Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Submarines and Submarine Cable Systems glossary (page 2)

The submarine and subsea-cable vocabulary: submarine sonar subsystems (acoustic intercept receiver, acoustic signature), named cable systems (AAE-1) and their consortia, and the boat-class, propulsion, and cable-route terms. Grounds each term in the submarine system or the cable system it belongs to.

395 defined terms.

Showing 145 on this page (page 2 of 2).

P

Passive Sonar: Sonar mode that listens for self-generated noise from targets without transmitting.
PEM Fuel Cell AIP: Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell air-independent propulsion system associated with German Type 212 and Type 214 submarines.
Periscope Depth: Submarine operating depth at which the periscope or photonics mast can be raised above the surface.
Photonics Mast: Non-hull-penetrating sensor mast carrying electro-optical and infrared cameras, fitted to US Virginia-class submarines.
Plough: Towed seabed implement creating a trench for simultaneous cable burial during lay.
Polar Prince, CS: Vessel associated with Canadian subsea support activities.
Polyethylene Insulation: Common dielectric insulation used on subsea power and telecom cable cores.
Portugal Telecom: Telecommunications operator with consortium roles in Atlantic submarine cable systems.
Post-Lay Inspection and Burial (PLIB): Cable installation phase that buries previously laid cable using ROV trenchers.
Power Feed Equipment (PFE): Cable landing station equipment that supplies the constant current to submarine cable repeaters.
Pre-Lay Grapnel Run (PLGR): Procedure deploying a grapnel along the cable route to clear debris and disused fishing gear before installation.
Pressure Hull: Primary structural envelope of a hyperbaric chamber.
Prysmian Group: Italian cable manufacturer producing HVDC, HVAC, and umbilical systems, with installation vessels including Leonardo da Vinci and Prysmian Cable Enterprise.
PWR2: Rolls-Royce Submarines pressurized water reactor used on Astute-class and Vanguard-class submarines.
PWR3: Rolls-Royce Submarines next-generation pressurized water reactor planned for SSN-AUKUS.

Q

QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying): Modulation scheme used in coherent submarine cable optical transmission.
Quad-Redundant Power Feed: Submarine cable system architecture with multiple redundant power feed paths.
Quarterdeck Sonar: Informal reference to surface monitoring sonar fitted on cable ships during operations.

R

Radio Buoy: Submarine-released buoy enabling delayed RF transmission of recorded messages.
Raman Amplifier: Distributed optical amplifier technology used selectively on submarine cable systems.
Reactor compartment: Shielded compartment housing naval reactor.
Repeater: Self-contained submerged optical amplifier unit installed along long-haul cable systems.
Repeatered System: Submarine cable system that uses in-line amplifiers, typical of long-haul transoceanic links.
Rescue Chamber: Submarine compartment configured for crew survival pending rescue.
Rickover, Hyman G.: US admiral often described as the father of the nuclear navy.
Rim of Pressure Hull: Junction zone between cylindrical and dome-end portions of a submarine pressure hull.
Riser cable: Synonym for dynamic cable on a floating wind platform.
Rolls-Royce Submarines: UK supplier of naval pressurized water reactors and submarine propulsion components.
Route Position List (RPL): Engineering document defining the planned route and as-laid geometry of a submarine cable.
ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle): Tethered underwater robot.
Russian Northern Fleet: Russian naval formation operating Borei, Yasen, and other strategic and attack submarines from Kola Peninsula bases.

