Radar outpost submarine
Radar outpost submarines are submarines that are equipped with a powerful radar system and thus can support a larger surface fleet, in particular aircraft carrier combat groups . In the US Navy they were classified as Ship Submersible Radar (SSR) or, if equipped with a nuclear drive, as Ship Submersible Radar Nuclear (SSRN) .
During the Second World War and the early Cold War , the range of radar systems was still very limited. In order to extend the detection range of a fleet, smaller ships with powerful radar systems were used, which served as radar outposts ( radar picket ). In addition to increasing the range, this had the additional advantage of solving the problem that an active radar transmitter could be recognized by an enemy from a very great distance. Attention was drawn to the individual outposts so that the main formation could remain undetected.
In order to protect the outposts themselves from attacks, the concept of the radar outpost submarine ( SSR ) was developed, especially in the US Navy . These should be able to evade detection and a possible enemy attack by diving. Initially, conventional submarines were converted for this task as part of a program called Migraine . In the mid-1950s, the US Navy also built submarines specially designed for this task with the two boats of the Sailfish class , Sailfish and Salmon . However, it turned out that conventionally powered submarines were too slow for use with fast carrier groups. That is why the more powerful Triton class with nuclear energy drive ( SSRN ) was designed. Of the five planned boats, however, only the USS Triton was ultimately built. By the late 1950s, the concept of radar outpost submarines had become obsolete and was abandoned with the introduction of carrier-based aircraft with powerful reconnaissance radar - in particular the Grumman E-1 Tracer and its successor, the E-2 Hawkeye .
Radar outpost submarines
- Balao class (class built as hunting submarines, boat individually converted in the Migraine I program, later dismantled)
- Gato class (class built as hunting submarines, boats individually converted as Migraine III program, later mostly dismantled)
- Sailfish class (built as SSR)
- Tench class (class built as hunting submarines, boats individually converted in the Migraine I & II programs, later mostly dismantled again)
- Triton- class (built as SSRN)
Web links
- Edward C. Whitman, US Radar Picket Submarines: Cold War Curiosities ( August 15, 2009 memento on the Internet Archive ) on navy.mil (accessed November 30, 2012)
- Overview of the migraine program at http://guppysubmarinetribute.homestead.com/Tribute.html