LT Edward A. Faxlanger Jr.
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LT Edward A. Faxlanger Jr.
Nuclear Power Training Unit - Idaho
Falls, Idaho
Where I went to train as a Mechanical Operator and Engineering Laboratory Technician in 1977 and returned in 1981 to be an instructor at the S1W prototype.
This site was developed in the ARCO desert area during the late 40's and early 50's for evaluation of the reactor plant placed on the USS Nautilus. The prototype was built, tested, and then the improved version installed on the ship. The navy subsequently used the plant to train nuclear operators and for follow on testing. The Nautilus Prototype Building (S1W) is the tallest building with several stacks in the lower right hand corner.
The site is located about an hour and a half west of Idaho Falls, ID (with nothing much between I might add). Nuclear Power Students would live in Idaho Falls or Pocatello and commute daily by bus to the site. Students worked 12 to 16 hour days in a shift work rotation until their qualifications were completed (about 4-5 months) staff instructors worked 48 hour work weeks. As you can see the site is in the middle of nowhere. So it was common on the midnight shift to see and hear coyotes barking at the moon
During my tour as a staff instructor I went back to college and completed two years of study at Idaho State University (I lived in Pocatello). For this I owe a debt of thanks to an exceptional leader for whom I worked, Senior Chief Henry Lee Price, although "flex hours" were not the way of the Navy, he allowed me to shift my work hours to start at noon vice 8am making it possible for me to take 2 university classes each morning. Without "Hank"s willingness to stand up for his people I never would have completed my college education nor received an officer commission.
SSBN656 (Blue Crew) Oct 78-Oct 81
Nuclear Powered
Ballistic Missile Submarines were (and still are) the most survivable
leg of the United States Nuclear Arsenal. In the late 1950s and early
1960s, forty-one these Polaris/ Poseidon missile boats were built.
During the early 1980's most of our Ballistic Missile Submarines were "forward deployed" (meaning they were stationed at ports over seas and near the targets they were designed to shoot in the event of nuclear war). This was due to the limited short range of the Polaris/ Poseidon Ballistic Missiles they carried (if I remember correctly their range was about 1,200 miles for Polaris and 2,500 miles for Poseidon). These submarines were manned by two crews (Blue and Gold) of 120 men each and each crew took turns "owning" the ship. For Atlantic Ocean based ships the deterrent patrols would start from either Rota, Spain or Holy Loch, Scotland and the ships would make 60 -80 day patrols at sea continuously under water in either the Mediterranean Sea or the North Atlantic Ocean.
The nuclear tipped missiles were disabled while in port to prevent inadvertent launch, but almost immediately after leaving port the missiles were readied to be launched within 15 minutes of receiving an order from the president of the United States.
After returning from their 60-80 day patrol, the crew would perform a three
day "turnover" with the oncoming
or "relieving" crew and then fly back to the states.
The oncoming crew took 3 weeks to make all repairs and load all provisions. Then they would take the ship out for a 3 day shakedown period followed by 4 more days in port (to fix everything that broke and top off provisions) before heading out for their patrol. Shown in the picture are three missile submarines tied up to a floating repair ship called a "tender". This tender ship housed all the equipment and supplies to quickly return the submarines to sea in the shortest possible time.
In the meantime the "off crew" would go through 4 weeks of Rest and Relaxation during which any medical/dental problems were corrected. Then following the R&R period the "off crew" went through training to refresh and sharpen their skills. The formal training that a crew member received depended on his specific job on the ship but all went through the basics of Fire Fighting, Damage Control and Flood Control and even Emergency Submarine Escape training.
During the timeframe I was in Holy Loch, Scotland (1978-1981) the tender ship shown above and a floating drydock was positioned in the center of the loch (or river). Below is a picture of the floating dry dock the USS Los Alamos with the USS George Washington Carver "High and Dry".
The USS Los Alamos
actually was designed to sink. The large walls on the left and right
of the picture (called WING WALLS) are flooded with water to lower
the dock. Then once the ship is pulled in over the wooden blocks called
a "Build" the walls are pumped out to raise the dry dock and ship up. This
is very important for performing repairs involving hull integrity, In
other words you can work on the sub without "flooding the people tank".
Do not let the picture fool you! The diameter of the subs' hull is 33 ft and from the top of the sail to the keel is 54 ft. So lots of care was taken to ensure sailors didn't fall off the ship when going onboard.
Also notice the large cranes mounted on the WING WALLS, they give a bit of dimension to the picture.
The G.W. Carver affectionately known by the crew as "The Peanut Pig" was
420ft long and carried 16 Poseidon Missiles with a range of about 2,500 miles.
These missiles were solid propellant with multiple independent re-entry
vehicle (MIRV) capability (which meant the multiple warheads on each missile
could be sent to different targets). The Carver launched 4 of
these missiles in the April /May 1980 under simulated patrol conditions called
an "Operational Test" or "OT" for short. The missiles were launched
in rapid fire (approximately 20 seconds apart) from the North Atlantic,
off the coast of New Foundland, down to the equator (the trip took less than
20 minutes). 
Contrary to common belief, Submarine launched missiles do not light off their engines while still aboard the ship. This would be extremely dangerous! Instead the missiles are shot to the surface by a solid rocket engine that instantaneously vaporizes a pot of water positioned below it. While the missile hatch is open the superheated steam enters the bottom of the missile tube and forces the missile out to the surface.
Once at the surface, missile accelerometers measure the decrease in acceleration and light off the rocket engine. The missile never gets wet due to three reasons:
Prior to the missile hatch opening the pressure in the tube must be increased to match the pressure of the sea at ships depth.
Water is prevented from wetting the missile when the hatch opens by a self detonating closure dome on the top of the hatch. As the missile lifts off its support ring the closure detonates making it easy to break away as the missile hits it.
The missile has numerous holes through it's skin for the pressurized air to escape during it's assent from the sub to the surface. So the missile travels to the surface pretty much in it's own air bubble. The engine doesn't even get wet!