S

S5W Reactor: Earlier-generation US Navy submarine reactor used historically.
S6G Reactor: US Navy reactor used in Los Angeles-class SSNs.
S8G Reactor: US Navy reactor used in Ohio-class SSBNs.
S9G Reactor: US Navy reactor used in Virginia-class SSNs.
Saab Kockums: Swedish submarine designer and builder, originator of the Stirling AIP system.
Sail (Submarine): Vertical streamlined structure on a submarine's upper hull housing periscopes and masts.
Scorpene-class: Naval Group conventional submarine design built for France, Chile, Malaysia, India, and Brazil.
SeaMeWe-3: South-East Asia, Middle East, and Western Europe submarine cable system, ready for service in 1999.
SeaMeWe-4: South-East Asia, Middle East, and Western Europe submarine cable system, ready for service in 2005.
SeaMeWe-5: South-East Asia, Middle East, and Western Europe submarine cable system, ready for service in 2017.
SeaMeWe-6: South-East Asia, Middle East, and Western Europe submarine cable system in deployment with SubCom and HMN segment suppliers.
Seawolf-class: US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine class comprising USS Seawolf, Connecticut, and Jimmy Carter.
Sediment Profile: Seabed soil characterization used to plan cable burial methods.
Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus: Diver support system used by cable ship dive teams in shallow operations.
Shang-class: NATO reporting name for Chinese Type 093 nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Shishumar-class: Indian Navy HDW Type 209/1500 diesel-electric submarines.
Side-scan sonar: Towed sonar producing acoustic images of the seafloor on either side of the towfish.
Sindhughosh-class: Indian Navy Russian-built Kilo-class Project 877EKM submarines.
Singing Cable: Anecdotal term for cable that emits vibration noise under tidal currents.
Snorkel: Submarine air induction and exhaust mast enabling diesel engine operation at periscope depth.
Son Won-il-class: Republic of Korea Navy Type 214 submarine class, designated KSS-II.
Sonarman: US Navy enlisted sonar operator rating, historically termed sonar technician.
Soryu class: JMSDF AIP submarine, Stirling powered.
South China Sea: Marginal sea of the western Pacific bordered by China and Southeast Asia.
Special Operations Forces Submarine: Submarine configured to deploy combat swimmers, including SSGN and SSN variants with Dry Deck Shelters.
SS (Submarine, conventional): Historic hull symbol for diesel-electric submarines.
SSBN: Ballistic missile nuclear submarine hull symbol.
SSGN: Guided missile nuclear submarine hull symbol.
SSK: Air-independent or hunter-killer conventional submarine, sometimes used for AIP.
SSN: Attack nuclear submarine hull symbol.
SSN-AUKUS: Future shared UK-Australia nuclear-powered attack submarine design under the AUKUS partnership.
Stirling AIP: Air-independent propulsion system using a Stirling engine, developed by Kockums and adopted on Soryu boats.
Strain Relief: Structural feature protecting submarine cable terminations from tensile load.
Strake: Continuous line of plating or planking.
Strategic Systems Programs: US Navy office responsible for Trident SLBM systems.
SubCom LLC: New Jersey-based submarine cable systems supplier, formerly TE SubCom, rebranded in 2018.
Subcom Marine: Cable ship fleet operated by SubCom LLC.
Submarine Communications Buoy: Floating antenna deployable by a submerged submarine for relay communications.
Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA): UK Ministry of Defence agency responsible for British submarine procurement and support.
Submarine Towed Array Sensor System: Sensor architecture deploying long acoustic arrays astern of submarines.
Suez Cable Crossings: Set of submarine cable crossings of the Suez region carrying intercontinental traffic.
Suffren class: French Barracuda SSN, lead boat S 635.
Synchrolift: Shore-side lift system used in submarine maintenance docking.

T

Taigei-class: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force diesel-electric submarine class led by JS Taigei (SS-513).
TAT-14: Older transatlantic telecommunications cable connecting the US, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and Denmark, in service from 2001 to 2020.
TB-29A: US Navy thin-line towed array fielded on submarine forces.
TB-34: US Navy thin-line towed array variant succeeding the TB-29A.
Telxius: Telefonica subsea cable operator with stakes in MAREA, BRUSA, and the Tannat cable.
Tempest Resistant Cable: Cable design resilient to abrasion and current shear in dynamic marine environments.
Thales: French defense electronics prime supplying sonars, periscopes, and combat systems for European submarines.
Thin-Line Array: Slim towed array sonar enabling deployment from smaller stowage.
Tomahawk Block IV: Tactical TLAM with two-way data link and loitering capability.
Tomahawk Block V: Recent upgrade with MST anti-ship and JMEWS warhead options.
Toulon: French Mediterranean naval port and arsenal developed under Vauban from the 1670s.
Towed-Array Sonar: Passive sonar streamed astern of ship/submarine.
Trans-Pacific Express (TPE): Trans-Pacific submarine cable system between China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States.
Trident II D5: UGM-133 USN/RN SLBM with up to 12 W76/W88 warheads.
Trinity House: General Lighthouse Authority and deep-sea pilotage body, chartered 1514.
Triomphant class: French Navy SSBN with M51 SLBM.
Trunk Cable: Main cable in a branched submarine cable system between branching units.
Turn Cycle: Period between successive operational deployments of a submarine, including refit and certification.
Type 092 (Xia-class): Chinese PLAN ballistic missile submarine class.
Type 093 (Shang-class): Chinese PLAN nuclear attack submarine class with multiple subvariants.
Type 094 (Jin-class): Chinese PLAN ballistic missile submarine class armed with JL-2 and JL-3 SLBMs.
Type 095: Chinese PLAN next-generation nuclear attack submarine class under construction.
Type 096: Chinese PLAN next-generation ballistic missile submarine class under construction.
Type 209: HDW export diesel-electric submarine, widely sold.
Type 212 Class: German Navy AIP fuel cell submarine class built by HDW Kiel.
Type 212CD: Common design variant of the Type 212 developed jointly for Germany and Norway.
Type 214: Export AIP submarine derived from Type 212.
Type 218SG (Invincible-class): Singapore Navy diesel-electric AIP submarine class built by TKMS.
Typhoon-class: Russian Project 941 ballistic missile submarine class, the largest submarines ever built at approximately 175 m length, now retired.

