USS North Carolina Submarine

after over 60 years the North Carolina name returns to an active Navy vessel I'm Jeff Smith coming up we'll take you aboard the SSN 777 nuclear attack submarine quality Public Television is made possible through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting unc-tv hello and welcome to this North Carolina now special on the USS North Carolina submarine I'm Jeff Smith and recently videographer Peter Bell and I had the opportunity to set out to see on the USS North Carolina to see what this 21st century nuclear attack submarine can do during its sea trials also met some of the USS North Carolina sailors from the state serving aboard the SSN 777 then we came to shore where the boat docked here in Wilmington for the final step in preparing to serve our country commissioning this program will show some of the abilities of the new submarine and its crew while expressing the pride of carrying on the North Carolina name so get ready to go beneath the waves on board the USS North Carolina it's 8:00 a.m. everyone's on board it's time to go out to sea the chief of the boat David Collins assured everyone into the hall welcome aboard the USS North Carolina with tugboats at her side the stealth black tube leaves the harbor below-deck sunlight does not exist crewmen scurry through the tight hallways and stairwells no time to stop and chat they all have a job to do life is challenging its it yeah it's exciting there's not a lot of privacy that we have but we're like a big family this attack submarine is the latest in the virginia-class submarines and like his predecessors the boat measures 377 feet long 34 feet wide and roughly 32 feet tall while many of the features of this state-of-the-art structure are still classified inside this 3 deck but are roughly 140 sailors with everything they need to keep them running executive officer andrew hotel is proud of the men who are part of the submarine crew the USS North Carolina this is an incredible ship I'll tell you we are a group of a hundred forty guys and on a technical marvel this is the fourth ship of the the virginia-class submarine the fourth ship to be named North Carolina and where we love it it's for many of us is our first ship for me in particular this is my third ship and it's the best one that I've been on yes this USS North Carolina is the fourth vessel to bear the state's name the first ship was a 74 gunship of the line launched in 1820 second was an armored Cruiser which was the first ship to launch an airplane by catapult in 1915 the third North Carolina is the battleship VB 55 the ship was instrumental in winning many battles in the Pacific during World War two since its decommissioning in 1947 no other ship has used the North Carolina name the technology that's built into the ship itself is tremendous from the photonics masts which now mean that we don't have penetrating periscopes through the hull coming down into the ship and in the previous classes with those periscopes they really were they had to be really defined where the control room had to be and it was in most cases in the upper level of the ship where would the shape of the whole it's much narrower and so there was much more much less room in the control room on my ship with the non-penetrating periscopes we're now able to put the control room effectively wherever we want to being able to include more operational equipment in one room means a very crowded workspace but captain Davis says it serves a useful purpose now we have everybody that's responsible for the tactical performance of the ship all in the same room much easier to communicate other advances include changes in the lower decks where the weapons room is located it's our torpedo room is completely flexible to handle a variety of missions from special operating warfare to tomahawk strike to anti-submarine warfare we can do any one of those and several more with merely just a couple days in port and a shifting out of some gear we can launch missiles either horizontally or vertically torpedo tubes we only launched horizontally for the vertical launch system that's all external to the to the to the pressure hull and so the vertical launch tubes are pre-loaded while we're in port with with Tomahawk missiles Lieutenant Nick Bogart is an assistant weapons officer on the North Carolina with a new submarine more advanced equipment means extra responsibilities for his men weapons Department has four divisions we have a sonar fire control torpedo and an our information technology division so on a previous class of submarine you wouldn't have had that IT division IT was done by just one person alone on a 688 class submarine on this class submarine we've got a small division of people who do it because this submarine was designed with the land and so it takes more people to run that to run that equipment that was designed into the submarine there are several things which we have to meet before we can submerge the ship we normally don't submerge on routine operations until we're outside the hundred fathom curve or 600 feet captain Mark Davis prepares his crew but before he can submerge the ship he must first know what else is in and on the water and this is just a graphical representation of