One of the cool things about android devices is how you can change the interface. I recently came across a cool new app called the "Next 3D Launcher", which I have installed and am still learning.
In this video the phone starts out with a typical android interface, then moves to the Next Launcher, where every swipe moves the screen in 3D. Slick!
An advertisement-free blog about motorcycling, Northern life, home improvement, power plants, submarines, nuclear stuff, and a few other off-beat subjects. Comments are welcome. (Image is the Selway Crags in Northern Idaho)
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Rooting the Android Phone
I like to dabble with technology. I've built the last several computers that I have owned, and managed to troubleshoot them and make repairs when things conked out.
I used Blackberry phones for several years, but recently decided that it was time to own a phone with a bigger display and more options. A year or so ago, I bought a Droid Razr Maxx HD. I chose that particular phone because it has a massive 3300 milliamp hour battery. I wasn't keen on having to recharge a phone more often than once per day. I have now had the phone for about a year, and found it to be pretty useful and also very robust.
I spend a lot of time reading techie websites like Ars Technica, and learned a little about "rooting" Android phones. I never gave rooting my phone much thought (it seemed risky), but for one reason or another I recently decided to try it. The idea I might turn my phone into an expensive paperweight didn't seem too awful now that it's a year old. Turning the phone into a brick was definitely a possibility, because I am not any kind of hacker.
This past week I set out to root my phone, but it wasn't nearly as easy as I had been led to believe. I had done a lot of reading about it, and watched several videos of people rooting their phones. It all seemed very simple: Download the exploit script, set up your phone to accept it, then run the script. Rooting android phones requires using an exploit to trick the phone into thinking a developer is debugging it, then installing a different file for the phone to read when you re-start it.
There were three tools I tried to use, and they all failed. All the videos I watched and all the information I read was valid for an older version of Android. My wireless carrier recently updated the version of the Android Operating System that my phone uses. This update locked the phone bootloader, which prevented the exploit from loading the file that would grant root access.
Finally after a lot of additional searching, I located an exploit that claimed to work on the Samsung Galaxy 3, and "should work" on all other droid devices. I took a gamble and used that exploit, called "Saferoot", and three days of failure and stumbling around the internet finally paid off! I managed to root the phone and get "Superuser access".
"Yeah whatever", you are probably thinking.
Well there are some *very* cool things you can do when you have root access.
Without rooting your phone, when you install an app, you either have to accept all the permissions that it requires, or do without the app. Why would a simple flashlight app need access to my contacts list?
With root access, you can install Titanium Backup, which allows you to make a backup image of your phone, freeze apps, and most importantly, deny them permissions that you don't want them to have.
You can install Cyanogenmod, an open-source operating system that contains no bloatware apps and due to the transparency of open-source software, is free of spyware.
You can install AdFree, which mostly eliminates ads from showing up on your phone, by blocking data requests to known advertising hosts. Interestingly Google removed this app from the Google Play Store a year ago. It was probably getting between advertisers and a big pile of cash, and they weren't happy about that. To install this app, you have to sideload it by downloading the .apk file onto your PC, and then installing it into your phone, then activating it from a file manager.
You can install Permissions Denied, which, Like Titanium Backup, allows you (the owner of the phone) to restrict permissions that apps request.
The TOR browser app for android (known as Orbot) can also take advantage of root access, although it also works without it. This allows a user to use the web anonymously.
Needless to say, rooting your phone is very much frowned upon by the government and also by your wireless carrier, which are both excellent reasons to do it! Also, bear in mind that it is your phone, not theirs. As with anything that belongs to you, you should feel free to do with it as you please.
On a less tech note, I have found a use for used toilet paper tubes, which helps make life a little less cluttered. Lots of loose and frequently tangled-up USB and earbud cables now have a home.
I used Blackberry phones for several years, but recently decided that it was time to own a phone with a bigger display and more options. A year or so ago, I bought a Droid Razr Maxx HD. I chose that particular phone because it has a massive 3300 milliamp hour battery. I wasn't keen on having to recharge a phone more often than once per day. I have now had the phone for about a year, and found it to be pretty useful and also very robust.
I spend a lot of time reading techie websites like Ars Technica, and learned a little about "rooting" Android phones. I never gave rooting my phone much thought (it seemed risky), but for one reason or another I recently decided to try it. The idea I might turn my phone into an expensive paperweight didn't seem too awful now that it's a year old. Turning the phone into a brick was definitely a possibility, because I am not any kind of hacker.
This past week I set out to root my phone, but it wasn't nearly as easy as I had been led to believe. I had done a lot of reading about it, and watched several videos of people rooting their phones. It all seemed very simple: Download the exploit script, set up your phone to accept it, then run the script. Rooting android phones requires using an exploit to trick the phone into thinking a developer is debugging it, then installing a different file for the phone to read when you re-start it.
There were three tools I tried to use, and they all failed. All the videos I watched and all the information I read was valid for an older version of Android. My wireless carrier recently updated the version of the Android Operating System that my phone uses. This update locked the phone bootloader, which prevented the exploit from loading the file that would grant root access.
Finally after a lot of additional searching, I located an exploit that claimed to work on the Samsung Galaxy 3, and "should work" on all other droid devices. I took a gamble and used that exploit, called "Saferoot", and three days of failure and stumbling around the internet finally paid off! I managed to root the phone and get "Superuser access".
"Yeah whatever", you are probably thinking.
Well there are some *very* cool things you can do when you have root access.
Without rooting your phone, when you install an app, you either have to accept all the permissions that it requires, or do without the app. Why would a simple flashlight app need access to my contacts list?
With root access, you can install Titanium Backup, which allows you to make a backup image of your phone, freeze apps, and most importantly, deny them permissions that you don't want them to have.
You can install Cyanogenmod, an open-source operating system that contains no bloatware apps and due to the transparency of open-source software, is free of spyware.
