View non-flash version
www,seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 41 E very submarine movie has the same scene: The lights in the submarine are dimmed to that dark- room red glow. The sonar operator is cupping his headset and waving his hand for the other sailors in the sonar room to be extra quiet. The captain is standing by in the command & control center waiting for the operator's results. All of a sudden, the sonar tech shouts something like, "depth changes entering the water", or "Typhoon-Class sub approaching", or my favorite from the Hunt for Red October, "Crazy Ivan"… I think everyone can understand the reasons for quiet sub- marines, "the original stealth fighter," as one advertise- ment read. The realm of quiet underwater vessels is becoming more of an issue for non-military and even commercial vessels. The U.S. government just took deliv- ery of the first-in-class, forty-day endurance, Fisheries Research Vessel or FRV-40. The OSCAR DYSON is owned and operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The ship is filled with state-of-the-art sonar systems for The U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine offers improved stealthiness, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and Special Warfare enhancements that will enable it to meet the Navy's multimission requirements. Photo courtesy of Chris Oxley, Northrop Grumman Corporation MTR#1 (33-48).qxd 7/19/2005 10:54 AM Page 41
