01/05/2013 Britain's New Nuclear Attack Submarine

NAVAL INTEREST:

AMERICAN SUBMARINERS YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS:

The HMS AMBUSH is Great Britain's newest nuclear propelled attack submarine. She is so advanced she doesn't even need a periscope. The interior hull is lined with sound absorbent tiles. Her nuclear plant can go 25 years without refueling. She carries dozens of 1200 mile range cruise missiles. Her sonar is so sophisticated she can be in the North Sea in Great Britain's territorial waters and hear ships exiting New York Harbor.  Habitability? No hot bunking, one berth per crew member plus eleven extras, five senior commissary rates carried for 24/78 galley operations, generous head facilities, lots of head room. Why can't the U.S. build like this? Frankly we think its our procurement system. By the time a design gets through to the production stage some of the key technology is already obsolete. Still, this is one British super sub, we have to field fleets. But another question this British super sub poses to American submarine and war ship production generally is do you really need to think in terms of production lines and cookie cutter classes of vessels. These are the days of short production runs and short notice changes. The Brits are not going to field dozens of this class, but they can still produce a a quality warship, including submarines even if the design ends up being a one of a kind, which is not to say that is the plan for the AMBUSH class. If you are a submariner you have to take the tour. Click on the link below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2203110/Deadly-Hunter-Killer-submarine-capable-hearing-ship-leaving-port-New-York--sat-underwater-English-channel.html

Illustration from the "NAVY NEWS" (Great Britain) as featured in the linked article from
MAIL On Line. Many full sized  photos and illustrations in the linked article.