U

U-Boat: Imperial and Nazi German submarine, central to the Battle of the Atlantic.
UGM-109 Tomahawk: Submarine-launched variant designation of the Tomahawk cruise missile.
UGM-133 Trident II D5: Submarine-launched ballistic missile in service with the US Navy and Royal Navy.
UGM-84 Harpoon: Submarine-launched anti-ship missile variant.
UGST: Russian heavyweight torpedo family designation, including USET-80 successor variants.
Ultra-Deepwater Cable: Cable variant designed for water depths beyond 4,000 m.
Universal Modular Mast (UMM): Mast architecture used for photonics, ESM, and communications on US Virginia-class submarines.
Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV): Autonomous or remotely operated underwater vehicle deployable from submarines or surface ships.
Unrepeatered System: Submarine cable system without in-line amplifiers, typical of regional or festoon installations.
USS Connecticut (SSN-22): US Navy Seawolf-class fast attack submarine.
USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826): Lead boat of the US Navy Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.
USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23): US Navy Seawolf-class fast attack submarine with hull plug for special mission systems.
USS Seawolf (SSN-21): Lead boat of the US Navy Seawolf-class fast attack submarines.
USS Virginia (SSN-774): Lead boat of the US Navy Virginia-class fast attack submarines.

V

Vanguard class: Royal Navy SSBN with Trident II D5.
Variable Depth Sonar: Body-towed sonar that can be positioned in different acoustic layers.
Vasiliy Bykov-class Patrol: Russian surface patrol class operating in regions also patrolled by submarines; not a submarine class itself.
Vendor Equipment Cabinet (VEC): Cable landing station rack housing power feed and line terminal equipment.
Vertical Launch System (VLS): Multi-cell missile launcher (e.g., Mk 41).
Viking Link: 1,400 MW HVDC submarine cable between Bicker Fen, England, and Revsing, Denmark, in service since 2023.
Virginia class: USN SSN-774 nuclear attack submarine, Blocks I through V in service or construction.
Virginia Payload Module (VPM): Hull plug fitted to Block V Virginia-class submarines providing additional Tomahawk capacity.
VLF (Very Low Frequency): Radio band used for one-way communication to submerged submarines.
Void Compartment: Sealed empty compartment within a submarine hull for buoyancy or damage tolerance.

W

Wake-Homing Torpedo: Torpedo guidance approach that homes on a target ship's wake; not typical of US heavyweight torpedoes.
WASS: Italian torpedo and underwater weapons firm, manufacturer of the Black Shark torpedo family.
Watch Section: Crew rotation grouping aboard a submarine, typically with three sections in port and at sea.
Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS): Optical network element used in modern submarine cable open cable systems.
WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing): Optical transmission technique used on submarine cable systems.
Weapon Shipping Hatch: Hatch on a submarine through which torpedoes and missiles are loaded.
Westinghouse: US naval nuclear supplier historically responsible for several submarine reactor types in cooperation with Naval Reactors.
Wet End: Submerged portion of a submarine cable system, including cable, repeaters, and branching units.
Wet Plant: Submerged equipment of a submarine cable system, contrasted with the dry plant ashore.
Wide Aperture Array (WAA): Submarine flank-mounted array providing passive ranging capabilities.

X

X-band radar: 9.4 GHz band marine radar.
Xia class: PLAN Type 092 first-generation SSBN.

Y

Yankee-class: Soviet Project 667A ballistic missile submarine class, now retired.
Yasen class: Russian Project 885 SSGN.
Yasen-M: Improved Project 885M variant, lead boat Kazan.

Z

Zero Discharge: Operational standard prohibiting discharges of certain wastes.
Zinc Anode: Sacrificial anode for cathodic protection.
ZTT Submarine Cable: Chinese submarine cable manufacturer.