US submarines are designed for speed and stealth. The Navy takes great pains to keep this technology a secret. The most critical part of that secret is the design of the propellers that drive the subs and keep them quiet.
Whenever the submarine is brought into the graving dock for service, one of the first things that they do is cover the propeller with a tarp so that it can not be photographed. Evidently, if you know what they look like, you can figure out how to copy them and make your subs quiet too.
This photo shows the USS Georgia coming out of the water to be serviced. Note the shroud over the propeller to keep it from being photographed.
Now, click on this link to be taken to the Sub Base at Bangor, Washington. You may have to be in Internet Explorer to see this…
Exposed Propeller!!
The photo is of the graving dock on the “Delta Pier” and the propeller of an Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarine. Oops!! It really is an interesting design though. Seven blades with a “hook” in them. They actually look pretty fragile.
You can also use the zoom in and out keys and move around the Bangor Sub Base taking a close up look at the bunkers and magazines where they keep the nuclear weapons. You would think the US government would keep better tabs on this stuff.
I guess the Navy did not count on Microsoft’s Live Search Maps allowing the world access to the satellite images from orbiting cameras. As far as I know, images of this type should be classified. Instead, this information is available to anyone with an internet connection. I would think that Commanding Officers of military installations would have some person on their staff who takes a look at what is out there and makes recommendations on how to better provide security.
Technorati Tags: Submarine, propeller, classified, top secret, Bangor, ballistic missile, boomer, graving dock, nuclear submarine, nuclear missile, Global Security, SSBN, USS Georgia, Delta Pier, Microsoft Live Search, Google Maps
