There are two major types of submarines in the United States Navy: ballistic missile submarines and attack submarines. In the U.S. Navy, all combatant submarines are nuclear-powered. Ballistic subs have a single, strategic mission: carrying nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Attack submarines have several tactical missions, including sinking ships and subs, launching cruise missiles, and gathering intelligence. USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ... USN redirects here. ... French M45 SLBM and M51 SLBM Submarine-launched ballistic missiles or SLBMs are ballistic missiles delivering nuclear weapons that are launched from submarines. ... A Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile of the Luftwaffe A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ...

Composition of the current force

• Ohio class (18 in commission) — ballistic submarines, 4 to be converted into guided missile submarines
• Virginia class (2 in commission, 2 under construction, 2 on order) — attack submarines
• Seawolf class (3 in commission) — attack submarines
• Los Angeles Class (49 in commission) — attack submarines

The United States has 18 Ohio class submarines: 14 nuclear-powered SSBNs, each armed with 24 Trident II SLBMs; they are also known as Trident submarines, and provide the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad of the United States strategic deterrent forces 4 nuclear-powered SSGNs, each armed with... The Virginia class (or SSN-774 class) of attack submarines are the first U.S. subs to be designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions around the world. ... This article is about the SSN-21 class submarines. ... The Los Angeles-class attack submarines (SSN) are the most numerous class of nuclear powered submarines built by any nation, and form the bulk of the U.S. attack submarine force as of 2007. ...

History

The submarine has a long history in the USN. There were various projects in the 1800s, such as the USS Alligator. However, it began in earnest in the late 19th century, with the building of the SS-1, USS Holland. The boat was in service for 10 years and was a developmental and trials vessel for many systems on other early submarines. The fourth USS Alligator is the first known US Navy submarine, though not of the United States. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Holland VI redirects here. ...

The submarine really came of age in World War I. The USN did not have a large part in this war, with its action mainly being confined to escorting convoys later in the war and sending a division of battleships to reinforce the British Grand Fleet. However, there were those in the USN submarine service who saw what the Germans had done with their U-boats and took careful note. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Grand Fleet during WWI The 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. ...

Doctrine in the inter-war years emphasized the submarine as a scout for the battle fleet, and also extreme caution in command. Both these axioms were proven wrong after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The submarine skippers of the fleet boats of World War II waged a very effective campaign against Japanese merchant vessels, doing to Japan what Germany did to the United Kingdom. They were aggressive and effective, and operated far from the fleet. This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In addition to their commerce raiding role, submarines also proved valuable in air-sea rescue. There was many an American aircraft carrier pilot who owed his life to the valor of USN submarine crews, including future U.S. President George H. W. Bush. For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ...

Navy revolutions

After WWII, things continued along much the same path until the early 1950s. Then a revolution, that was to forever change the nature of the submarine arm occurred. That revolution was USS Nautilus. USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the worlds first operational nuclear-powered submarine and the first vessel to complete a submerged transit across the North Pole. ...

The Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered submarine. Up until that point, submarines had really been, at their most basic level, torpedo boats that happened to be able to go underwater. They had been tied to the surface by the need to charge their batteries using diesel engines relatively often. The nuclear power plant of the Nautilus meant that the boat could stay underwater for literally months at a time, the only limit in the end being the amount of food that the boat could carry. With resupply by mini-subs, even this is not actually a final limit. The final limit, would be for replacing equipment that wears out and the fatigue limit of the hull. Nautilus put to sea for the first time on 17 January 1955, transmitting the historic message, "Under way on nuclear power." is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...

Another revolution in submarine warfare came with USS George Washington. Nuclear powered, like Nautilus, George Washington added strategic ballistic missiles to the mix. Earlier submarines had carried strategic missiles, but the boats had been diesel powered, and the missiles required the boat to surface in order to fire. The missiles were also cruise missiles, which were vulnerable to the defences of the day in a way that ballistic missiles were not. USS George Washington (SSBN-598), the lead ship of her class, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for George Washington, first President of the United States. ...