all of the contacts that on the system right now once we say dive dive the copilot will open those valves and the also the deck will look out the periscope to make sure that they're open because there's something that fowl the ship and some of the stern so if you imagine if only the ones in the bow open we'd be like this real quick video confirmation on the photonics mats confirmed the vents are open and air is rushing out we are on our way to being below the waves in fact the desired depth for submerging is roughly 180 feet this enables the submarine to avoid any ships on the surface from hitting them blah submerged the pilot takes the boat down at a gradual decline to ensure that the tail rotor and propeller stayed below surface until the 7840 one-ton boat is where the captain has ordered so the pilot has control of ship speed right now while he's trimming the ship he's pretty confident he has a handle because the planes just like an airplane right the faster you're going once the pilot has a balance on the ship's weight captain Davis begins to take the boat through angles and angles where the boat will dive turn lift and change directions as hard as the sub can take it this is to test out the ability to escape any threats the crew hang on and lean into each angle while some of the equipment that did not get stowed and secured gets dumped onto the deck two to five feet during this test captain Davis takes the boat to around 600 feet below not a lot compared to the over 800 feet the submarine is able to do executive officer Andrew hotel says these maneuvers are important to ensure that the boat works as designed you know the government's paying about 2.5 billion dollars for the submarine and they want to make sure it works up to the design spec so the first thing that we do for the sea trial is to basically go out to sea see that we submerge and we come back up safely do a couple maneuvers operate the ship down to its maximum depth down to deeper than 800 feet at its maximum speed for several hours we do a whole bunch of tests and make sure that the ship is seaworthy on m235i executive officer hotel says the additions and technology on the north carolina are a large improvement over the previous subclass the virginia class at our top speed makes as much noise as a 688 class submarine going five knots there is an incredible amount of technology put into silencing the ship because stealth is our primary weapon to test the submarines other weapons the next C trial is for a mock attack from country orange captain Davis discovers a group of enemy ships ahead and prepares to put them out of commission weapons are ready radar locks them in range 8,000 yards it's a destroyer captain Davis fires out a torpedo fired the air pressure drops inside the boat or pitot is fired and makes its way towards its target it's a hit all the country arms destroy breaking up another direct hit for the crew of the USS North Carolina the sea trials are a success of the 140 plus sailors on board the USS North Carolina several are from the submarines namesake state many others have close connections to North Carolina creating a special bond between the ship and her crew well it means a lot to the guys that up that are from North Carolina and several that aren't even from North Carolina have ties to him we have a couple officers in the wardroom that I have went to school in North Carolina our ships sponsor her husband went to Duke University so we have a lot of people with with ties to North Carolina have family there captain Mark Davis wanted to welcome all who come aboard the submarine with memorabilia from the state there are pictures and figurines from UNC NC State and Duke scattered around the boat you know from the start I wanted this ship to have a personality not just to be you know another submarine so we tried we tried very hard to get things from from the other ships named North Carolina we have teak from the battleship in various places throughout the ship up there in the front of the control room we have some decks done outside my stateroom have a piece of teak from the battleship and those things are very meaningful to me and the rest of the crew it's great being so close to the state you know our namesake state at this point the guys get to go see their families we sent him down to just a couple weeks ago down to Raleigh for a Navy week there have a great relationship with the states and attract my range Carl Lattimore is from ellenborough North Carolina he's a navigation electronics technician and a station within the submarines control room Lattimore keeps an eye out for friendly and enemy contacts in the water his job gets a little more difficult when the sub is submerged so he uses the ship's computers to assist there's a navigational computer running summers it it's in control of our navigation so there's an entire suite other than that that allows us to do that and everything is basically based on fiber optics the opportunity to serve on the North Carolina is an adventure Lattimore hopes to pass down through his family it means a lot to me because I'm from North Carolina and when I'm 80 years old I want to be able to say that I was on that ship so on the North Carolina I'm sitting in North Carolina