USS Houston (SSN-713)
_2008.jpg) The Houston 2008 at Pearl Harbor |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | August 1, 1975 |
| Keel laying | January 29, 1979 |
| Launch | March 21, 1981 |
| 1. Period of service |
|
| Commissioning | September 25, 1982 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
6300 tons surfaced, 7100 tons submerged |
| length |
110.3 m |
| width |
10 m |
| Draft |
9.7 m |
| Diving depth | approx. 300 m |
| crew |
12 officers, 115 men |
| drive |
An S6G reactor |
| speed |
30+ knots |
| Armament |
4 533 mm torpedo tubes |
The USS Houston (SSN-713) is a nuclear-powered submarine of the United States Navy and is part of the Los Angeles-class submarine to.
history
construction
On August 1, 1975, the construction contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding , where the keel was laid on January 29, 1979. The launch took place on March 21, 1981, the ship was baptized by Barbara Bush , the wife of the then Vice President George HW Bush , after the city of Houston , Texas . It was finally put into service with the US Navy on September 25, 1982. Its first commanding officer was Captain George Herbert Mench.
Misfortunes and accidents on board
Getting caught on ropes and in nets
On June 14, 1989, at periscope depth, an extended mast of the boat got caught in a tow from the tug Barcona . After the crew of the Houston noticed the nearby surface traffic, they went down at full speed and pulled the stern of the tug under water, so that it ultimately sank and one of the three sailors on board was killed. This happened near Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California. Just two days later, on the way to her home port of San Diego , the ship drove into the fishing nets of a fishing boat. However, the nets gave way, so that the Fortuna was spared the fate of the Barcona .
Water ingress
When the Houston left port on July 1 of the same year for a training voyage, seawater suddenly streamed through a vent valve. The captain raised the depth rudder to surface. However, with the added weight of the water, the Houston lost speed and slowly began to slide backwards into the depths.
With the command all ahead flank , the captain finally succeeded in bringing the boat to the surface, where it shot through the surface at a steep angle. As a result, however, the water that had collected in the bilges was pushed forward, so that the Houston tipped over the bow and then descended again, pulled by the water and pushed by its own propeller.
A crash-back was then ordered (Eng: machine full power back), and all ballast tanks were blown, i.e. filled with compressed air. Due to the additional buoyancy, the boat shot back to the surface, where it stopped this time.
After the Houston called again just six hours after leaving port, it was discovered that a valve had not closed properly. The warning signal that should have indicated this error had been turned off. There were no physical injuries, but eight seamen had to be released from submarine service for psychological reasons.
Minor accidents during the year
The annus horribilis was not over for the Houston. In August, for example, a fire broke out in the engine rooms, and in September the boat came to a torpedo training area after a mistake in navigation, where it was only just missed by a torpedo. In November, the boat finally lost its towing sonar , also after errors in navigation .
Training accident in 2001
In June 2001, the Houston routinely practiced off Washington in the Pacific. A crash-back maneuver was also rehearsed during the exercises . The boat went from full speed ahead to full speed. The maneuver went smoothly, apart from the normal noise and shaking, until the ship began to move backwards.
The problem that occurred now can be explained by the fact that the oars now work exactly the other way around. So the helmsman trimmed the boat normally, the stern came up slightly. However, the correction that was now due was also backwards: the stern continued to rise while the boat moved backwards. Before the mistake could be corrected, the boat broke through the water surface with the propeller first at a 70 ° angle. Only by blowing on the front ballast tanks could damage to the gearbox be avoided, as all resistance suddenly fell away from the screw.
Radioactive water leakage
In August 2008 it became known that small amounts of weakly radioactive water and the like had been coming from the submarine since 2006. a. exited at stops in Japan , Guam and Wake . According to investigations by the Navy, the total amount is said to have been around 9.3 micro-curies , of which 8 micro-curies leaked in Guam, the home port of the boat.
overhaul
Shortly after the training accident in 2001, the boat went to the shipyard in September, where the reactor was refilled and technical equipment was brought up to date with the latest technology. The overhaul lasted until December 2004, after which the boat was stationed in Apra Harbor on Guam .
Maneuver distributions
From Guam, the submarine took part in exercise Valiant Shield 2006. In 2008, the Houston participated in the RIMPAC exercise . In 2001 she took part in the Keen Sword exercise.
USS Houston in the film
In addition to a recruiting film, the Houston presented in June 1989 in the film The Hunt for Red October , the USS Dallas (SSN-700) . The filming lasted for two days and took place in front of California's coast in the Pacific. The accident with the Barcona also happened during the shooting .
Web links
- SSN-713 in the Naval Vessel Register (Engl.)
- Official homepage ( Memento of July 5, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Safety Recommendation M-90-73 through 75th National Transportation Safety Board , archived from the original on June 12, 2010 ; accessed on February 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Navy Times: Report: Sub leaked radioactive water steadily since 2006 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (engl.)
