American submarineNR-1
 Deep submergence vesselNR-1 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | NR-1 |
| Builder | General Dynamics Electric Boat |
| Laid down | 10 June 1967 |
| Launched | 25 January 1969 |
| In service | 27 October 1969 |
| Out of service | 21 November 2008 |
| Motto | The World's Finest Deep Submersible |
| Nickname(s) | Nerwin |
| Fate | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Uniquesubmarine |
| Displacement | 400 tons |
| Length |
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| Beam |
|
| Draft |
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| Installed power | Single nuclear reactor, one turbine generator |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Endurance |
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| Test depth | 3,000 feet (910 m)[2][3] |
| Complement | 3 officers, 8 crewmen, 2 scientists |
Deep Submergence VesselNR-1 was a uniqueUnited States Navy (USN) nuclear-powered ocean engineering and researchsubmarine, built by theElectric Boat Division ofGeneral Dynamics atGroton, Connecticut.NR-1 waslaunched on 25 January 1969, completed initial sea trials 19 August 1969, and was home-ported atNaval Submarine Base New London.NR-1 was the smallest nuclear submarine ever put into operation. The vessel was casually known as "Nerwin" and was never officially named orcommissioned. The U.S. Navy is allocated a specific number of warships by theU.S. Congress, butAdmiralHyman Rickover avoided using one of those allocations for the construction ofNR-1 in order to circumvent the oversight that a warship receives from various bureaus.
History
NR-1's missions included search, object recovery, geological survey, oceanographic research, and installation and maintenance of underwater equipment.NR-1 had the unique capability to remain at one site and completely map or search an area with a high degree of accuracy, and this was a valuable asset on several occasions.[4]
In the 1970s and 1980s,NR-1 conducted numerous classified missions involving recovery of objects from the floor of the deep sea. These missions remain classified and few details have been made public. One publicly acknowledged mission in 1976 was to recover parts of anF-14 that were lost from the deck of an aircraft carrier[5] and sank with at least oneAIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missile.[6] The secrecy typical of USN submarine operations was heightened by Rickover's personal involvement, and he shared details ofNR-1 operations only on a need-to-know basis. Rickover envisioned building a small fleet ofNR-1 type submarines, but only one was built due to budget restrictions.[7]
Followingthe loss of theSpace ShuttleChallenger in 1986,NR-1 was used to search for, identify, and recover critical parts of theChallenger craft.[8] It could remain on the sea floor without resurfacing frequently, and was a major tool for searching deep waters.NR-1 remained submerged and on station even when heavy weather and rough seas hit the area and forced all other search and recovery ships into port.[4]: 65
In October 1994, a survey was done by theNR-1 off the Florida straits 65 km southwest of Key West where it encountered and explored an uncharted sink hole. On 2 December 1998, an advisory committee approved the name "NR-1" for the hole.[9]
In 1995,Robert Ballard used theNR-1 and its support shipMV Carolyn Chouest to explore the wreck ofHMHS Britannic, the sister ship ofRMS Titanic, which sank off the coast ofGreece while serving as ahospital ship duringWorld War I.[10]
On 25 February 2007,NR-1 arrived inGalveston, Texas, towed byCarolyn Chouest, in preparation for an expedition to survey theFlower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and other sites in theGulf of Mexico.[11]
NR-1 was deactivated on 21 November 2008 at the U.S. Navy submarine base atGroton, Connecticut, defuelled atPortsmouth Naval Shipyard inKittery, Maine, then sent toPuget Sound Naval Shipyard to be scrapped.[8] On 13 November 2013, the U.S. Navy announced that salvaged pieces of the sub would be put on display at theSubmarine Force Library and Museum in Groton.[7]
Capabilities
NR-1 performed underwater search and recovery,oceanographic research missions, and installation and maintenance of underwater equipment to a depth of almost half a nautical mile. Its features included extending bottoming wheels, three viewing ports, exterior lighting, television and still cameras for color photographic studies, an object recovery claw, a manipulator that could be fitted with various gripping and cutting tools, and a work basket that could be used in conjunction with the manipulator to deposit or recover items in the sea.[1] Surface vision was provided by a television periscope permanently installed on a fixed mast in her sail area.[1]: 6
NR-1 had sophisticated electronics, computers, and sonar systems that aided in navigation, communications, and object location and identification. It could maneuver or hold a steady position on or close to the seabed or underwater ridges, detect and identify objects at a considerable distance, and lift objects off the ocean floor.[1]: 4
