Chinas Nuclear Sub on Google Earth!

[EagleEyes]

NewsCloud alerts us to a story a few months old that has been getting a lot of play recently. A Seattle blogger, Dan Twohig, was browsing in Microsoft's Virtual Earth when he accidentally came across a photo of a nuclear sub in dry-dock. Its propeller is clearly visible — this was a major no-no on the part of someone at the Bangor Sub Base. The designs of such stealth propellers have been secret for decades. Twohig blogged about the find and linked to the Virtual Earth photo on July 2. The debate about security vs. Net-accessible aerial photography has been building ever since. The story was picked up on military.china.com on Aug. 17 — poetic justice for the Chinese sub photo that had embarrassed them a month before. On Aug. 20 the Navy Times published the article that most mainstream media have picked up in their more recent coverage. Twohig's blog is the best source to follow the ongoing debate. No one has asked Microsoft, Google, or anyone else to blur the photo in question. Kind of late now.

Slashdot | Virtual Earth Exposes Nuclear Sub's Secret

 

[PakistaniPatriot]

So thats the protection given to a Nuclear Sub . How ironic can one get. They should have it roofed up.

 

[overseer]

I guess it's just karma haha!!

On another note, it is an Ohio Class SLBM sub, which is still in ACTIVE SERVICE. By analysing the blade number, blade shape, angle, one can simulate the acoustic properties of this particular design, and look for this particular acoustic signature in the future.

 

[solid snake]

Can we see the picture?

 

[Keysersoze]

anyone thought that it could be false intel?

 

[overseer]

Can we see the picture?

WebMaster already posted the link. It is in the text in his post (link embeded with text).


Or you can click the direct link to the Microsoft Virtual Earth photo (click below text):

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On another note, even though the blade design is revealed, Ohio Class is really a last generation (old) submarine. It is just that Ohio is still in active service that can probably be tracked now due to the revealed blade design and hence probability of acoustic signatures being able to be deduced. And Ohio is SLBM submarine.
US still has far more advanced Seawolf class, and Virginia-class submarines, but both of these classes are only attack sub, not SLBM.

I am willing to bet that revelation of this photo might be US navy's "ruse" to ask for more funding from congress for the next generation SLBM submarines (Probably re-using Virginia/Seawolf class technologies).


BTW, Webby, the title of this thread is misleading.

 

[overseer]

anyone thought that it could be false intel?

Could be, it could also be a dangerous ruse US navy is playing to get more funding to construct their next generation SLBM sub.

But really, false or not, acoustic engineers just need to analysed the shape of the blade, any navy in the world could narrow down what to look for in the sea next time to verify if this is true or not.