Diesel-Eletric subs for USN/RN?

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asavery		#11	[-]
Posts: 86 (11-Apr-2008 14:31:54) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	For blue-water ops I see little use for D-E subs, nuclear will always have the advantage in speed, depth, power capabilities, etc. Very shallow littorals and choke-points give D-Es some advantages. With the USN nuclear sub culture you will not push D-E's. I think one interesting option would be for a few small D-E littoral submarines, these would not be self-deployed but rather forward based on deck-ships/tenders, What comes to mind is the Swedish Sea Dagger concept, or a bit larger. http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/dagger/ This would always be a secondary mission asset of the USN submarine community.
emc		#12	[-]
Posts: 3654 (11-Apr-2008 16:18:15) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	asavery wrote: This would always be a secondary mission asset of the USN submarine community. The USN's submarine community were reputed to have fought like demons to prevent either EB or Newport News (or any other US builder) from offering diesel-electric boats for export, as they wanted to preclude anybody from even thinking of building them for the USN. Overall, I think the USN has a very little need for diesel boats, and that can be fulfilled by training exercises with various allied and friendly nations which do have them. The US is not faced with any significant military threat from anywhere in this hemisphere; the only potential long-term military threats I can foresee are China (which would probably be perfectly happy to keep importing US manufacturing capabilities until we're in a state of economic dependency on them) and Russia. While the Muslim world may despise the West (and I don't doubt that the ruling family of Saudi Arabia wouldn't cheerfully cut our throats, given a chance), I don't foresee them being a threat in my unborn (and unconceived) grandchildren's lifetimes.
Samardza		#13	[-]
Posts: 94 (12-Apr-2008 03:15:02) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	The big problem, is that the USN doesn't trust Congess to know that a nuke and a DE areNOT interchagable. Justifiably so I think.
emc		#14	[-]
Posts: 3656 (12-Apr-2008 13:57:35) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Samardza wrote: The big problem, is that the USN doesn't trust Congess to know that a nuke and a DE areNOT interchagable. Justifiably so I think. The members of Congress are not stupid. If the USN can't explain why diesel boats and nukes aren't interchangeable, they don't know themselves.
drunknsubmrnr		#15	[-]
Posts: 1298 (12-Apr-2008 22:03:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I can't see much of a reason to buy SSKs if you already have SSNs. They'll be almost as expensive without the advantages of an SSN. Kevin
emc	Re: Diesel-Electric subs for USN/RN?	#16	[-]
Posts: 3664 (13-Apr-2008 01:32:56) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	...especially when one is dealing with the "fleet cost," in that for a navy with world-wide commitments, one SSN could probably replace several diesel (or non-nuclear AIP) boats. I would guess that for diesel boats to be cost-competitive with SSN for the USN, they would have to have unit costs and operating costs no more that 20% of an SSN, with roughly comparable performance, a combination of requirements which I don't think can be reconciled. For a navy without world-wide commitments, the arithmetic is obviously different, and were the US to have significant local military threats -- and it doesn't except in the minds of people who should be taking thorazine -- the arithmetic may change.
SubsRUs		#17	[-]
Posts: 12 (13-Apr-2008 05:17:11) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Most members of Congress are capable of understanding a well-presented argument regarding the relative merits of diesel versus nuclear-powered submarines. They just don't want the Navy to "automatically" dismiss diesels, i.e., without any analysis. Hence, in the early 1990s, diesel-powered submarines were included among the many new attack submarine design alternatives developed (and analyzed for cost and operational effectiveness). After several years of conceptual studies, a nuclear-powered design was selected which, eventually, became the Virginia Class. During this time, a newspaper editorial cartoon showed one devil telling another that the US Navy is considering non-nuclear submarines. There were icicles hanging from their noses and elsewhere and no sign of flames. Regarding the building of diesel boats for export, the Navy is primarily concerned about the transfer of submarine design and shipbuilding technology. EB and Newport News would have a difficult time building submarines that didn't incorporate some US technology. Previous arguments regarding the need for diesel boats in the USN are generally correct. When your operating areas are many thousands of miles from your bases, slow-transiting diesel boats are not effective. Diesel boats are not "almost as expensive" as nuclear powered boats. However, for the USN, an equivalently capable fleet of diesel boats (if such a thing is even remotely possible) would probably cost more because they would need many more boats as well as overseas bases to operate them from (to minimize transit times).
drunknsubmrnr		#18	[-]
Posts: 1299 (14-Apr-2008 15:01:51) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	'Diesel boats are not "almost as expensive" as nuclear powered boats.' A modern AIP boat with the same capabilities as a nuke would cost almost as much. Most of the cost is in the combat systems, not the reactor. Kevin
FreeloaderUK		#19	[-]
Posts: 108 (14-Apr-2008 15:43:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	one would however have to take in reactor maintainance costs & costs of decommisioning & making safe into account. Russia has a lot of rusty old hulks to deal with & the west is having to assist in the clean-up operation.
drunknsubmrnr		#20	[-]
Posts: 1300 (14-Apr-2008 16:10:03) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	"one would however have to take in reactor maintainance costs & costs of decommisioning & making safe into account. " Sure. But if you already have a significant SSN and SSBN infrastructure, the incremental cost isn't that much. Kevin

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