 Appearances to the contrary. This is a ship leaving home port There's no pier and no brass bands marked the occasion But to these men and their loved ones The somber reality of goodbye has not diminished The men are Navy submariners on their way to Holy Lock Scotland to begin a three-month cycle of work and isolation Quite unlike any other Navy experience these special sailors and their fleet ballistic missile submarine Have a mission that is vital to the nation's aim of deterring enemy attack Well, if we're on the flight heading to Holy Lock Looking back at leaving our families It is a sad experience This is my eighth time and Leaving my family gets harder for me And I think it really gets harder for my family also. I just got short duty. We've had two kids while we're on short duty and I feel that they they're gonna miss me. It's quite conservatively On the other hand, I'm looking forward to the refit and the patrol It's a real challenge Each one is different No, I don't look forward to refit. I look forward to patrol The concept of twin crews Allows each ballistic missile submarine to conduct its silent patrols about 70% of the time While each of its crews is deployed only half the time and By operating from advanced sites like Holy Lock in the Atlantic and Guam in the Pacific The submarines can be on station with a minimum of transit time While the blue crew arrives at the Navy site in Holy Lock and moves into temporary quarters Submarine is returning from patrol manned by their counterparts in the gold As soon as the submarine ties up alongside the tender blue and gold crews begin an intense three days of turning over the ship and its responsibilities 4642 man hours for this refit. We do expect more jobs Every system on board is checked out for proper operation So the oncoming crew knows exactly what work will have to be done to make the ship ready for another patrol Only on the fourth day of turnover the crews exchange command in a brief ceremony With another patrol behind them the off-going crew eagerly heads for home and waiting loved ones for the oncoming crew The task of refit now begins For three weeks they will work round the clock with the men of the tender to make sure the sub and her equipment are ready for the two Months and more of submerged patrol The shops of the tender can fix or replace nearly any component on board from periscopes to Poseidon missiles 135 officers and men for the entire patrol Including provisions for more than 25,000 meals after a demanding month of preparation The submarine slips away from the tender and heads to sea Few of the men know where this patrol will take them But all are keenly aware that they will be gone for over two months and will remain submerged the entire time They know too that the only reason they go to sea is to be ready to launch their missiles should the president ever Give the command the silent mobile and elusive fleet ballistic missile submarines are the most survivable element in our nation's strategic forces Each one packs more destructive power than all the bombs of World War two Truly a strong deterrent to nuclear conflict Launch readiness is maintained by going through the procedures so often that to the crew It becomes as natural as brushing teeth or tying shoes But the seriousness of their purpose is apparent in every drill 220 Have one third no sonar contacts no evolutions in progress you have to our one 14 10 long I really didn't consider any way court masters mr. One's a lot of dick in the con Thomas miss one's on the con all stop adding officer commence overing Launcher con pressurize all two select air one and 16 Delighted air Air lcp one eye Then an officer ships having more to missile launch Five mad weapons navigation fire control transmission text completed satisfactorily Second condition one sq for wsrt. This is the captain. This is an exercise Set condition one sq for wsrt. This is the executive officer. This is an exercise Simplified weapons perform channel text both channels when ready Channel checking missile one channel one Missile 16 channel two all stations weapons the power order will be a normal fire order The fire order will be a normal fire order Non-weapons weapon system and condition one sq for wsrt wsrt mode verifars weapon system in condition one sq for wsrt Captain ship is in condition one sq Also take select training fire weapons. You have permission to fire. Yeah permission to fire. I can Weapons done. You have permission to fire permission to fire a bad weapons are permission to fire You know one You know 16 One a word this drill will end not with the roar of missiles But with the shared hope of 135 men that their unseen presence Will be deterrent enough And the missiles will never have to be fired in retaliation Today america submarine forces number over 130 ships the vast majority of them nuclear power But a ship no matter how she is crafted is only as strong as the sailors who take her to sea Where do the men of the submarine force come from? And how do these volunteers of divergent backgrounds become dedicated and serious professionals here These men are going out and man are this is graduation day at the naval submarine school in grotten connecticut In the basic courses the full spectrum of submarine systems is taught and safety is emphasized throughout Each man for example learns the technique for underwater escape should his sub ever become Oh Students must maintain good academic standing and demonstrate adaptability to the submarine environment as well The routine is tough And one man in seven will not make it But it is better to select the most qualified here than to do the weeding out later in the fleet Training will always be a significant part of a sub sailor's life We have those who operate and maintain the vital nuclear propulsion system For example receive a full year of demanding classroom and practical engineering training I'll stop I'll stop by Most submariners regardless of rank or rating will go to advanced and specialized courses Dealing with the complex equipment and tactics they employ One six seven four Stand by the mark minute 44 fine point procedures two one minute 44 one six seven point two Very well met so in our bearings and shoot Rutter is right full three degree up on two eight three zero I believe you're heading I sound the collision alarm Emergency blow Never stops In a realistic environment assure crews of operational submarines develop teamwork during import or off the probe periods Mistakes can be made and corrected here To sharpen performance where it counts most At sea About half the graduates will be assigned to attack submarines The nuclear-powered fast attacks and the few diesel subs that remain in the fleet The fast attacks are swifter and more maneuverable than the larger ballistic missile subs And there is considerable variety in the missions they perform The primary function of the fast attack whether operating alone or in concert with naval air and surface forces Is against its own kind the destruction of enemy submarines Modern torpedoes and missiles are also effective in the traditional role against surface targets They would bear a large measure of the wartime responsibility to keeping our vital sea lanes open While denying their use to an enemy teamwork is essential to the success of every attack mission In battle drills like this one that teamwork is honed to a fine edge One Very mark the one five zero one three Mark four one division half power See five and a half I can't prepare to go back there Come back now if there's three one three Set running depth eight five zero run depth eight five three all right firing point procedures Two one eighty