what's wrong with this picture?
ok, this is the USS Dallas (SSN-700) getting underway. notice anything unusual about this picture? no, it makes perfect sense they would have a longhorn rack on the sail. it is the dallas, after all.
when did submariners start wearing kevlar brainbuckets? are the seagulls in the employ of the iraqis? do they drop explosive presents from on high? maybe it's just me, but unless a submarine was pulling into a known threat harbor, WTF are they doing wearing army helmets? what the hell happened to the baseball caps, you know the ones. the ones designed to keep you from burning your fair submariner skin with hours of sunlight exposure topside getting underway?
and another thing. WTF is the crew of the dallas wearing kevlar for when they could be wearing a stetson, and nobody would blink an eye? they are the dallas after all.
the pussification of the new navy. so sad
posted by bothenook at 21:58
8 Comments:
Photo (neat!) could be from the upcoming action flick "The Day The Red Sea Dried Up". Kevlar hats are needed...wait until you see the baseball-sized hale these guys have to contend with due to Global Warming (not a climatic event, but PRP's newest "weather cruiser"). What is Dallas's mission? Well, not to give the plot away, let's just say it involves a Seal Team that officially does not exist lead by Alec Baldwin, an actor of almost that same description.
wish it was so, amigo. nope, she's getting underway for deployment
Good catch! I had only noticed the steer's horns and moved on (recalling that famous steers n queers joke. LOL).
mmmm...praps it's now policy for foreign ports--are they getting underway from Heifa or something? Or p'raps some bright guy thought they'd be great for safety--i.e in case somebody fell off the sail? *sigh* the fallout from a generation that insists on bicycle helmets. LOL.
the article says leaving from New London.
i get the feeling this is fallout from the whole "undersea warrior" thing we talked about over on martini's a couple of days ago.
I realize the being a submariner can at times be a TANK-less job, but I agree the brainbuckets are a bit much. Doesn't the M1A1 Abrams have a periscope too? Next port of call Ft. Hood TX.
Here's a question 1/8" of kevlar or 2" of HY-80 which would you choose?
2" of HY-80, 400 feet of water overhead, rigged for "patrol quiet". we used to have a joke about the boat, boat stink, and our capabilities... "silent, but deadly". yup, farts in an oilcan. that was us.
Actually, it's a reasessment from the Cole attack and Malacca Strait piracy threats. The guys up there are targets when entering. Depending on the THREATCON and CO's assessment, they'll change what they do up there.
You'll also see more guns on deck, and some other measures I won't elaborate here.
The world has changed and we've changed to match. Silly? Maybe, but the risk ain't what it used to be.
I remember those horns, and regret that bubbleheads today don't know about the mascot wars between boats in the day (met a Hawaii SubVet who wrote a story about taking a brass bull from another boat and gelding the statue when forced to return it). Probably a good idea since they'd likely get shot these days trying to sneak aboard. Too bad they don't do ten gallon Kevlars. Dallas (IIRC) had Stetson hard hats for their weapons loads...
chap, that's all and good. but do you really think that leaving new london and sailing down the thames river is a high risk evolution requiring brainbuckets?
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