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RICK REEVES, SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS

Even at pier side, most of the USS Los Angeles' hull remains below water — a sign this sub is meant to stay hidden as it executes its mission. PHOTOS COURTESY RICK REEVES

At top, the hatch on the USS Los Angeles is just large enough to accommodate an average-sized person. Above, specialized equipment — yes, even for the crew to work out — is strategically placed in every corner of the sub.

At top, the view from atop the USS Los Angeles' sail is shown. Above, a narrow corridor leads to the Crew's Mess.

At top, Cmdr. Steven Harrison conducts a welcome briefing about USS Los Angeles. Above, Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Rysavy demonstrates the sub's emergency oxygen system.

The United States Navy submarine force is often called the Silent Service for two reasons. First, submarines conduct the most important portions of their missions under water, operating silently, undetectable, sometimes for months at a time.

The other reason? Typically, men (no women serve aboard Navy submarines) who wear the Navy Dolphins Submarine Warfare insignia do not reveal much about their missions to outsiders. Few civilians have the chance to visit an active Navy submarine when in port; even fewer get to travel on a sub operating underwater in the open ocean.

When the Santa Barbara Navy League obtained space for five Navy League members to attend on Jan. 20 the next-to-last voyage of the USS Los Angeles, an operational nuclear attack submarine, interest among the members was high. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a submarine voyage on a distinguished Navy submarine.

Three days later, the sub ended its 33-year Navy career at a decommissioning ceremony in San Pedro. From there, she will proceed to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state for inactivation.

The USS Los Angeles, the lead boat in its class of nuclear attack submarines, made its final voyage from Naval Base Point Loma/San Diego to San Pedro Harbor, the site of the boat's decommissioning ceremony.

In addition to myself, the other Santa Barbara County residents making the San Diego-San Pedro voyage were:

• Allen Cooper, owner of Pintado Pools in Santa Ynez;

• Tanis and Seth Hammond, owners of Specialty Crane and Rigging in Santa Barbara

• Paul Wright, owner of Islands Brewery in Carpinteria.

The trip afforded the group the opportunity to experience, for a short time, life aboard a Navy submarine and to learn about the boat and its crew. Two of the sub riders are veterans: Mr. Wright served on submarines in the 1970s and looked forward to his first voyage on a nuclear boat. Mr. Hammond served as a helicopter crew member in Vietnam.

"Tanis and I have enormous enthusiasm for our armed forces," he said. "And we jumped at this chance to make this trip." Added Mrs. Hammond, a race car driver, "We have scuba dived to 200 feet, we are eager to go even deeper aboard the Los Angeles."

About Navy submarines and the USS Los Angeles

The Navy employs three submarine types: strategic ballistic missile submarines, which carry ballistic nuclear missiles; guided missile submarines, which carry cruise missiles; and attack submarines, which conduct tactical undersea warfare (sinking other ships), escort duty (guarding other ships), mine warfare and intelligence gathering (eavesdropping). Submarines play a crucial role in United States defense policy, providing a strategic nuclear deterrent, escorting aircraft carrier battle groups in hazardous waters and helping keep the sea lanes open for international commerce.

The Los Angeles is an attack submarine. Launched on April 6, 1974, at Newport News, Va., she was the first boat of a new class of nuclear powered fast-attack submarines. In line with Navy tradition, all submarines in this new class are known as Los Angeles (or 688) class submarines. Sixty-two Los Angeles-class boats were built, more than any other nuclear-powered submarine class in the world. With the decommissioning of the USS Los Angeles, 44 of these boats remain on active duty with the Navy.

Here are the USS Los Angeles' key specifications:

• Length: 360 feet

• Beam: 33 feet

• Displacement: 6,900 tons

• Typical crew size: 16 officers and 127 enlisted

• Maximum speed 25-plus knots

• Armament: Tomahawk missiles, MK48 torpedoes, vertical launch system tubes, four torpedo tubes.

The Los Angeles patrolled the world's oceans for 33 years, conducting 17 of 18 deployments as a member of the Navy's Pacific Fleet, based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During her career, the sub earned eight Meritorious Unit Citations, a Navy Unit Citation, and the coveted Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Award, awarded to the Pacific Fleet's top warship. She was awarded her squadron's annual Battle Efficiency "E" for excellence in combat readiness eight times. Los Angeles participated in four multinational Rim of the Pacific or RIMPAC exercises, and visited numerous foreign ports in Europe and Southeast Asia.

On Jan. 20, USS Los Angeles began her next-to-last voyage, accompanied by her crew and 24 distinguished visitors from around the United States.

The voyage began at 3 a.m., known to most sailors as "o'dark o'clock," in San Pedro, as we boarded the bus that would transport us to Naval Base Point Loma. Here, we would join the crew of USS Los Angeles, which had arrived from Pearl Harbor Navy Base on Honolulu late the previous evening.

