Today In Undersea Warfare History: 1942

http://www.subforce.navy.mil/

Today In Undersea Warfare History:

1942 | USS Runner (SS 275) returned to Pearl Harbor, HI. for overhaul after receiving damage from an aerial bomb on her 1^st war patrol.

1943 | USS Rock (SS 274): At the start of her 6^th war patrol, she picked up 15 merchant seamen, adrift in a life raft for 32 days, and landed them at Exmouth.

U.S. Undersea Warfare News
USS Washington Christened in Newport News

Lance M. Bacon, Navy Times, Mar 5
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus Speaks at Christening of USS Washington

Robyn Sidersky, Norfolk Virginia Pilot, Mar 5
State Official: Sub Base In Good Position As Pentagon Pushes for BRAC

Julia Bergman, New London Day, Mar 5
Submarine Washington: A Celebratory Christening, A Backdrop of Concern

Hugh Lessig, Daily Press, Mar 4


International Undersea Warfare News
Japanese Submarine To Visit Philippines – Sources (Japan/ Philippines)

Nobuhiro Kubo, Reuters, Mar 7
Russian Subs Are Reheating A Cold War Chokepoint (Russia)

Magnus Nordenman, Defense One, Mar 4

U.S. Undersea Warfare News
USS Washington Christened in Newport News

Lance M. Bacon, Navy Times, Mar 5

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Navy on Saturday christened USS Washington, the 14th Virginia-class attack submarine. Construction began on the future SSN 787 — also the fourth Virginia-class Block III submarine — in 2011. The keel was laid 16 months ago, and commission is set for 2017.

Ray Mabus, who is nearing the end of his tenure as Navy secretary, was on hand to congratulate ship builders for the “technological marvel," which has improved stealth and sophisticated surveillance capabilities. A redesigned bow features a water-backed Large Aperture Bow sonar array, and two Virginia Payload Tubes are each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles. The sub is capable of Special Forces delivery, mine delivery and minefield mapping. While such technology gives the Navy a powerful edge, Mabus was quick to identify its crew, which stood in formation between him and the sub, as providing Washington's true edge.

Vice Adm. Joe Tofalo, commander of Submarine Forces, told the crew it would operate in the most challenging environments on Earth, "on scene, unseen." Combatant commanders are asking for more submarines, he said, and the proliferation of anti-access/area denial systems will only increase this responsibility. Subs such as Washington are the "key that unlocks the door, thereby significantly enabling a greater naval and joint force."

In the shadow of the sub and its sailors, Mabus reflected on the founding fathers, who in drafting the Constitution gave Congress the authority to raise an army, but mandated that it provide and maintain the Navy. That "not-so subtle difference" recognizes the need for naval presence "not just at the right place at the right time, [but] at the right place all the time," he said. Mabus said the ability to provide presence rests on four elements: the people who crew, the platforms they man, the power they carry and partnerships with allies and industry.

A bottle of American sparkling wine was then dipped in water from Puget Sound before it was broken across the ship's bow by Elisabeth Mabus, the ship's sponsor and oldest of the Navy secretary's three daughters. Her sister, Annie, is sponsor of the next attack sub, Colorado. Youngest daughter, Kate, will sponsor the attack sub Utah, Mabus told Navy Times after the ceremony.

Shipbuilding has been a hallmark of Mabus' seven-year tenure. The Navy had 316 ships when terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. In the next seven years, the Navy built 41 ships but watched its armada shrink to 278 ships. The Navy will have contracted 84 ships under Mabus' watch, while ship production increased from fewer than five ships per year to an average of 14. His biggest contract came in 2014 when the Navy allocated $18 billion in a bulk buy of 10 subs.

"It's like having one of those punch cards: Buy nine, get one free," Mabus joked.

To date, 12 Virginia-class submarines have been delivered, 11 are in construction and five are under contract. Virginia-class submarines weigh 7,800 tons, are 377 feet long, have a 34 foot beam, and can operate at more than 25 knots submerged. The reactor plant does not require refueling during the planned life of the ship.

The Washington will be the third Navy ship to be named in honor of the 42nd state. The last, a World War II battleship, was decommissioned in 1947, but she was a pioneer in her seven years of service. BB-56 was the first ship equipped with a fully operational radar, and has the distinction of being the only battleship to sink another battleship in one-on-one surface combat. The battleship earned 13 battle stars, was never hit and never lost crew member.

"It's been 70 years since the USS Washington was decommissioned," Mabus said. "It's time for a new USS Washington, this great submarine, to carry on the legacy of the state of Washington, and the ships that bore her name."

