High tech submarine, off the shelf plotter
Funny that just yesterday I referenced my own submarine experience, which involved a Garmin, and today two Panbotes tip me to an AP article about the brand new 377’ nuclear sub Texas, with a cool picture of the conning tower that just happens to have a Garmin 278, 376 or 478 stuck on its windshield (even Garmin doesn’t know which). I think I see a large screen mounted down lower—which goes with AP’s description of the sub’s high tech systems, even a fiber optic periscope—but the screen doesn’t seem to be on. Maybe the software is ‘delayed’, as they say (as if software could get a flat tire on the way to work), so someone went to West Marine and bought the Garmin? At any rate, bad guys on foreign shores should note that the USS Texas, among other lethal abilities, “can travel with a small special forces submarine, nine commandos and their gear”.
Working on a Navy project right now, they are using the 172c I believe. Nothing special overall electronics-wise, but they are using the Cole-Hersee digital minibus system, which is really cool.
Garmin and the Navy go way back š
USS Toledo
The sub’s periscopes use fiber optics on to transmit digital information into the pressure hull. The masts now use “photonic” technology for all imagery. The masts are contained and elevated from within the sail. However, the sub has to go more shallow than in the past to use this gear. All this and more is from public sources. BTW, the USS Jimmy Carter is dedicated to special operations with a new mid-section.