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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Big Zoof! Who knew?

I was waiting to see what the US Navy would say about the story involving a US submarine, USS Newport News, colliding with a Japanese tanker before I threw in my 2 cents. Well, here is the Navy's response according to the Virginia Pilot:
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The submarine Newport News was submerged and leaving the Persian Gulf when a mammoth Japanese oil tanker passed overhead at a high speed, creating a sucking effect that made the sub rise and hit the ship, the Navy said Tuesday.

That is the preliminary finding of Monday's collision between the Norfolk-based submarine and the Mogamigawa, a 1,100-foot-long merchant ship displacing 300,000 tons.
Both were southbound, crossing the busy and narrow Strait of Hormuz while heading into the Arabian Sea.


"As the ship passed over the sub, it ended up sucking the submarine into it," said Lt. Cmdr. Chris Loundermon, a spokesman for Submarine Force in Norfolk.
"It is a principle called the venturi effect," he said.

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You can read about the Venturi effect here. Basically when the large supertanker zoofed (submarine slang for a surface ship passing directly over a submarged submarine), the size and speed of the tanker caused a drop in pressure in the water above the sub and caused it to be forced toward the surface. The explanation is certainly possible, although this is the first time I have ever heard of it happening. There have been other instances of subs being forced to the surface through other circumstances, but as there are no references on the internet that I can find, you will just have to take my word for it! I am not sure how this will affect the CO and crew of the Newport News yet, but if the explanation is accepted, they may be ok. Most people do not understand the dynamics of operating a submarine and the forces that can potentially act on it, so it may be a tough sell to the general public. The sub is on its way to port for inspection so we may be seeing some pictures of the damage in the near future. I will keep an eye out for them.

Submarine slang word of the day: Zoof

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