TAKE 'ER DOWN

[Music] he's nearly ready the finest submarine in the world he is powered by nuclear engines packed with electronic gear worth millions manned by the most carefully selected crew in submarine history she looks a lot different from the stubby two-masted holland that was our first submarine back in 1900 now there was a miracle at first we weren't quite sure when she submerged that we'd ever see her again but her crew was we worked on her tinkered with the diving gear gradually developed and improved both that showed the Germans they had no monopoly on submarine construction in 1917 the submarine force was battling public opinion as well as the enemy folks thought submarines were on chivalrous then war under the sea was unfair and inhuman but we kept on working if we paid much attention to these emotional protests we wouldn't have had that old but tough test boat and the long-range fleet pipes that made up our small submarine force in 1941 when all the training of 25 peaceful years was suddenly what [Music] the small submarine force based at Pearl Harbor was not attacked from the stakes that soon had the Japanese wishing they had been a little more thorough or during the next three and a half years American submarines proceeded to wreck the Japanese stream of empire Steve their assignment cut the supply line sink this yet [Music] we have torpedo troubles too but eventually solve them we developed an electric weightless torpedo that proved almost undetectable on its way to the target submarines became more efficient quieter stronger deeper diving and were fitted with better radar and sonar during training the crews had been welded into perfectly synchronized teams in combat they proved to be fighting units second to none they sank 1178 Japanese merchant ships 214 Japanese Combat Medic two-thirds of their merchant fleet one third of their Navy [Music] [Applause] [Applause] 288 American submarine crews had carried out the assignment cuts the supply line sink the ships so the war ended but interest in the submarine service continued hundreds of men apply yearly for submarine training they are drawn by the camaraderie of the service extra pay best food in the Navy and pride in the achievements of the submarine force the junior officer welcomes responsibilities usually reserved for his seniors including the possibility of early command applicants are screened three times first for physical fitness including 20/20 vision then for intelligence and fast reaction times the lives of 80 men may depend on the quick and proper closing of a hatch or valve there's no room for a mistake the third screening is by Navy psychologist for social adaptability the easygoing steady sailor fits best into the crowded conditions peculiar to submarine operations only one out of five applicants qualifies for the submarine school at New London during the two months enlisted course and the six months officer's course each man must acquire a working knowledge of each department of the submarine the man study communications in engineering classes they become familiar with both the diesel and the battery propulsion system they learn to load and fire torpedoes they study damage control them how to save a crippled ship they learn how to dive their submarine to take her down in less than a minute here is a cross-section of a submarine about midships with the u-shaped ballast tanks around the inner pressure hull the tanks are open to the sea but do not fill with water because they are full of air to submerge the air vents at the top of the tanks are opened releasing the air and permitting water to rush in at the bottom and the submarine submerges surfacing reverses the process the tank vents are closed and compressed air is led in at the top this forces the water out and lightened for submarine so that its surfaces drills at sea put the students classroom studies into practice [Music] I the green lights on the board shows that all hall openings are closed a slight air pressure has been built up in the boat as a double check off a night okay the diving officer is getting rid of negative buoyancy so he can level off at 1 5 0 feet no more no less the bow and stern planes which control the angle of dive stop the boats descent and leveler all [Music] at the school the student has another type of test and ascent through 100 feet of water to demonstrate his knowledge of survival techniques at last the day of graduation comes the Submariner is ordered to his new home a boat not a ship to the men who Manor and a new life begins what type of Duty does the new Submariner draw he may join a radar picket boat like these spinnings her job is a lonely station far off the American coast maintaining a round-the-clock watch for surprise prowlers our detection gear never rests her job is never done perhaps he will go to a guided missile launcher like the Tunney he will learn during maneuvers the capabilities of this newest weapon of the Navy the new Submariner may be ordered to a hunter-killer this new submarine class is specially designed to meet the threat of an enemy undersea fleet probing the depths with its sonar gear the hunter-killer can seek and destroy the enemy submarine in its own element [Music] the Deepwater sailor may take an active part in tests of halt construction endurance strength the Submariner may go to a troop carrying submarine like the perch she carries a hangar on her deck for amphibious boats or a helicopter or reconnaissance [Music] inside she's crowded with extra funds for underwater demolition teams or reconnaissance parties perch and others of her class are especially suited for work preceding invasion or surprise raids on lonely enemy installations purge participated in a commando raid during the Korean War putting a party of British Marines ashore for a special mission destruction of a railroad [Music] for 100% with only one casualty the commandos were soon back on board the waiting submarine to make their report and head for home since the war the sturdy fleet submarine has acquired a new look she's been streamlined the deck gun removed and her deck gear housed in a sleek superstructure many submarines have been equipped with the snorkel and air intake and exhaust device which permits the submarine to run on her diesels and recharge her batteries without surfacing yes there have been many developments in the ever-changing design and structure of the underwater arm of the Navy [Music] the development of the atomic bomb brought new problems and challenges to the Navy most immediate of these was the harnessing of this tremendous power to a ship's propulsion system the climax of nine years of atomic engineering came in January of 1954 with the launching of the nuclear submarine Nautilus within the smooth cylinder per hull is housed the most amazing machinery in the world an atomic reactor capable of generating propulsive power she needs no batteries or diesel engines she is equipped with gear for purifying and reusing air making her nearly independent of the surface the time she can remain submerged is limited only by her food storage capacity and her crews endurance speakers at the launching ceremony included the Chief of Naval Operations who predicted a brilliant future for this boat as a sailor I recognized this ship at the beginning of a new chapter and the history of sea power then the president lady centered down the way [Applause] [Music] and so a new era arrived the era of atomic propulsion with the commissioning ceremonies the Nautilus officially became the first nuclear-powered vessel of the United States Navy or for that matter of any Navy but to the man of the silent service the men who go down to the sea and under it she is more than a new era she is their boat she is Nautilus queen of the Seas and she and her sisters will keep those seas safe for freedom [Music]