George Washington's missiles could be fired whilst the boat was submerged, meaning that it was far less likely to be detected before firing. The nuclear power of the boat also meant that, like Nautilus, George Washington's patrol length was only limited by the amount of food the boat could carry. Ballistic missile submarines, carrying Polaris missiles, eventually superseded all other strategic nuclear systems in the USN. Deterrent patrols continue to this day, although now with the Ohio class boats and Trident missiles. The Redoutable, a French SNLE (now a museum) A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles (SLBMs), such as the Russian SS-N-18 or the American Trident. ... The Polaris Missile was a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) carrying a nuclear warhead developed during the Cold War for the United States Navy. ... The United States has 18 Ohio class submarines: 14 nuclear-powered SSBNs, each armed with 24 Trident II SLBMs; they are also known as Trident submarines, and provide the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad of the United States strategic deterrent forces 4 nuclear-powered SSGNs, each armed with... This article contains technical information about the Trident ballistic missile. ...

U.S. Navy Los Angeles class submarine, USS San Juan

Given the lack of large scale conventional naval warfare since 1945, with the USN's role being primarily that of power projection, the submarine service did not fire weapons in anger for very many years. The development of a new generation of cruise missiles changed that. The BGM-109 Tomahawk missile was developed to give naval vessels a long range land attack capability. Other than direct shore bombardment, and strikes by aircraft flying off carriers, the ability of naval vessels to influence warfare on land was limited. 030221-N-0780F-020 Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (Feb. ... 030221-N-0780F-020 Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (Feb. ... The Los Angeles-class attack submarines (SSN) are the most numerous class of nuclear powered submarines built by any nation, and form the bulk of the U.S. attack submarine force as of 2007. ... USS San Juan (SSN-751), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for San Juan, Puerto Rico. ... USS , and HMS Illustrious, two aircraft carriers on a joint patrol. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings. ...

Now, instead of being limited to firing shells less than 20 miles inland from guns, any naval vessel fitted with the Tomahawk could hit targets up to 1,000 miles inland. The mainstay of the Tomahawk equipped vessels in the early days of the missile's deployment were the Iowa class battleships, and the submarine fleet. The Tomahawk was first used in combat on 17 January 1991, on the opening night of Operation Desert Storm. On that day, for the first time since the surrender of Japan in 1945, an American submarine fired in combat, when Tomahawks were launched by U.S. boats in the eastern Mediterranean. The Iowa-class battleships were six battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 for use as escorts for the Fast Carrier Task Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian...

Since then, the Tomahawk has become a staple of American campaigns. It has seen use in no less than three separate wars. It has also been exported to the United Kingdom, which has also fitted it to submarines. The Tomahawk has seen a change in the design of attack submarines. At first it was fired through torpedo tubes, but more recent U.S. boats have been fitted with vertical launch systems to enable them to carry more of the weapons. The IRIS-T SL vertical launching system The VLS cells on board USS San Jacinto. ...

In the early 21st century, the USN submarine fleet is made up entirely of nuclear powered vessels. It is the most powerful of its type in the world. However, there are those who worry that there are not enough boats in the fleet. As with other branches of the U.S. military the budget cuts of the late 1980s and the early 1990s, as the Cold War ended, followed up by the War on Terrorism, have left little or no slack in the system. This point is illustrated by the fact that in 2003, for the first time since 1945, an American submarine made two back-to-back war patrols. Combatants Participants in operations  United States  United Kingdom  Israel  Canada  Australia  Poland  Iraq  Afghanistan  India  Pakistan  Philippines  Somalia  Ethiopia  Lebanon Fatah et al. ...

Naming

Ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs or boomers in American slang) carry submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with nuclear warheads, for attacking strategic targets such as cities or missile silos anywhere in the world. They are currently universally nuclear-powered, to provide the greatest stealth and endurance. (The first Soviet ballistic missile submarines were diesel-powered.) They played an important part in Cold War mutual deterrence, as both the United States and the Soviet Union had the credible ability to conduct a retaliatory strike against the other nation in the event of a first strike. This comprised an important part of the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction. Diagram of V-2, the first ballistic missile. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... French M45 SLBM and M51 SLBM Submarine-launched ballistic missiles or SLBMs are ballistic missiles delivering nuclear weapons that are launched from submarines. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter A nuclear weapon derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fusion or fission. ... A missile silo is a underground vertical cylindrical container for the storage and launching of ICBMs. ... For fusion power, see Fusion power. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Deterrence theory is a defensive strategy developed after World War II and used throughout the Cold War. ... In nuclear strategy, second strike capability is a countrys assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker. ... In nuclear strategy, first strike capability is a countrys ability to defeat another nuclear power by destroying its arsenal to the point where the attacking country can survive the weakened retaliation. ... Mutual assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by one of two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender. ...