NR-1 was equipped with two electric motor-driven propellers and its maneuverability was enhanced by fourducted thrusters, two forward and two aft. The vehicle haddiving planes mounted on the sail, and a conventional rudder.[1]: 1
NR-1 could travel submerged at approximately 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) for long periods, limited only by consumable supplies—primarily food. It could study and map the ocean bottom, including temperature, currents, and other information for military, commercial, and scientific uses. Its nuclear propulsion provided independence from surface support ships and essentially unlimited endurance.[1]: 3
NR-1's size limited its crew comforts. The crew of about 10 men could stay at sea for as long as a month, but had no kitchen or bathing facilities. They ate frozenTV dinners, bathed once a week with a bucket of water, and burnedchlorate candles to produce oxygen. The sub was so slow that it was towed to sea by a surface vessel, and so tiny that the crew felt the push and pull of the ocean's currents. "Everybody onNR-1 got sick," said Allison J. Holifield, who commanded the sub in the mid-1970s. "It was only a matter of whether you were throwing up or not throwing up."[7][12]
NR-1 was generally towed to and from remote mission locations by an accompanying surface tender, which was also capable of conducting research in conjunction with the submarine.NR-1's last mother ship wasMVCarolyn Chouest, which provided towing, communications, berthing, and direct mission support for allNR-1 operations—a versatile platform and an indispensable member of theNR-1 deep submergence team.NR-1 command was crewed with thirty-five Navy personnel and ten civilian contractor personnel.NR-1 carried as many as thirteen persons (crew and specialists) at one time, including three of the four assigned officers. (The operations officer rode onCarolyn Chouest).[13] All personnel who crewedNR-1 were nuclear-trained and specifically screened and interviewed by the Director,Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program.[14]
Awards
 |   |  |
  |  |  |
| Navy Unit Commendation | Meritorious Unit Commendation with fiveaward stars | Navy E Ribbon with Battle "E" device (6 awards) |
| National Defense Service Medal with twostars | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon |
See also
- USS Albacore (AGSS-569)
- USS Dolphin (AGSS-555)
- USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)
- Russian submarineLosharik
- Deep-submergence rescue vehicle
- Fire Ice, a Clive Cussler novel which includesNR-1 as a major plot element
References
- ^abcdefUnited States Naval Sea Systems Command.NR-1 Submarine: Nuclear Powered Research and Ocean Engineering Vehicle. Washington, D.C.: Dept. of the Navy,Sea Systems Command. Retrieved30 January 2020.
- ^Perry, Doug."NR-1 – within Visual Sight of the Bottom".Global Security. Retrieved12 November 2018.
- ^Lacroix, Frank W.; Button, Robert W.; Johnson, Stuart; Wise, John R. (2002).A Concept of Operations for a New Deep-Diving Submarine(PDF).ISBN 0-8330-3045-0. Retrieved12 November 2018.
- ^ab"The United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Over 157 Million Miles Safely Steamed on Nuclear Power:NR-1"(PDF). US Department of Energy & United States Navy. November 2015. pp. 64–65.
Able to remain submerged and move at maximum speed for extended periods of time, she performed detailed studies and mapping of the ocean bottom (including temperature, currents, and other oceanographic data) for military and scientific uses. The unique capabilities of NR-1 put her in high demand in both the military and the scientific communities. NR-1 could remain submerged for up to a month, allowing her to survey large areas even in inclement weather.
- ^"Navy F-14 Trying to Land on Carrier Lost in Ocean".The Washington Post. 30 March 1977.
- ^"Tomcat Recovery".Naval Aviation News. February 1977. p. 19.
Both theF-14Tomcat and thePhoenix missile that were lost overboard from the aircraft carrierJohn F Kennedy off the coast of Scotland on 14 September 1976, have been recovered [...] The Phoenix attached to the F-14 when it was lost, was recovered 31 October. The deep submergence and ocean engineering vesselNR-1 located the missile and with help from the submarine rescue shipSunbird successfullyrecovered it. [...] Commander Allison J. Holifield, officer in charge of NR-1, later described the F-14 search operation as being akin to "looking for a needle in a grassy front yard with only the aid of a penlight." And he added that at 1,800 feet the water was calm, unlike that on the surface.
- ^abcMelia, Michael (13 November 2013)."Navy's NR-1 Submarine".Associated Press. Archived fromthe original on 15 July 2015.
- ^abScutro, Andrew (30 November 2008)."Deep-diving NR-1 wraps up its 40-year career".Navy Times.
- ^"NR-1 Hole".Geographical Names.
- ^Ballard, Robert D.; Archbold, Rich (1998).Lost Liners: The Book. Paintings by Ken Marschall. New York: Hyperion.ISBN 0786862963.