You can install AdFree, which mostly eliminates ads from showing up on your phone, by blocking data requests to known advertising hosts. Interestingly Google removed this app from the Google Play Store a year ago. It was probably getting between advertisers and a big pile of cash, and they weren't happy about that. To install this app, you have to sideload it by downloading the .apk file onto your PC, and then installing it into your phone, then activating it from a file manager.
You can install Permissions Denied, which, Like Titanium Backup, allows you (the owner of the phone) to restrict permissions that apps request.
The TOR browser app for android (known as Orbot) can also take advantage of root access, although it also works without it. This allows a user to use the web anonymously.
On a less tech note, I have found a use for used toilet paper tubes, which helps make life a little less cluttered. Lots of loose and frequently tangled-up USB and earbud cables now have a home.
Thursday, February 06, 2014
K-141, Project 949A. Kursk [АПЛ "Курск"] Oscar II Class
The loss of the Kursk is recent enough that it probably doesn't need to be retold here, but I will do so anyway, in remembrance of the men lost.
Kursk was an Oscar II class submarine, and the last submarine built in the Soviet era. Construction began in 1990, and by the time she was completed and launched in 1994, the cold war had ended.
The Oscar II class were the largest attack submarines ever built, running about 500ft long, and 60 feet wide. When viewed in cross-section, the inner hull of the Oscar II class was circular, while the outer hull was oval-shaped. This oval-shaped outer hull gave the Oscar II ships the appearance of being fat. Between the inner and outer hulls were missile tubes containing 24 anti-ship missiles, as well as air banks.
Below: Oscar II submarines in port. They look a little chubby compared to other subs.
Kursk in port.
Below: The reason Oscar Class submarines look "fat". Lots of anti-surface ship firepower.
Profile of an Oscar II Class submarine
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the sailors of the Northern Fleet were intermittently paid, and little money was available for repair and maintenance of the fleet. Kursk only made a single patrol between her launching in 1994 and her loss in 2000. With the lack of sea-time, it is probable that her crew was not well-trained, and certainly not proficient. It's not clear whether a well-trained and proficient crew would have altered the outcome, however.
On August 12, 2000, Kursk was participating in the largest Russian Naval exercise in 9 years, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Three other submarines, the Russian flagship battlecruiser "Petr Velikiy" (Peter the Great) were participating, along with a flotilla of smaller vessels.
Kursk was preparing to fire a dummy torpedo at the battlecruiser Petr Velikiy, when an explosion occured. The accepted theory is that the highly concentrated HTP (High-Test Peroxide) hydrogen peroxide which fueled the torpedo leaked out and reacted, causing the torpedo engine to detonate, starting a fire.
A similar explosion caused by an HTP-fuelled torpedo was responsible for the loss of HMS Sidon in 1955, after which the British Navy abandoned torpedoes propelled by peroxide.
This first explosion was recorded on the SOSUS network, and was estimated to have an explosive force of 220-550lb TNT. A second, larger explosion measuring 6000-14000 lbs of TNT occured 135 seconds after the first explosion. Kursk came to rest in just 350 feet of water.
Rescue offers were made immediately by US, British, and Norwegian teams, but these offers were rebuffed by the Russian Navy. It was believed at the time that there were no survivors from the initial explosion.
I will turn the saddest part of this sinking over to Wikipedia:
Captain Lieutenant Dmitriy Kolesnikov, one of the survivors of the first explosion, survived in the ninth compartment in the turbine room at the stern of the boat after explosions destroyed compartments 1-5. Recovery workers found notes on his body. They showed 23 sailors (out of 118 aboard) had managed to enter compartment nine after the ship sank.
There has been much debate over how long the sailors might have survived. Some point out that many potassium superoxide chemical cartridges, used to absorb carbon dioxide and chemically release oxygen to enable survival, were found used when the craft was recovered, suggesting some of the crew survived for a significant time.
Kolesnikov's last note has a time of 15:15, indicating that he and the others in the aft compartment lived at least four hours after the explosion. 32 hours after the first explosion no sound was heard (i.e. hull tapping) to signal the Russian Submarine Rescue Vehicle Priz, when it attempted to mate with the aft escape trunk.
The oxygen generator cartridges appear to have been the cause of death; a sailor appears to have accidentally brought a cartridge in contact with the sea water, causing a chemical reaction and a flash fire. The official investigation into the disaster showed some men appeared to have survived the fire by plunging under the water. Fire marks on the walls indicate the water was at waist level in the lower area at this time. However, the fire rapidly used up the remaining oxygen in the air, causing death by asphyxiation.
In July 2002, the investigation committee concluded that a technical malfunction on a single Type 65-76 "Kit" (Whale) torpedo caused the first explosion, triggering a fire in the torpedo room which, two minutes later, caused 5-7 additional torpedo warheads to detonate.
The second explosion destroyed a large section of the submarine (at least 4 of the 9 compartments) killing up to 95 of the 118 crew members and causing the submarine to sink. Around 23 crew members survived the sinking and took refuge in the ninth compartment where they died due to carbon monoxide poisoning following a fire in that compartment (between 6 and 32 hours after the sinking).
Kursk was raised from the ocean floor in a difficult and expensive recovery project. Her bow was an unrecoverable mess and was cut off, using carbide coated cables. She was re-floated and returned to Russia, where her two reactors were decomissioned, and her side missiles were removed. Those of her 118 crew that were recovered were buried with honors.
Kursk was an Oscar II class submarine, and the last submarine built in the Soviet era. Construction began in 1990, and by the time she was completed and launched in 1994, the cold war had ended.
The Oscar II class were the largest attack submarines ever built, running about 500ft long, and 60 feet wide. When viewed in cross-section, the inner hull of the Oscar II class was circular, while the outer hull was oval-shaped. This oval-shaped outer hull gave the Oscar II ships the appearance of being fat. Between the inner and outer hulls were missile tubes containing 24 anti-ship missiles, as well as air banks.
