Article

2007-01-09 Arabia

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Posted by Steve White 2007-01-09 00:00|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 What is it with Japanese ships/boats and nuke subs, anyway?

Not good for the Captain, for sure.

Posted by mojo">mojo 2007-01-09 00:30|| 2007-01-09 00:30|| Front Page Top

#2 Another load of Iranian oil. Too bad it didn't sink. Now they know there's a cluster of subs with nukes below the surface and 2 carrier attack groups above the water. No wonder the Ayatollah had a stroke. Tried to have a shit fit, but his cancer laden bowels prevented that and applied extra pressure on his pea brain and blew out all circuits. What a damn shame.

Posted by SpecOp35 2007-01-09 01:21|| 2007-01-09 01:21|| Front Page Top

#3 Must have just scraped hulls.

Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom 2007-01-09 07:12|| www.sockpuppetofdoom.com]">[www.sockpuppetofdoom.com] 2007-01-09 07:12|| Front Page Top

#4 Er how?

A supertanker is
a) slow
b) very noisy.
c) frickin huge

If a sub can't avoid that then what hope of finding the iranian mini subs?

Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2007-01-09 09:18|| 2007-01-09 09:18|| Front Page Top

#5 What is it with Japanese ships/boats and nuke subs, anyway?

Actually, it's just American subs whom have a long and well chronicled history of sinking Japanese tonnage. In war, and as it appears, in peace.

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-01-09 09:21|| 2007-01-09 09:21|| Front Page Top

#6 Interesting that the sub was ID'd, even unofficially, by an unnamed source.

Posted by mrp 2007-01-09 09:28|| 2007-01-09 09:28|| Front Page Top

#7 A supertanker is
a) slow
b) very noisy.
c) frickin huge

Exactly (VBEG)

Posted by Pappy 2007-01-09 09:55|| 2007-01-09 09:55|| Front Page Top

#8 Another load of Iranian oil.

Not necessarily. Kuwaiti and Saudi--and Iraqi!--oil gets shipped from terminals in the Gulf.

Posted by Mike 2007-01-09 10:29|| 2007-01-09 10:29|| Front Page Top

#9 True enough Pappy, this is all on the Commander, unless there are some very wierd circumstances.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2007-01-09 10:33|| 2007-01-09 10:33|| Front Page Top

#10 Conjecture: sub was using tanker for a moving shield to obscure its presense, got too cute/too close.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2007-01-09 10:34|| 2007-01-09 10:34|| Front Page Top

#11 If a sub can't avoid that then what hope of finding the iranian mini subs?

Try crossing a New York intersection with your eyes closed. Supertankers are dime a dozen in a heavily traveled area, especially in a constricted one as the Straits of Hormuz. Now, isolate out all the very similar sounds that are not only travelling straight line but also bouncing and echoing around from the shallows and the intense thermoclines in a hot and shallow body of water. Now also include the requirement of not letting others know you're there (known as trying to be stealthy), also called traversing SUBMERGED. It's easy for the tanker itself to have masked it's own prop sounds because those things are so huge. Add the possibility it had a load of oil, those ships can be down in the water over 50 feet of draft.

I'm always amazed at the people who think it's so friggin' easy to look out the periscope. Well, maybe their "Seaview"-like forward windows were dirty or sumthin' ~~moron~~.

Posted by AlmostAnonymous5839">AlmostAnonymous5839 2007-01-09 10:41|| 2007-01-09 10:41|| Front Page Top

#12 They weren't in the straits, they were in the Arabian Gulf. A well traveled area, but they should have know that a tanker was close.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2007-01-09 11:20|| 2007-01-09 11:20|| Front Page Top

#13 First thoughts. (1) How useful is a sub if they can't see a tanker and avoid it? Something else is going on. (2) What is the likelyhood the sub tried to stop the tanker at sea and the tanker refused to stop? Collision resulted. (3) If I was a bad guy I'd make false reports of ship collisions with US ships I knew to be in the area to embarrass the captains and cause some havoc amung the American Navy about wtf?

Posted by rjschwarz 2007-01-09 11:27|| 2007-01-09 11:27|| Front Page Top

#14 (2) What is the likelyhood the sub tried to stop the tanker at sea and the tanker refused to stop?

Slim and none. And Slim, he's out of town. Seriously, subs are not generally used for the interdiction of surface vessels. Surface warships are used for that. Carry on.