We arrived at the Navy pier shortly after sunrise, as the Los Angeles was being secured and the gangplank attached for our embarkation. Viewed from the edge of the wharf, the submarine projects an elegant, purposeful malevolence. The sub appears smaller than her true size, due to the black surface of the hull and sail (also known as the conning tower), and the fact that most of the hull remains beneath the waterline. Clearly, this is a boat that intends to hide, and stay hidden as it executes its mission.

Crossing the gangplank, we boarded and descended inside her hull through a hatch forward of the sail and just large enough to accommodate an average-sized person. Once aboard, we moved along a corridor to the Crew's Mess to receive our welcome aboard briefing from the crew members hosting our visit. A key part of the briefing was the demonstration of the boat's emergency oxygen system.

The new visitor's first impression of the interior is the efficient use of space. Specialized equipment is strategically placed in every corner. Rooms and corridors feel as though they were constructed 10 percent smaller in all dimensions than originally designed. No space, wall or ceiling surface is wasted; all are used for equipment, to store gear, and to mount cables, tools, and charts. The Officer's Wardroom (dining room) doubles as the boat's surgical operating theater. The impression is of a highly utilized, ultra clean mechanical engineering workshop, located in a town where real estate is quite expensive.

Soon after we boarded, the sub moved away from the pier and toward the open Pacific. The first part of the voyage was made on the surface, as we traveled to the location designated for the boat to operate underwater. As the FAA assigns aircraft to specific sections of the sky, the Navy assigns submarines in coastal waters to specific underwater operating areas. Submarines ride on the surface much as any other round-bottomed ship -- with noticeable rocking and rolling. But the view from the top of the submarine sail is magnificent.

As we traveled along the surface, the crew conducted tours of key departments: the Control Room, containing the boat's helm and navigation center, the Torpedo Room and the Sonar Shack. The members of each department enthusiastically described their duties; each displayed complete mastery of their, and other department, tasks. Submarine crews differ from crews on surface ships, as each crew member is qualified to staff most other departments on board. In addition, all crew members are expert damage control specialists. Think firefighting.

Two hours into the voyage, we reached our underwater operating area and dove to periscope depth, about 50 feet. Beneath the surface, traveling at a constant depth, most sensation of motion goes away and the ride becomes smooth and steady. Changes in depth are noticeable only by a change in the angle of the deck. The submarine's interior remains at constant pressure; therefore, one does not feel the change in depth as one does in an airplane or automobile.

What is noticeable, and somewhat surprising, is the noise level. We expect submarines to operate silently; however, at cruising speed of 20 knots, the noise level inside the boat is comparable to that of any commercial fishing boat or a city bus. In the boat's Command Center you have to raise your voice slightly to be heard. However, the design of the submarine's hull prevents almost all interior noise from reaching the outside environment, so the submarine remains difficult to detect.

The highlight of the time underwater was the "angles and dangles" exercise; this was the time for the sub to demonstrate her ability to rapidly change depths. The boat would run level for a short time, then dive (or surface) several hundred feet, at speeds in excess of 10 knots. in the span of a couple minutes. The crew repeated this exercise half a dozen times during one hour, at angles of 10, 15 and 20 degrees. The best way to appreciate the intensity of each dive: Attempt to remain standing during them, or watch a coffee cup slide down the wardroom table.

Reaching the outer edge of its designated operating environment, the sub surfaced to complete the voyage to San Pedro Harbor in considerably rougher seas than those in which she began the voyage. As we motored along the surface, visitors and crew had the opportunity to get to know one another over final cups of coffee. During this time, as well as during the scheduled tours of the boat's departments, we learned much about the nature of submariners. Clearly, this crew is distinct from the crew of surface warships.

During the voyage, the guests asked many questions of the crew. One of the most revealing was posed to Lt. Terry Hamer, head navigator: "What would you most like for the civilian world to know about the members of the Submarine Service"?

Here is his answer: " First, about the excellence of those who serve on submarines. They are experts in their technical fields, capable of performing at a high level, each day, during the six or more months (up to a month at a time operating underwater) of a typical mission."

"Moreover, submariners rely upon each other to a high degree. The crew is small in number; each man performs many key roles, which can change quickly in wartime or emergencies. Each man is literally capable of saving the submarine in extreme situations. We are a team and a family in the truest sense of the word."

Rick Reeves is a software developer in Santa Barbara and member of the Santa Barbara Navy League's board of directors.

e-mail: news@newspress.com

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Santa Barbara Navy League educates the nation and its leaders in the need for a strong Sea Service (Navy, Marines and Coast Guard), and supports the men and women of the Sea Service and their families in tangible ways. To learn more about the Navy League and to learn more about the USS Los Angeles, her mission and Navy submarines, go to the Santa Barbara Navy League Web site at www.sbnl.org.