Sailors from submarine tenders USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) and USS Frank Cable (AS 40) completed hands-on torpedo recovery training facilitated by Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) as part of the certification process to conduct sea-based recovery, Aug. 13.
NUWC’s training introduced torpedo recovery equipment and procedures to Weapons Department personnel, enabling them to operate the equipment and demonstrate proficiency in a controlled setting.
Submarine tenders with the capability to recover torpedoes at-sea provide combatant commanders greater flexibility in choosing locations for submarines to conduct test firings and hone this critical skill. Submarines are normally limited to established ranges in specific geographic areas that are serviced by shore-based small boats or helicopters that transport the torpedoes back to a shore facility.
The training consisted of both classroom and hands-on instruction. Using the ship’s cranes, a torpedo training shape was lowered into the water and released. Emory S. Land and Frank Cable torpedo recovery teams practiced recovery techniques from a small boat. Recovery personnel practiced attaching a specialized recovery cage to the shape, enabling shipboard cranes to hoist the shape aboard the ship for stowage.
The recovery process is necessary because exercise torpedoes are required to complete a set number of successful firings before they are eligible for conversion to a torpedo capable of delivering a payload. Recovery also allows the Navy to analyze data from each test launch which is recorded and stored in the torpedo’s guidance system.
Both submarine tenders are now certified to conduct sea-based torpedo recovery.
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Image: US Navy