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At random: The USS NAUTILUS SSN 571 steamed 60,000 miles on a lump of Uranium the size of a golf ball. A diesel powered submarine would have required 3,000,000 gallons or 300 railway tank cars of oil.
9-16-54 Nautilus
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fortyrod
Posted 2017-09-16 3:29 AM (#85081)
Great Sage of the Sea

Posts: 848

Subject: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Atlantic 09/16/54: Several weeks before its first sea trials, a small steam pipe in the reactor
compartment of the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) bursts, filling the area with steam during a test
of the steam system while the ship is at the Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton,Connecticut. The
test is part of a quality control effort to check the adequacy of the shipyard's inspection
system. The incident initially appears to be minor. There are slight personnel injuries and no
radiation hazards. However, subsequent investigation shows the situation is more serious.
Specifications called for seamless pipe, but ordinary stanchion pipe had been used. All
suspect pipe is ripped out and the mistake leads to more stringent quality control measures.
Ric
Posted 2017-09-16 6:10 AM (#85082 - in reply to #85081)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Never heard this before. Thanks.
Runner485
Posted 2017-09-16 7:28 AM (#85085 - in reply to #85081)


COMSUBBBS

Posts: 2667

Location: New Jersey
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Think of the consequences if she had been allowed to go to sea and something bad happened. It could have set back the future nuclear program years. It's a good thing Rickover was in charge of this...
Tom McNulty
Posted 2017-09-16 11:28 AM (#85087 - in reply to #85085)


Master and Commander

Posts: 1454

Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Missed your ugly mug today.
Runner485
Posted 2017-09-16 12:23 PM (#85088 - in reply to #85087)


COMSUBBBS

Posts: 2667

Location: New Jersey
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Had a lot of stuff to do for mama...I did plan on going though, but....
rover177
Posted 2017-09-16 2:28 PM (#85093 - in reply to #85081)
Master and Commander

Posts: 1576

Location: Wollongong, NSW
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Actually stanchion pipe is safer. If a crack develops in seamless pipe, the whole lot has to be replaced. A stanchion is easier to remove than about 1,000 miles of pipe. Gas line from WA to Victoria had a break. After the lawyers were arguing about wrong specifications/wrongly supplied material etc - over two years, they eventually permitted AIS (pipe supplier) to have a look. Dad and team found the problem in 90 minutes. Specs called for the pipe to be laid 20 ft (6 m) underground. Pipe only had inches (cm) above it - 70 ton bulldozer had driven across and broke it. 400 miles had to be relaid because the contractor had no idea at what depth any of the pipe was laid. In bolted together sections so it was a relatively easy job.
The Japanese supplied pipe was seamless weld (cheaper) in the middle 1600 miles through SA and into WA. Routine test discovered a crack - the whole lot had to be ripped up because there was nothing to stop a crack running the whole length. A further Four year delay and a huge expense for the supplier.

By local!
Ric
Posted 2017-09-16 3:20 PM (#85094 - in reply to #85093)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Reactor piping is seamless, heavy wall, stainless steel. You want to keep everything inside the primary and secondary loops inside and never let it out if you have to. Been inside a reactor compartment several times before the core was installed. We had to learn everything we could before all access was cut off with the core install and going critical.
Tom McNulty
Posted 2017-09-16 3:48 PM (#85095 - in reply to #85094)


Master and Commander

Posts: 1454

Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

We got to look through the glass and describe what we saw and it's use. Then it was isolating all the stuff in the tunnel. Funny how the welding machine caught fire when a steel ruler was misplaced and shorted out. Good thing the power was shut off quickly. Much smoke.
Sewer Pipe Snipe
Posted 2017-09-16 4:26 PM (#85096 - in reply to #85081)
Master and Commander

Posts: 1795

Location: Albany, GA.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

You mean you guys missed out on a hot entry into a shutdown reactor compartment as was a drill in the mid seventies? That lasted just long enough to have several folks overcome from the heat. I got to go in, and believe me it wasn't pleasant. 
Ric
Posted 2017-09-16 6:56 PM (#85097 - in reply to #85096)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

