soulxtc
January 31st, 2006, 12:41 PM
Last August, the USS Virginia, first of a class of new nuclear-powered attack submarines, slipped out of its homeport in Groton, Connecticut, for a 90 day clandestine deployment in support of the global war on terrorism.
The brand new submarine can operate either in the ocean depths or along a muddy coast. It can shoot Tomahawk cruise missiles hundreds of miles away. It can launch Navy SEALs on covert commando missions.
The USS Virginia is the best any defense industry anywhere can build. The 377-foot long boat is so advanced it can be driven by only two sailors. The control room is modern and networked. Perhaps most radical is the elimination of the conventional periscope. The boat instead has a series of cameras and antennas embedded within its tower, housing intelligence collection equipment that can eavesdrop on enemy signals while the sub sits covertly under the sea.
This week -- thanks Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists for tipping me off -- The New London Day reported the boat safely back in port, ready to tell the "incredible story" of its first sailing and its magnificent capabilities.
Incredible indeed! I know that The Day is hometown booster for the submarine team, but clearly the newspaper failed to see the irony that we built a $2.4 billion submarine bristling with Cold War capabilities, and where do we send it on its first deployment: to South America to spy on cell-phone conversations.
READ ARTICLE (http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/01/sub_spying_in_l.html)
The brand new submarine can operate either in the ocean depths or along a muddy coast. It can shoot Tomahawk cruise missiles hundreds of miles away. It can launch Navy SEALs on covert commando missions.
The USS Virginia is the best any defense industry anywhere can build. The 377-foot long boat is so advanced it can be driven by only two sailors. The control room is modern and networked. Perhaps most radical is the elimination of the conventional periscope. The boat instead has a series of cameras and antennas embedded within its tower, housing intelligence collection equipment that can eavesdrop on enemy signals while the sub sits covertly under the sea.
This week -- thanks Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists for tipping me off -- The New London Day reported the boat safely back in port, ready to tell the "incredible story" of its first sailing and its magnificent capabilities.
Incredible indeed! I know that The Day is hometown booster for the submarine team, but clearly the newspaper failed to see the irony that we built a $2.4 billion submarine bristling with Cold War capabilities, and where do we send it on its first deployment: to South America to spy on cell-phone conversations.
READ ARTICLE (http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/01/sub_spying_in_l.html)