Below: Oscar II submarines in port. They look a little chubby compared to other subs.
Kursk in port.
Below: The reason Oscar Class submarines look "fat". Lots of anti-surface ship firepower.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the sailors of the Northern Fleet were intermittently paid, and little money was available for repair and maintenance of the fleet. Kursk only made a single patrol between her launching in 1994 and her loss in 2000. With the lack of sea-time, it is probable that her crew was not well-trained, and certainly not proficient. It's not clear whether a well-trained and proficient crew would have altered the outcome, however.
On August 12, 2000, Kursk was participating in the largest Russian Naval exercise in 9 years, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Three other submarines, the Russian flagship battlecruiser "Petr Velikiy" (Peter the Great) were participating, along with a flotilla of smaller vessels.
Kursk was preparing to fire a dummy torpedo at the battlecruiser Petr Velikiy, when an explosion occured. The accepted theory is that the highly concentrated HTP (High-Test Peroxide) hydrogen peroxide which fueled the torpedo leaked out and reacted, causing the torpedo engine to detonate, starting a fire.
A similar explosion caused by an HTP-fuelled torpedo was responsible for the loss of HMS Sidon in 1955, after which the British Navy abandoned torpedoes propelled by peroxide.
This first explosion was recorded on the SOSUS network, and was estimated to have an explosive force of 220-550lb TNT. A second, larger explosion measuring 6000-14000 lbs of TNT occured 135 seconds after the first explosion. Kursk came to rest in just 350 feet of water.
Rescue offers were made immediately by US, British, and Norwegian teams, but these offers were rebuffed by the Russian Navy. It was believed at the time that there were no survivors from the initial explosion.
I will turn the saddest part of this sinking over to Wikipedia:
Captain Lieutenant Dmitriy Kolesnikov, one of the survivors of the first explosion, survived in the ninth compartment in the turbine room at the stern of the boat after explosions destroyed compartments 1-5. Recovery workers found notes on his body. They showed 23 sailors (out of 118 aboard) had managed to enter compartment nine after the ship sank.
There has been much debate over how long the sailors might have survived. Some point out that many potassium superoxide chemical cartridges, used to absorb carbon dioxide and chemically release oxygen to enable survival, were found used when the craft was recovered, suggesting some of the crew survived for a significant time.
Kolesnikov's last note has a time of 15:15, indicating that he and the others in the aft compartment lived at least four hours after the explosion. 32 hours after the first explosion no sound was heard (i.e. hull tapping) to signal the Russian Submarine Rescue Vehicle Priz, when it attempted to mate with the aft escape trunk.
The oxygen generator cartridges appear to have been the cause of death; a sailor appears to have accidentally brought a cartridge in contact with the sea water, causing a chemical reaction and a flash fire. The official investigation into the disaster showed some men appeared to have survived the fire by plunging under the water. Fire marks on the walls indicate the water was at waist level in the lower area at this time. However, the fire rapidly used up the remaining oxygen in the air, causing death by asphyxiation.
In July 2002, the investigation committee concluded that a technical malfunction on a single Type 65-76 "Kit" (Whale) torpedo caused the first explosion, triggering a fire in the torpedo room which, two minutes later, caused 5-7 additional torpedo warheads to detonate.
The second explosion destroyed a large section of the submarine (at least 4 of the 9 compartments) killing up to 95 of the 118 crew members and causing the submarine to sink. Around 23 crew members survived the sinking and took refuge in the ninth compartment where they died due to carbon monoxide poisoning following a fire in that compartment (between 6 and 32 hours after the sinking).
Kursk was raised from the ocean floor in a difficult and expensive recovery project. Her bow was an unrecoverable mess and was cut off, using carbide coated cables. She was re-floated and returned to Russia, where her two reactors were decomissioned, and her side missiles were removed. Those of her 118 crew that were recovered were buried with honors.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
K-278 Komsomelets (Project 685 Плавник), Mike Class
K-278 was a unique and magnificent submarine. Only one of this class of ship was built. Because she was so unusual, construction took an unusually long 5 years. Her construction began in April 1978, she was launched in May 1983, and commissioned on the last day of 1984. The Soviet Navy rarely named their submarines, but this ship was special, and received the name of "Komsomelets" - which means "a member of the Young Communist League".
Sunday, February 02, 2014
K-219 (Project 667A)
K-219 was a Soviet ballistic missile submarine. She was a Yankee I class ship, which carried sixteen liquid-fueled nuclear missiles for use against land targets in the US. The ship was propelled by two PWR reactors, and had two propellor shafts.
On a side note, the Soviet Navy gets credit for envisioning and building the first submarine to carry an ICBM, the Zulu Class submarine. The Zulu was a conventional diesel-electric submarine that was modified with an extended sail to carry a single nuclear-tipped long-range missile. It was also the first submarine to test launch a ballistic missile.
On a side note, the Soviet Navy gets credit for envisioning and building the first submarine to carry an ICBM, the Zulu Class submarine. The Zulu was a conventional diesel-electric submarine that was modified with an extended sail to carry a single nuclear-tipped long-range missile. It was also the first submarine to test launch a ballistic missile.
Saturday, February 01, 2014
K-431 (Project 675)
K-431 was an Echo II class submarine. Construction was started in January 1964, and she was commissioned in September of 1965, in a very rapid construction process. The Echo II class was a twin reactor ship which carried cruise missiles for attacking surface ships. Not very pretty.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
K-8, Project 627 (проект 627)
November-Class submarine. Source: Wikipedia
K-8 was a November-Class Soviet submarine. The November class was the first class of Soviet nuclear attack submarines. This class of submarines suffered from reliability problems related to the ships' steam generators. The steam generators in these early nuclear ships frequently developed leaks.
