The term «Silent Service» evokes images of Second World War submarines complete with foul air, battery acid and diesel fuel. The present day nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarine brings a new meaning to the term «Silent Service.» With its slippery Black painted stealthy hull and ultra quiet machinery — its silence can be very deadly to any aggressor.  The first submarine was demonstrated in the Thames River. England by its builder, Dutchman Cornelius Drebbel in 1624. The boat was a wooden framework covered with oilsoaked leather and it submerged by contracting the sides thereby reducing internal air volume.  During the revolutionary war an American, David Bushnell. demonstrated the TURTLE, a submersible that featured a hand powered propeller and a ballast tank. The TURTLE made the first combat sortie by a submersible when Bushnell attempted to attack a British warship in New York Harbor however, he failed in the attempt. Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steam boat, designed a submarine that incorporated the use of compressed air for crew breathing. The design employed a sail for surface propulsion and a hand cranked propeller for propulsion while submerged.  The first successful sinking of a warship by a submarine took place on 17 February 1864, by the Confederate States Ship HUNLEY and this attack revolutionized naval warfare. The CSS HUNLEY attacked and sank the Union Gunboat USS HOUSA-TONIC in Charleston, SC harbor. The CSS HUNLEY was armed with a torpedo suspended on a long spar ahead of the ship and the attack took place on the surface and at night. Both vessels were lost when the HUNLEY became entangled with the mortally wounded and sinking HOUSATONIC.

Us Ballistic Missile Subs PDF

The list of books you might like