of course talking to my grandchildren so that's something that you could share with people down the road I mean they could really make a connection with that especially if you're native of North Carolina all this comes down that's part of our shipping system and all those deck tiles come up and the weapon basically comes down and angle like this attaches right here and we lower it into the room comes down they lift one of these cradles up and the weapon comes down onto one of these cradles mark hole is a torpedo man from Jacksonville North Carolina he's responsible for loading unloading and maintenance of his torpedo tube before he began his service on the North Carolina he wasn't thinking he would serve on his state's namesake when I was in school I was like I don't care where I go they're like well they got in North Carolina that's where you're going and I was like alright let's cool so but definitely pretty awesome you know respected you know in the Navy on the newest submarine and it's North Carolina than being from my grandparents think it's a thing it's a lucky sign they think it's pretty cool that I'm sure on this ship that same state as a from Tyler Murray is from Garner he works in the engine room as a nuclear machinist mate Murray maintains the nuclear reactor on board the submarine which fuels the ship I can't lie going to the galley and seeing all the Duke pictures and estate pictures and even having the girl named the Tar Heel girl I was you see fan growing up and kind of back and forth between UNC and state the submarines closeness with the state spills over to the ship's motto and actually earlier on we had it we had a different one but um you know the first and flight thing kind of caught our eye so one particularly creative crew member came up with the idea for first and fight and we thought that was very appropriate and and kind of stuck with us and I think it's certainly the right decision from bow to stern and top to bottom you'll find plenty of proud North Carolinians serving on the USS North Carolina submarine life for all the sailors on board the USS North Carolina is tightly squeezed within the walls of the boat with submerges lasting up to three months without surfacing it takes a special person to volunteer to serve on a submarine for many submarino's this is a site they normally don't get the experience during their service fresh air sunshine in the open waters today only this select few get the opportunity to climb the three-story bridge tower and serve as lookouts navigators or radio control Trowbridge rightful runners steady course north since the submarine is submerged below the surface for large periods Captain Mark Davis used it as a special time to see firsthand what else is on the surface captain Davis also drills to keep his crew prepared in case of an emergency and go back and basically stop the ship right next that's clear the screw osterneck all back emergency call back emergency the pilot must stop the boat turn it toward the object and pull close enough to it for a rescue swimmer to go after it all of this within a few short minutes these tests can be tough on the boats equipment so sailors in the engine room like tyler murray must keep a close eye on the mechanical component same we do it all back emergency i've got to make sure that the shack doesn't decide to destroy itself when we go from say ahead flank to all back emergency if some angles and angles injuring something stuff don't like to play nice when you're doing the sir my job is to make sure we can recover from anything am I having Murray says his life on board the North Carolina is hard but worth the effort one challenge he faces like most crew members is the difficulty in communicating with friends and family members back home ship has systems in place to link the satellites email and phone calls when running on the surface but those capabilities go away when submerged underwater about the only time we have a contact is no way periscope depth or surface I mean similar wife an email once the USS North Carolina makes its way to the depths of the ocean isolation from the surface kicks into high gear for everyone navigator Carl Lattimore also enjoys his service on board the North Carolina but he says being closed off from the outside world is tough to get used to well for one thing is to contact with everyday people Prime you don't you don't have the luxury of making a telephone call or send that email or speaking to your buddy whenever you want to get the weight going away submerged it's like being on the moon up there I've never been there but I'm pretty sure it's pretty close to keep active while underwater grills are constantly performed to test the readiness of the crew the two things were most afraid of on a submarine or fire and flooding and the reasons are pretty obvious it's a self-contained atmosphere and even a small fire can quickly fill the entire ship with smoke chief of the boat David Collins says flooding itself is not the issue that cripples a submarine it's not so much the water coming in it's the amount of extra weight that we have to carry we have to be able to be positively buoyant to be able to go back up to the surface so far the North Carolina has kept an even