War On Terror Changes Mission of Navy Submarines

Since 02-28-03

WAVY.Com

They are one of America's most powerful weapons in the war on terror, but you hardly ever hear about what they are doing. Submarines, the silent warriors. They operate so secretly the Navy rarely even announces when they are leaving and returning home. They are an old weapon, a veteran of the cold war with the Soviet Union. Now, in the war on terror, they have a new role.

Even in a Navy area like Hampton Roads, subs remain a mystery to most residents...but that mystery is part of their mission. The fact that most of us don't know what they're doing is one sign that they are doing it well. Moving in and out of port, gliding on the surface, you might see a few sub crew members. Gunners with intimidating rifles are new additions top side after September 11th. But even when surfaced, you'll only see a fraction of the 360-foot long sub. As soon as it reaches deeper water, Navy submarines to home..."under" the sea.

Throughout the cold war, their role was clear - track Soviet subs. But now submarines are a weapon in the war on terror. Wherever a potential enemy is, a sub is hiding nearby listening. "What we're able to do is watch how a guy operates," says Commander Mike Poirier, Commanding Officer of the USS Toledo. "We're able to watch how he exercises his military forces and we're able to get a much better understanding of what his capabilities are and sometimes even his intentions."

The Navy says even though it has just over half the number of subs it had in 1989, the number of intelligence gathering missions has doubled. Submarines also pack a powerful punch. More than a third of the Tomahawk cruise missiles launched into Afghanistan were fired from U.S. and British submarines.

The sub's third job is special operations: to put Navy Seals ashore. Attack subs carry a dozen Seals. The Navy is now beginning a nearly four billion dollar program to convert four huge Trident Ballistic Missile submarines into a platform for 66 Seals.

The cold war may be over, but American submarines are busier than ever. "As a submarine force, we're really running just to keep up with all the missions we have," says Poirier. "But that's good. That means that we're being useful," No matter what it's mission, a submarine will always operate differently than surface ships. Underwater, they see by listening. Sonar operators train to identify everything by its sound.

"He (a sonar operator) can listen to a contact and he can say this is a merchant on a four bladed propeller just because of the way it sounds," says SGS1 David Plouffe of the USS Toledo. Attack subs make their own air and water. Its nuclear reactor will last the life of the ship. The only thing that the ship must surface for is replenish its food supply. And with the crew operating around the clock, there are four meals served every day. Submarines stay underwater for weeks at a time, which can isolate the crew even more.

"The news of what's going on in the world gets to us a lot slower than the surface ships," says Lieutenant Commander Dan Arensmeyer, Executive Officer onboard the USS Toledo.

Guys - and it is all guys on submarines - know what they do is different. They like it that way. "You just can't explain to someone who's never been exposed to it," says FT2 Jeff King, USS Toledo. "It's difficult. It's something we only know about."

Submarines usually deploy with an aircraft carrier battle group, but sometimes they go off on their own to carry out secret missions.

Chris Barron