1) Here's an article about a female Academy midshipman who wants to go into submarines. It has an interesting story about when she was out on a boat for a middie cruise:
In addition, the sailors made the young midshipmen feel at home because while they were on the cruise, they missed their ring dance. That’s a formal affair in which students receive their class rings and dip them in a bowl containing the water of the seven seas.I'm sure that the crew told the middies, who will pretty much believe anything, that the water was actually from the reactor. They probably told them that they store it in the locker with the gig line and the relative bearing grease.
To make up for the loss, the senior officers held a “dance” for the eight female midshipmen and allowed them to dip their rings in water from the nuclear reactor.
2) Fidel Castro says Navy SEALs actually sank the South Korean corvette! And there are useful idiots who believe this crap.
3) Here's an analysis by a retired Pakistani Admiral on the reports that the Israelis plan to keep a nuclear-armed submarine off the coast of Iran. I've written before about the logistical problems of trying to do that with a three-boat squadron (especially if they can't transit the Suez Canal), but if they have a deal with the Egyptians then it would be doable. Here's what Strategy Page has to say about it.
4) Looks like the Navy lost several underwater Remotely-Operated Vehicles in Thimble Shoals Channel. So, anyone out there on Chesapeake Bay should keep their eye out for them; I'm sure the Navy would be happy to get them back!
5) Finally, here's a picture of USS New Mexico (SSN 779) arriving in her new homeport of Groton:
Update 1000 10 June: Speaking of Middie Ops, here's a picture from USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) of Midshipman Ops last week:
No deck harnesses? I'm impressed!Update 0740 17 June: Here's an update on the missing UUVs. Dolphins found one of them, and they've suspended the search for the others.