The Ohio-class submarine USS Michigan.

The U.S. has 18 Ohio class submarines, of which 14 are Trident II SSBNs, each carrying 24 SLBMs. The American George Washington class "boomers" were named for famous Americans, and together with the Ethan Allen, Lafayette, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin classes, these SSBNs comprised the Cold War-era "41 for Freedom." Later Ohio class submarines were named for states (recognizing the increase in striking power and importance, equivalent to battleships), with the exception that SSBN-730 gained the name of a Senator. The first four Ohio class vessels were equipped with Trident I, and are now being converted to carry Tomahawk guided missiles. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3008x1960, 723 KB) Summary 021114-N-6497N-150 Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, Wash. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3008x1960, 723 KB) Summary 021114-N-6497N-150 Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, Wash. ... USS Michigan (SSBN-727/SSGN-727) is the second Ohio-class Nuclear Powered Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine in the United States Navy. ... The United States has 18 Ohio class submarines: 14 nuclear-powered SSBNs, each armed with 24 Trident II SLBMs; they are also known as Trident submarines, and provide the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad of the United States strategic deterrent forces 4 nuclear-powered SSGNs, each armed with... This article contains technical information about the Trident ballistic missile. ... It has been proposed below that SSBN be renamed and moved to Ballistic missile submarine. ... The George Washington class of United States Navy submarine were the first ballistic missile submarines in the world. ... The Ethan Allen class of fleet ballistic missile submarine was an evolutionary development from the George Washington class. ... The Lafayette class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the Ethan Allen class of fleet ballistic missile submarine, slightly larger and generally improved. ... The James Madison class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the Lafayette class of fleet ballistic missile submarine. ... The Benjamin Franklin class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the James Madison class of fleet ballistic missile submarine. ... USS (SSBN-730), a Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Senator Henry M. Jackson. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings. ...

Personnel

U.S. Navy submarines are manned solely by volunteers from within the Navy. Submarine personnel are accepted only after the most rigorous testing and observation.

Some 5,000 officers and 55,000 enlisted people make up the submarine force. In addition to submarines, they are assigned to submarine tenders, submarine rescue ships, deep-diving submersibles, floating dry docks, shore support facilities, submarine staffs, and senior command staffs. A submarine tender is a type of ship that supplies and supports submarines. ... U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision with a fishing boat. ...

The submarine force has always been a small fraction of the active Navy. In 1998 only about seven percent of the Navy's people were submariners, though they operated one-third of the Navy's warships.

Today, at the end of the decade, the smaller submarine force of the late 1990s continues to man a significant fraction of the Navy's warships, and some of the most capable and versatile.

Pressure and escape training

After acceptance into the submarine program, candidates undergo a demanding training schedule, which includes attendance by all Officers and non-nuclear trained enlisted personnel at the U.S. Naval Submarine School New London, located within the Naval Submarine Base New London, in Groton, Connecticut, (NAVSUBSCOL at SUBASENLON) as well as rigorous technical training in different specialty areas. The town of Groton, Connecticut is host to SUBASE New London and the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics. ... Waterfront of Groton, Connecticut looking upriver Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. ...

View from inside the hyperbaric chamber showing Naval dive doctors supervising a pressure test.

Besides their academic and technical training, much of which is Classified Secret or Top Secret, all prospective US Naval Submariners, both officers and enlisted personnel, undergo 3 phases of physical training and testing related to the intense pressure differential between the surface and submarine operating depth. View from the interior of the hyperbaric chamber, US government source, public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... View from the interior of the hyperbaric chamber, US government source, public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen at a higher than atmospheric pressure. ...

