The Nation - News from Sept. 4, 1985

The Navy, in a test of readiness that also served as a warning to the Soviet Union, successfully “surged” almost half of its fleet of attack submarines out of port in 24 hours earlier this year, according to congressional testimony. The exercise, involving 44 attack submarines based in the Atlantic, pushed the subs to high-alert status and sent them scrambling to sea fully armed. The exercise demonstrated that “we can do the same thing” as the Soviets, Adm. James D. Watkins, the chief of naval operations, told a House panel this spring.