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    Missile Subs
    From: Byron Franklin
    Date: 2012 Apr 11, 18:44 -0700

    Byron:I will write a few things about the missile subs, everything was top secret and I am sure much of it is today. In 63 I was transferred to the SSBN 602, even the cook had to have TS clearance.
    I attended special schools because my job was to run the Navigation team under the navigator. So the Navigation team was QM &ETs. The ETs maintained the gear (3 SINS and type 11 periscope.) and the QMs worked on logs and some other gear use to solve, problems when need, the ships that we wanted to stay away from. Some of these ships were many miles away and few in number because our orders were to proceed undetected. And at high Latitudes not to many ship go there. If we pick up ship sounds with our sonar (16 in number) some time 10+NM away we would move slowly away. The Russians had equipped fishing boats with hunting gear. The 602 could not break the surface so; we navigated and corrected SINS without outside input, so forget about outside signals. We would be under water about two .5 months. On the 602 only two men stood 12 hour watches (6&6) so that only they had information of where we were on the chart. If someone came near the plot we hid the chart. There was lot of ships out there looking for any SSBN. The more people know where you may go the more chance of someone finding you. As long as we were in target range and good water (that a big area to hid in. If we heard another ship we cleared the area the QM on watch would be the one to check his course and speed by bearing rate we can’t make a noise. The Sonar people were good at listening and coming up with ship speed and sometime type of ship.
    If we heard a sub (danger) everyone got out to plot and stand by. I don’t know how long SINS could be trusted, we had three and we checked position continuously. It the same idea as the chronometer. You can see if they read the same or if one departs the other two. Yes, Very Low Strong waves (Sound) can travel under water for a distance. How it can be used, was if at all, TS. The Type 11 periscope had an accuracy of 11 seconds or less arc. We had a sextant or board for emergcys. And Scar Gear in the periscope (what a sad sight) almost useless, it was as bad as the second war. I did train on diesel sub, and as (later) Squadron QMCM, I rode on many subs including the Nautilus until 1978 Even the old 602 was very quiet we pass over the sound heads at Bermuda on the way to Holy Lock Scotland They could not tell when. Do not forget I was on the bridge of the CVS11 for five years chasing subs. We had a few times when a green flare would be fired from a friend surfacing, saying I got you. We also had Russian Bears fying over with F4 on their tail and Russian Crusisers we gave the slip to.

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