Of the following three trainings, only the escape training is currently in use:

Valsalva maneuver

The first test is for the ability to perform the Valsalva maneuver, named for Antonio Maria Valsalva. If a submarine training candidate cannot perform the Valsalva maneuver under doctor's supervision at normal atmospheric pressure, that candidate is rejected as unfit for submarine service but may serve on surface ships. In medicine, the Valsalva maneuver is performed by forcibly exhaling against closed lips and pinched nose, forcing air into the middle ear if the Eustachian tube is open. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Pressure

In the second phase of testing, called Pressure Testing, candidates who have successfully performed the Valsalva maneuver will be subjected to increased ambient pressure. This test is performed under the supervision of a diving-certified medical doctor. All testees enter a pressure chamber, accompanied by the doctor, and the 'tank' is sealed. Typically, there is in the chamber a somewhat surprising object: an inflated volleyball, water polo ball or similar inflated ball. Upon sealing the tank, pressure is increased, while the testees equalise their eardrum pressure. (if any testee is unable to 'Valsalva', the test stops, and pressure is slowly released.) Pressure builds within the chamber until the chamber is equal to water pressure at "escape depth". At this point, the chamber feels very warm and dry, and the volleyball has become compressed enough that it has become the shape of a bowl, and appears to have been emptied of air, due to the greatly increased air pressure inside of the tank. Sounds inside the tank at pressure sound as if they are "far away".

During the controlled release of pressure from the tank, the air in the chamber becomes quite chilled and a fog forms in the chamber, often precipitating as a sort of dew. (see adiabatic expansion) Once pressure is fully released, the candidates are examined with an otoscope to check for ruptured eardrums. Candidates with ruptured eardrums are either rejected as unfit, or removed from the testing cycle until healed, depending on the severity of the injury. In thermodynamics, an adiabatic process or an isocaloric process is a thermodynamic process in which no heat is transferred to or from the working fluid. ... Otoscope - Image of an otoscope (center) An Otoscope is a medical device which is used to look into the ears. ...

Escape training

Submarine escape training tower, Pearl Harbor

The third phase of testing for submarine fitness is escape training, utilizing the Steinke hood submarine escape appliance, or colloquially known as the Steinke hood or, more familiarly, as "Stinky hood". This is a very complex device, but essentially it covers the head and shoulders during ascent from a stranded submarine, allowing air to escape during ascent, which is necessary as the expanding air in the lungs would otherwise cause disastrous injury. Submarine scape training tower Pearl Harbor, public domain image, US government source File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Submarine scape training tower Pearl Harbor, public domain image, US government source File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... A Steinke hood, named for its inventor, is a device designed to aid escape from a sunken submarine, essentially an inflatable life jacket with a hood that completely encloses the wearers head, trapping a bubble of breathing air. ...

The escape testing proceeds as in the pressure test, except that this time, a hatch in the floor of the pressure chamber is opened. The chamber immediately adjoins a cylindrical tower full of water, tall enough to simulate the depth of a stranded submarine. Because the air pressure inside the chamber is equal to the pressure of the water in the tower, the water does not enter the chamber.

Donning the Steinke hood, the testee, enters the water, and immediately commences a rapid ascent, due to the buoyancy of the escape device. As they ascend, each testee must allow the air in his lungs to escape, this is facilitated by yelling as loudly as possible. Typically they are told to yell "I feel fine!" repeatedly, as loudly as possible. If one does not forcefully and continuously expel air from the lungs in this manner, they may be gravely injured or killed. The air exiting the lungs is allowed to exit the hood through a set of two one-way valves, keeping the device inflated but not over-inflated. A check valve is a mechanical device, a valve, that normally only allows fluid to flow through it in one direction. ...

Successfully completing the escape training requires two trials, one of them at double the depth of the first. On completion of escape training, testees are now considered bubbleheads.

As of 2004, the Steinke Hood is slated for replacement with the Mark 10 Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment (SEIE) suit. The Mark 10 will allow submariners to escape from much deeper depths than currently possible with the Steinke Hood. Some US Navy submarines already have the system, with an ambitious installation and training schedule in place for the remainder of the fleet. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment suit The SEIE MK-10 on the surface after escape. ...

The Mark 8, its predecessor, was a double layer suit which gave the wearer the appearance of a Michelin Man. One layer was eliminated, and the fabric was used to build a life raft that would fit in the same package that the original suit came in. Michelin logo Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin, based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, is primarily a tire manufacturer. ... Traditional raft, from 1884 edition Huckleberry Finn and Jim Children successfully test their raft, in Brixham harbour, south Devon, England. ...

Because it is a full body suit, the Mark 10 provides thermal protection once the wearer reaches the surface, and the British Royal Navy has successfully tested it at six hundred foot depths. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

The Mark 10 Submarine Escape and Immersion Equipment suit is slated to be in place aboard all US Navy submarines by 2007. The navies of twenty-two nations currently use SEIE units of some type. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Tradition

Insignia

Submarine Warfare insignia also known as "Dolphins".

