Home Notifications Newsletters Next Share

We took a rare tour of one of the US Navy's most dangerous warships - nicknamed the 'Sledgehammer of Freedom'https://www.businessinsider.in/we-took-a-rare-tour-of-one-of-the-us-navys-most-dangerous-warships-nicknamed-the-sledgehammer-of-freedom/we-walked-onto-to-the-submarine-pier-at-naval-station-norfolk-as-the-sun-was-setting-and-the-crew-members-were-loading-a-special-forces-operation-box-onto-the-warner-/slidelist/61972364.cms2017-12-08T01:23:16+05:30

We took a rare tour of one of the US Navy's most dangerous warships - nicknamed the 'Sledgehammer of Freedom'

Dec 8, 2017, 01:23 IST

We walked onto to the submarine pier at Naval Station Norfolk as the sun was setting and the crew members were loading a special forces operation box onto the Warner.

The Warner is 377 feet long, 34 feet wide, and about 50 feet tall. We weren't allowed to photograph the antennas atop the tower since they are classified.

We then met our guide on the tour, Senior Chief Mark Eichenlaub. He began by telling us about the cruise missile payload tubes on the front of the sub:

Overall, the Warner has a payload of 38 weapons along with special operating forces.

Now, let's step aboard. This short video shows you how:

Commanded by Daniel B. Caldwell, the Warner is divided into three levels.

We first entered the upper level of the ship, and this was our first glimpse inside. As you can see, it's a little tight in there.

Eichenlaub showed us the Lockout Trunk, which is a built-in Navy SEAL staging area.

A short video gives an even better look at the hatch that leads to open water.

As we made our way to the middle level, we ran into a group of sailors performing a preventative maintenance check of the ship's electrical components.

On the middle level, we saw the flare and countermeasure launcher, which is situated in a small office.

Across the hall from the countermeasure launcher is a food closet, one of many on board that the ship needs to feed the crew for months at a time.

The closets go back about 15 feet, Eichenlaub said, and are packed strategically so that the crew can essentially eat their backwards.

Enlisted men eat here in the chow hall, which is the largest open space in the ship. There's even a soft serve ice cream machine on the right.

On the opposite wall hangs the, literal, sledgehammer of freedom. The crew began calling the Warner the "Sledgehammer of Freedom" after the commander's speech before their first deployment in which he referred to the ship as such.

The officers, on the other hand, eat in the officer's chow hall and are served by kitchen staff through the door in the back right. The commander sits in the star chair in front of the sledgehammer of democracy.

Here's a close up of the sledgehammer of democracy.

This is mission control — the most classified area of the ship. As such, all the monitors were turned off, and we cropped, blurred and darkened anything that was classified.

Sonar, fire control, and navigation computers are all located in mission control. Eichenlaub goes into detail about mission control in this short video:

Here is a shot of the sonar computers. The sonar system onboard is designed with a Large Aperture Bow Array that uses life of the hull hydrophones to detect sound waves produced by other ships and even sea life.

Eichenlaub then told us more about fire control, which is where torpedoes and cruise missiles are launched. You can watch here:

And this computer is where flares and countermeasures are launched.

This 9-second video shows the two voyage management systems, which plan and navigate the ship.

As we exited mission control, Eichenlaub showed us what the crew calls the "Fish Bowl."

The bunks for sailors, or birthing areas, are spread out all over the ship.

And they're a little snug.

Eichenlaub shows us the XO's sleeping quarters in this short video.

Now, let's enter the torpedo room. Behold!

Using a "pumpjet propulsor," Mark 48 Advanced Capability torpedoes can travel at speeds in excess of 50 mph — but its top speed is technically classified.

Eichenlaub said that sailors often name the torpedoes, like the one below, after their significant others.

Here's one of the four torpedo launchers in the torpedo room. How quickly they can reload and shoot, however, is classified.

The submariners and sailors who work in the torpedo room also sleep next to the torpedoes.

We were only allowed to see the back-up diesel engine, seen below, on the lower level, as the nuclear reactor is highly classified.

Near the diesel engine is the O2 generator, which provides oxygen in the ship by a ventilation system.

This marked the end of our tour. It was a very cool, sensory overload experience for which we thank the US Navy.

Next Story Photos show 25 of the most beautiful gardens and...

View All Latest