The Navy has used sound absorbing tiles for years on it's submarines but recently started using a new process. It involves a rubber-like substance applied to the hull. It's now starting to peel off.
Given that hulls expand and contract substantially with changes in depth, it makes more sense that tiles would be more likely to resist separation from the hull.
Published October 02, 2010
Associated Press
KITTERY, Maine -- The USS Virginia shed pieces of its sonar-absorbent skin while on patrol, giving the submarine's hull a pockmarked appearance as it arrived for repairs at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
The stealthy submarine could become easier to detect by enemy sonar if it lost too much of the special coating. But the Navy insists that the sub never lost enough of the material to rise to that level and that it has moved aggressively to fix the problems in newer models of nuclear-powered attack submarines.
"We've been aware of the issues, we're making improvements in the process, and we're seeing results already," said Alan Baribeau, spokesman for the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. There has been "no measurable impact on the ship's performance," he said.
During the summer, the Pentagon's director of test and evaluation described a November 2009 review that found the finish peeling off in big swatches "up to hundreds of square feet."
Navy Scrambles After Subs Shed Stealthy Coating
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