from opening posting
Pentagon: New Class
Of Silent Submarines Poses Threat,POSTED: 6:54 pm PDT October 19,
2006
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Pentagon said it believes the greatest
undersea threat facing the U.S. Navy since the end of the Cold War
has arrived.
video on
demand
The threat involves a new a new class of silent submarines -- subs
that the U.S. Navy is having trouble finding under water. In this
exclusive investigation, NBC4's Chuck Henry looked into one of
those submarines in San Diego.
Following is a verbatim script from the on-air report.
CHUCK HENRY: The threat is real. And it has the Navy so concerned
that it's turning to Sweden for help. That's because the Swedes
have those silent submarines.
And right now, one of them is stationed at Point Loma. Earlier this
month, NBC4 had unprecedented access to the Swedish sub and its
crew.
What NBC4 aired few people have ever seen and certainly not in the
United States.
On the surface it looks like any other submarine, but the U.S. Navy
said it could be the most dangerous sub in the world.
FREDERICK LINDEN: Being noisy is something that is dangerous for
us.
HENRY: Fredrick Linden is the commander of the HMS Gotland. He and
his crew of 29 call the sub base at Point Loma home. They came to
San Diego because the Navy is worried about this new generation of
silent subs.
The Pentagon leased the Gotland for one year, but now has extended
the lease for a second year, as they try to learn why this
submarine so difficult to find underwater.
Subs have always had two weaknesses: they make noise and can't stay
submerged very long. But the Gotland runs on a high-tech system
called Air Independent Propulsion -- or AIP.
LINDEN: With AIP, I can stay submerged for weeks.
HENRY: Not only can the sub stay submerged for up to a month, the
AIP technology also makes it quieter than other subs, and almost
impossible to pick up on sonar.
When the Gotland wants to be silent and undetectable, especially
along coastal waters, there's not a place it can't go. And that's
one of the reasons it's here.
Since last summer the Navy has spent months playing a game of cat
and mouse with the Gotland off San Diego, and time after time the
Swedish sub has eluded its pursuers.
HENRY (TO COMMANDER): As an adversary, how good are you at what you
do?
LINDEN: Very good.
HENRY: Can you tell us about your accomplishments?
LINDEN: We are satisfied with being good.
HENRY: According to Swedish newspapers, in training exercises the
Gotland has sunk our most sophisticated nuclear submarines. But
perhaps even more disconcerting, it reportedly sunk our largest
aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Reagan.
NORMAN POLMAR, NAVAL ANALYST: She's really run rings around our
carrier groups.
HENRY: Norman Polmar is a military analyst specializing in naval
intelligence. He says since the end of the cold war, funding of the
navy's anti submarine warfare program has been scaled back
dramatically.
As the U.S. funnels billions into the war on terror, countries like
North Korea, China and Iran are building or trying to get
submarines like the Gotland.
Two months ago in the Persian Gulf, Iran tested a new anti-ship
missile fired by one of its subs.
If the Iranians are successful in getting a Gotland-class
submarine, it could pose a new silent danger to vital oil tanker
traffic in the region.
POLMAR: With more of these submarines being bought by countries
that don't particularly like us, Iran being a good example, yes,
there is a potential. There is a threat.
HENRY: And the commander of the Gotland knows just how vulnerable
the United States could be if a sub like his fell into the wrong
hands.
HENRY: If you look at our coast, North America, is there any place
that you can't go?
LINDEN: No.
HENRY: No place?
Linden then shakes his head.
HENRY: Although this emerging undersea threat is a top priority for
the U.S. Navy, the U.S. is committed to its nuclear submarine
force, and has no plans to develop subs like the Gotland.
The Navy says it just wants to know how to detect and kill
them.
thanks God SG has been learning from Sweden for some times!!
