Voyage of the Devilfish

BOMB (OXYGEN GENERATOR) An electrical device that puts an ultrahigh voltage on distilled water, causing electrolysis, the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen is put into the oxygen banks and bled into the ship for breathing. The hydrogen is discarded overboard through the auxiliary seawater system. The device, making the explosive combination of oxygen and hydrogen, has the potential to explode violently enough to breach the hull and sink the ship. Affectionately nicknamed the Bomb.

BOOMER Nickname for an FBM, fleet ballistic missile submarine. When used by SSN (fast attack submarine) sailors, it can be a derogatory term. A badge of honor to boomer sailors who see themselves as the lone defenders of America.

BOTTOM CONTOUR NAVIGATION Navigation by using a bottom bounce sonar pulse to map the contour of the ocean bottom and comparing the contour to computer memories. When the actual contour matches the computer’s memory, the ship’s position is known and the ship has a “fix.” Advantageous since it allows obtaining a fix when deeply submerged without need to slow down and approach the surface. Disadvantages are that it emits an active sonar beam, allowing detection, and is useless when over a sandy flat bottom.

BOTTOM CONTOUR (BE) SONAR Sonar set allowing bottom contour navigation with a secure pulse (narrow frequency, short pulse duration) sonar.

BOTTOM SOUNDING Distance from the keel to the ocean bottom, measured in fathoms using the fathometer or BE sonar.

BOUNDARY LAYER Region of fluid flow around a solid object where the flow is slowed by friction with the surface of the object. Causes drag, slowing the object.

BOURDON TUBE A bent tube of metal that straightens when increasing internal pressure is applied. Used in primitive depth gages.

BOW COMPARTMENT Furthest forward compartment in a Piranha class submarine, containing crew berthing in the upper level and the emergency diesel generator in the lower level.

BOX A rectangular area of ocean, about ten miles wide and thirty miles long. A transiting submarine is required to stay inside the box. The box moves through the ocean at the same speed as its center, called a PLAIN (point of intended motion). Used so that an ASW surface ship does not mistake a transiting U.S. sub for an enemy. Any submarine contact inside the box is assumed to be a friendly. Not used in wartime, when submarine safety lanes are used, entire lanes devoted to transiting U.S. subs.

BRIDGE Small space at the top of a submarine’s sail used for the Officer of the Deck to control the movement of the ship when on the surface. The height allows a better view of the surroundings of the ship.

BRIDGE ACCESS TRUNK Tunnel from the interior of the submarine to the bridge.

BROADBAND Noise containing all frequencies; white noise, such as heard in radio static, rainfall, or a waterfall. Broadband detection range is high for surface ships, which are noisy. Broadband detection range is low for submarines, usually less than five miles, due to quiet submarine designs.

BUBBLES (1) The ship’s angle in degrees, as in the order “five degree down bubble.” A relic of the days when bubble inclinometers were used to measure the ship’s angle. Modern angle indicators take input from the gyro. The old style bubble is retained as insurance against electrical failures. (2) Control. Loss of control is known in slang as “losing the bubble.”

BULKHEAD Seagoing name for a wall. Compartment bulkheads are the reinforced steel walls between compartments, hardened against seapressure so that one flooded compartment will not flood the neighboring compartment.

BURST COMMUNICATION Satellite-to-submarine and submarine-to-satellite radio transmissions using computers to compress messages. Allows high data rates, so that a ream of messages may be transmitted or received in mere seconds.

BUS Electrical term for a collection of loads. Vital bus loads include reactor main coolant pumps and control rod control. Nonvital bus loads are also “vital” and include sonar, firecontrol, etc., but are called nonvital since their loss will not immediately cause the loss of the ship.