one Make two one ready in all respects Two one fired electrically A radio con and for the retriever uh that completes the exercise I think the challenge I expected a job is the thing that I like most about the submarine force Whether it be a maneuvering as an engine officer watch or as an officer vet One of the things I liked about being on a fast attack was that they're more often doing a variety of different things Operating with carriers operating with other submarines with aircraft doing independent exercises Um These type of things I think add to the challenge of the job One of the things that was most difficult as a married man on SSN is the uncertainty of your schedule on the other hand fast-tech submarine is uh A lot higher key program It's there's a lot more to do there's a lot more going on in my opinion a lot more interesting and for someone who Doesn't mind or would like to Work hard and uh really feel accomplishment for a job fast-tech feeling pleased to be There are sharp contrasts between attack and missile submarine operations But with the exception of strategic systems technicians Officers and men are often assigned from one type to the other A day in the life of any ship Is not quite like any other day Or any other ship But there are many common elements in what a submarine would call his daily routine We've got a really good boat a really good crew We're closely in terms of morale. I would think that food service Again, like all the jobs one of the most important You have very few things to really look forward to you know Have the saturday night gate or anything like that So you have the meals actually and you look forward to a meal Look at the menu and see that you've got your favorite pie coming up on friday night or you've got pizza night on thursday night we have parties we have a coke machine we make pastries and cakes we do all obviously all our own support and in that way the guy can look forward to uh A good meal and a good time sitting down here talking to his friends. So I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wouldn't trade any of the things I've made or the job I do Well, sometimes during patrol we we we receive newsletters from radio. We get messages or from our family. We get family grants That's sort of romantic when you're some of the west can really dream up some really fantastic family games so it's more or less just uh You know just uh I'm fine. I love your mission type thing that At least we know we familiarize with the words and the names and the fans again to know that is our family Notes that they are all right Your husband's on a on a boat He's with people constantly Just as the crew of a submarine feel that they are a kind of family Their wives find companionship and understanding in group experiences such as this submarine wives club You may you may not feel that one patrol you may feel at the next and they may get worse with each patrol And they get better with each patrol, you know after these wives feel About their husband's choice of submarine duty my husband's in the submarine force and although my second separation this my second separation is coming up I found the first one a lot more satisfying than uh Depressing I think after a while you get used to it, but it really is hard for a while Beyond the submarine service itself. I don't believe they really know how many hours these men put in But they're not able to do the things they'd like to do or that their family would like to do because they're too busy being dedicated I can't say I really enjoyed him being out to sea But I liked him coming home It was like we've been married almost 21 years and even though we've been married all that length of time It was just like we were newlyweds all over again. I thought it was just great Clearly family separations are among the toughest challenges that submariners face But once at sea there is scarcely time to dwell on that Even after all the training they've been through each member of the crew must qualify as a submariner The demanding process that takes six to nine months for the men And about 15 months for officers Armed functions associated with the system It takes a great deal of studying to learn the complex systems on board But each member of the crew must know more than just his own responsibilities More experienced shipmates share their knowledge and finally conduct a rigorous examination in which nothing is taken for granted Submarine qualification is not quite like anything anywhere else And it shows in the pride of a submariner when he finally earns his dolphins Let me say that I know how much these qualification badges mean You're gonna be proud of it in the future. It's gonna be a mark of respect for you, especially from those of your Shipmates and the other members of the submarine community Not only the submarine community, but also other people in the navy and have such a High regard for submariners as professionals Thank you. Congratulations to you I see in our submarine force a special kind of pride the pride that real professionals show in their work and in their ships As warfare technology becomes more complex and demanding The navy's need for capable and dedicated people grows too In the submarine force just as in the surface and air warfare communities It's our people who respond today and will still be the key element in the navy of tomorrow While navy submariners work and study to stay abreast of developments in their chosen specialties New ships are being built which advance the frontiers of submarine warfare almost past the point of imagination USS los angeles first of a whole new fast attack class has joined the fleet Faster and even quieter than her predecessors This new class was designed to face the growing threat of soviet submarines Already the world's largest underwater fleet The largest submarine however is ours The new trident class Nearly the length of two football fields Will carry 24 missiles With a range that vastly increases the ocean areas in which it can patrol While USS ohio first of the tridance is being built Test firings of the new trident missile approving the accuracy and dependability of this advanced weapon system It has been another successful patrol for this crew Successful because 16 missiles still rest in their tubes New testimony to the deterrent power of their presence After two months and more of patrol the men are more than ready to turn their ship Over to the oncoming crew and leave scotland with eager anticipation of the flight home Naturally, I really look I'd really do look forward to seeing my wife again and that's That's all I intend to do for the next 30 days and become reacquainted First thing I'm going to do around the way on the way home told my wife to stop the taco bell That's what that's one of the things I miss the most This overall general mostly the weatherings Things like that just a little things everyone takes your granted every day Me at the airport's excited always is Probably one of the happiest times of the year anyway, what's next is getting there seeing the family A little tired, but very elated about getting home That's that that's it in a one nutshell. I'm anxious to get home now. It's just fantastic going home. It's wonderful Hope everyone has a shave Next man home of wife my kid my arms. That's what I want The future is bright for the navy submarine force There are the tangible rewards of good training good pay and good food But for most submarines The deeper fulfillment Is pride in their particular job The camaraderie of a close crew And the knowledge that together they perform as a critical element in the defense of our nation And peace in the entire world