Leakage from a steam generator tube allows very radioactive primary coolant to exit the reactor coolant loop and enter the non-radioactive steam cycle loop. This radioactivity, depending on the size and duration of the leak, can be hazardous to the crew. With the November Class' dual reactor design, it would seem feasible to shut a damaged reactor down, reduce the primary system pressure, and limp home.
K-8 developed steam generator leaks on three separate occasions. On one occasion however, the steam generator leak was so severe that one reactor experienced a Loss of Coolant Accident. The crew struggled to make repairs and to refill the primary coolant loop in order to prevent a core meltdown due to decay heat. Several of the crew received significant doses of radiation as well as radiation burns.
The end for K-8 came in a more mundane way however. In April of 1970, while operating at a depth of 400ft, a short circuit caused a fire, which spread to two compartments via the ventilation system. Both reactors were shutdown, and the captain ordered the ship abandoned. Things must have been hellish inside.
Fortunately, K-8 was part of a Soviet fleet exercise when the fire occurred, so help was nearby. A surface vessel was dispatched to tow her back to port for repairs.
Disabled submarines are difficult to keep afloat (even next to a pier), and the reason is this: Most of the ship is already submerged. This is partly due to the thickness of the pressure hull, but also the ship is designed to be pretty close to neutral bouyancy. When the main ballast tanks are full of air, a submarine will have positive bouyancy, but not a whole lot of it.
Submarines are not surface ships, so they are designed with round-bottom hulls. This makes them wallow badly on the surface in heavy seas. When a submarine pitches and rolls in the waves, air escapes from the main ballast tanks, which are vented at the bottom. With each wave, a little main ballast tank air spills out, and a little bouyancy is lost.
This air can be replaced by a couple of means. The first is a massive low-pressure roots blower that takes air in from a large snorkel mast, and forces water out of the main ballast tanks. This method only works if electrical power is available. With both reactors out of service, it is unlikely that the storage battery of K-8 could have supplied the LP blower with electrical power for very long.
The other method for replacing air in the main ballast tanks involves briefly "puffing" them with very high pressure air from the ship's air banks. I don't know the capacity of the high pressure air banks on this class of ship, but I do know the supply of air was not infinite. In any case, without having electricity to run a high-pressure air compressor, these would eventually run out of pressure be unable to displace water out of the ballast tanks.
The abandon-ship order of the captain of K-8 was countermanded when the towing vessel arrived. 52 crewmembers, including the captain, re-boarded the ship for the tow back to port. 73 crewmembers were taken aboard the towing vessel.
The ships encountered rough weather. After 80 hours of heroic but futile damage control, the K-8 flooded. Sadly, even though ships were nearby, she took 52 men with her, who are now on eternal patrol with her.
K-8 was a November-Class Soviet submarine. The November class was the first class of Soviet nuclear attack submarines. This class of submarines suffered from reliability problems related to the ships' steam generators. The steam generators in these early nuclear ships frequently developed leaks.
Leakage from a steam generator tube allows very radioactive primary coolant to exit the reactor coolant loop and enter the non-radioactive steam cycle loop. This radioactivity, depending on the size and duration of the leak, can be hazardous to the crew. With the November Class' dual reactor design, it would seem feasible to shut a damaged reactor down, reduce the primary system pressure, and limp home.
K-8 developed steam generator leaks on three separate occasions. On one occasion however, the steam generator leak was so severe that one reactor experienced a Loss of Coolant Accident. The crew struggled to make repairs and to refill the primary coolant loop in order to prevent a core meltdown due to decay heat. Several of the crew received significant doses of radiation as well as radiation burns.
The end for K-8 came in a more mundane way however. In April of 1970, while operating at a depth of 400ft, a short circuit caused a fire, which spread to two compartments via the ventilation system. Both reactors were shutdown, and the captain ordered the ship abandoned. Things must have been hellish inside.
Fortunately, K-8 was part of a Soviet fleet exercise when the fire occurred, so help was nearby. A surface vessel was dispatched to tow her back to port for repairs.
Disabled submarines are difficult to keep afloat (even next to a pier), and the reason is this: Most of the ship is already submerged. This is partly due to the thickness of the pressure hull, but also the ship is designed to be pretty close to neutral bouyancy. When the main ballast tanks are full of air, a submarine will have positive bouyancy, but not a whole lot of it.
Submarines are not surface ships, so they are designed with round-bottom hulls. This makes them wallow badly on the surface in heavy seas. When a submarine pitches and rolls in the waves, air escapes from the main ballast tanks, which are vented at the bottom. With each wave, a little main ballast tank air spills out, and a little bouyancy is lost.
This air can be replaced by a couple of means. The first is a massive low-pressure roots blower that takes air in from a large snorkel mast, and forces water out of the main ballast tanks. This method only works if electrical power is available. With both reactors out of service, it is unlikely that the storage battery of K-8 could have supplied the LP blower with electrical power for very long.
The other method for replacing air in the main ballast tanks involves briefly "puffing" them with very high pressure air from the ship's air banks. I don't know the capacity of the high pressure air banks on this class of ship, but I do know the supply of air was not infinite. In any case, without having electricity to run a high-pressure air compressor, these would eventually run out of pressure be unable to displace water out of the ballast tanks.
The abandon-ship order of the captain of K-8 was countermanded when the towing vessel arrived. 52 crewmembers, including the captain, re-boarded the ship for the tow back to port. 73 crewmembers were taken aboard the towing vessel.
The ships encountered rough weather. After 80 hours of heroic but futile damage control, the K-8 flooded. Sadly, even though ships were nearby, she took 52 men with her, who are now on eternal patrol with her.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
K-27, Project 645 (645 Кит-ЖМТ)
The Soviet and US Navies operated a large number of submarines, each generation improving in quality. A silent covert game of cloak and dagger took place beneath the waves that most people were completely unaware of.
