USS Scorpion

[BWRIGHT]

[BWRIGHT]

what is the piece of equipment near the bow and what is the piece on the sail where the upper window was?

[wlambing]

Threat detection sonar hydrophones.

[BWRIGHT]

Thanks. Were these peculiar to Scorpion? I see the one on the bow on other skipjack class boats but not the one on the sail.

[Albacore 569]

The bow on top sonar receiver is a AN/WLR-9 Sonar Warning receiver. It is common on all American SSN/SSBN's , and is also in other forms with their own indigenous models of the same type and purpose on most or all NATO submarines too. British SSN/SSBN's, Dutch, (& Japanese) & is located in the same general area on the top bow of the boat. (as Wlambing answered).

I did not answer yesterday as I intended to because I was stuck on the apparent sonar on Scorpion's sail top leading edge. I expect it is a warning sonar of similar purpose of some kind. I was searching through the highly detailed exhaustive "U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History" by the great Norman Friedman with illustrations by James (Jim) Christley. It describes most sonars on American boats but didn't see a reference to that particular one yet. I am sure another out there can identify it. It seems particularly unique to that boat. Maybe its a high frequency high resolution mine detection active sonar?

The Scorpion is shown in one of her very last photo's of her wearing an Atlantic two tone camouflage. Black/dark gray near to black hull, and a dark /medium gray sail. with black sprayed sail top. The Pacific Fleet submarines had a similar scheme then at that time but it had a more blue tint to the gray sail color. The different color tones between the operating areas are indistinguishable in B&W photos, but noticeable in color.

Steve

[wlambing]

There were all kinds of things getting tried out in the 50's and 60's, just as is still the case. Everybody carries a sail mounted "baby" shark tooth, a bow mounted one and a keel mounted WLR-9 nowadays, if one is missing from one of those locations, it may be incorporated into something else, or they got something better and hid it inside another array. In the case of the Skipjack's, it may be a simple as the picture got taken before the mount was installed, or the CO said no. In those days they could still do that.

[BWRIGHT]

it also appears that side of the sail is a different color then the hull.

[CC Clarke]

There were all kinds of things getting tried out in the 50's and 60's, just as is still the case. Everybody carries a sail mounted "baby" shark tooth, a bow mounted one and a keel mounted WLR-9 nowadays, if one is missing from one of those locations, it may be incorporated into something else, or they got something better and hid it inside another array. In the case of the Skipjack's, it may be a simple as the picture got taken before the mount was installed, or the CO said no. In those days they could still do that.

WLR-9 was superceded over two decades ago by the WLR-12 and later the WLR-17. All versions contained two low freq hydrophones in fiberglass fairings; top and bottom of bow. The HF spectrum is monitored by another pair of hydrophones mounted on top of the sail and keel as in previous versions. Inside, the main control unit is in sonar with a remote located in the control room. Great system, especially when navigating through air-dropped buoy fields. Each type of detected signal was characterized by a distinctive alarm, with the torpedo detect alarm being the most distinctive. Maneuvering within a CAPTOR field was downright scary since they're bottom moored and the weapon shoots upwards making evasion unlikely with little to no warning.

CCC

[CC Clarke]

Added HF dome for clarity while my previous post is moderated. . .

[wlambing]

Yep, you're right! For a while in the 60's, there was a paint scheme where all verticals, including upper hull forward of engine exhaust (or aft hatch on nukes), angled forward were painted Ocean Gray, and all horizontals were basically Flat Black (really a dark Charcoal Gray, think charcoal gray hot rod primer). We used to call it "the Pacific Paint job". Everything went all black in the early 70's.

[BWRIGHT]

thanks. When the scorpion went from 5 bladed props to 7 bladed props did the diameter stay the same?

[Das Boot]

The real and mine. Colors are close.

[trout]

Casey, that is some great painting and color matching. I like it!

[BWRIGHT]

Really nice paint match. Which paint and colors did you use?

[BWRIGHT]

when did the navy stop painting numbers and names on the boats?