal servant. By the way, he added, this is=
why
the Army so often gets screwed. But the Army is For one thing, physically speaking, the Navy is outsi=
de
the rest of society. No carrier task force ever made a port call in A few years back, I asked a friend in the Bay Area to
take me by the Oh, sure, The only sailors most Americans ever see is the chief=
at
the recruiting station. Think about it. Here in Just then, the lookout with headphones barked, XO on =
the
bridge! Away flew the cigarettes. Up shot the binoculars. I don't know if
those kids could have spotted a Soviet submarine ambush. But the XO never=
had
a chance. Later, back on the fantail with a cigar, I ruminated about the
officer-enlisted relationship. I concluded that on a crowded ship - even =
on a
ship as big as the battleship Ah, well. I won't change the Navy. If Franklin D.
Roosevelt couldn't, I can't. Why do you call it a brow instead of a gangplank? Thank you very much. =
=
Admiral Osborne Scholarship Fund How about helping out the scholarship fund? We are offering a Charleston Base Challenge Coin for sale. ALL proceeds go into the scholarship fund. Coins only cost $7 each. Available for an additional $1 i= s a protective plastic capsule. To get your coin(s) see Jim Yates, Julian Villegas or Carl Chinn. Make sure you have one for “when you get challenged”! Buy several for great gifts!
Women In Sub=
s = How, Where And When Female Sailors Would Join The Silent Service = By Andrew Scutro and Mark D. Faram, Navy Times, Oct. 12, 2009 =
= (Editor’s Note: The following story w= ill appear in the Oct. 12 edition of Navy Times, which explains the publicati= on date in the byline above.) =
A
handful of female seniors at the =
= And if initial plans fall into place, those women – joined by some seasoned supply and surface nuke lieutenants already in the fleet – will be included in four crews assigned to two Ohio-class submarines by late 2011= . = In exclusive interviews with Navy Times, the heads of Fleet Forces Command a= nd the Submarine Force laid out near-term plans for integrating women into t= he undersea fleet. The plans, which must be approved by senior Navy and Pent= agon leadership, underscore how quickly the service is pushing the initiative.= =
= The interviews also produced a surprising amount of detail, since the stateme= nts came less than one week after the chief of naval operations and Navy secretary told Navy Times that they wanted to end the ban on assigning wo= men to submarines. Plans are so far along, admirals said, because they have b= een working this issue for years. = And after leaping one legislative hurdle, the first steps toward integration could happen fast. =
= The Pentagon must notify Congress of the intent to change policy to allow wom= en on subs, then wait 30 days before moving ahead, and before spending any money. The Navy's working on that notification right now, said Vice Adm. = Jay Donnelly, head of the Submarine Force. =
= "I would think that would start making its way from the Navy, through the secretary of the Navy and the secretary of defense in the month or so ahead," he said. = The first women assigned to submarines will be junior officers, said Adm. John Harvey, head of Fleet Forces Command. =
=
"We'll
start with the officers because you can get to it soonest," =
= Both Harvey and Donnelly said bringing female sailors aboard will be more comp= lex due to manning requirements – and more expensive because of berthing modifications. Adding junior female officers to subs will require no money for modifications, they said. = = The admirals also said that, in the near term, integration will occur only in= the Navy's Ohio-class submarines, which consist of 14 ballistic-missile subs = and four guided-missile subs. =
=
The
Navy's three classes of smaller, fast-attack subs – =
=
"When
you look at the one we're building now, the =
= "Can it be done? I just don't know where we are on that and at what cost, etc.," he said. "But I know we can get at it much more rapidly = with the SSGNs and SSBNs, so that's where the focus will be." =
=
=
Choosing
the first to go =
= Donnelly was careful to point out that he was speaking about how the sub force "might" integrate quickly and not how it "will." =
= The plan to be submitted to leadership for approval will likely involve integrating four crews at first: the bl= ue and gold crews of a ballistic sub on one coast and the blue and gold crews of= a Tomahawk shooter on the other, officials said. =
= The first group would come from the Class of 2010. Seniors interested in surf= ace and undersea nuclear careers are already under-going personal interviews = with Adm. Kirkland Donald, head of Naval Reactors. Right now, women being interviewed are eligible only for nuclear propulsion billets aboard aircr= aft carriers. The men are eligible for carriers and subs. =
= Donnelly said the first female officer cadre would depend on volunteers this school year. =
= It's already a healthy pool. In the academy class that graduated last spring, = half of the 32 ensigns headed to nuclear propulsion school were women. That bo= des well for finding volunteers among this year's crop of seniors. =
