Seawolf class submarine officer berth9/16/2023 ![]() ![]() The digital compass shows the boat-which weighs 9,150 tons submerged-is halfway toward its new heading. ![]() As the rudder indicator confirms my maneuver, I detect a slight sway. To my surprise, the helm answers with as much back pressure as the steering wheel on my Subaru. I plant my feet squarely on the linoleum deck tiles and begin the turn. Shirley orders “5 degree left rudder" to bring us to a new heading of 117. After a quick rundown of the instruments, helmsman Billy J. The ride quickly turns into an adventure when we reach open water and McCall asks me, "Do you want to drive?" I'm recalling old submarine movies as I settle into the lightly padded driver's seat and wrap my hands around the wheel's black vinyl grip. Popular Mechanics was invited to go for a spin in Seawolf during pre-operational testing off Florida's coast. Bob Aronson, the boat's executive officer. "At 25 knots, our boat is quieter than the last Los Angeles-class submarines sitting at the pier," says Lt. ![]() Besides being fast, Seawolf-class submarines, of which Seawolf SSN-21 is the first of three, are the stealthiest vessels in the Navy's fleet. Some say the boat is so fast McCall could earn speeding tickets at sea. On the record, Seawolf's top speed exceeds 25 knots. The Navy has indulged McCall's need for speed by giving him command of its fastest attack submarine ever, the USS Seawolf. "I like to drive fast," he says, "I like to drive very fast." pivoted away from these heavily armed behemoths of the deep, but the Navy's upcoming submarine, currently named the SSN(X), could be as armed to the teeth as its Seawolf forebear, a signal that times are changing on the high seas.Ĭapt. Navy's newest (and deadliest) attack submarine, the USS Seawolf. In the January 1998 issue, Popular Mechanics boarded the U.S. ![]()
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