CAP: Combat air patrol. Protective air defense cover provided for the aircraft carrier battle group by the carrier’s air defense aircraft.
Cavitation: The formation of tiny air bubbles around rapidly revolving propeller blades when the depth is too shallow for the speed. These air bubbles make a popping noise as they collapse, which increases the noise level of a propeller and makes a ship or submarine easier to detect via sonar.
CCS Mk 2: Command and control system carried on Los Angeles class submarines that is used to plan and control missions for the Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles.
CINCPACFLT: Commander-In-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
CIWS: Close-in weapons system. A last ditch antimissile system fitted on surface ships.
Cluster Bay and Cluster Gulf mines: Russian manufactured moored rising mines with an acoustic homing warhead.
COB: Chief of the boat. The senior enlisted sailor on board an American submarine.
COD: Carrier on board delivery. Delivery of support items, including mail, to an aircraft carrier while underway. The U.S. Navy’s primary COD aircraft is the C-2 Greyhound.
Conn: Control of a ship or submarine’s movements.
Convergence Zone: Phenomena whereby, if the water is deep enough, water pressure turns sound waves in the direction of the surface. This occurs at intervals of roughly 30 miles. Multiple convergence zone contacts are possible when the sound bounces off the surface and heads back down, eventually to be turned back upward again by the pressure.
CTF 74: Commander Task Force 74, also known as Commander Submarine Group 7.
Dipping Sonar: Sonar system carried by a helicopter that can be unreeled and dipped into the water to provide variable depth, active or passive sonar detection.
DSMAC: Digital scene-matching area correlation. One of several types of missile guidance used for Tomahawk cruise missiles.
E-2C Hawkeye: Carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft fitted with APS-145 search radar.
EA-6B Prowler: Radar jamming and electronic warfare version of the A-6 Intruder. Carries the ALQ-99 jammer.
ELF: Extremely low frequency radio band.
ELINT: Intelligence collected by electronic means.
ESM: Electronic support measures. A passive receiver system designed to detect radar emissions.
ET-80: 53-cm Russian-manufactured wire-guided, active/ passive homing torpedo.
F-14 Tomcat: Long-range fleet air defense fighter carried on board U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
F/A-18 Hornet: Dual purpose (fighter and attack) carrier- and land-based combat aircraft.
Fathom: Measure of length equal to six feet.
Floating Dry Dock: Movable dock, used to facilitate repairs to the underwater body of ships and submarines.
Floating Wire: Also called trailing wire. Similar to a receiving antenna that can be streamed underwater so that a submarine can remain submerged while it receives messages.
GPS: Global Positioning System. Satellite-based navigation system that can provide extremely accurate location fixes to forces on air, land, and sea. Can also be used in missile guidance systems.
H-5 Harbin: Chinese variant of the Russian I1-28 Beagle attack aircraft.
H-6 Xian: Chinese variant of the Russian Tu-16 Badger bomber.
Hainan: Chinese fast attack craft. Top speed: 30+ knots. Length: 193 feet. Displacement: 392 tons full load. Major weapons: can carry YJ-1 missile, ASW mortarrocket launcher, depth charges, or mines.
Han: This was Communist China’s first nuclear attack submarine. Only five units of this class were built. Top speed: 25 knots submerged. Length: 321 feet. Displacement: 5,500 tons submerged. Major weapons: six 53cm tubes.
Harpoon: Medium range anti-ship missile used by the U.S. Navy and its allies. Air (AGM-84), surface (RGM-84), and submarine torpedo tube (UGM-84) launched variants are all in use.
Huchuan: Chinese torpedo-carrying hydrofoil. Top speed: 50 knots foil-borne. Length: 71 feet, 6 inches. Displacement: 46 tons full load. Major weapons: two 53cm torpedo tubes.
HULTEC: The U.S. Navy’s library of ESM information.
HUMINT: Intelligence collected by human operatives.
HY-2: Chinese anti-ship missile with a range of over fifty nautical miles.
Independence (CV-62): The sole surviving active member of the 1950s era Forrestal class aircraft carriers — the first of the American “supercarriers.” Capable of carrying over seventy aircraft.
IUSS: The U.S. Navy’s integrated undersea surveillance system, the combination of SOSUS (sound surveillance systems) and SURTASS (surface towed array surveillance systems) ships.
J-7: Chinese variant of the Russian MIG-21 fighter.
Jianghu: Chinese frigate. Jianghu I, II, III, and IV variants are in service. Jianghu I: Top speed: 26 knots. Length: 338 feet, 6 inches. Displacement: 1,702 tons full load. Major weapons: HY-2 missiles, ASW mortars /rocket launchers, depth charges, and mines.
Kilo: This is the newest class of Russian diesel-electric submarines. Top speed: 17 knots submerged. Length: 229 feet. Displacement: 3,076 tons submerged. Major weapons: six 53cm torpedo tubes.
Knot: Unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour.
Komar: 1960s-era Russian missile-armed fast attack craft. Top speed: 40 knots. Length: 83.7 feet. Displacement: 80 tons full load. Major weapons: anti-ship missiles and guns.
LAMPS: Light airborne multipurpose system. Multipurpose helicopter carried by many American warships. The latest variant is the SH-60 LAMPS III.
Los Angeles (SSN 688): With the exception of the USS Seawolf class, this is the most advanced nuclear attack submarine class in the world. Built to several major configurations, the 688 class of submarines can be divided into three categories:
• Flight 1: SSNs 618–718. Original Los Angeles class
• Flight 2: SSNs 719–750. VLS added along with an upgraded reactor core
• Flight 3: SSNs 751–773. BSY-1 added, along with bow planes, improving under-ice capability and quieting. This is referred to as the improved Los Angeles class, and received the designation 6881
Top speed: 30+ knots. Length: 360 feet. Displacement: 6,927 tons submerged. Major weapons: four 21-inch torpedo tubes and twelve VLS in later boats.
Luda: Chinese destroyer. There are three variants: Luda I, II, and III. Luda I: Top speed: 32 knots. Length: 433 feet. Displacement: 3,670 tons. Major weapons: HY-2 missiles, ASW mortars-rocket launchers, mines and depth charges. Type II carries two helicopters.
Luhu: New, relatively advanced Chinese destroyer. Top speed: 31 knots. Length: 468 feet. Displacement: 4,200 full load. Major weapons: YJ-1 missiles, ASW mortars/rocket launchers. Carries two helicopters.
MAD: Magnetic anomaly detector. A device that can detect a submerged submarine from a low-flying aircraft or helicopter by detecting the distortion of the earth’s magnetic field caused by the metal hull of a submarine.
MAG: Russian manufactured moored ASW contact mine.
Master Number: Designation on board U.S. Navy submarines that represents a contact attained by combining one or more signals and/or sensors.