Monday, March 17, 2014

How low can you go?

Today is...

Submarine Day

[And I am NOT talking about the sandwich! Of course, keep reading in case there happens to be a connection:-)]
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How low… can you go? How lo-o-o-ow… can you go? Sounds like we are getting ready for the Limbo, the traditional popular dance contest that originated on the island of Trinidad, but that is not the direction we are going. Think down, deep down underneath the water for when it comes to Submarine Day, we Dive! Dive! Dive! and the depths can get mighty low!

Embrace the Past...

Believe it or not, the concept of an underwater vessel has roots deep in antiquity. Think back to about 413 BC. That's right...BC! Divers were used to clear obstructions according to the History of the Peloponnesian War. Later legends from Alexandria, Egypt, in the 12th century AD suggested use of a primitive submersible for reconnaissance missions. This seems to have been a form of diving bell.

Although there were various plans for submersibles or submarines made during the Middle Ages, the Englishman William Bourne designed one of the first workable prototype submarine in 1578. His idea ultimately never got beyond the planning stage. The first submersible to be actually built in modern times was constructed in 1605 by Magnus Pegelius. It's fate was to become buried in mud.
Source: en.wikipedia.org

Submarine of Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel,
1620 and 1624.

That brings us to the first recorded successful submarine. It was built by Cornelius Drebbel in 1620 for James I of England. It was propelled by oars and is thought to have incorporated floats with tubes to allow air down to the rowers. Why would anyone want to plunge beneath the surface of the17th century River Thames? Perhaps the mystery of what lies beneath the water was reason enough!

USS Plunger, launched in 1902

Today’s submarines are of course far more sophisticated than that particular oar-powered contraption or the one from 1902 pictured at the right. It is interesting to note submarine roles in military operations have been major for over a century. The amount of expertise that goes into their design, construction, maintenance and operation has become quite staggering. One must take into account the inclusion of navigation and communication networks; sensors, armaments and weaponry; powerful propulsion systems; and of course, a large number of rigorously trained and highly skilled men and women, often putting their lives on the line for their countries.

So today's celebration can take on many forms: Thoughts can center upon the ingenuity and majesty of the mighty submarine itself, circumnavigate its place throughout the modern world, or be filled with imagination as to what they’ll be like in a hundred years’ time. But most importantly, those thoughts should at least momentarily reflect back upon those lost at sea over the years, especially during war time. Tribute should be paid to the courage of those who souls are beneath the ocean waves at this exact moment in time.

Echoes of the Sea

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US Navy Submarine

The sea, which soars, soothes, threatens and shifts
Emanates life as an unanswered question
If it had lips, it would speak effortlessly
Sharing untold stories from every nation

Oh, sea, mighty warrior of all times
Let loose your triumphant vessels
Relinquish the esteemed memories
Once washed away like sandcastles

The sea, whose entrails reflect radial symmetry
Imitates the snow-capped peak of Fujiyama
If it were a stage, its ghosts would be the stars
In an infinite unpredictable melodrama

Oh, sea, unforgiving and yet calm
Lay to rest those who died in your wake
Relinquish troubling tales of mystery and wo
That haunt those souls we'd never forsake

The sea, in all its fierceness and serenity
Sustains any argument with the bravest of the brave
It changes its mood with the plunging tide
Whispering of the past as echoes resound in each wave