The Mother of all Sharks

[Graham1973]

Recently picked up at an op-shop a novel that seems to take it's inspiration from both Watergate & the 1976 Swine Flu outbreak.

Inoculate! by Neil Bayne (1979, Horwitz Publications).

The plotline sees a cabal in the US government try to use a genetically engineered disease to take control of the worlds resources in 1992...

One means of spreading the disease is a quartet of SSBNs called the Trident Class (24 Tridents). As the descriptions quoted below indicate they are quite striking units:

Displacing more than sixteen thousand tons, the USS Retribution was more than just a submarine. It was the mightiest submarine ever to course through the world's oceans. Powered by four reactors, the supervessel of the Trident class ran faster, deeper and more silent than any of its predecessors. The Retribution had a cruising capability of four hundred thousand miles; hypothetically, the supersub could remain at sea for eight years without refueling.

It had a length of six hundred feet, and a shark-like dorsal sail over two stories high. The Retribution, like all submarines of its class was a mobile ballistic missile launching field. Armed with twenty-four high-yield missiles...

(pg 184)

&

Sweeping through the coastal waters outside Miami, the USS Avenger hummed like an angel of death as her reactors bought the supersub up to cruising speed. Looking like the mother of all sharks as her two story dorsal fin parted the water, the nuclear submarine shot forward.

(pg 207, emphasis mine)

Anyone interested in trying to provide an artists impression?

 

[BAROBA]

I gave it a try. The length of 600 feet and the height of a 2 story building for the sail isn't much to go on...
I had to make the sail actually larger to get a more sharklike shape...
I hope you like it

Rob

 

[Nik]

That's big enough to *need* counter-shading !!

Proportions remind me of those wild 50s ideas for landing-ship submersibles, with a USSR super-sub design big enough to roll-off medium tanks...

 

[Graham1973]

I gave it a try. The length of 600 feet and the height of a 2 story building for the sail isn't much to go on...
I had to make the sail actually larger to get a more sharklike shape...
I hope you like it

Rob

Looks good (Did you use Irwin Allens Seaview as a basis?), but I get the feeling the sail should be broader in proportion to the hull and the bow planes closer to the bow, try it with the top of the sail to the bottom of the hull being two stories. (How tall is a trident missile installation anyway?). And perhaps add an Ohio to provide some idea of scale.

 

[BAROBA]

I have made some changes to it...
First I have changed the diameter of the hull to that of an Ohio-class, being 13 m. Which was a big change from the 20m I had before. I changed it because the Ohio-class and this one differ only 90 ft. So it is more logical to keep the diameter between the two boats similar. I made the sail a full two story building, it was first a lot bigger but now it more to proportion with the rest of the ship. The bow-planes were placed in the middle to look more like a shark. But more to the bow is more logical ofcourse.
The Trident 2 missile is 13.4 m long, but it has a launching installation beneath it. I haven't found any measurements about that. I do have made my height of the hull as high as that of the Ohio-class. Which is already the biggest submarine the Navy has.

Enjoy

Rob

 

[Graham1973]

Enjoy

Rob

I have and thought I'd make a minor 'tweak' to bring the picture to life (well I think so anyway). So I've gone ahead and added Hull numbers.

 

[BAROBA]

Hi Graham,
I found no reference image that showed any hullnumbers... That I why I didn't include any...
What is your source for the numbers?

 

[BAROBA]

I have made a poster or 3view of this boat.
Here is a low res sample.
If anyone has any suggestions or want to buy a bigger version that can be printed,let me know.

Cheers,

Rob

 

[BAROBA]

Updated:

Added the class name: Avenger
Added the numberlist and length-ruler.

c&c is welcome

Rob

 

[Firefly 2]

Hmmm, reminds me of Michael Dimercurio

http://www.ussdevilfish.com/diag01b.htm