The Soviets at one time had the largest fleet of submarines in the world. In many respects, advanced Soviet submarines were superior to their US cold war counterparts. Several Soviet submarine designs could dive to a greater depth than a standard US MK 48 torpedo!
US submarines (from the arrival of Thresher) had held the advantage of stealth, and superior sonar equipment. Soviet submarines, in contrast, held the advantage of survivability (due to double-hull construction and huge amounts of reserve bouyancy), weapon-carrying capacity, greater depth and top speed.
The US experimented with a variety of reactor/propulsion designs, but only one used a liquid-metal cooled reactor:
USS Seawolf (SSN-575) was the second US submarine (after USS Nautilus), and the only US submarine to have a liquid metal cooled reactor. The reactor was cooled using liquid sodium, which of course would be problematic for the crew if it ever leaked. Seawolf also had steam superheaters, for added efficiency. These were also problematic, and thus were seldom in service. Because liquid metal is much more efficient than water at removing core heat, the propulsion plant was only 40% the size of Nautilus'. Seawolf was eventually converted to a more typical S2W pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a saturated steam plant. PWR and saturated steam plants in US submarine design continues to this day.
The Soviets' emphasis on submarine speed, depth and power of course led to more propulsion designs that used liquid metal cooled reactors. Soviet reactors of this type used a Lead-Bismuth coolant that was far less hazardous than liquid sodium, at least from a fire hazard standpoint. From a power-weight (and size) standpoint, the liquid metal cooled reactor is far superior to a light water cooled reactor. From a safety standpoint, not so great.
Recall that liquid metal cooled reactors are Fast neutron reactors, or sometimes intermediate speed reactors. All liquid metal cooled reactors have a positive void coefficient of reactivity. That means that if the coolant inadvertantly boils in the core, reactor power will increase. Which will boil more metal, and increase power even more. This happens rapidly, and core damage (meltdown!) is fairly common with this type of reactor.
So with that background, lets talk about the Soviet submarine K-27, or Projekt 645.
The Soviet's first class of nuclear attack submarines was called the November class. They used dual 70 Megawatt PWR reactors for propulsion. 13 of these were built before technology allowed creation of superior designs. Even so, they were superior to the USS Nautilus, in speed, depth, and stealth. One could also argue that Nautilus was really an experiment to prove that nuclear propulsion could work on a submarine, rather than a true nuclear attack submarine, however, and not be wrong.
Profile of a November-Class Submarine:
Back to K-27. This was a unique single-ship design by the Soviets, just as Seawolf was for the US Navy. K-27 was a November-Class submarine with a unique power plant. Rather than two 70 Megawatt PWRs, the Soviets used two VT-1 liquid metal cooled reactors, with an output of 73 MW. The advantage of smaller footprint and weight of the metal-cooled reactors allowed more weapons to be carried.
She was laid down on June 1958 and launched in April 1962. She was commissioned October 1963 after full-scale builders sea trials and official tests. She performed well (although with heavy maintenance for the new metal-cooled reactors) until a reactor accident in the port (left) reactor happened in May 1968.
The ship was making a full speed submerged run, when a reactor automatic control rod withdrew itself. Boiling occured, and reactor power plummeted from 83% to 7% in about 90 seconds, as the core melted. Unfortunately for the crew, poor decisions made after the initial accident would cost many of them their lives.
The main purpose of cladding U-235 in a reactor with Zircaloy or Stainless steel is to keep the highly radioactive freshly split atoms from getting into the coolant and spreading. When the fuel assemblies melt down, these radioactive atoms mix in the coolant, and get outside the heavily shielded reactor vessel.
Unknown to the crew, the captain had the radiation alarms disabled. Radioactive gases were released from the fuel, which the crew were exposed to. Another captain might have surfaced the ship and ventilated it with the massive air blowers all submarines are equipped with. The ship limped home on the starboard reactor and was laid up for several years. Five sailors who worked in the propulsion plant died within a week of the accident, while 30 more died between 1968 and 2003. Quite a high death rate for a crew of young, healthy men.
K-27 was brought into shipyard, and the starboard reactor coolant was kept liquid by steam piped in at the shipyard while the radioactivity in the port side reactor died down. In 1973 the decision was made that repairing or replacing the reactor in the aging ship was not worthwhile, and the ship was decomissioned in February 1979.
Her disposal was... interesting. Rather than remove the melted down mess that remained of the port side reactor, the Soviets decided to fill her reactor compartment with a solidifying agent. Next they towed her, not out to sea, but very close to land. In 1982 they sunk her in just 100 ft of water, just offshore of Novaya Zemlya. Google Earth Coordinates Here
She didn't want to sink, however, so they ended up having to ram her.
There is now a great deal of urgency in re-floating K-27 and removing her radioactive coolant system and fuel. This is an environmental hazard that will eventually become a serious problem, and quite close to shore. Where it was disposed of is the Island of Novaya Zemlya, a harsh glacier-scoured island that has been a nuclear testing and dumping ground for generations.
Interestingly there is equipment available to de-fuel this unique ship that was used on many other liquid-metal cooled ships at the end of the cold war. However, this now-unused de-fueling equipment will not remain in optimum condition forever, so the race is on. Hopefully someone is interested in recovering this ship before it becomes a big environmental mess.
The Soviets at one time had the largest fleet of submarines in the world. In many respects, advanced Soviet submarines were superior to their US cold war counterparts. Several Soviet submarine designs could dive to a greater depth than a standard US MK 48 torpedo!
US submarines (from the arrival of Thresher) had held the advantage of stealth, and superior sonar equipment. Soviet submarines, in contrast, held the advantage of survivability (due to double-hull construction and huge amounts of reserve bouyancy), weapon-carrying capacity, greater depth and top speed.