That was one of the "benefits" of New Construction, a cold reactor room. In new construction we were told that if you fit in a space do it and find everything in there because once we were operational you probably weren't going to get in there again. I've been in ballast tanks, after trim tank. Auxiliary tanks, sanitary tanks, sonar dome, I can't remember any more and I know there were several more. Oh, inside the sail before everything was installed and you could actually "move around". Getting to trace systems as they were installed before they were buried by other systems was beneficial.
I know we had drills were people actually went in the reactor compartment. There was no travel fore or aft during those times and everyone was really, really careful.
Runner485
Posted 2017-09-17 6:20 AM (#85103 - in reply to #85097)


COMSUBBBS

Posts: 2667

Location: New Jersey
Subject: nuc rated

It sounds like to me that once a reactor goes on line or is installed, if your not a nuc rated or qualified, you can't go aft any longer into the machine room. Is that how it worked?
Stoops
Posted 2017-09-17 6:29 AM (#85105 - in reply to #85103)
Master and Commander

Posts: 1405

Location: Houston, TX (Best state in the US)
Subject: RE: nuc rated

not when I was in.  There were plantyof non nuke systems the noseconers had to know.  Hydraulic systems, anchor, mbt systems, O2 systems, ventilation, etc.  We'd see A gang owned a number of systems.
Tom McNulty
Posted 2017-09-17 7:32 AM (#85106 - in reply to #85105)


Master and Commander

Posts: 1454

Subject: RE: nuc rated

That's a fact. I believe I spent more time aft of the tunnel than forward. After all, that's where most all the ships services originated. Follow stuff from beginning to end.
Stoops
Posted 2017-09-17 8:07 AM (#85107 - in reply to #85081)
Master and Commander

Posts: 1405

Location: Houston, TX (Best state in the US)
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

I recall that the CO/H2 burners in AMS were operated  by the compartment watch and either maintained by the nukes not on watch. The units in the air house were operated and maintained by the fwd aux of the watch.

Edited by Stoops 2017-09-17 8:29 AM
Ric
Posted 2017-09-17 8:34 AM (#85108 - in reply to #85103)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: nuc rated

NO, we were allowed all over the boat. Only Nucs were able to suit up and enter the reactor compartment if needed.
Ric
Posted 2017-09-17 8:40 AM (#85109 - in reply to #85107)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Seems right to me. For us the air house was right next door to the laundry room so spent a lot of time in there, besides the air house gang had a great selection of girly pinups pinned up all around. That was almost the first thing that happened after we dove was to have the "new collection" displayed. Almost everyone came down for a look to see what was new.

On northern runs it was so cold folks use to time it for when the clinkers came out of the O2 burner just get some of that heat. Some guys were running fore to aft following the hot clinkers.
Stoops
Posted 2017-09-17 9:00 AM (#85111 - in reply to #85108)
Master and Commander

Posts: 1405

Location: Houston, TX (Best state in the US)
Subject: RE: nuc rated

one exception to noseconers in reactor compartment.  On one of our yard periods, we had to replace a nuclear power detector.  Since the replacement would be done by R Div, we used noseconers to suit up and under the direction of the RO, the shielding around the reactor had to be removed piece by piece.  Those consisted of enclosed borated polyethylene in roughly cubical shape, all numbered because they had to go back in the place from which they came when the replacement was made.  We had ELTs to monitor the radiation they received and we "burned" a number of them up.  I think the actual work took a couple days but there was much planning done ahead of time by the wardroom and RC Div personnel.
Runner485
Posted 2017-09-17 9:24 AM (#85112 - in reply to #85111)


COMSUBBBS

Posts: 2667

Location: New Jersey
Subject: RE: nuc rated

Stoops - 2017-09-17 12:00 PMone exception to noseconers in reactor compartment.  On one of our yard periods, we had to replace a nuclear power detector.  Since the replacement would be done by R Div, we used noseconers to suit up and under the direction of the RO, the shielding around the reactor had to be removed piece by piece.  Those consisted of enclosed borated polyethylene in roughly cubical shape, all numbered because they had to go back in the place from which they came when the replacement was made.  We had ELTs to monitor the radiation they received and we "burned" a number of them up.  I think the actual work took a couple days but there was much planning done ahead of time by the wardroom and RC Div personnel.