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Navy Secretary Ray Mabus Speaks at Christening of USS Washington

Robyn Sidersky, Norfolk Virginia Pilot, Mar 5

NEWPORT NEWS – It took two hits to break the bottle of American sparkling wine, but Elisabeth Mabus, the daughter of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, christened the submarine Washington in a ceremony Saturday in Newport News.

The ship is the 14th in the Virginia class of submarines and has been under construction since September 2011. Its keel was laid in November 2014.

Elisabeth Mabus is the sponsor of the ship, an honor given by the Navy secretary. She attends its milestones – the christening, the keel laying and the decommissioning – but also has a relationship with the ship and crew.

The submarine has a crew of 120 sailors, led by Cmdr. Jason Schneider.

Ray and Elisabeth Mabus spoke at the ceremony Saturday, along with other dignitaries and Navy officials.

“This is one of the nicest, most emotional days I’ve had in the Navy,” the father said in an interview. “I have loved this young woman since the minute she was born and to watch her grow up and be the person she is today. This ship has a great sponsor.”

For his daughter, it’s a piece of the Navy special to her.

“I considered myself part of the Navy family since he was sworn in seven years ago, but this is my piece now, and I’m excited; long after he leaves office, I’m going to get to be a part of the ship’s life for 30, 35 years,” she said. “It’s a lot that I get to carry on with the Navy.”

One of the speakers Saturday was Vice Adm. Joseph Tofalo, commander of submarine forces. He thanked Elisabeth Mabus for being the sponsor and honored many others.

“I too would like to recognize our amazing shipbuilders who make the Virginia class submarine the best submarine on the planet, and we need Washington to be just that, so that this crew can take her into harm’s way anywhere in the world,” he said.

The secretary described how the Washington is part of a fleet that’s finally growing after a decline following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. He noted that in the summer of 2014, the Navy signed the biggest contract in its history to buy 10 submarines at a cost of $18 billion. The Washington cost $2.7 billion to build.

The ship is the first U.S. naval vessel to be named for Washington state since the World War II-era battleship Washington was decommissioned in 1947. A delegation from the state was there for the ceremony.

Before Elisabeth Mabus broke the bottle on the submarine, she dipped it into a bucket of water from Washington’s Puget Sound.
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State Official: Sub Base In Good Position As Pentagon Pushes for BRAC

Julia Bergman, New London Day, Mar 5

Over the past several years, Pentagon officials have pushed for another round of base closures and consolidations, and have said they will continue to do so until Congress approves.

This year is no different.

The Pentagon is renewing its call for a new Base Realignment and Closure round, which, if approved, would happen in 2019.

The arguments on both sides essentially remain the same.

Federal lawmakers maintain upfront costs for BRAC are too high, and defense officials say the need to identify efficiencies and re-examine the alignment of their bases warrant another BRAC round.

"Nothing has really changed," said Bob Ross, executive director of the Connecticut Office of Military Affairs set up to defend the Naval Submarine Base in Groton against future BRAC rounds.

The Department of Defense has 20 percent extra infrastructure, according to recent testimony from Pete Potochney, assistant secretary of defense in charge of energy, installations and environment.

Air Force and Army officials have said for years that they have a "tremendous excess" in infrastructure, Ross said, at 30 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

The Navy's position is that "they've got things about right," Ross said. "The Navy would participate (in another BRAC round) just as a review of where they are, but they don't anticipate significant closings."

Ross recently met with Steven Iselin, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy in charge of energy, installations and environment, who conveyed the Navy's stance on BRAC to him during a conference of the Association of Defense Communities.

If there were a BRAC in 2019, the Pentagon first would need to name a commission and put a staff in place, which "all takes a great deal of time," Ross said.

The commission would then go line by line through a Pentagon proposal of what should be closed and what should be realigned.

The commission would then produce its own report, which may or not match the Pentagon proposal.

Sometimes during the BRAC process, certain bases can get larger instead of smaller, Ross said.

In 2005, the defense department recommended combining 26 installations into 12 joint bases.

The department initially estimated that would save $2.3 billion, and later reduced the estimate to $273 million.

The savings from BRAC don't kick in until years down the line.

Projected savings for the 2005 BRAC is about $4 billion annually, but the defense department won't "recoup its up-front costs until 2018," according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

Potochney testified that a new BRAC round would be "efficiency focused" and "save about $2 billion a year after implementation."