= "I think it would be possible to go back to that pool [of senior midshipmen] that has been accepted into the nuclear propulsion program with the inten= t of going into the surface community, to go back and say, ‘Are there an= y of you that would care to volunteer for submarine duty?’ ” Donne= lly said. =
= After graduation in May 2010, they would enter the submarine officer pipeline w= ith their male classmates. =
=
"They'd
go to six months nuclear power school in =
= "That's 15 to 16 months of training before women officers from that class get to their ships. So we're talking some time in late 2011 the earliest, or into early 2012." =
=
Big
subs only =
= The Navy’s three classes fast attack subs are tightly packed, making Ohio-class subs roomy by comparison. The modifications to berthing areas to accommodate w= omen on attack boats would be exceedingly expensive and maybe not even possibl= e, according to experts. = On the other hand, aboard the larger Ohio’s, officer berthing for departme= nt heads and below makes integration simple, as it is limited to two statero= oms with three bunks and three with two bunks. =
= The officers would share their existing head, and just use a flappable sign on the door denoting whether women or men or in the head. =
= 'There is no modification," Donnelly said. "There is no cost." =
= As far as crew composition, Donnelly said, the surface fleet's 16- year experien= ce in gender integration found about 10 percent to 15 percent of officers and enlisted need to be women. The initial female cadres – in this case= , as few as two to four officers per crew – need to have one member who = is senior in order to mentor the junior. =
= "I might be able to find some women supply officers who have been to sea in a mixed-gender crew who kind of know the ropes," he said, "and put them in that initial cadre along with some nuclear-trained ensigns coming= out of sub school." =
= Female surface warfare officers coming off an initial sea tour and headed into t= he nuclear pipeline to be nuke-SWOs might be another source of senior cadre.= =
=
Officers
will be phased in =
=
"I
think it would be probably multiple ships, not the entire force initially=
; we
need to ramp this up. I'd look to do this on BNs and GNs, multiple crews,=
in
both home ports, =
=
The
enlisted issue =
=
Bringing
in enlisted women is a tougher issue. It's going to take money, modificat=
ions
and careful training, both admirals said. "We're not going to see a
young female sailor swinging her seabag on her shoulder and walking aboard
the USS Maryland next month," =
= Having that lead time, he said, will give manpower planners a chance to move for= ward "in a thoughtful, very controlled, very deliberate manner." =
=
Probably
the most critical lesson learned in the surface force, =
= That's because incidents of pregnancy and fraternization are less frequent in cr= ews with strong female leaders onboard. =
=
"It
can't be ‘I'm the woman on the submarine’ – that's just=
a
terrible burden to put on everybody, particularly that young woman,"=
=
= He said it will take some time to build a "critical mass" of female leadership needed to seed the integrated crews. =
= "You'd have to get at least a small cadre of female chiefs or first-class petty officers, and those, of course, would have to come from other parts of the Navy initially," Donnelly said. "Then they would have to have sufficient time to qualify in submarines in order to have, I think, the credibility as leaders on the ship, and that takes some time." =
= Converting into the submarine community at the E-7 or above level would be difficult, according to a retired senior submariner familiar with the Navy's plans. = He asked not to be named because of his continued ties with the Navy. =
= "Really, to be in the chiefs' mess on a submarine you already need to be qualified= in submarines – if you're not, you would be a burden more than an asset," he said. = He said it would make sense to convert experienced petty officers and grow them i= nto submarine chiefs. =
= But even as they're building the enlisted leadership picture, officials also must = work on the other piece – recruiting junior female submariners from the street. =
=
For many
of the nontechnical ratings such as yeoman and culinary specialist, that
could be fairly easy and quick, as it would require only about six months=
at
"A" school and the six-week submarine school in =
= Donnelly said it was too early to say which ratings will be open to women. But over time, all submarine ratings could be open, the retired sub source said. =
= But to truly build a proper representation of women in the submarine force, the source said, women must be recruited and trained in technical ratings, to= o. =
= Training female sailors in highly technical ratings has been a challenge on the surface side. Of the 12,845 nuclear-power-qualified sailors, just 752 are women and 241 of those are in training. Only 22 are chiefs, and two are senior chiefs; there are no female master chief nukes. =
Growing
female enlisted nukes will take time. It takes about 18 months once a sai=
lor
reports to nuclear power school in =
=
Enlisted
modifications =
=
The
other issue, besides personnel, will be to modify enlisted berthing on th=
e =
