Voyage of the Devilfish

SIOP WARPLAN The Top Secret plan for waging a major sea war, including the use of nuclear weapons. SIOP stands for Single Integrated OP-Plan.

SKIMMER Derogatory term for a surface ship or sailor of a surface ship. Surface ships only skim the surface.

SKIPJACK CLASS Early fast attack submarine class that was the first to feature a streamlined cylindrical hull.

SLBM Submarine launched ballistic missile.

SNAKE PATTERN A torpedo search pattern in which the torpedo wiggles, tracing a snake shaped pattern. Enables narrow search beam to cover more ocean by forcing the torpedo to look on either side of its heading.

SNAPSHOT A quick reaction torpedo shot, usually only done when fired on first.

SNCP (SPECIAL NAVY CONTROL PROGRAM) Top Secret series of coven submarine operations.

SNORKEL A mast designed to bring air into the submarine so that the air-breathing diesel generator can use it for combustion when the reactor is scrammed.

SOLENOID An electrical device that causes motion by the action of an electromagnet. Used in remotely actuated valves.

SOLUTION A contact’s range, course, and speed. A great mystery when using passive sonar. Determining the solution requires maneuvering own ship and doing calculations on the target’s bearing rate. Can be obtained manually or with the firecontrol computer.

SONAR SYSTEM A system of hydrophone/transducer arrays, computers, and displays enabling a submarine to determine what is in the water surrounding it, including other ships.

SONIC VELOCITY The speed of sound waves.

SONOBUOYS Small objects dropped from, ASW aircraft that float on the surface and listen to the ocean below, then transmit that information up to the aircraft. A method of giving an aircraft sonar capability.

SOPA Senior Officer Present Afloat or Senior Officer Present Ashore.

SORTIE An exodus of a group of ships from a port or anchorage.

SOSUS Sound Surveillance System. A network of underwater passive hydrophones and data relay cables buried in secret locations in the Atlantic to track enemy submarines. Triangulation gives enemy submarine positions accurate enough to know their approximate location but not accurate enough to fire on them, even with nuclear weapons.

SOUND SIGNATURE The collection of characteristic sounds, both broadband and narrowband tonals, that uniquely identify a class of ship, and sometimes, the exact ship itself.

SOUNDING The depth beneath the keel as measured by the fathometer.

SOURCE RANGE CHANNEL SELECTOR SWITCH A rotary switch on the Reactor Plant Control Panel that energizes or deenergizes certain nuclear instruments and turns on or off some reactor protection circuits.

SPEED OF ADVANCE (SOA) The speed the ship plans to go during transit. Also the speed of the PLAIN or box.

SPHERICAL ARRAY A sphere in the nosecone of a submarine fitted with transducers over most of its surface to be able to hear in all directions (except the baffles). Useful since it not only tells the bearing to an incoming noise, but also its D/E (deflection/elevation). The D/E can give clues that the sound is relayed via bottom bounce or surface bounce, or even that a close contact is deeper or shallower than own ship.

SPIN UP Start the gyro and computer system of a weapon in preparation for launch.

SPL (SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL) A detailed recording of an enemy submarine’s sound signature obtained by covertly driving an attack submarine in circles around it with a special tape recorder energized. Very dangerous operation requiring approaches to within 10 feet of the enemy hull. Risk of collision is great, but intelligence gained is considered worth the risk.

SQUADRON An organization of about a dozen submarines of the same class under the command of the Commodore. The Squadron usually owns the piers, the tender ship, and a torpedo recovery salvage ship. Squadron commander (Commodore) has only administrative control over the submarines — operational control at sea is done by COMSUBLANT.

SQUIGGLE (SGWLC) Steam generator water level control system.

SSBN A boomer. Literally stands for Submersible Ship, Ballistic missile. Nuclear.

SSN A fast attack submarine. Literally stands for Submersible Ship Nuclear.

SSTG’S (SHIP SERVICE TURBINE GENERATORS) The two turbines aft that turn the ship’s electrical generators and provide electrical power.

STANDARD SPEED Speed between All Ahead Two Thirds and All Ahead Full. Gives about 18 knots.

STAND-DOWN Rest and relaxation period for an attack boat crew after an extended 4, 5, or 6 month deployment.

STARTUP RANGE Lowest reactor power level, in which neutrons are generated by radioactive decay and occasional spontaneous fissions.

STARTUP RATE The speed, in decades per minute, that reactor power level is changing. Positive startup rate means power level is increasing. Negative means the power level is decreasing. See Decades Per Minute.

STARTUP RATE SCRAM A scram caused by a high startup rate. Setpoint is about 9 decades per minute.