Posted by Chuck Darwin 2007-01-09 11:46|| 2007-01-09 11:46|| Front Page Top

#15 My guess was that Japan being a friendly who could be trusted. The US Sub was using the Oil Tanker's prop wash to drown out himself so he could sneak into the gulf were I imagine a big fat tanker would be headed. This is a shame he hit becuase that will be one less sub in theater. Guesing that it took the sub out of action becuase I would imagine if it hadn't caused serous damage it would never have made news just another odd sound on a big ship in the middle of the ocean known only by the 20 or so crew on board.

Posted by C-Low 2007-01-09 11:50|| 2007-01-09 11:50|| Front Page Top

#16 It could be a plant to put pressure on the Iranians, with deniability.

Posted by Zarquon Pebbles in Blairistan 2007-01-09 11:59|| 2007-01-09 11:59|| Front Page Top

#17 It was headed out of the gulf, C-Low. Destination: Singapore.

Posted by mojo">mojo 2007-01-09 12:37|| 2007-01-09 12:37|| Front Page Top

#18 Another thought, how strict are the Japanese when it comes to flagging tankers? Is it guaranteed that this is from a Japanese company, or could it be closer to Liberia and Panama where everyone can be flagged. I assume it's a Japanese company but it changes the picture if it's not.

Posted by rjschwarz 2007-01-09 14:03|| 2007-01-09 14:03|| Front Page Top

#19 Chuck Darwin, if the sub was the closest at the time I don't think it's unreasonable. That's how the NAZI's got the Arc of the Covenant you know.

Posted by rjschwarz 2007-01-09 14:03|| 2007-01-09 14:03|| Front Page Top

#20 think comment #10 has it pegged; something caused the tanker to check up or the sub overtook faster that anticipated. either way, not good for the sub CO and not good for us since repairs are needed. unscheduled pitstops suck.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2007-01-09 14:13|| 2007-01-09 14:13|| Front Page Top

#21 #10 Conjecture: sub was using tanker for a moving shield to obscure its presense, got too cute/too close

my thoughts when i first read this...

Posted by RD 2007-01-09 17:22|| 2007-01-09 17:22|| Front Page Top

#22 Couple of comments from submariners:

I am surprised that it hadnt happen earlier. We have had boats in that area since late 79. Emergency Deep is a no shi**er when you are there. Whats worse is when two contacts 120 degrees apart on the scope are in fact the same super tanker. High pucker factor.

Hopefully no one was injured.

and

Friends -

I was on one of the first group of nuke boats in there in the winter of '79, after the hostages were taken. Right up at the mouth of the straits. Trust me, it was duckin' and dodgin' tankers at PD for 80 days. Not surprised at this at all.

And Emergency Deep was kinda chancy as well when you were spending a lot of time in water that was less than 500 ft.

Posted by Sherry 2007-01-09 17:36|| 2007-01-09 17:36|| Front Page Top

#23 Thanks for posting those comments, Sherry.

There's some more commentary at a submariners' blog here, including a pic of the tanker.

Posted by Mike 2007-01-09 17:50|| 2007-01-09 17:50|| Front Page Top

#24 What was that sound?

The sound of one submarine CO's career being flushed.

Posted by FOTSGreg">FOTSGreg 2007-01-09 19:50|| www.fire-on-the-suns.com]">[www.fire-on-the-suns.com] 2007-01-09 19:50|| Front Page Top

#25 They weren't in the straits, they were in the Arabian Gulf. A well traveled area, but they should have know that a tanker was close.

Do you practice driving techniques in an open field, or a narrow alley?

Posted by Pappy 2007-01-09 21:28|| 2007-01-09 21:28|| Front Page Top

23:49 tipper
23:44 JosephMendiola
23:35 JosephMendiola
23:25 JosephMendiola
23:12 Laurence of the Rats
23:09 JosephMendiola
22:44 Barbara Skolaut
22:40 Elmert Crosh5077
22:31 Barbara Skolaut
22:27 doc
22:26 Barbara Skolaut
22:19 Barbara Skolaut
22:15 CrazyFool
22:12 Alaska Paul
22:12 Barbara Skolaut
22:04 Alaska Paul
22:02 Laurence of the Rats
21:55 Asymmetrical T
21:52 Captain America
21:50 Alaska Paul
21:44 Mike N.
21:41 Alaska Paul
21:29 Mike N.
21:28 Pappy