Alarms On Submarines of The United States Navy - Diving Alarm

Diving Alarm

The diving alarm is sounded twice to signal a dive and three times for emergency surfacing, and is accompanied by either the announcement "dive, dive" or "surface, surface, surface."

The alarm is usually described as "ah-OOG-ah." On early submarines, it was an actual motor-driven vibratory horn (called a klaxon after the popular Klaxon Horn used on automobiles); later classes used electronic signal generators in the General Announcing System (1MC) that did not sound much like a klaxon but were variously described as "blats," "honks," or "cow farts." Motor-driven horns supplied by Benjamin Electric (Type H-9 horn) were installed in WW2 fleet submarines. Later motor-driven horns were mostly supplied by Federal Electric (later Federal Sign and Signal, changing finally to Federal Signal - Type H-8 horn) and are still found in certain applications today. Many modern submarines still have Klaxon diving alarms (mostly supplied by crew members or unofficial sources, usually not NAVSEA) paying homage to USN submarine tradition.

The diving alarm handle is a green square. Activation of the contact maker causes the alarm to sound until released.

Read more about this topic:  Alarms On Submarines Of The United States Navy

Famous quotes containing the words diving and/or alarm:

    all the fine
    Points of diving feet together toes pointed hands shaped right
    To insert her into water like a needle
    James Dickey (b. 1923)

    Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into war, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves, engage in child labor, exchange information ceaselessly. They do everything but watch television.
    Lewis Thomas (b. 1913)