SUBMARINE MAST WAKE REDUCTION

A MAST/PERISCOPE MOVING THROUGH THE SEA SURFACE CAUSES SIGNIFICANT DISTRUBANCE TO THE AIR-WATER INTERFACE, ENTRAINS AIR BUBBLES AND CREATES SURFACE BUBBLES AND FOAM (WHITE WATER). THE NATURALLY PRODUCED SURFACE-ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN SEA WATER STABILIZE THESE BUBBLES AND FOAMS AND RENDER THE MAST-GENERATED WHITE WATER WAKES READILY DETECTABLE BY REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES. IT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED THAT CERTAIN WATER-INSOLUBLE MONOMOLECULAR ORGANIC FILMS ADDED TO THE SEA SURFACE DAMP SHORT WAVES, RETARD WAVE BREAKING, AND SUPPRESS WHITE WATER FOAMS IN SURFACE VESSEL WAKES WITHIN THE FILM-COVERED AREAS. THE PROPOSED WORK INVOLVES THE DEPLOYMENT OF SELECTEDMONOMOLECULAR FILM-FORMING SUBSTANCES FROM A MAST MOVING THROUGH THE SEA SURFACE TO ASCERTAIN THE EXTENT TO WHICH ITS WHITEWATER WAKE IS REDUCED. WAKE SIGNATURE SUPPRESSION WILL BE DOCUMENTED BY AIRBORNE VISUAL OBSERVATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHY. THE RESULTS WILL BE ANALYZED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF WHITE-WATER WAKE REDUCTION IN TERMS OF NAVAL OPERATING PROCEDURES, ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS SUCH AS SEA STATE, AND ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS.