October 16, 2012 at 6:31 pm

Picture of the Day: A Submarine Surfaces Through Arctic Ice

by twistedsifter

 

A SUBMARINE SURFACES THROUGH ARCTIC ICE

 

uss annapolis submarine surfaces in the arctic through the ice Picture of the Day: A Submarine Surfaces Through Arctic Ice

 

 
The US Navy attack submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760) rests in the Arctic Ocean after surfacing through three feet of ice during Ice Exercise 2009 on March 21, 2009. The two-week training exercise, which is used to test submarine operability and war-fighting capability in Arctic conditions, also involved the USS Helena (SSN 725), the University of Washington and personnel from the Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory.

The USS Annapolis has a length of 110.34m (363 ft) and a beam of 10.06m (33ft). It is powered by a nuclear reactor and has a speed of 25+ knots (46km/h, 29mph). The ship has a complement of 12 officers and 115 men. [Source: Wikipedia]

For those wondering about the actual surfacing process, Redditor mwatwe01 explains:

“They use under-ice sonar to determine how thick the ice is. The tower is designed to break through up to six feet of ice. Once they find a good spot, they submerge a bit, and then do a controlled, but strong blow to the ballast tanks to surface the ship quickly and bust the ice. – Source