The US experimented with a variety of reactor/propulsion designs, but only one used a liquid-metal cooled reactor:
USS Seawolf (SSN-575) was the second US submarine (after USS Nautilus), and the only US submarine to have a liquid metal cooled reactor. The reactor was cooled using liquid sodium, which of course would be problematic for the crew if it ever leaked. Seawolf also had steam superheaters, for added efficiency. These were also problematic, and thus were seldom in service. Because liquid metal is much more efficient than water at removing core heat, the propulsion plant was only 40% the size of Nautilus'. Seawolf was eventually converted to a more typical S2W pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a saturated steam plant. PWR and saturated steam plants in US submarine design continues to this day.
The Soviets' emphasis on submarine speed, depth and power of course led to more propulsion designs that used liquid metal cooled reactors. Soviet reactors of this type used a Lead-Bismuth coolant that was far less hazardous than liquid sodium, at least from a fire hazard standpoint. From a power-weight (and size) standpoint, the liquid metal cooled reactor is far superior to a light water cooled reactor. From a safety standpoint, not so great.
Recall that liquid metal cooled reactors are Fast neutron reactors, or sometimes intermediate speed reactors. All liquid metal cooled reactors have a positive void coefficient of reactivity. That means that if the coolant inadvertantly boils in the core, reactor power will increase. Which will boil more metal, and increase power even more. This happens rapidly, and core damage (meltdown!) is fairly common with this type of reactor.
So with that background, lets talk about the Soviet submarine K-27, or Projekt 645.
The Soviet's first class of nuclear attack submarines was called the November class. They used dual 70 Megawatt PWR reactors for propulsion. 13 of these were built before technology allowed creation of superior designs. Even so, they were superior to the USS Nautilus, in speed, depth, and stealth. One could also argue that Nautilus was really an experiment to prove that nuclear propulsion could work on a submarine, rather than a true nuclear attack submarine, however, and not be wrong.
Profile of a November-Class Submarine:
Back to K-27. This was a unique single-ship design by the Soviets, just as Seawolf was for the US Navy. K-27 was a November-Class submarine with a unique power plant. Rather than two 70 Megawatt PWRs, the Soviets used two VT-1 liquid metal cooled reactors, with an output of 73 MW. The advantage of smaller footprint and weight of the metal-cooled reactors allowed more weapons to be carried.
She was laid down on June 1958 and launched in April 1962. She was commissioned October 1963 after full-scale builders sea trials and official tests. She performed well (although with heavy maintenance for the new metal-cooled reactors) until a reactor accident in the port (left) reactor happened in May 1968.
The ship was making a full speed submerged run, when a reactor automatic control rod withdrew itself. Boiling occured, and reactor power plummeted from 83% to 7% in about 90 seconds, as the core melted. Unfortunately for the crew, poor decisions made after the initial accident would cost many of them their lives.
The main purpose of cladding U-235 in a reactor with Zircaloy or Stainless steel is to keep the highly radioactive freshly split atoms from getting into the coolant and spreading. When the fuel assemblies melt down, these radioactive atoms mix in the coolant, and get outside the heavily shielded reactor vessel.
Unknown to the crew, the captain had the radiation alarms disabled. Radioactive gases were released from the fuel, which the crew were exposed to. Another captain might have surfaced the ship and ventilated it with the massive air blowers all submarines are equipped with. The ship limped home on the starboard reactor and was laid up for several years. Five sailors who worked in the propulsion plant died within a week of the accident, while 30 more died between 1968 and 2003. Quite a high death rate for a crew of young, healthy men.
K-27 was brought into shipyard, and the starboard reactor coolant was kept liquid by steam piped in at the shipyard while the radioactivity in the port side reactor died down. In 1973 the decision was made that repairing or replacing the reactor in the aging ship was not worthwhile, and the ship was decomissioned in February 1979.
Her disposal was... interesting. Rather than remove the melted down mess that remained of the port side reactor, the Soviets decided to fill her reactor compartment with a solidifying agent. Next they towed her, not out to sea, but very close to land. In 1982 they sunk her in just 100 ft of water, just offshore of Novaya Zemlya. Google Earth Coordinates Here
She didn't want to sink, however, so they ended up having to ram her.
K-27 refusing to be scuttled:
There is now a great deal of urgency in re-floating K-27 and removing her radioactive coolant system and fuel. This is an environmental hazard that will eventually become a serious problem, and quite close to shore. Where it was disposed of is the Island of Novaya Zemlya, a harsh glacier-scoured island that has been a nuclear testing and dumping ground for generations.
Interestingly there is equipment available to de-fuel this unique ship that was used on many other liquid-metal cooled ships at the end of the cold war. However, this now-unused de-fueling equipment will not remain in optimum condition forever, so the race is on. Hopefully someone is interested in recovering this ship before it becomes a big environmental mess.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
USS Scorpion (SSN-589) - Updated
Scorpion was a Skipjack-Class submarine. The Skipjack class was the nuclear-powered attack submarine class previous to the Thresher/Permit class. As such, they were not quite as deep-diving, although they did have a very sleek hull, which allowed for a high submerged speed. Skipjack-class submarines held (classified) speed records while using somewhat noisy 5-bladed screws, but lost this high speed when the screws were eventually replaced with quieter 7-bladed screws.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
USS Thresher (SSN-593)
The USS Thresher was the lead ship in a new, advanced class of US Submarines. Her keel was laid in May of 1958 and she was launched in July 1960.
At the time of Thresher's launch, she was the deepest diving attack submarine in the world. Until the arrival of Thresher, all submarines had bow-mounted (and most also had stern-mounted) torpedo tubes. USS Thresher was the first to use angled, midship-mounted torpedo tubes. This arrangement freed the bow for installation of an extremely high-sensitivity sonar array.
