One day while doing drills to get prepared for an upcoming TRE, we had a new Chief sitting Chief of the Watch under instruction to get some drills in for quals.  Because we were running behind getting to our patrol area, the Captain had issued an order that all bells, valve/breaker movements, etc. for the drills were to be simulated.  He gave specific orders to the Throttleman and Engineering Officer of the Watch to NOT go below the specified turn order.

 

I was sitting in Manuevering as Electrical Operator when the call came across the 1MC - "flooding in the engine room!"  Before anyone knew what was happening, the boat started to rapidly rise.  Turns out, the anxious Chief of the Watch under instruction was a little too quick for the actual Chief of the Watch.  He reached the chicken switches (remember one time you always emergency blow is for flooding in the engine room on 688s) in no time flat and actually threw them before anyone could stop him.  Everyone was so caught up with the fact we were doing an unplanned emergancy blow, they forgot to take the bell off.  True to the Captain's orders, the Throtleman did not reduce turns and we ended up driving (while emergency blowing) to the surface at about 18 knots.

 

In the end, those of us in Manuevering were pretty sure we totally cleared the surface because the engine order telegraph turn indicator spiked hard before we heard the boat slapping her belly back in the ocean.  If someone could have caught that surface on film, it would have easily replaced all the other photos of subs surfacing!

 

Brad Arendt, EM2/SS

USS Scranton, SSN756