= "I would not entertain a solution that forced the men to hot-bunk on one of those ships. So we'll do this right, and the right answer is give the wom= en their own head," he said, "and make sure the men aren't inconvenienced or treated unfairly in any way." = = As they exist now, the modification plans are little more than drawings, as money can't be committed prior to congressional notification. =
=
= "We haven't actually gone to the ship design engineers," Donnelly said.<= /p> =
= The timeline is somewhat flexible for enlisted berthing modifications, which could be completed on the boomers during their refueling overhauls. The f= our SSGNs already completed their midlife overhaul and conversion. There are = also shorter yard periods when the work might be done, depending on the complexity. =
= Donnelly estimates the cost of those modifications at $8 million to $10 million. B= ut he offered a warning. =
= “Those prices never go down," he said. "They always go up." =
Remember, If you haven't got a smile on your face And laughter in your heart, Then you're just a =
sour
old fart! |
=
November Submarines Lost:
The Final Patrol Lord, these departed shipmates with dolphins on t=
heir
chest, Are a part of an outfit known as the very best. Make them welcome and take them by the hand, You'll find without a doubt they were the best in=
all
the land. So, heavenly Father, add their names to the roll,=
Of our departed shipmates still on patrol. Let them know that we who survive, Will always keep their memories alive. =
=
Membership Dues =
= 2010 membership dues were payable on 1 October 2009. =
= If you’re not sure what you owe, contact Carl Chinn at membership@ussvicb.org or 875-3098. =
= The following members are ON THE DINK LIST: =
=
=
=
=
=
=
Tricare Flu Shots =
= Tricare covers the following vaccines for the seasonal flu: =
· Flu s= hot: an inactivated vaccine containing a killed virus and given with a needle. This form of the vaccine may be used in all age groups. · Flu m= ist: nasal-spray flu vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses. This form of the vaccine is limited for use in people who are between the ages of 2 an= d 49 years, and who are not pregnant at the time they receive the vaccination. = Tricare covers the Seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines as long as the vaccine is obtai= ned from a Tricare-authorized provider. Understand that pharmacists are not recognized by Tricare as authorized providers to administer immunizations. Certain people should get vaccinated each year because they are at high r= isk of serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for high-risk persons. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following people should be vaccinated each year: =
· All children aged six months to 18 years · Adults aged 50 years and older · Persons with underlying chronic medical conditions · All w= omen who are be pregnant during the influenza season · Health care workers involved in direct patient care · Child care and elderly care workers · Perso= ns at high risk of severe complications from influenza = The CDC has determined that the H1N1 virus is contagious and spreading from human= to human. The vaccine is expected to be available in OCT/NOV 09 and beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. To ensure Tricare Prime enrollee= s can receive the vaccine as quickly as possible, Tricare is suspending require= ment for them to have a referral and authorization from their primary care man= ager allowing them to receive the H1N1 vaccine from any Tricare-authorized provider, including non-network providers. The requirement is suspended f= rom 1 OCT 09 thru 30 APR 10. This will allow Tricare Prime enrollees to recei= ve the H1N1 vaccine from any Tricare-authorized provider without being subje= ct to point-of-service charges for visiting a non-network provider. Again, understand that pharmacists are not recognized by Tricare as authorized providers to administer immunizations. For more information about the seasonal and H1N1 flu and to learn about preventing the flu, refer to the Tricare Flu Resources Page www.tricare.mil/flu Annual
Christmas Party The Charleston Base Christmas Party will=
be
on 5 December 2009. It will=
be
held at the same location as the past 3 years; Gatherings in beautiful downtown Same rules as always… you must have=
a
ticket to attend and THERE WILL BE NO TI=
CKET
SALES AT THE DOOR! Cocktails at 1700, Dinner at 1830 Dress is not prescribed, come comfortabl= e, as you desire. Coat and tie, slacks and shirt, etc. Tickets will be available starting Septe= mber meeting. Last day to buy tickets is 12 November meeting.= Buy early! Ticket price: $15 per person for member and spouse/girlfriend. $20 per = person for all other guests. =
To all our USSVI Sub Vet brothers from the WWII Swamp= Fox chapter, our thanks. What an outpouring of love you made in helping the Wo= rld War Two Submarine Veterans by your generous donations of monies, both as = an organization and individually. Words can’t express the heart felt feelings we all received. Our goal is to pa= ss on to our grandchildren a bit of history that they may see that liberty is n= ot free. The Swamp Fox chapter has 17 members remaining from a= bout 268. Our USSVI members comp= rise 34 as associate members and we will ensure their memory will not be lost = or forgotten. The plaques are in and look beautiful they will be mounted on a blue gray granite which really offsets the colors on the plaques. I think every one = will be pleased. Again thanks to all who helped the World War Two veterans, Roger, Lee Mike, Stacy and Abe. =