The bow-mounted sonar consisted of a sphere covered with hydrophones, placed as far away as possible from the propulsion plant. This new arrangement offered a huge improvement in sonar sensitivity, and Thresher had the ability to detect other submarines at far greater range than they could detect her. The importance of detecting an enemy ship first cannot be overstated!!!
In addition to the improvements in the sonar/torpedo tube arrangement, huge improvements had been made to silence the ship. This was also the quietest nuclear submarine in the world. For the first time ever, all rotating equipment in the ship was sound-isolated from the ship's hull. The heavier equipment (propulsion turbines, turbine generators, primary coolant pumps, and reduction gears) were mounted to a subfloor that was suspended and accoustically isolated from the hull. Smaller machinery and steam piping was mounted using sound-isolating snubbers.
Thresher was also the first ship to carry the SUBROC missile. The SUBROC was a Stand-off weapon system for attacking enemy ships at greater distances than a torpedo could reach. The SUBROC was a SUBmarine ROCket that carried a W55 nuclear warhead with a yield of 250 kilotons TNT. It was propelled by a solid fuel rocket motor that would ignite following ejection from a torpedo tube. The SUBROC would then angle up, clear the ocean surface, fly a certain distance, then release the warhead. The warhead would enter the water and detonate at a depth that was programmed prior to launch.
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In short, the ship was revolutionary. She was quiet, fast, deep-diving, had the keenest hearing on the planet, and could shoot a nuclear-tipped rocket out her torpedo tubes.
Then on April 9, 1963 she sank with all hands. She took 129 men along with her. Seven days after being lost, Thresher was stricken from the ship's registry.
As the lead ship of a new class of submarines, this new class of ship had been called the Thresher (593 class). After striking Thresher from the registry, the class was renamed after the second ship in the class, the USS Permit class (594 class).
What happened:
Thresher had performed operational testing of all her systems, particularly the weapons and sonar systems for two years. In July 1962 she entered shipyard to inspect equipment conditions, make repairs and correct deficiencies noted during the operational testing. She un-docked on April 8.
On April 9, Thresher got underway from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, for the purpose of conducting a dive to test depth. Diving to test depth is always done immediately following any major overhaul or repair, so that the sea-worthiness of the ship can be tested.
Thresher rendezvoused with a submarine rescue vessel named Skylark, and then conducted a slow descent in 100ft increments, while circling Skylark in order to maintain communications. As Thresher neared test depth, Skylark received a message over the underwater telephone stating "...minor difficulties, have positive up-angle, attempting to blow". Lastly there was a final garbled message that included the number "900". When Skylark received no further communication, surface observers gradually came to realize that Thresher had sunk.
Thresher had gone down in 8400ft of water, and it was difficult to gather evidence or get photographs to determine what had caused the loss of the ship. A court of inquiry was convened, and a picture of events began to unfold.
In this class of ship, the major heat loads were cooled by seawater-supplied heat exchangers. A/C Units, Generators, oil coolers - everything was supplied by high-pressure seawater piping. At the time, most of the joints in these seawater pipes were silver-soldered, rather than welded. Many of the silver-soldered joints were faulty, and there was no process in place for quality control.
It is conjectured that one of the larger silver-soldered joints sheared off near test depth, filling the ship from *both* ends of the damaged seawater pipe. This in itself would not have sunk the ship, but several other things likely compounded the problem. The seawater would have blasted in and created a mist as it struck other surfaces. This saltwater mist probably created enough electrical grounds and disturbances to trip (or scram) the reactor.
A shutdown reactor also should not have caused the ship to be lost. Enough heat remains in the primary coolant to generate propulsion steam for several minutes. However, the procedures in place at that time called for the main steam stop valves to be shut whenever the reactor scrammed (to conserve heat in the primary coolant). This action eliminated the option of driving the ship toward the surface using the propulsion turbines, just as Thresher was taking on additional weight due to flooding.
The captain ordered an emergency main ballast tank blow. An emergency blow releases extremely high pressure air from large air tanks into the main ballast tanks. The air displaces water out the bottom of the ballast tanks and makes the ship more bouyant. The emergency blow also should have saved the ship, but it did not.
Previous classes of submarines did not dive this deep, and therefore did not require air at such high pressure to blow their main ballast tanks while at maximum depth. No previous submarine had needed to dehydrate compressed air, and this class of ship did not have compressed air dryers either.
The air in the high pressure air banks was moist air. It is believed that during the emergency main ballast tank blow, as the air pressure dropped, ice formed in the piping and blocked further air flow, preventing a full blow of the ballast tanks.
The Thresher is believed to have made some progress toward reaching the surface, before flooding overcame the bouyancy created by the partial ballast tank blow.
Loss of the Thresher came as a huge shock to the Navy, and to the Submarine Service. As a result of the investigation, the SUBSAFE program was initiated. This was a QA/QC program to ensure all parts of the ship subject to seawater pressure were of the highest quality, and pedigreed with a paper trail, from smelting to installation.
Other improvements included remotely-operated hydraulic shutoff valves for all seawater systems that didn't rely on electrical power, air dryers and larger diameter piping for the compressed air systems, and procedural changes that allowed crews to use residual primary coolant heat for emergency steam propulsion. Not much point protecting the reactor, if the ship will be lost in the process...
Later classes of submarines (engineered from the ground up with SUBSAFE) in would use seawater-freshwater heat exchangers for everything except the main propulsion condensers. This other cooling system circulated low pressure fresh water to machinery that required cooling, and so minimized the amount of high-pressure seawater piping within the ship.
Those are the engineering improvements that we are able to take away from this tragedy.
Thresher was lost at sea and never decommissioned. Both she and her crew, as well as a number of civilian shipyard workers, remain on Eternal Patrol.
At the time of Thresher's launch, she was the deepest diving attack submarine in the world. Until the arrival of Thresher, all submarines had bow-mounted (and most also had stern-mounted) torpedo tubes. USS Thresher was the first to use angled, midship-mounted torpedo tubes. This arrangement freed the bow for installation of an extremely high-sensitivity sonar array.
