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Dry Deck Shelter Adds SOF Capabilities to USS Dallas
Photos by Paul
Farley
MASA
Nathan Hastings scans the surrounding area while standing a pier security
watch as the crew of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Dallas (SSN-700)
prepares to get underway from Souda Bay, Crete. Commissioned in 1981, Dallas is the first Los Angeles-class submarine
to have a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS). Dry Deck Shelters provide specially
configured nuclear- powered submarines with a greater capability for
deploying Special Operations Forces (SOF). DDSs can transport, deploy,
and recover SOF teams from Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts (CRRCs) or SEAL
Delivery Vehicles (SDVs), all while remaining submerged. In an era of
littoral warfare, this capability substantially enhances the combat
flexibility of both the submarine and SOF personnel.
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