The original estimated cost of executing the 2005 BRAC was about $21 billion, but it actually ended up costing about $35 billion.

Ross said the much higher cost "left a little bit of anxiety in the minds of Congress," and lawmakers repeatedly have refused requests for another BRAC round.

One major change from 2005 is that the sub base is in a better place today than it was then when it faced closure then, according to Ross.

"You can never say that you're absolutely sure it could never happen again, but I know the base is in a better place," he said.

Ross cited several reasons for this, including the greater emphasis on submarines in the country's national security strategy.

The Navy has indicated that the Virginia-class and Ohio-replacement class submarine programs are top funding priorities.

"Back in 2005, the aircraft carrier battle group was a pre-eminent feature of Navy power projection. But the world has changed since then," Ross said. "Submarines have really come into their own in terms of all the different missions they're capable of performing."

The recent establishment of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center to examine anti-submarine warfare across the Navy also helps protect the base, according to Ross.

The new command brought back a flag officer to the base, which it lost when Submarine Group 2 was disestablished in August 2014.

The UWDC is operating in the same building where Group 2 was headquartered.

Group 2 didn't have a significant operational role, according to Ross, who said its role was more about administrative and maintenance oversight.

The UWDC is different in that it is a "global command," he said. "It looks at undersea warfare development for the entire Navy."

The base as a whole produces 15,000 jobs, and has an economic impact of $5 billion annually to Connecticut's economy, according to Ross.

The state has made "modest investments" in various infrastructure projects on the base to demonstrate its partnership with the Navy, Ross said.

It has spent $14 million of the $40 million that was set aside by the General Assembly in 2007 for infrastructure improvements on the base.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus recently accepted the state's latest project offers: security improvements related to a commercial railroad that runs through the base and continued development of an electricity microgrid.

Why does the state contribute to a federally funded installation?

"With sequestration and the Budget Control Act, the defense department is really constrained financially to meet all its obligations," Ross said.

When the department doesn't have enough money to do everything it wants, it tends to shift money toward the operational forces so the "tip of the spear remains sharp," he added.

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Submarine Washington: A Celebratory Christening, A Backdrop of Concern

Hugh Lessig, Daily Press, Mar 4

NEWPORT NEWS – The submarine Washington is being christened Saturday at Newport News Shipbuilding, and it can't happen fast enough for the U.S. Navy.

In the past week, Navy congressional leaders have sounded an alarm over the dwindling number of submarines in the coming decade and beyond. The concern is particularly evident in the Asia-Pacific region, where the U.S. casts a wary eye toward the military buildup of Russia and China.

Adm. Harry Harris, who heads U.S. Pacific Command, said newer Virginia-class boats such as the Washington are in high demand.

"As far as Virginia-class submarines – it's the best thing we have," Harris recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I can't get enough of them. And I can't get enough of them fast enough."

The nuclear-powered attack boats are built in an exclusive partnership between the Newport News shipyard, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, and General Dynamics Electric Boat of Groton, Conn. The two yards each build components of the submarines, then alternate in assembling and delivering them to the Navy.

The Washington – named for the Evergreen State, not the nation's first president – will be the 14th Virginia-class submarine and the seventh to be delivered by Newport News. Construction began in September 2011, which marked the start of a two-subs-per-year construction plan between Newport News and Electric Boat.

Navy leaders say the Virginia-class program is one if its top success stories. The last eight ships have been delivered on budget and ahead of schedule, according to Assistant Navy Secretary Sean Stackley, who recently testified before a congressional panel chaired by Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake. The most recent ship to be delivered, the USS John Warner, came in two months early with the least number of deficiencies of any Virginia class boat to date, Stackley said.

The Navy now buys its Virginia-class subs in blocks. The Washington is the fourth sub in the Block III purchase. The Block IV contract for 10 ships has been signed, and the long-term savings resulting from that bulk purchase exceeds $2 billion. That allows the Navy to score a bargain that any cost-conscious consumer would appreciate – 10 subs for the price of nine.

The concern is not today's situation but what leaders see on the near horizon.

The current fleet of attack submarines – the Virginia class and the older Los Angeles class – stands at 52. That's above the Navy's requirement of 48. But the number will hit a low of 41 in 2029.

Speaking recently at a Brookings Institution forum, Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson said the drop-off will occur as the Los Angeles class boats are retired from service faster than the Virginia-class boats can join the fleet.

"We're managing our way through that trough, if you will," he said. "It has been a topic we're watching very closely and doing everything we can to mitigate that."

