Are you getting this???

[greenman407]

See where the prop guards mount to the hull. Whats that heavy ridge going underneath it and over to the otherside and forward? Never seen that before.

[reddevil]

Degaussing coil?

[greenman407]

Hmmmm, maybe. Heres another view,dude. I will look into it and see if I can find any other fleet boats so equipped. Ive looked at this picture a hundred times and never noticed this until today.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Prairie-masker system (bubble screen on hull and on leading edges of propeller blades).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie-Masker (apparently that cat's out of the bag too ... I must be getting old)

David,

[reddevil]

Neat, but I didn`t know that this system was in use since then. Thought that it was much much more modern

[SSBN659]

The system was also used on the Blueback. I saw the boat on dry dock years ago and recall seeing what looked like two 4" diameter pipe half sections running fore and aft on the bottom hull about 3 or 4 feet each side of the keel. They had holes drilled in them. When I asked what they were I found out they were the Prairie-Masker system for quieting. I included it on my 1/96 Blueback display model.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The system goes as far back as the GUPPY program, at least the Guppy-2's and 3's. Mid-50's.

In the early 70's I spend many of my water hours as a 2nd class Diver punching out fouled Destroyer masker belt holes with a #60 drill bits shank, the bit secured in the jaws of a vice-grip ... Ugh! Ah, the joys of Ships-husbandry!

David,