A rare look inside nuclear powered submarine USS Florida | Nightline

we approach the USS Florida in the eastern Mediterranean as it prepares for a highly classified mission so this is 18,000 tons we're looking at here thousand tons of American a nuclear-powered US Navy guided missile submarine 160 crew onboard they call it the silent service for a reason that's right all those missions are some of the most highly classified that we do they deploy underwater for up to 120 days several months at a time we are given rare access as we board the submarine thank you sir Rear Admiral William Houston describes where we are standing just above the Tomahawk missiles this can lift up at any time this could lift up at any time on order if we wanted to launch the Tomahawk missiles how many tomahawks are we sort of standing on right here right now seven they have more than 100 tomahawks at the ready and he points out something else we won't go any further but you're literally standing 10 to 20 feet from an operational nuclear reactor right now they are about to take us down into the submarine where we will spend the next 24 hours traveling with them a maze of narrow hallways and hatches every inch of the submarine is used they give me a harness as we prepare to climb to the top of the sub to the bridge we wait forward up the ladder through several hatches they tell you when it comes to your hands and your feet make sure three out of four are touching at all times we climb several floors to meet the captain and members of his crew waiting atop the USS Florida we make it to the bridge where we find they are on patrol as the submarine leaves port preparing to descend into the sea back down inside the submarine captain Seth burton takes us past the missile tubes holding the tomahawks so inside this tuber here seven Tomahawk missiles and we take note that in between the curtains drawn where the sailors sleep the sailors are actually sleep there and between the tomahawk rolls inside the submarine control room they are about to deliver the order to descend a camera shows the submarine disappearing under the water surface are they eventually descending four hundred five hundred more than six hundred feet beneath the surface of the sea they train to move the submarine as carefully and as quickly as possible soon we are all leaning with no effort it is precision work in these waters of the eastern Mediterranean not long after we are leaning in the other direction when this is a 20 degree lean right as they pull back they have to be ready to make these moves there are others here too we put this submarine right in this eastern portion of the Mediterranean to counterbalance the Russia buildup in Syria do you have company here in the Mediterranean we do have plenty of company the Russians are very active and we're active with them to 7:02 the left the US aware the Russians are trying to send a message the Russians have demonstrated their willingness to use missiles from submarines they did it for the Black Sea yes into Syria and and now the Russians are here in the Mediterranean they absolutely are and we're watching them very very closely you are yeah there's really not a day where we're not watching them every single day are they watching us I think they'd like to watch us in fact the Russians recently showing their own underwater muscle in the barren sea and just days ago testing their new sea-based ballistic missile it's not lost on anyone what we've seen from the Russians in just the last we can have absolutely and that's one of the reasons Barbara here at night we watch as they use a periscope with an infrared camera above the water this research complete hold no contacts so we're alone good we crawl through another hatch and snake our way to the nuclear reactor coming through and soon we are standing in front of the hatch they have sealed off we're basically traveling on the submarine with a nuclear reactor absolutely we can operate more than 90 to 120 days submerge and the reason is because that reactor gives us all the power we need and we ask who is behind the hatch the team back there is about 11 walk Stander's highly-trained nuclear operators this submarine has only been refueled once only once and that nuclear power also produces oxygen on board while under the sea we are taken to the room where they monitor it all when you're five or six hundred feet below the surface you got to use the resource you have which is water right we're bringing down to mineralized water into oxygen we make approximately twice as much hydrogen as we do auction we then send that hydrogen overboard when it hits the electricity here breaks it into hydrogen and an oxygen and there is something else about the USS Florida it is always ready for us special forces for Navy SEALs their weapons already on board we are about to climb to see the small compartment attached to the top of the submarine where Navy SEALs US Special Forces would deploy right into the water keep in mind the submarine is still hundreds of feet beneath the sea this is the dry deck shelter on top of the submarine in fact we're still about 200 feet beneath the surface of the Mediterranean here in this room this is where the Navy SEALs would deploy a Navy SEAL a delivery vehicle of some sort and in fact the only thing separating me from the intense pressure of the water is this black hatch and in fact if you listen you can actually hear the water and on board there is one more powerful weapon the torpedo as a camp than you always want to be ready and send this one here right they have eight of them on board this submarine one of them already marked warship loaded and it turns out that every one of these torpedoes is tested multiple times before it's put into place on a guided missile submarine these torpedoes were shot five times successfully as an exercise torpedo the engine compartment the after body and the nose group the guidance control group of the weapon before it can be certified to carry your workshop so these weapons have actually had a runtime Petty Officer is Mr Drake conducts a test run of the tube itself [Music] so the force I was getting released in there was the 2,000 pounds of air going in through the firing valve into the turbine ejection which is pretty much like a jet engine spinning it up which just ejects it out like a giant water cannon we have torpedoes that will basically eliminate any submarine or surfer ship if needed if needed captain Burton is the commanding officer of the USS Florida you just look at the region and you've got Isis in northern Africa you've got what's going on on the on the turkey-syria border right now the fact that you're here in the Mediterranean does that give you a set of silent eyes for the US absolutely it gives them eyes where no one knows that they're being looked at captain Burton is aware of the Russians - and the Russians have found a way to signal to you we're here in the Mediterranean - oh yeah definitely they're they're here and do you let them know that you know they're here that's why I'm here and on this submarine as you walk down those narrow hallways just enough room to get by these sailors often do not know the classified mission on the horizon they do know they're here in the eastern Mediterranean and that they're ready you all are about to go on submissions that I can't tell you about here on the mess decks they're in a very dangerous part of the world right now and tonight the USS Florida now on that classified mission nobody knows where it's at in the Mediterranean at any one time including out including now I'm deep it viewer for Nightline in the eastern Mediterranean the Rear Admiral telling David the submarine has three times the firepower of a typical destroyer hi everyone George Stephanopoulos here thanks for checking out the ABC News youtube channel if you'd like to get more videos show highlights and watch live event coverage click on the right over here to subscribe to our Channel and don't forget to download the ABC News app for breaking news alerts thanks for watching

