The Torpedo Data Computer and Comic Book Polaris Submarines ...

cmeisenzahl

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 16, 2002
Messages
260
Anyone else remember these ads from comic books? ;-)

http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/torpedo-data-computer-and-comic-book.html

COMICAD%20polaris_sub%20ad.jpg
 

KC2IXE

Flashaholic*
Joined
Apr 21, 2001
Messages
2,237
Location
New York City
Wow - the TDC, and in particular, the Position Keeper section - Back in the early to Mid 1980s, the company I worked for (Astrosystems) had a Navy contract to upgrade the last 1-2 of them in the fleet from vacuum tube amps to solid state amp. One sat at the end of the row where I worked, where Steve (the EE) and this wireman (can't remember his name) worked on it - they actually gave me a short lesson in how to program and run the PK

I've seen stuff I've worked on in various pictures of sub control rooms - on occasion, I've even been able to ID the exact sub, and year, based upon what gear we had shipped them (a lot of gear is custom fit, and if you know what your looking for, you can say 'that is bearing transmitter #6' - so...

Spent MOST of my time either working on the NAVY VAST system (The Navy guys who worked on them were nicknamed "VASTards"), then various weird Power Supplies for things like anti Mine craft, a "roll corrector" for the Standard Missile, and then power supplies for the ADCAP Mk48 torpedo

The last 7-8 years of that time, I actually spent running an "environmental test lab" aka "the shake and bake lab" running qualification and ESS screening of production items

Brings back memories of what was probably the most interesting job I ever had - as I'd do everything from design electronics, write software, design hardware test fixtures, and then actually go out into the lab and machine shop, and BUILD them, then use them. Pay stank however
 
Top