the sub vet

On a summer Saturday night, Eric and Dave get together to talk about the longest submarine in the world, the relief of the CO of USS Scranton - or evaluations and ranks - that big Russian super torpedo, underwater robot detection, US Subs in Faslane and what's going on a summer Saturday night...

Eric Ryle is back to talk submarines and whether or not Tom Clancy is still dead… Updates on the latest idiotic USS Connecticut theory and how the Russians were so concerned about what appeared to be litter on the ocean floor that they cleaned up a bunch of it, just to make everybody smile. Smoking cigarettes on Submarines used to be a thing. How Dave ended up as a C3 Poseidon FTB. Eric tells the communists some Top Secret stuff. As it turns out, Tom Clancy might have been Brietbarted over his book “The Hunt for Red October.” In any case, he is still dead…

The Sub Vet, Eric Ryle, is back to talk about submarines and Veterans Day. This week we learned that a long time Navy Metallurgist lied for years about the testing of steel used in Navy ships and submarines. Now, for Dave and Eric, it didn't make any difference as their boats were much older, but it does raise questions about the quality of the steel used in today's boats. But more than that, it raises questions about the overall safety and security of the Navy's operations.

Eric Ryle of The SubVet.com is back to talk with Dave about their expert opinions of the latest news on the USS Connecticut. First off, the Navy had kind of admitted that the submarine hit the bottom, somewhere in the South China Sea. Then the Navy sort of released an official picture of the boat, although technically it’s a picture of the SecNav talking last week with the Captain of the Tender in Guam. The Connecticut just happens to be in the background. But it’s clear from the accidental photo that the boat didn’t surface under anything. On Thursday the Navy announced that the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer and the Chief of the Boat had all been relieved for loss of confidence. And hinted that there was some bit of procedural non-compliance. Since Dave and Eric are both Strategic Weapons Weenies and have extensive knowledge of SSN operations, they are clearly the guys to listen to for the latest updates on what happened. And some sea stories about mouth wash, Swimming Sasquatches and Unidentified Flying (and Submerged) objects, none of which have anything to do with USS Connecticut. Set condition 1SQ for Strategic Launch and strap in for a typical submarine ride!

Eric Ryle of The SUB VET online group and webpage joins Dave to talk about the USS Connecticut overhead shots. The first overhead satellite shots of the USS Connecticut are both revealing and confusing. It’s now clear that the ship did hit something bow on, but what the extent of the total damage was will probably never be known. In any case, it is yet another example that one of the basic truths about US Navy submariners remains as true today as it did a hundred and twenty-one years ago: You cannot do epic shit with average people…