Channel: ABC News

Views: 2,755,180

Rating: 4.8541398 out of 5

Keywords: Captain, Seth, Burton, David, Muir, nuclear, powered, submarine, USS, Florida, guided, missile, Russia, conflict, SSGN, 728, abc, abcnews

Id: ZjuzJODdH8Q

Length: 8min 40sec (520 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 05 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Mashedpotatoebrain]

That was cool. They certainly make it sound like the Russians are up to something though.

[u/Gun3]

Coners.

[u/drspudbear]

18,000 TONS of AMERICAN STEEL. TOMAHAWKS. RUSSIANS. TOMAHAWKS.

[u/Hegemonee]

Very interesting! I found a few things particularly notable:

1. Seemed like this a way of posturing, the only reason they brought ABC onto the submarine was so the Russians could see that the US isn't afraid to saber-rattle as well. Last week the Russisans tested a missle, this week the US shows off its submarine.
2. Never realized that classified missions can extend to the people on a sub. I'm kinda new with this stuff, but found it fascinating that the sailors are operating without knowing the full extent of the mission. Now that I think of it, seems very easy to compartmentalize the "need to know" information amongst the highest ranking officers.
3. These sailors may not know where they are! This really blew my mind.

[u/IAmA_TheOneWhoKnocks]

I've always had this idea that living on a submarine would be pretty sick. Keep it docked, take it anywhere in the world, or chill underwater. By nearly all accounts of those who use submarines most often, they're smelly, dirty, cramped, and crowded. However, if you had your own sub, it seems like most of those issues wouldn't be a problem because a submarine could easily have over a hundred crew members on board. Plus, you'd be free to rearrange the layout for larger, more private rooms with a friendlier feel. Getting rid of all the weapons systems would also clear a ton of space and I imagine you could get by on a crew of a dozen or fewer with the assistance of automation. Now I just need to find a few billion dollars...

[u/hoanns]

Imagine how prosperous we could all be living if humans didn't spend money on intimidating themselves with militaries.

[u/Krunkkracker]

Good thing they don't go in to where the crew sleep. I can imagine how many were spanking it.

[u/drjankies]

I thought some subs used Xbox controllers.