record of submerges to surfacing after spending most of his life on the coast and in the Sun mark Cole's service in the bottom deck torpedo room of the submarine has been a sacrifice a sacrifice toll says that's worth making to defend his country being from North Carolina Eastern North Carolina the big beach bum and you don't get to see much of the Sun when you're out of sea but sometimes gonna make sacrifices to demonstrate the honor and dedication these sailors have as submarine errs a ceremony is held in the torpedo room for one of their own John Hepburn has shown his commanding officers that he has successfully completed all requirements of being a Submariner and has earned the full respect of his surrounding crewmen this day Hepburn is receiving his dolphins a symbol of Submariner since 1924 afterwards his fellow submarines congratulate him and then it's back to work just another day onboard the nuclear attack submarine USS North Carolina now the submarine has shown its ready for navy service is brought here to the wilmington port for commissioning ceremony after almost a year of planning North Carolina ship has come in I think it's pretty cool going down to Wilmington for the commissioning to since North Carolina's still down there so it's definitely cool I'm definitely glad that I get the experience sound since I grew up there hung out on the battleship North Carolina now I get to be on a new warship for years the North Carolina battleship has been the only naval ship bearing the state name now that the SSN 777 submarine has arrived the surviving World War two crew are excited to pass their torch to the new sailors it is really exciting for us as I've talked about it for a number of years to the battleship Commission and other people this is really very significant because it is the continuing the legacy of the name North Carolina the historic aspect of having the memorial battleship North Carolina which is right up the river here and the new USS North Carolina being here at the same time is just a historic event for our community the new North Carolina will also take part of the battleship with it as it joins the naval services we have put pieces of the battleship in the summer particularly teak the some of the teak we removed it from her decks from the World War 2 era are actually going to be on the deck of the submarine and what's important for us and the crew is the fact that we can actually transfer that legacy physically from the World War Two battleship and her crew to the 21st century submarine and her crew Louise McCall is the chairperson for the North Carolina submarine commissioning committee her group has worked hard to prepare the port city for this week of history I think the whole city is excited you know we've been working on this since last October we've got a lot of community of we just talked to mark when he was in Southport and just talked to him on the submarine in the bigger perspective with the whole ship being able to come to Wilmington it is significant because it's not every ship that can Commission a that there's not a lot of name for the state and there's not a lot of opportunity well if you look at it this is almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because the last time a ship was commissioned for that with the name North Carolina was this that was in April of 1941 and the commissioning was done in New York City before the crew of the SSN 777 are ready for commissioning they take a walk through history with the men who lived it the surviving members of the BB 55 North Carolina battleship get a chance to see how the two Navy ships compare did they come on board oh no no on this calm sunny afternoon members of the USS North Carolina submarine take in a history lesson is it found in books though these are the stories of the surviving veterans of the USS North Carolina battleship submarine sailor John Hepburn was told of one survivors life during World War two he had gone up into one of the one of the turrets and normally when they had rough weather you know he he'd he'd go all he'd go all the way up but if they had rough weather he'd go six inches below and just so happened that it wasn't rough rather or anything but he went he went a little bit more below this time and it was right when they got the friendly fire and that was pretty much the only thing that saved his life and was I you know it's hard to believe that all that happened on this ship not all the stories were bad times ships yeoman Gordon Knapp recalls his first days serving on the battleship North Carolina and we came across the quarterdeck on the starboard side with all kinds of sailors on the guns and everything else were welcomed by some were calling his dogs big telling us we'd be sorry and all these things and be recurring on she baggies on her shoulder I really went down that hatch when Submariner Martin Anderson toured the battleship at nap the veteran showed the young sailor what life on board was like this is where the yeoman for the Texas nextdoor look that second one up is my phone my life is on a train around that bunk and that place that's my locker over there talking to the guys they get a little emotional sometimes as they should they went through a lot on board