Neutrinos May Someday Provide High-=
Speed
Submarine Communication = By Jeremy Hsu, Popular Science, October 6, 2009 = Submariners should brace for some crazy science to match those Crazy Ivan maneuvers. A physicist says that ghost-like neutrinos that pass easily through just ab= out everything could provide a future method of communication with deep sea submarines. = Neutrinos represent the ghost particles of the physics world that typically pass through about every form of matter without a trace. That solves one half = of the problem in communicating underwater, where radio waves travel poorly = and even very low frequency (VLF) waves can only go so far. But it leaves open the other half of the issue in that submarines have no way of receiving communications via neutrinos. =
Physicists
have typically studied such particles by detecting the secondary particle=
s or
electromagnetic waves that result from rare neutrino collisions. They have
also used an experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in <=
st1:City
w:st=3D"on">Chicago to beam neutrinos more than 435 miles to a=
= Patrick Huber, a physicist at Virginia Tech, believes that the next generation of muon detectors will dramatically improve in sensitivity to the point wher= e a submarine could possibly carry one. Covering a submarine hull in thin muon detector modules could possibly work, but an even easier method might inv= olve looking for the Cerenkov light radiation left by muons moving through seawater. That large signature could represent an easier target for detection, despite interference from the usual light in an underwater environment. = There are several ifs, and yet the idea of receiving data at rates of up to 100 bits per second must sound appealing to naval forces. Submarines that wan= t to communicate without surfacing must currently trail a long radio antenna behind them, and can only receive up to 50 bits of data per second. = But even if a neutrino communication method arises, Technology Review points out t= hat there's still no way for submarines to phone home in reply. So for the ne= ar future, submariners may have to settle for the usual: run silent, run dee= p. =
Deep-sea communication with neutrin=
os = Physics World, Oct. 7, 2009 =
=
Communicating
with nuclear-powered submarines – which can remain underwater
essentially indefinitely – is a major challenge because seawater is
opaque to most of the electromagnetic spectrum. Neutrinos have previously
been proposed as a solution to this problem, because these subatomic
particles can pass easily through all matter, but it was thought to be
impossible to generate beams of sufficient intensity. However, a physicis=
t in
the =
= Nuclear-powered submarines can remain submerged for months at a time and only need to resurface to replenish food stocks or carry out maintenance. However, submarines' movements are restricted by the need to receive messages to direct their actions. Seawater is transparent only in part of the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (blue and green wavelengths) and = at frequencies below about 100 Hz. Using lasers in the visible is not practi= cal and low-frequency radio transmissions result in extremely low data rates – around one bit per minute. As a result, nuclear submarines curren= tly communicate by floating a wire antenna close to the surface of the ocean. While this supports data rates of about 50 bits per second, it restricts = the depth and speed of operation of a vessel. =
=
Sent
through the Earth =
= Patrick Huber of Virginia Tech believes that these problems can be overcome by instead using neutrinos. Because neutrinos interact extremely weakly with other matter, a beam of such particles can be sent through the Earth with very little loss of intensity. So a submarine could in principle pick up information encoded in a neutrino beam sent from anywhere else on the pla= net by detecting the neutrinos that approach it from below. =
Unfortunately,
neutrinos interact very weakly with matter and, therefore, generating a
measurable signal requires an extremely intense beam. There are currently=
a
number of experiments around the world that involve the transmission and
detection of neutrino beams in order to measure how neutrinos
"oscillate" as they travel through space, an important area of
study in fundamental physics. But such facilities would be unsuited for
carrying out long-range communications. For example, a beam sent from
Fermilab outside = Huber, however, has worked out that a new kind of neutrino source that physicists hope to build within the next decade – a neutrino factory – w= ould provide sufficient intensities. A neutrino factory would work by slamming high-energy protons into a target made of liquid mercury, with the collis= ions producing pions, which decay into muons, which in turn decay into muon neutrinos. =
=
Detecting