Further training and qualification at sea are required before submariners are awarded the coveted Submarine Warfare Insignia ("dolphins") - the submarine insignia worn by officers (gold) and enlisted personnel (silver) to demonstrate their achievement. Image File history File links CQM_Jenkin's_Dolphins_now_worn_by_MCET_Roland_Jenkins. ... Image File history File links CQM_Jenkin's_Dolphins_now_worn_by_MCET_Roland_Jenkins. ... Officer and Enlisted Submarine Badges The Submarine Warfare Insignia (usually known as dolphins or fish) is a uniform breast pin worn by enlisted men and officers of the United States Navy to indicate that they are qualified in submarines. ... Officer and Enlisted Submarine Badges The Submarine Warfare Insignia (usually known as dolphins or fish) is a uniform breast pin worn by enlisted men and officers of the United States Navy to indicate that they are qualified in submarines. ...

The insignia of the U.S. Navy's Submarine Service is a Submarine flanked by two dolphins. Dolphins, the traditional attendants to Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea and patron deity of sailors, are symbolic of a calm sea. Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ...

Wearing the dolphins is a source of pride. Upon reassignment to "Fleet service", and leaving the submarine service, both officers and enlisted personnel usually continue to wear them with pride.

The origin of this insignia dates back to June 1923, when Captain Ernest King, USN, Commander, Submarine Division Three (later Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations), suggested to the Secretary of the Navy that a device for qualified submariners be adopted. He submitted a pen-and-ink sketch as an example. A Philadelphia firm, Bailey, Banks and Biddle, was requested to design a suitable badge. In 1928, a member of that firm told Ensign William C. Eddy that they were looking for a design. Eddy, using sketches of the 1926 Naval Academy class crest that he had designed, came up with the present submarine insignia. Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King (November 23, 1878 – June 25, 1956) was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations (COMINCH-CNO) during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navys operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs...

In 1941 the Uniform Regulations were modified to permit officers and enlisted men to wear the submarine insignia after they had been assigned to other duties in the naval service, unless such right had been revoked. The officer insignia was a bronze gold plated metal pin, worn centered above the left breast pocket and above the ribbons or medals. Enlisted men wore an embroidered silk insignia on the outside of the right sleeve, midway between the wrist and elbow until 1947 when it was shifted to above the left breast pocket. In 1943 the Uniform Regulations were modified to allow enlisted men, who were qualified for submarine duty then subsequently promoted to commissioned or warrant ranks, to continue wearing the enlisted submarine insignia until they qualified as submarine officers when they were entitled to wear the officers submarine pin. A 1950 change to Uniform Regulations authorized the embroidered insignia for officers (in addition to pin-on insignia) and a bronze, silver plated, pin-on insignia for enlisted men (in addition to the embroidered device).

SSBN patrol pin

Following the tradition of the World War II patrol pin, the silver Polaris Patrol Pin is worn by SSBN crews both officer and enlisted. It recognizes their sacrifice and hard work in completing strategic patrols. One gold star marks each patrol completed. A silver star marks five patrols. Upon completion of 20 patrols, a gold patrol pin is authorized.

Neptune Award

The person on active duty, officer or enlisted, with the most deterrent patrols is presented with the Neptune Award. That person retains the award until someone else attains more patrols than the current holder or until he retires and it goes to the member with the next highest number of patrols.

Submarine verse of the Navy Hymn

The lyrics to the Submarine verse of the Navy Hymn were written by the Reverend Gale Williamson: Eternal Father, Strong to Save, is a hymn often associated with the Royal Navy or the United States Navy. ...

Bless those who serve beneath the deep,

Through lonely hours their vigil keep.

May peace their mission ever be,

Protect each one we ask of thee.

Bless those at home who wait and pray,

For their return by night or day.

See also

• List of submarines of the United States Navy
• List of lost United States submarines
• List of United States submarine classes

This is a list of submarines of the United States Navy, listed both by hull number and by name. ... These United States submarines were lost either to enemy action or to storm or perils of the sea. ... Submarines of the United States Navy are built in classes, using a single design for a number of boats. ...

External Links

• Submarine Warfare Division website Information, history, and US Navy articles

• Undersea Warfare magazine Undersea Warfare is the official magazine of the US Navy undersea warfare community.

• Official US Navy submarine websites