The concern is not confined to the retirement of Los Angeles-class subs. The Navy's top priority is replacing its aging fleet of Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, which form the undersea portion of America's nuclear deterrent.

The Navy plans to start acquiring the Ohio-class replacement boats in 2021. In that year, production of Virginia-class attack submarines will drop from two to one per year, Stackley told Forbes' committee.

Stackley said the Navy is trying to find a way to pay for a second Virginia-class submarine in 2021. Forbes said he thinks it is possible.

"We not only have concluded that, but the Navy is coming around to that conclusion, too," he said.

In testimony before Forbes' panel, Stackley said the Navy is trying to find additional money for that additional Virginia-class sub in 2021. Reverting to one Virginia-class sub per year is "not good for the nation," he said.

Forbes said Newport News Shipbuilding could reap benefits from that strategy. Electric Boat is taking the lead on building the Ohio-class replacement submarines, which are bigger and more expensive than the Virginia class. If the Navy decides to keep building two Virginia-class subs while Electric Boat is busy with the Ohio class, it could mean more work for Newport News, he said.

Ultimately, this debate is about taking the long view. The projected drop in attack submarines from 52 to 41 is the result of not building submarines in the mid-1990s, Forbes said. He noted that Harris is meeting 62 percent of his demand with the current fleet of 52. If it drops to 41 while China and Russia continue to expand, it becomes a major concern.

Just as those moves in the mid-1990s are shaping today's debate, the decisions made in the coming months and years will affect the next generation of sailors.

"There are some who believe that shipbuilding is a spigot that can be turned on and off as needed," Forbes said. "They are dead wrong."

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus will speak Saturday at the christening of the Washington. He will watch his daughter Elisabeth perform the signature duty of ship's sponsor and break a bottle across the bow. But while it promises to be a great family day, Mabus is aware of the long-term concern, he said while speaking at the Brookings event with Richardson.

"We're building right now two Virginias a year, which is about all the industrial base can handle," he said. "But in the past, we didn't build two a year. (That) didn't have any immediate impact to the fleet. But you look out 10 years and you're looking at a dip in attack submarines. You can mitigate, but you can't make it up. Because if you miss a year building a ship, it's gone. You're just going to have to figure out other ways to do things."
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International Undersea Warfare News
Japanese Submarine To Visit Philippines – Sources (Japan/ Philippines)

Nobuhiro Kubo, Reuters, Mar 7

TOKYO – Japanese submarine will visit the Philippines for the first time in 15 years, along with two warships that will then sail on to Vietnam, in a show of support for nations opposed to Beijing's ambitions in the South China Sea, a person familiar with the matter said.

The Japanese submarine, which is used for training, and the destroyers will arrive in the Philippines in April. The escort vessels will later sail to Vietnam's strategic Cam Ranh Bay base on the South China Sea, the source said.

"It sends a message. It is important for Japan to show its presence," the person with knowledge of the plan said on Monday. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

A Japanese Ministry of Defence spokesman declined to comment on any submarine visit but said the navy normally conducted training voyages in March and April.

"But we are still in the planning stage so are unable to provide details," he said.

The visits were first reported by Japanese media, including the Sankei newspaper, on Sunday.

Asked about the visits, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Japan occupied the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea during World War Two so China was on "high alert" for Japan's military moves there.

"The cooperation of relevant countries should benefit regional stability and should not be directed at third parties or harm another country's sovereignty or security interests," he told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

Of the countries bordering the South China Sea, the Philippines and Vietnam are most opposed to China expanding its influence in the region by building bases on reclaimed islands.

The Philippine military had not received any official notification of a visit by a Japanese submarine, a military spokesman said, though a visit to the Subic Bay naval base was expected.

"Informally, we know a Japanese submarine is visiting Subic in April," said the Philippine spokesman, Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla.

Japanese Minister To Visit

Rich in natural resources, the South China Sea is also a major thoroughfare for global trade worth up to $5 billion a year, much of it coming to and from Japanese ports.

The United States, which has asked China to halt reclamation work that could destabilize the region, has irritated China by conducting naval patrols close to the man-made outcrops in what are known as freedom-of-navigation operations.

Rather than confronting China in such a direct way, Japan instead wants to build the capacity of nations in the region to improve their surveillance of Chinese forces. Japan's Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani is due to travel to the Philippines in April to discuss cooperation.

Japan has already offered to supply the Philippines with aircraft that will help bolster patrols over the disputed sea. Japan wants to give the Philippines a handful of Beechcraft TC-90 King Air training planes that could be fitted with basic surface and air surveillance radar.

