Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-05
'Fission Fleet Sailors Regain
Sea Legs for Nautilus Trials

49, MI -
Beach. Calf, they are taking 4
refresher course In seamanSllip
as we'll as practicing up for op-
Grating q vessel unlike anything
that has sailed before.
Training Device Used.
At the Navy'g New London,
Conn, submarine base the crew
trains daily either III boats OPP
Grating out Of the base or in an
amazing piece Of machinery
called the "Askania device" The
Askania device is to the SUBJ
marine service what the Link
trainer is to airmen. While
firmly grounded, it contains all
the controls and Stimulates all
the conditions Of q submarine
operating at sea.
The Nautilus testing begins
even before the crew casts OF
the lines and she moves out for
the first time under her own,
unique power from the fitting-
out dock of the Electric Boat
Division Of General Dynamics
Corp. at Groton. Conn.
Using compressed air supplied
from dockside high-pressure
lines. the men are trying out
every tank. pipe, conduit and
compartment in the huge huh.
Soap, applied to all fittings and
seams, shows the tiniest bubble
Of air that could cause trouble
later.
The vessels controls and in
dicator system-including the
Christmas tree" board Of red
and green lights to show whether
innumerable valves are closed
or open-will be checked out
thoroughly.
Trials May Start in Summer.
Then the Nautilus viii be
ready for the big day, probably
sometime later this summer or
early fall, when she heads down
the Thames River for Long Is
land Sound. where the initial
trials will be run.
Aboard her at different times
during the weeks Of trials viii be
high officials and the men who
supervised and helped build the
Nautilus among them Admiral
Carney, chief Of naval opera
tions. and Rear Admiral II. G.
Rickover. who has headed the
nuclear ship propulsion project
since the atomic submarine pro-
gram got under way more than
three years ago.
Customarily, a naval vessel
built under contract in a private
yard is operated in the initial
trials by civilian crews of the
builder. The Nautilus is differ
ent. Only the men who grew UP
with her design and building,
the crew trained at the Eastern
Idaho test plant of the Atomic
Energy Commission and the
yards Of Electric Boat while the
submarine was building, know
how to handle her.
When the Nautilus puts out
for the diving tests her skipper
will know the precise total dis
placement, almost to the ounce,
Of his ship. Everything that has
been put aboard her, down to
the smallest item Of supply. has
been weighed.
The Nautilus first dive pre-
sumably won't be the spectacu-
lar, take her down" type of
swift glide beneath the surface
seen in the movie thrillers Of
underSea warfare.
Instead. the Nautilus win be
stopped dead in the water.
floating motionless.
Flood Down Slowly.
Then the hydraulic control
men will flood her down slowly,
opening and closing vents in the
ballast tanks in short, quick
bursts to prevent a sudden in
surge Of water. Slowly, care
fully. the point will be reached
where the atomic submarine has
only tiny fraction of positive"
buoyancy, just enough 80 she
floats with deck awash.
The bow diving plane will be |
angled down slightly. The skip
per will kick her ahead slowly |
by cracking steam cautiously |
into the turbine. aiming to take |
her down at an easy angle and
q speed Of perhaps only four |
or i've konts enough to keep
steerageway.) For q long time,
presumably several days, she
will cruise slowly at shallow
depth. |
With and II the Nautilus |
proves out to the satisfaction Of |
all her technical and operating |
hands, she will put out to the
open sea for the deep dive
trials. Only then will the Navy |
know definitely whether she will |
fulfill the specifications for a
submarine that can travel deep
er. farther and faster under
water than any submersible ever
built.
RAA A