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SKIPJACK SPECIFICATIONS from Submarines of the World by Robert Jackson

COUNTRY: USA LAUNCH DATE: 1958 CREW: 106-114 DISPLACEMENT Surfaced: Submerged: 3075 tons 3500 tons DIMENSIONS 251ft 9in x 31ft 6in x 27ft 10in) ARMAMENT Six 21in torpedo tubes POWERPLANT Single shaft, one nuclear PWR, two steam turbines RANGE Unlimited PERFORMANCE Surfaced: Submerged: 18 knots 30 knots * * * * * * * COMPARTMENTS TORP. ROOM & FWD. CREW'S QTRS. OPERATIONS -- FIRST DECK OPERATIONS -- SECOND DECK OPERATIONS -- THIRD DECK AUX. MACHINERY SPACE REACTOR COMPT. ENGINE ROOM INCLUDING MANEUVERING TOPSIDE & BRIDGE (INCLUDING EXTERNAL SALVAGE) ESCAPE TRUNKS (INCLUDING PROCEDURES) * * * * * * * SYSTEMS TANKS & COMPARTMENT ARRANGEMENT TRIM & DRAIN SYSTEM HIGH PRESSURE AIR SHIP'S SERVICE AIR HULL & BATTERY VENT AIR REVITALIZATION FUEL TRANSFER & COMPENSATING SYSTEM MAIN, VITAL HYDRAULICS SYSTEM STEERING & DIVING HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS EXTERNAL HYDRAULICS SYSTEM FRSH WATER SYSTEM SANITARY SYSTEMS REACTOR PRIMARY SYSTEM STEAM SYSTEM FEED & CONDENSATE SYSTEM MAIN & AUX. SEA WATER SYSTEMS BASIC ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS SONAR SYSTEMS RADIO SYSTEMS LOW PRESSURE BLOW SYSTEM OXYGEN SYSTEM BATTERY & ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS MAGAZINE FLOODING TORPEDO TUBES & HANDLING GEAR SIGNAL GUNS IC SWITCHBOARDS BALLAST CONTROL PANEL AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING SNORKEL SYSTEM REFRIGERATION SYSTEM SOUND POWERED PHONE SYSTEMS MC SYSTEMS * * * * * * * STATION ENLISTED SIGNATURE OFFICER SIGNATURE TOPSIDE WATCH INST. COB TOPSIDE WATCH COB GUN OFF. HELMSMAN INST. LQM HELMSMAN LQM NAVIGATOR SAIL PANES INST. COB STERN PLANES INST. COB B.D. WATCH INST. SECT. LDR. SAIL PLANES COB DIVING OFF. STERN PLANES COB DIVING OFF. B.D. WATCH INST. SECT. LDR. RADAR OP. INST. LET SONAR OP. INST. LSO B.D. WATCH INST. SECT. LDR. B.D. WATCH INST. SECT. LDR. * * * * * * * The reason behind this page Watching seaQuest and writing fanfic based on the show made me wonder how one becomes a submariners (here in the U.S. it is pronounced submarine-r, British English pronounces it sub-mariner). Here is what I found out. A young man joins the United States Navy and requests submarine duty (it is an all volunteer branch of the service). He goes to basic training, followed by training in his field of speciality; sonar, electronics, etc. If he has selected nuclear power as his speciality, the next step will be six months at nuclear power school (NPS) followed by six more months training on a nuclear reactor prototype. After that, and for those who did not select nuclear power, he goes to the Submarine School at the U.S. Navy Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. Here he learns all about submarines. All? Not quite. A new sailor on board a submarine is not really a submariner until he has "earned his dolphins", the silver or gold pin that signifies he has learned everything there is to know about his boat. Before that, he is a 'hazard pay', or a 'nub" - non-useful body. He is issued a Qualification Card, for an enlisted man, this is pocket-sized and runs to several pages. Alan Strickland posted his qualification card on his web page. You can find it here. An officer's Qual Card is a two inch thick notebook crammed with qualification sheets. As the sailor learns each compartment, system and station, he demonstrates that knowledge to a qualified crewman and has him sign the card, indicating that the 'hazard pay' knows what he's talking about. Once the entire card is filled, which can be six months for an enlisted man to as much as two years for an officer, it is taken to the qualification officer who tests the sailor's knowledge of the ship before signing. The final step toward qualification is to collect the commanding officer's signature as a certified submariner and get the dolphins pinned on. After than, the sailor is expected to take his qualification boards for promotion. And officers are required to continue qualifying for promotions as well. Every tour at sea is followed by shore time, taking classes for the next rung up the ladder, or serving on the staff of a high ranked officer. According to Douglas Waller, in the book BIG RED: Three months on board a Trident Nuclear Submarine, "As he rose in rank, there would be more qual cards, and they would become smaller but more difficult and time consuming to get signed." An enlisted man who rises in the ranks can opt to go 'mustang', and become an officer. When they do and are assigned to a new boat as a lowly ensign, they are required to go through the entire qualification proceedings again. The following table contains the information found on Mr. Stricklin's qual card. He served on the Scorpion (SSN 589) in the early sixties. The Scorpion was a Skipjack class nuclear submarine which was lost with all hands, 99 men, in a torpedo arming accident southwest of the Azores May 1968. There is more about this tragedy posted on Mr. Stricklin's site To conclude, the following is part of my on-going research in submarine life, as I attempt to invoke something of that atmosphere in my fiction-writing attempts. I found it useful, and I hope others will also. None of this information is classified, and it is all readily available at your local library, book store and/or on the net. I especially recommend Tom Clancy's SUBMARINE: a Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship, Douglas Waller's BIG RED: Three months on board a Trident Nuclear Submarine, and Blind Man's Bluff by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew. katirene (XMP) 06 April 2002