The Philippines has also asked the United States to hold joint naval patrols.

Japan and Vietnam agreed in November to hold their first joint naval exercise.

The United States has no South China Sea claim and says it takes no sides, though it has been highly critical of China's assertiveness and says it will protect freedom of navigation.

Additional reporting by Jessica Macy Yu in Beijing

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Russian Subs Are Reheating A Cold War Chokepoint (Russia)

Magnus Nordenman, Defense One, Mar 4

The recent U.S. promise to fund upgrades to Iceland’s military airfield at Keflavik is no diplomatic bone thrown to a small ally. The improvements will allow the U.S. Navy’s new P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to keep an eye on Russia’s increasingly active and capable submarine force in a region whose importance is rising with the tensions between Moscow and the West. In short, the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap is back.

During the Cold War, the maritime choke points between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK were key to the defense of Europe. This “GIUK gap” represented the line that Soviet naval forces had to cross in order to reach the Atlantic and stop U.S. forces heading across the sea to reinforce America’s European allies. It was also the area that the Soviet Union’s submarine-based nuclear forces would have to pass as they deployed for their nuclear strike missions. In response, the United States and its northern NATO allies spent considerable time, money, and effort on bolstering anti-submarine warfare capabilities and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in the region. Maritime patrol aircraft from the UK, Norway, and the U.S.(Navy P-3s, flying from Keflavik) covered the area from above, while nuclear and conventional submarines lurked below the surface. The choke points were also monitored by an advanced network of underwater sensors installed to detect and track Soviet submarines.

But after the Cold War ended, the GIUK gap disappeared from NATO’s maritime mind. U.S.forces left Iceland in 2006, and the UK, facing budget pressures, retired its fleet of maritime patrol aircraft fleet in 2010. (The Netherlands did the same in 2003.) Anti-submarine warfare and the North Atlantic were hardly priorities for an Alliance embroiled in peacekeeping, counter-insurgency, and fighting pirates in far-flung Bosnia, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa.

But the term “GIUK gap” is now heard again in NATO circles (and sometimes as GIUK-N gap, to signify the inclusion of the maritime domain around Norway), as it becomes increasingly apparent that Russia is pouring money into its naval forces in general, and its submarine fleet in particular. Moscow is introducing new classes of conventional and nuclear attack submarines, among them the Yasen class and the Kalina class, the latter of which is thought to include air-independent propulsion. AIP, which considerably reduces the noise level of conventional submarines, was until recently seen only in Western navies’ most capable conventional subs. Much of Russia’s investment in its submarine force has been focused on its Northern Fleet, which is based in Murmansk and intended for operations in and around the Arctic, as well as the Atlantic. The Northern Fleet is also the home of Russia’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent.

Russia is believed to be putting these new sub-surface capabilities to the test. The UK, Sweden, and Finland have all launched recent hunts for suspected Russian submarines deep in their territorial waters. Russia has also showed off its new ability to launch land-attack cruise missiles from its submarines; late last year, a sub in the Mediterranean fired Kalibr missiles against targets in Syria.

Russia’s growing sub-surface capabilities are coupled with an apparent political will to use them. Its recently revised maritime strategy emphasizes operations in the Arctic, along with the need for Russian maritime forces to have access to the broader Atlantic Ocean. And that access will have to be, just as during the Cold War, through the GIUK gap.

Now the United States is pivoting back to the region; witness the Obama administration’s recent announcement that it intends to spend part of the proposed 2017 European Reassurance Initiative budget on upgrading facilities at Keflavik.

And the U.S. is not alone. Britain recently announced that it will seek to rebuild its maritime patrol aircraft fleet, probably by buying P-8s from Boeing. Norway is also considering its options for the future of its maritime patrol aircraft, and is also looking to buy a new class of submarines. Norway also recently upgraded its signal intelligence ship with new U.S. sensors, and the ship is primarily intended for operations in the vast maritime spaces of the High North.

The emerging challenge in the North Atlantic should also drive NATO and its members to look hard at regenerating the ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare against a potent adversary. European nations should also take a hard look at its aging maritime patrol aircraft fleet and think about its future. The UK and the Netherlands are not the only countries who let their MPA fleets slip after the end of the Cold War.

While current U.S. and NATO efforts at deterring further Russian aggression may be most visible through ground force deployments, exercises, and pre-positioned equipment in Europe’s east, a mostly unseen contest is also emerging in the North Atlantic. The GIUK gap is back.

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