Dry Deck Shelter

I was a crew member of the USS Dallas (SSN 700) which was the first Los Angeles class sub equipped with a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS). On the USS Dallas the dry deck shelter rested aft of the sail and connected to the forward escape trunk. The dry deck shelter allows rapid deployment of US Navy SEALs to complete nearby missions, while remaining undetected long past mission completion. The dry deck shelter houses a Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV), which can be viewed as a mini submarine.

The idea of a detachable Dry Deck Shelter was born in the late 1970s. The Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation. completed DDS-01S (its first DDS) in 1982, whereas Newport News completed the next 5 more modules from 1987 to 1991.

The main submarine still maintains all of its original war machine capabilities, even with the addition of the dry deck shelter. The addition of the dry deck shelter requires many interfacing systems and alters many systems on the 688 class submarines, so only a few submarines are back fitted with this technology. Mating hatch modifications; addition of electrical penetrations, valves, and piping for ventilation; divers’ air; and draining water are all required to install a dry deck shelter. The DDS can be used to transport and launch an SDV or "lock out" combat swimmers. In about 12 hours a DDS can be installed. The DDS is air-transportable on a cargo plane, which allows for maximal mission flexibility.

The dry deck shelter has three interconnecting compartments (which can be pressurized to at least 130 feet), and is constructed of the same HY-80 steel that most modern us submarine hulls are composed of. The DDS also has a fiberglass faring.The forward compartment is a hyper baric chamber used to treat injured divers. Oddly enough, while I was onboard, a yeoman gave one of the SEALs the bends severely by rapidly equalizing him with atmospheric pressure. Luckily, the SEAL did not die. The middle compartment is basically a transfer trunk, which allows the submarine to interface with the other 2 DDS compartments. The aft dry deck shelter compartment is a hanger that can house the SDV or up to 20 personnel.

The number of SEALs carried on a sub vary by mission. The inclusion of these personnel require sacrifice by the sub crew as quarters become tight. Based on rank, much of the crew is forced into hot racking, which is a rather unsanitary condition in which the same bed is repeatedly used by multiple individuals. On SSBN's the SEALs can be comfortably accommodated, but the addition of this technology to the 688 class submarines is at best stupid.

The DDS permits free passage of sailors to and from the submarine and the SDV. It also allows safe transfer of their equipment (such as rubber rafts.) At a minimum performing these exercises requires 14 enlisted SEALs and 2 SEAL officers. More complex missions, or qualification exercises require more people. Again I will state that this is dumb on a 688 class submarine. Other subs can perform the missions such as the Benjamin Franklin Class, a boomer sub that can even have 2 DDS's installed for redundancy, and to allow more complex missions to be performed.

By having two DDS's on a single boat, it allows a submarine to even recover a SDV launched from shore or another ship (as the USS JOHN MARSHALL did.)

The current sub of the future, Virginia class submarines are designed to be modular to easily facilitate part changes as missions change. This will allow rapid conversion of war ships to specialty, information gathering, or training platforms. Pieces of the submarine can be quickly exchanged. All Virginia class submarines will employ a Lock Out Trunk while will allow the rapid deployment of 9 seals or divers.

The Dry Deck Shelters are expected to be serviceable for 40 years, which will allow them to function until the extinction of their associated submarine class. As new submarines are built, improved functionality and cross mission capability are becoming more important. While building fewer submarines in a cloudy political environment, it is sure that in future sub classes, DDS capability will become more of a necessity.

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