Our plan in late August 1995 was to surveythe wreck with the help of the navy's nuclear-powered NR-1 submarine, small by navy sub standards but far more spacious and comfortable than the research submersiblesI'm accustomed to. (You can actually stand up!)
- ^Shelander, Brandon (1 March 2007)."NR-1 in Texas For Gulf Exploration".Navy News. Military.com. Archived fromthe original on 4 March 2007.
- ^Energy Research And Development Administration: Fiscal Year 1978 Authorization, Hearing Before The Committee On Armed Services, United States Senate. Ninety Fifth Congress. First Session On S 1339: A Bill To Authorize Appropriations To The Energy Research And Development Administration For National Defense Programs For The Fiscal Year 1978 And For Other Purposes. United States Government Printing Office. 25 March 1977. pp. 104–105.
Senator Anderson: "I have a daughter that would like to get involved in nuclear submarine work because she would like to be President. I would like to know how she would go about it."Admiral Rickover: "One of our submarines is the nuclear powered research submersible,NR-1. It carries five people, and it has only one primitive lavatory in it, and no privacy. I don't know whether you want your daughter there or not." Senator Anderson: "She is only 8 years old, Admiral."
- ^Bilyeu, JO3 Braden."NR-1: Exploring Naval History on the Ocean Floor".Undersea Warfare. Vol. 4, no. 2,Winter/Spring 2002. United States Navy. Archived fromthe original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved30 January 2020.
The submarine is usually towed to and from remote locations by a chartered commercial vessel, the Carolyn Chouest, which serves as both an auxiliary research platform and submarine tender for NR-1. "We have one of the best support ships in the entire fleet in Carolyn Chouest," said MM1 (SS/DV) Bryan Wallace. "The crew is very squared away, and they take very good care of us while we're underway. The food is a lot better over there, too," he added. The Carolyn Chouest also supports the crew by serving as a communication link to friends and family during NR-1 deployments. Twice daily, the Chouest downloads e-mail for the crew and relays it to the boat by radio. The crew can respond in the same manner.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"Statement Of Admiral F. L. "Skip" Bowman, U.S. Navy Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program before the House Committee On Science - 29 October 2003". United States Navy. 29 October 2003. Archived fromthe original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved30 January 2020.
Admiral Rickover personally selected every member of his Headquarters staff and every naval officer accepted into the Program. This practice is still in place today, and IAdmiral F. L. "Skip" Bowman, U.S. Navy Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program conduct these interviews and make the final decision myself.
Further reading
- Ballard, Robert D. (April 1985). "NR-1 — The Navy's Inner-Space Shuttle".National Geographic. Vol. 167, no. 4. pp. 450–459.ISSN 0027-9358.OCLC 643483454.
- Vyborny, Lee; Davis, Don (2003).Dark Waters: An Insider's Account of the NR-1, The Cold War's Undercover Nuclear Sub. New American Library.ISBN 0-451-20777-7.
- Perry, USN, Lieutenant Doug."NR-1 – within Visual Sight of the Bottom".Undersea Warfare. Vol. 1, no. 4,Summer 1999. Artist rendering by Dale Gustafson. United States Navy. Archived fromthe original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved30 January 2020.
- Savage, USN, JO1 (SW / AW) Mark A."NR-1's Summer of Military Missions and Scientific Exploration".Undersea Warfare. No. 2,Winter 2003. United States Navy. Archived fromthe original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved30 January 2020.
The first stop for NR-1 and its crew was off the coast of New Jersey at the site where the Navy dirigibleUSS Akron (ZRS-4) crashed shortly after midnight on 4 April 1933. [...] NR-1 made a single pass along the wreckage of the airship at a depth of approximately 120 feet, while the crew obtained imagery of the hulk using the submarine's side-looking sonars.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
- "NR 1 Deep Submergence Craft".Chief of Naval Information. United States Navy. 24 May 1999. Archived fromthe original on 29 April 2003.
- Chief of Naval Operations (27 April 2000)."Operational Concepts for the Submarine NR-1"(PDF). OPNAVINST 3930.7D. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 1 March 2012.
- Feldman, Gene Carl (10 April 1996)."A Dive on the NR-1".Jason VII: Adapting to a Changing Sea. Archived fromthe original on 30 April 2003. Retrieved19 July 2013.
- CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list
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- Submarines of the United States Navy
- Cold War submarines of the United States
- Experimental nuclear submarines of the United States Navy
- Deep-submergence vehicles
- 1969 ships