posted
Comment: Rumor has it that a US Navy Admiral was being interviewed by a CNN type news agency during Desert Storm on the flight deck of an Air Craft Carrier, and when asked about the use of attack submarines to launch missiles he attempted to say "I can neither confirm nor deny the use of american submarines to launch missiles". However all his plausible deniability fun was spoiled when just behind him, while they were filming, a submarine launches a missile out of the water. When the Admiral sees this he turns around and you can see him mouth on camera "F%@#ing Submariners"
The rumor has been in the submarine force for a number of years however I've never seen the footage. I'm just wondering if you guys would have more luck finding the footage. I find the idea rather amusing.
Posts: 36029 | From: Admin | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Yes, we have the footage right here but hell if we're going to show it to a f%@#ing submariner.
Posts: 4922 | From: Kyoto, Japan | Registered: Sep 2005
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It's not insulting to be called a submariner. However, it is very insulting to be called a son of a submariner.
Posts: 494 | From: Epping, Essex, UK | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Silkenreindeer: It's not insulting to be called a submariner. However, it is very insulting to be called a son of a submariner.
Actually, my Dad was on a submarine in the Pacific theater during WWII.
Nick
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posted
Dont know about the footage but submarines CAN launch missles. Now we can neither confirm or deny that they are on board at anytime.
Its called the "Silent Service" for a reason and nobody talks about the missions of submarines, their movements are highly classified. The submarine service is a very close small family, their are more women in the navy than submariners
I was stationed on a couple submarines during the cold war and even to this day their mission are classified "top secret / endless" meaning they will never be downgraded or unclassified like most projects which are down graded after 20 years.
As for a "son of a submariner " I have never heard of that as an insult.
Just remeber if you screw up on a submarine they send you to the surface fleet, if you screw up in the surface fleet they kick you out.
Posts: 162 | From: Maryland | Registered: Aug 2003
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I think that "Son of a sailor/submariner" is pretty commonly used to call someone a 'bastard'... as in, on the "Father's" entry on the birth certificate, the entry reads "Sixth Fleet". It is more common around Navy towns, but I've heard it for at least twenty years.
It all plays off the "Port in every storm/Girl in every port" thing.
I never heard the line denigrating submariners, though.
While I have nothing to add regarding the veracity of the OP, I can say that the community that serves on intentionally sinking ships is very close, and once in the community, you can spend an entire career there... so it is exclusive. They get the money from the budget first (along with the Seals), so I can see lots of jealousy.
So, I think I can see the POSSIBILITY that a senior officer might at least THINK those thoughts. I dunno if one ever said them out loud.
-------------------- Opinions aren't excuses to remain ignorant about subjects, nor are they excuses to never examine one's beliefs & prejudices...
Babies are like tattoos. You see other peoples' & they're cool, but yours is never as good & you can't get rid of it. Posts: 5622 | From: Jax, Florida | Registered: Nov 2003
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I can't confirm that this happend, but if it happend, it wasn't the submariners fault.
Supposed underwater missions are as secret as they are made out to be, and it was (and is, according to NovaSS) especially secret whether or not they carry missles and used them during Desert Storm, and supposed this CNN-or-whatever-crew was on board that Air Craft Carrier on a scheduled visit (this is easily supposed, I guess), why didn't anybody (the Media Officer of the fleet, if there is something like that) issue an order like "No submarine missle launches from 0900 to 1300 due to media coverage of mission area"? How were the submariners supposed to know?
Don "two points to port" Enrico
-------------------- My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling, but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places. - Pooh Bear Posts: 2209 | From: Hamburg, Germany | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Don Enrico: Iwhy didn't anybody (the Media Officer of the fleet, if there is something like that) issue an order like "No submarine missle launches from 0900 to 1300 due to media coverage of mission area"?
Maybe he did but it didn't get passed down the line. One of the few stories my father tells about his time in the army involves orders not getting passed to all the people who need to get them and the resulting screw-up.
Posts: 716 | From: San Antonio, TX | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
The submarine would get it from the Fox broadcast. Been there, done that.
-------------------- President Bush said what? And you believed him?? Heeeere's your sign Posts: 85 | From: Park Forest, IL | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I doubt this happened, if at all it would be a coincidence, after all, I think launch orders for Cruise Missiles (yes, modern Subs carry them. The 688(I) Class, the Seawolf Class and the new Virginia Class SSN subs have 12 vertical launch tubes for that) would come several hours in advance, to ensure the sub could go into launch position. But I think a Sub would try to stay away from surface contacts when they have to launch it. Not just because for detection measures but also there might be a bit too many contacts around anyways. Of course, the launch could have been way way in the distance.
But then, I am just a layman with some basic knowledge.
-------------------- ~Reality, the refuge of those who fail in RPGs~ aka Darkfist Dragon -==(UDIC)==- Posts: 334 | From: Lancaster, Ohio | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:But I think a Sub would try to stay away from surface contacts when they have to launch it. Not just because for detection measures but also there might be a bit too many contacts around anyways.
The sub woulond't "try" to stay away from other ships (especially a carrier which would almost certainly be conducting round the clock air operations at this time), it would be ORDERED to, just like a surface ship launching TOMAHAWKs. No vessel, surface or sub, fires off land attack missiles for kicks, they have to be ordered to by a naval message or a word for word voice order with all the components of that message. That message includes both a mission to load into the missile, a time to launch or at least a time to have the missile hit the target, and, naturally, a place to launch the misisle from. This is so that the destroyer or cruiser or sub in front of the carrier doesn't get an order to launch and then shoot off a missile right as aircraft being launched from the carrier are flying over it.
-------------------- "Dear Lord, please protect this rockethouse and all who dwell within..." Posts: 1093 | From: Japan | Registered: Jul 2003
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