Cerenkov radiation =
= Huber calculates that data encoded in beams of such neutrinos could be picked u= p by detectors wrapped around the hull of a submarine at rates of between 1 and 100 bits per second. These detectors would either pick up the muons produ= ced when muon neutrinos interact with the water or, more indirectly, measure = the Cerenkov radiation generated by the passage of such muons through the wat= er. Data would be encoded by chopping time up into many different slots and t= hen sending a pulse of neutrinos within a particular slot, so that one second divided up into 16,000 slots, for example, would be equivalent to transmitting one letter out of a 16,000 letter alphabet or 14 bits (214).= A neutrino factory would not come cheap – it would cost several billi= on dollars. And adapting it for telecommunications might, says Huber, roughl= y double this price; the extra expense required to make the device rotatable so th= at it could point to wherever a submarine is located. But Huber believes that this price should be seen in the context of the money already spent on nuclear submarines by the US, with the 14 Trident vessels, including missiles, costing some $150bn. "There are many things I would not ha= ve thought a government would spend very large amounts of money on," he adds. "So I would not expect anyone to actually build such a system.= But I would not be surprised if someone wanted to do more research on it.&quo= t; =
Medicare Reimbursement Rates 2010 Update 01 =
= Despite a strong push from The Military Coalition (TMC), the American Medical Association (AMA) and others, the Senate failed to muster enough votes th= is week to repeal the flawed statutory formula that will impose a 21% cut in Medicare and Tricare payments to doctors this coming January unless the l= aw is changed. Earlier this week on 20 OCT, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) President VADM Norb Ryan Jr. (USN-Ret) was one of three ma= jor association leaders invited by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to speak at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol building to highlight the importance= of passing Stabenow's bill to protect against repeated cuts in 2010 and subsequent years. Speaking at the press conference Ryan said, "The current flawed formula for Medicare doctor payments puts every military beneficiary at risk, because military Tricare payments are tied to Medicare's. Access to health care already is the single biggest problem f= or military beneficiaries of all ages. The 21% cut to Medicare and Tricare payments called for under current law would make that problem exponential= ly worse by causing large numbers of doctors to stop seeing elderly and mili= tary patients. The last thing troops in combat should have to worry about is whether their sick spouse or child can find a doctor to treat them." Ryan noted that MOAA members had generated more than 16,000 messages in t= he space of four days urging their legislators to support Stabenow's legislation. =
= Current law requires not only a 21% payment cut in 2010, but a cumulative 40% cut over the next six years. Stabenow said she introduced her bill "Medi= care Physician Fairness Act" (S.1776) to get Congress "to rethink ho= w we look at physician care and physician payments. She said Congress has acte= d to stop such cuts seven times in the past, but most have only been one-year fixes that necessitated reversing even bigger cuts the following year. &q= uot;We need to stop the band-aid approach, be honest about [future budgets], and= lay a foundation for real physician payment reform." Ryan signed MOAA letters to every senator on 20 OCT, urging them to vote for S. 1776, but = the vote failed after several senators expressed concern about how to pay for= the bill, which would cost $250 billion over the next 10 years. After the failed vote, Senate le= aders pledged to find a way to approve and fund at least a one-year fix before = the end of December to ensure the 21% cut in Medicare and Tricare payments wo= n't go into effect. The problem with this approach is that current law requir= es compounding annual cuts - forcing a 26% payment cut in JAN 2011 - so putt= ing off a permanent fix only increases the cost of doing that later. =
= On 30 OCT House Democrats introduced H.R.3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009, which would repeal Medicare’s ineffective Susta= ined Growth Rate (SGR) formula and replace it with a more reliable system. The SGR is used to determine phy= sician reimbursement rates for doctors providing services in Medicare and TRICARE programs. First established= in 1997 to constrain healthcare costs, the SGR sets spending caps for the en= tire Medicare program each year, and if overall spending exceeds that level (w= hich it has, every year, since 2002), physician reimbursement rates are cut to bring expenditures in line with established targets. =
