Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 15, 1969)

Research Submarines?Sea Cliff and Turtle? Star In Double Launching At Electric Boat A pair of deep-diving research submarines, Sea Cliff and Turtle, were launched at Groton, Conn., on December 11, 1968, and the Navy's top scientist said they represent "a major step" in the Navy's quest for knowledge of the undersea en-vironment which he called "largely an unexplored wilderness." "The scientist has never been satisfied with remote operations. Just as he is compelled to visit the moon in person, he must also phys-ically take himself to the uttermost depths of his world," Rear Adm. Thomas B. Owen, USN. chief of Naval Research, declared. The two 21-ton submarines which can dive to depths of more than a mile were launched at the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics. They were launched into the Thames River by two giant gantry cranes. Both boats are 26 feet long and are equipped with emergency escape systems. Admiral Owen said that the op-erating depth of the vessels "per-mits us to investigate 16 percent of the ocean floor, an area equiva-lent to the surface of the moon." At test depth, he declared, the per-sonnel spheres of the identical subs must withstand 30,000 tons, the weight of five Fleet Ballistic Mis-sile submarines. Prior to the launchings, the re-search subs had carried the names Autec I and Autec II, but they were christened as Sea Cliff and Turtle to commemorate small U.S. communities which denote oceano-graphic life and terms. Sea Cliff, named after a town in Nassau County on Long Island, N.Y., was sponsored by Mrs. Owen, wife of the principal speaker. The boat will be assigned for operations to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. Admiral Owen said that "it was very likely and entirely fitting" that Sea Cliff would aid in the recovery of Alvin. sunk last October in 4,500 feet of water south of Cape Cod. Turtle, named after Turtle Town in Polk County, Tenn., was spon-sored by Mrs. Edward J. Fahy, wife of Rear Adm. Fahy, com-mander of the Naval Ship Systems Command. Turtle will be assigned to the Navy's Atlantic Underwater Test and Evaluation Center (AU-TEC) in the Bahamas following the completion of tests at sea next year. Both new submarines are equip-ped with two elaborate manipulat-ing arms designed to duplicate the motions of the human arm and wrist. They are capable of lifting 100 pounds at full reach. Alice L. Moran Tows MV Valkenburg To N.Y. To Complete Voyage The Alice L. Moran. a 9.600-hp tug of the Moran International Tow-ing Corporation, safely delivered the MV Valkenburg to a Staten Island pier in December. The Valkenburg had been disabled 1.500 miles east of New York and was towed through gale conditions to her original desti-nation. For the Alice L. Moran, one of the world's most powerful tugs, this was one of many rescue assignments. She also has accomplished the towage of various marine equipment and floating oil rigs to locations through-out the world. developed a combustion and feed-water control simulator, consisting of computer equipment which simulates the operating character-istics of the ship's boiler during steady-state and maneuvering con-ditions ; two-element steam pres-sure control, and a multi-element feedwater control. The simulator is pneumatically operated from a source of 30 psig air. Two consoles are provided, one for the trainee and another for the instructor. The trainee's console duplicates the ship's console. It contains the combustion and feed-water control equipment, and is used for solving operating and casualty control problems. The instructor's console houses the boiler simulating equipment, and is used for varying the load and introducing various operating casualties. Three simulators have been shipped to date; one each to Navy destroyer schools at San Diego and Newport, R.I., and the third to the Maritime Academy at Buz-zards Bay, Mass. A fourth simula-tor is scheduled for installation aboard the carrier USS Ranger, which will enable the crew to main-tain a continuous onboard training program. A subsidiary of The Babcock & W7ilcox Company since 1925, Bailey Meter Company is a leading manufacturer of instrumentation, control computers, and systems for process and powerplant auto-mation. Raytheon Receives Navy Sonar Order Raytheon Co. has announced that its submarine signal division has been awarded a $3,235,110 con-tract by the United States Navy's Naval Ship Systems Command for the calibration and restoration of sonar equipment on Navy ships. The work will be done at the com-pany's Portsmouth, R.I., plant. Boiler Operators Train On Bailey Simulators Bailey marine boiler simulator has an in-structor's console, background, and a train-ee's console, which is a replica of a typical shipboard console. Introduction of more sophisti-cated, wide range controls on Navy and merchant marine ships, coupled with lack of experienced personnel and high turnover, have created a great need for fast and effective training of boiler-control operators. Inadequately trained operators often misinterpret or fail to quickly recognize even simple casualties. Subsequent misdirected action can create major problems that affect overall operation of the ship, and on occasion have resulted in shut-down at sea. Not only must new personnel be trained, but operators from hand-fired ships slated to operate automatic equipment must also have their knowledge up-graded. However, training during actual operation is inadequate since simulated faults cannot be intro-duced into a boiler system without affecting operation. To solve these problems of operator training, Bailey Meter Company, Wickliffe, Ohio, has NAVY'S NEWEST?First of a new class of U.S. Navy supply ships, the USS Wichita (AOR-1) heads to sea from the Quincy, Mass., shipyard of General Dynamics for her maiden trials. The 659-foot-long vessel, displacing 37,360 tons when fully loaded, is designed to replenish operating forces at sea with petroleum products, refrigerated and dry provisions, consumables and ammunition, including missiles. Named after Wichita, Kansas, the ship was launched March 16, 1968. She is the first of six ships of her class to be built by the Quincy division of General Dynamics. A pair of deep-diving Navy research submarines, Sea Cliff, left, and Turtle (21 tons each), are lowered into the Thames River at Groton, Conn., following christening at the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics. 50 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News