Posted: 12/18/2002 5:22:56 AM EDT
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Are there any countermeasures to prevent someone from swimming up and attaching charges or other devices to our docked ships? Are they fitted with devices to alarm if there is someone in proximity to the hull below the waterline or is this even feasible? It would seem like an easy way for an enemy to disable or even sink a ship. |
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Active sonar can be used to repel swimmers. The energey of the sonar is enough to disable them. Ship's hulls are regularly degaussed to prevent magnetic mines from seeking the hull. To tell you the truth, we used to be (and in some cases still are) pretty vulnerable. We used to set the "RAMBO" watch when in hostile ports. This was 1 or 2 guys issued 12 ga. Mossbergs and .45's with simple orders to "repel borders" We would also mount and man 50 cal's in certain situations. ie: transitting the Suez etc... |
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Quoted: I think radar is one of the devices to use. Underwater you would use sonar wouldn't you? I thought about that, but wouldn't that pick up dolphins and other big fish as well? I was thinking maybe some type of listening devices to detect things touching the hull, since cap sensors wouldn't work very well underwater. I really don't know, but it seems plausible and there has to be some type of countermeasure for it. |
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There are several methods of ship defense IF you know that there are swimmers in the water. You can start turning over the screws (think of the scuba version of hamburger helper), dropping grenades over the side, activating your sonar, or just plain moving the ship. If you don't know that they are there, you just might suffer an attack. These attacks aren't that easy though which is why you don't hear a lot about them. During the Panama invasion, SEALs took out one of Noriega's boats. It actually was a fairly difficult operation to carry out even for these guys. Another problem is that if you plan on attacking a large warship, it is going to take a VERY large charge to sink it. More than what a diver is able to move underwater (or for any distance). There best bet is to use a smaller charge to take out the propeller shafts or the rudder and disable the ship. al-Qaida doesn't have the skillsets required for this method of attack. I think they found their best method with the small boat attack they used on the USS Cole. |
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There are a number of measures available to protect a ship inport. Rig large bright lights all around the deck aimed down into the water. Increase the watch to put an armed sentry all around the deck (Remember to CAREFULLY explain the ROE to them first!). Issue them rifles because a .308 penetrates water better than does a shotgun or pistol. Insure you have several armed roving patrols moving RANDOMLY about the decks. Spin your screws...being careful not to break a mooring line. Energize the active sonar and turn up the power to max. Energize all of your fire pumps, condensate cooling pumps and seawater cooling pumps, sucking in as much seawater as possible and raising the risk of sucking in a diver. They HATE that. Set a tight material condition of readiness below the main deck in case of flooding. Finally...the best defense is to simply GET UNDERWAY! Once you are underway, the problem GOES away. (FWIW, I've actually done all of the above.) |
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