So Dave, what I hear you saying is that when dangerous work had to be done in the reactor compartment, the noseconers did it, while the nucs hung out in the messdecks watching movies.
Stoops
Posted 2017-09-17 9:44 AM (#85114 - in reply to #85081)
Master and Commander

Posts: 1405

Location: Houston, TX (Best state in the US)
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

sorta right....noseconers did the grunt work in getting access to the top of the reactor and putting the shielding back in place.  Didn't have enough nukes to get that done without burning them out too. I doubt the coners got enough dosage to affect them. Our ship's radiation limits were much lower than the yardbirds limits and if you got enough to put you on the "alert list" you were not allowed back in for a certain time.   I was on a few large jobs in the RC during overhauls and in the 3 1/2 years I was on the boat I was under 3 1/2 Rem accumulated. Yearly dose limit was 5 rem per year.

Probably the worst hazard which was generally not recognized was frangible asbestos but when pipes were insulated they were given a coat which prevented asbestos from getting into the ship's atmosphere.  Don't know if A div or M div had any procedures for removing asbestos or not.  When you were in did you?


Edited by Stoops 2017-09-17 9:45 AM
Tom McNulty
Posted 2017-09-17 10:02 AM (#85115 - in reply to #85114)


Master and Commander

Posts: 1454

Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Could it possibly have to do with us "noseconers" having an elevated security clearance? Speaking of asbestos, when we did our first overhauls on the 599 and 600 part was removing all the asbestos hull insulation. The yard birds were cutting that off with air tools. An asbestos fog used to cover the missile compartment (my fire watch station). It was a funny when we smoked and watch the sparks fly off the end of the butts. We weren't issued any dust masks, and frankly, this may have been before all the asbestos scares. Bottom line is I never had a problem but others certainly did in later years. I guess the cigarette tobacco filtered out a lot of the asbestos. I used to smoke a lot.
Ric
Posted 2017-09-17 12:45 PM (#85117 - in reply to #85115)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Was this during the 64-65 overhaul? I was at EB 65-66 and the 598, 599, 600 and a few others were in for overhaul while I was there.

(addendum)I think the Lincoln (602) was in there too.
Tom McNulty
Posted 2017-09-17 1:21 PM (#85118 - in reply to #85117)


Master and Commander

Posts: 1454

Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

64 - 65 would have been the 599. I didn't report to the 600 until late 65 or early 66. Too lazy to pull my service jacket.
Ric
Posted 2017-09-17 1:42 PM (#85119 - in reply to #85118)


Plankowner

Posts: 9152

Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map.
Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Looks like we were there the same time.
Bob T
Posted 2017-09-17 2:32 PM (#85120 - in reply to #85081)


Senior Crew

Posts: 233

Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

Was RC division LPO. During a reactor plant startup a DP cell failed to track. Apparently the bellows had locked during calibration testing. Suited up, made a rapid entry. Beat the s**t out of the DP cell with a piece of 2x4. Bellows unlocked, all was well.

Division officer said "We can't put beat the s**t out of it in the report."

Became "Relieved mechanical hysteresis."
Tom McNulty
Posted 2017-09-17 3:18 PM (#85122 - in reply to #85119)


Master and Commander

Posts: 1454

Subject: RE: 9-16-54 Nautilus

I pretty much commuted between EB and NYC on weekends. Other than that it was cocktails in Elfies or the Sportsman. If you saw a 61 TR3 in British Racing Green, that'll be me.
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