The bow-mounted sonar consisted of a sphere covered with hydrophones, placed as far away as possible from the propulsion plant. This new arrangement offered a huge improvement in sonar sensitivity, and Thresher had the ability to detect other submarines at far greater range than they could detect her. The importance of detecting an enemy ship first cannot be overstated!!!
In addition to the improvements in the sonar/torpedo tube arrangement, huge improvements had been made to silence the ship. This was also the quietest nuclear submarine in the world. For the first time ever, all rotating equipment in the ship was sound-isolated from the ship's hull. The heavier equipment (propulsion turbines, turbine generators, primary coolant pumps, and reduction gears) were mounted to a subfloor that was suspended and accoustically isolated from the hull. Smaller machinery and steam piping was mounted using sound-isolating snubbers.
Thresher was also the first ship to carry the SUBROC missile. The SUBROC was a Stand-off weapon system for attacking enemy ships at greater distances than a torpedo could reach. The SUBROC was a SUBmarine ROCket that carried a W55 nuclear warhead with a yield of 250 kilotons TNT. It was propelled by a solid fuel rocket motor that would ignite following ejection from a torpedo tube. The SUBROC would then angle up, clear the ocean surface, fly a certain distance, then release the warhead. The warhead would enter the water and detonate at a depth that was programmed prior to launch.
In short, the ship was revolutionary. She was quiet, fast, deep-diving, had the keenest hearing on the planet, and could shoot a nuclear-tipped rocket out her torpedo tubes.
Then on April 9, 1963 she sank with all hands. She took 129 men along with her. Seven days after being lost, Thresher was stricken from the ship's registry.
As the lead ship of a new class of submarines, this new class of ship had been called the Thresher (593 class). After striking Thresher from the registry, the class was renamed after the second ship in the class, the USS Permit class (594 class).
What happened:
Thresher had performed operational testing of all her systems, particularly the weapons and sonar systems for two years. In July 1962 she entered shipyard to inspect equipment conditions, make repairs and correct deficiencies noted during the operational testing. She un-docked on April 8.
On April 9, Thresher got underway from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, for the purpose of conducting a dive to test depth. Diving to test depth is always done immediately following any major overhaul or repair, so that the sea-worthiness of the ship can be tested.
Thresher rendezvoused with a submarine rescue vessel named Skylark, and then conducted a slow descent in 100ft increments, while circling Skylark in order to maintain communications. As Thresher neared test depth, Skylark received a message over the underwater telephone stating "...minor difficulties, have positive up-angle, attempting to blow". Lastly there was a final garbled message that included the number "900". When Skylark received no further communication, surface observers gradually came to realize that Thresher had sunk.
Thresher had gone down in 8400ft of water, and it was difficult to gather evidence or get photographs to determine what had caused the loss of the ship. A court of inquiry was convened, and a picture of events began to unfold.
In this class of ship, the major heat loads were cooled by seawater-supplied heat exchangers. A/C Units, Generators, oil coolers - everything was supplied by high-pressure seawater piping. At the time, most of the joints in these seawater pipes were silver-soldered, rather than welded. Many of the silver-soldered joints were faulty, and there was no process in place for quality control.
It is conjectured that one of the larger silver-soldered joints sheared off near test depth, filling the ship from *both* ends of the damaged seawater pipe. This in itself would not have sunk the ship, but several other things likely compounded the problem. The seawater would have blasted in and created a mist as it struck other surfaces. This saltwater mist probably created enough electrical grounds and disturbances to trip (or scram) the reactor.
A shutdown reactor also should not have caused the ship to be lost. Enough heat remains in the primary coolant to generate propulsion steam for several minutes. However, the procedures in place at that time called for the main steam stop valves to be shut whenever the reactor scrammed (to conserve heat in the primary coolant). This action eliminated the option of driving the ship toward the surface using the propulsion turbines, just as Thresher was taking on additional weight due to flooding.
The captain ordered an emergency main ballast tank blow. An emergency blow releases extremely high pressure air from large air tanks into the main ballast tanks. The air displaces water out the bottom of the ballast tanks and makes the ship more bouyant. The emergency blow also should have saved the ship, but it did not.
Previous classes of submarines did not dive this deep, and therefore did not require air at such high pressure to blow their main ballast tanks while at maximum depth. No previous submarine had needed to dehydrate compressed air, and this class of ship did not have compressed air dryers either.
The air in the high pressure air banks was moist air. It is believed that during the emergency main ballast tank blow, as the air pressure dropped, ice formed in the piping and blocked further air flow, preventing a full blow of the ballast tanks.
The Thresher is believed to have made some progress toward reaching the surface, before flooding overcame the bouyancy created by the partial ballast tank blow.
Loss of the Thresher came as a huge shock to the Navy, and to the Submarine Service. As a result of the investigation, the SUBSAFE program was initiated. This was a QA/QC program to ensure all parts of the ship subject to seawater pressure were of the highest quality, and pedigreed with a paper trail, from smelting to installation.
Other improvements included remotely-operated hydraulic shutoff valves for all seawater systems that didn't rely on electrical power, air dryers and larger diameter piping for the compressed air systems, and procedural changes that allowed crews to use residual primary coolant heat for emergency steam propulsion. Not much point protecting the reactor, if the ship will be lost in the process...
Later classes of submarines (engineered from the ground up with SUBSAFE) in would use seawater-freshwater heat exchangers for everything except the main propulsion condensers. This other cooling system circulated low pressure fresh water to machinery that required cooling, and so minimized the amount of high-pressure seawater piping within the ship.
Those are the engineering improvements that we are able to take away from this tragedy.
Thresher was lost at sea and never decommissioned. Both she and her crew, as well as a number of civilian shipyard workers, remain on Eternal Patrol.
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