the North Carolina here and it's definitely a pleasure to be able to walk aboard the teak decks here with survivors from World War two this luncheon on the fantail of the battleship is part of a very emotional ceremony passing on the North Carolina name from the crew of the BB 55 to today's crew of the SSN 777 turning over the legacy or the responsibility for the legacy Carolina for the 21st century submarine and her 21st century crew it's the passing of torch in one sense from this ship to that ship they will carry on as it goes down through history you'll read about things that ship does around the world wherever events happen Chuck Beatty was a radio man on board the battleship he toast the crew of the submarine North Carolina to keep them safe we close this ship and her crew the new the United States ship North Carolina ss in 777 Mae this ship cover the world seas and oceans above and below the surface and following each mission bring her crew safely home over 70 battleship survivors made the trek to this annual reunion which was scheduled to coincide with the USS North Carolina commissioning celebration Charles Rozelle was stationed in the boiler room as a water Turner since his service was below deck mainly he says he passed the time with an occasional trip to the deck for fresh air or hanging out with his shipmates yeah what wasn't too many good times good we got you and you made friends you played cards and stuff like this did you change forget about it cuz you couldn't walk home you know the crew was never happier than we're then we were talking to one of those guys from the battleship and hearing the stories that they have to tell and you know the pride that they have and what they did and the pride that they have and what the crew is doing here today Saturday May 3rd 2008 commissioning of the SSN 777 USS North Carolina is underway I've had the chance to see them operate up front during sea trials I've closely observed them since they've been out of the shipyard conducting their shakedowns and I've been absolutely impressed at everything that they have done there are true professionals and they're going to take North Carolina to the fleet and do exactly what the nation needs this attack submarine with its stealth mobility and firepower and its Special Forces insertion does join that distinguished list now of five naval ships named North Carolina as you know four from the US Navy and one from the South during the Civil War I celebrate with the people of our state this momentous occasion the commissioning of another North Carolina namesake vessel that will protect our freedoms and our security commissioning the USS North Carolina comes with many traditions with the city of Wilmington hosting the celebration the historic BB fifty-five battleship North Carolina passes along its history to the 21st century submarine commissioning pennants which were flown on the battleship for its 67th commissioning anniversary celebration now fly on board the USS North Carolina submarine the keel has been laid the bottle broken over the bow of the ship and today we asked the North Carolina to take her place in the fleet to protect America's interest as an instrument of peace over 500 guests await the official welcome from the president and the Navy for the President of the United States I hereby place USS North Carolina in commission may god bless and guide this warship and those who serve on her very well NAB captain Mark Davis issues the first watch an executive officer into hotel confirms chips Pancho Linda Bowman commands the sailors to board the boat officers and crew of USS North Carolina man our ship and bring her to life tradition has it that a ship assumes a personality of its sponsor I pray that that is true for us mrs. Bowman if my ship is has half your energy enthusiasm and positivity I pity the enemy captain Davis now takes on the command of the USS North Carolina he and his sailors have taken the North Carolina through trials and tests and captain Davis knows the power of this naval vessel can release I cannot begin to tell you the capabilities of the submarine that sits behind me this is the sixth submarine I've served on and I've loved them all but the previous ones pale in comparison to North Carolina America will continue to be the land of the free and the home of the brave as long as we have great ships like North Carolina dominating the Seas the Tar Heel spirit or as we like to call it hooyah is alive and well on North Carolina while the USS North Carolina submarine and her crew have returned to sea a part of their spirit lives on here in Wilmington through an exhibit at the North Carolina battleship if we've enjoyed your time on the SSN 777 to learn more about the North khana submarine or North Kona battleship log on to our web site WWN CT vor g / NC now thanks for joining us for this North Carolina now special quality Public Television is made possible through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting unc-tv you

Channel: Jeff Smith

Views: 590,996

Rating: 4.7861671 out of 5

Keywords: Navy, Submarine, NC, North Carolina, Military, Veterans, Ocean, Wilmington

Id: wjb34AFx7VE

Length: 28min 46sec (1726 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 28 2016