Voyage of the Devilfish

TRACK To keep tabs on a contact’s solution over time. Merchant surface vessels are tracked to avoid collision. A casual maintenance of a firecontrol solution to a contact.

TRAIL The serious prosecution of a target intended to maintain weapons ready to fire at the target at all times while remaining undetected. The constant maintenance of an accurate firecontrol solution to an enemy submarine. Trail ranges vary from 10,000 yards to 20 yards. The trick is to keep from being counterdetected, which can be embarrassing. U.S. attack submarines will keep Russian boomers in trail as much as possible to ensure they can be sunk if they get ready to fire ballistic missiles. Second priority for trailing is a Russian attack sub. Third priority is another U.S. unit, to see if they can be trailed without their knowledge. Trailing a U.S. unit is extremely difficult unless they are making transient noises or have broken equipment.

TRANSCEIVER Refers to radio equipment or sonar equipment that can both receive and transmit.

TRANSDUCER A sonar hydrophone that can ping active sonar pulses and listen and analyze the returning pulses.

TRANSIENT A noise that is made by an enemy sub due to a temporary condition. Examples include dropped wrenches, boots clomping on deckplates, slamming hatches, boiler blowdowns, rattling check valves, etc.

TRIM The balance of a submarine. The first step is to pump or flood variable ballast to achieve neutral buoyancy. The second is to pump from tank to tank to balance the ship fore and aft and port to starboard.

TRIM PUMP A large pump that can pump variable ballast from tank to tank or from a tank to the sea to achieve a good trim. Can be connected to the drain system for use as a backup for the drain pump.

TRIM SYSTEM The piping network, tanks, and trim pump used to establish a good trim. Can be cross-connected to the drain system as a backup for the drain pump.

TRIP The actuation of an interlock, such as a reactor scram.

TURBINE A mechanical rotating device with blades that converts the pressure energy, velocity energy, and internal (temperature) energy of a fluid stream (steam or combustion gases) into mechanical power.

TWO THIRDS SPEED An engine order between All Ahead One Third and All Ahead Standard. Gives approximately 10 knots.

TWO-MAN CONTROL Term referring to the handling of authenticators for nuclear release message validation. No one man is ever alone with an authenticator. The authenticators are locked in double safes, and no one man has the combination to both.

TYPE 18 PERISCOPE Modem periscope able to act as a means of seeing outside the ship at PD, but also is able to receive radio messages from the satellite and allow reception and analysis of incoming radar signals. Contains video camera and low-light capability as well as a still photograph camera.

T-AVE (AVERAGE REACTOR COOLANT TEMPERATURE) An estimate of in-core water temperature by electrically averaging the outlet high temperature water (T-Hot) and the inlet low temperature water (T-Cold).

T-HOT Hot leg temperature, the temperature of water leaving the reactor core. Usually about 520 to 560 degrees IF.

T-HOT CUTBACK A cutback inserted when T-HOT gets above a trip setpoint.

T.O.T. (TIME-ON-TARGET) A land attack assault in which weapons are launched at carefully planned moments to cause all weapons to detonate on target at the same instant in time.

More remote launching platforms must fire before closer units.

ULTRAQUIET Ship systems lineup done in a tactical situation such as a close trailing OP or in wartime. Only the quietest equipment is running. Offwatch personnel are required to be in bed. The galley, showers, laundry, movies, and maintenance of equipment are all prohibited to minimize noise. Hard-soled shoes are prohibited. Lights are shifted to red to remind the crew of the need for silence.

UNDERHULL An operation in which a submarine sneaks up to a target when the target is in a surface transit or is running shallow. The submarine doing the underhull raises the periscope, starts the video recorder, and drives around the target taking video pictures of the ship’s hull. Especially valuable when done on a new ship, since the pictures are better than if a cameraman were sent into the ship’s drydock. Extremely dangerous operation.

UNIFORM WHISKEY MIKE Code for “your weapon missed me.”

UNIT A torpedo launched by own ship. As opposed to a torpedo (after sonar calls “torpedo in the water”), which is launched by a hostile submarine.

UWT (UNDERWATER TELEPHONE) A sonar system using voice transmissions instead of tones or pulses, used for communication between two submarines that are fairly close.

VACAPES OPAREA Virginia Capes Operation Area. A region off the continental shelf east of Norfolk where submarines of the Norfolk base practice tactics.

VALVE-OP WATER FLASKS (VOWF) Tanks of pure water used for hydraulically operating nuclear system valves. Can also be used to charge to the primary coolant system by air loading with high pressure air.