We Are A Submarine Sailor by Mike Hemming We are not the first of them and we will not be the last. Our heritage runs back to the first submarine. This heritage line continues forward into an unseen future. Each generation is trained by the one before. This will remain so until there is no more use for submarines, which will be never. If one of us goes aboard a new or old submarine, w= e are comfortable with the men there. For they are us and we are them. Stand us= in a line in all our dress uniforms or naked in our coffins, we are the same= . We are and forever will be submarine sailors. We are one. We can have everything taken from us, uniforms, me= dals, our sanity and our lives, but we will always be recognized by others and ourselves as a submariner. This status can not be removed from us. Our Dolphins worn on our chests then, hung on our walls now, or later pinned = on moldering uniforms in our graves mark us forever. We are first, last, and always men that stepped forward and worked long and hard to become what we are. We are unique among sailors for we sail down deep into dark and alwa= ys dangerous waters. We do this not with foolhardy go-to-hell bravery, but w= ith cool calculation and care. We challenge the dangers with training and practice. We know that the time for bravery will come when two shipmates close themselves in a flooding compartment, knowing that the whole boat a= nd crew depends on them to control the flooding. We believe in each other, because we must. Alone a= t sea, the crew and a pressure hull are all we have to reach the surface again. = Men with confidence in each other dive and surface submarines countless times. Each man trained by others holds the lives of those shipmates in his hand= s. Dolphins are the symbol of this tradition. Submarine hulls have numbers and men have hearts a= nd souls. We carry those numbers in our hearts in life, and they mark our so= uls in death. Silver or Gold, Dolphins are the symbol of this. = To us Dolphins are it, no other symbol matters or means anything as important as they do. USS Squalus<= o:p> It was dark. The air was foul. The only light came fr= om the beams of a few flashlights. On the other side of the bulkhead was a tomb. In those cold, dark spaces were = 26 men who had died an agonizing death, drowned by water gushing through an air induction valve nearly three feet in diameter. Warren Smith wasn't on the deadly side of the bulkhea= d. He was on the lucky side, where 33 survivors were breathing air pressuriz= ed to double the atmospheric pressure at sea level, fighting for every breat= h. The morning of May 23, 1939, started out routinely enough. The submarine U.S.S. Squalus left port on its way to the 19th div= e of its sea trials. The U.S.S. Squalus in 1938, a year before the fateful dive when she sank. The drill this morning was to submerge rapidly in a simulated enemy attack. The captain ordered the boat to dive just as he h= ad 18 times before, but this time something went terribly wrong. Two valves, one nearly three feet in diameter, had st= uck open -- letting a torrent of water into the boat. "We dove and we went down to 50 feet in 55 secon= ds, and then we got word the engine room was flooding. So the old man dropped down out of the conning tower ... and said blow all ballast. And when they did the forward ballast raised the bow up about a 45-degree angle and stu= ck her nose out of the ocean probably. "But there was so much water that went into the engine rooms ... she went down. She stuck her tail in the mud ... sat on = the bottom and that's where she was." She was in 240 feet of water off the coast of The one thing the submariners had going for them was a radical new technology pioneered by a Navy maverick named Charles "Swede" Momsen. The new technology was the McCann Rescue Chambe= r, a diving bell. The Squalus rescue would be the first time it was used. The chamber made four trips to the bottom that day.
Smith, who now lives in A portrait taken of Smith in "I'd been up in that conning tower and I got sic= ker than a dog up there. The air was bad, and Arthur Booth and I was hammerin= g on the goldarn bulkhead and tearing off insulation and everything." Smith and his shipmate had spent hours in the conning tower, beating out a message in Morse code in hopes the ships hovering ab= ove would hear them. The captain ordered Smith to go to the forward torpedo r= oom and wait for rescue. "We moved up into the torpedo room and I crawled= up into a bunk and went to sleep. I said, well, I'll either get out of this son-of-a-gun or I won't. Did Smith ever have the feeling he wouldn't survive? = "No, I didn't have that feeling 'cause I'd had things happen to me before -- not that bad, of course. I figured I was ei= ther going to get it or not." But that attitude didn't temper his reaction when the diving bell bobbed to the surface. "... when I came out of that bell I couldn't bel= ieve the air was so easy to breathe." Warren Smith is 87 years old and still breathing easy= . Warren W Smith Passed away on 7/23/2001 He served on the USS CACHALOT, USS BASS, and USS S-37=
. In
1939, He will be missed by his family and shipmates at Hawk= bill Base. Sailor rest your oar. =
|
![](3D"0911_files/image012.gif")
![](3D"0911_files/image013.gif")
![](3D"0911_files/image015.jpg")
![](3D"0911_files/image017.jpg")
![](3D"0911_files/image018.gif")
![](3D"0911_files/image020.gif")
![](3D"0911_files/image022.jpg")
![](3D"0911_files/image024.gif")
![](3D"0911_files/image026.gif")
![](3D"0911_files/image028.jpg")