Life on Submarines (uniforms, officers, civilian, benefit)
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Are you guys allowed to have a DVD player and DVD collection at your bunk?
What other types of entertainment are provided and/or permitted on board?
Thanks!
Is life on a sub boring? Like endless routine drills and then waiting for something to happen which eventually doesn't happen. Or do every submariner have such much work that boredom isn't an issue?
How do you keep yourself physically fit? Obviously it's very cramped so you can't go running back and forth. Are pushups and similar exercises the only option?
Your first paragraph contradicts your 2nd paragraph .
In the 1st paragraph you state that when in port..........." it is generally like a 9-5 job"
In the 2nd paragraph you state......"when the boat is in port it is long hours and constant work "
Which one is it ?
Yes, what he said above.
I should have been more clear; when the boat is in port, both crews are working on it and it is long hours of maintenance and duty. After the boat leaves, the crew that stays in port has it pretty much 9-5 type work.
Are you guys allowed to have a DVD player and DVD collection at your bunk?
What other types of entertainment are provided and/or permitted on board?
Thanks!
Yes, I was on it just as laptops were getting popular/affordable, and people had those little TV/DVD all-in-one things they would play. If you can fit it, you can bring it (with exceptions like guns and stuff). But the room runs out quick, but if you have the hook up, you can find room elsewhere. People even brought bicycles on board and stored them so they can ride around Hawaii.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariete
Is life on a sub boring? Like endless routine drills and then waiting for something to happen which eventually doesn't happen. Or do every submariner have such much work that boredom isn't an issue?
How do you keep yourself physically fit? Obviously it's very cramped so you can't go running back and forth. Are pushups and similar exercises the only option?
Well, I would not say "boring", but "routine". Difference being there is not the sense of being bored, like they annoying feeling of it, but it is routine, and it is by design for it to be routine because that creates the best proficiency.
It is a lot of work, especially for the new people out of their schools because they have to qualify all of the watch stations. I will say that after about two years, thigns settle down and it is not too bad aside from the normal work.
There is room for exercise, we had two treadmills and two stationary bicycles, and some free weight, plus can do pull ups and stuff.
So a typical day at sea for me would be wake up at 0430 and exercise. Clean up and eat at 0600. Start work at 0630. They run drills in the morning so you are already awake for that. Get off at 1130, eat, then do some maintenance if needed, sleep, watch movie, laundry, or whatever. Training once a week in the afternoons. The next time I would need to work is at 2330. Rinse and repeat for 80 days.
Well, I would not say "boring", but "routine". Difference being there is not the sense of being bored, like they annoying feeling of it, but it is routine, and it is by design for it to be routine because that creates the best proficiency.
It is a lot of work, especially for the new people out of their schools because they have to qualify all of the watch stations. I will say that after about two years, thigns settle down and it is not too bad aside from the normal work.
There is room for exercise, we had two treadmills and two stationary bicycles, and some free weight, plus can do pull ups and stuff.
So a typical day at sea for me would be wake up at 0430 and exercise. Clean up and eat at 0600. Start work at 0630. They run drills in the morning so you are already awake for that. Get off at 1130, eat, then do some maintenance if needed, sleep, watch movie, laundry, or whatever. Training once a week in the afternoons. The next time I would need to work is at 2330. Rinse and repeat for 80 days.
I was in the sub service but older diesel boats then nuclear fast attack. The longest we ever spent at sea was during spy runs which would last 45 to 60 days. The longest I was ever at sea was for 60 days. I always thought I would go nutso on a boomer. Sneaking around, no where to go, no ports of call, same thing over and over, etc. At least fast attack often pulled into ports so I got to see a lot of places. Even on a hush-hush spy run we would often hit a foreign port or two on the way in. One the run was over we wanted to go home ASAP.
Friend of my daughters just shipped out to work on a fast attack sub. He said he would basically be out of communication for 90 days. Funny thing is he had never been on a boat before (despite the fact we live on an island). His training was someplace with no water, I forget where. Then off to a submarine. Never even touched a boat of any kind. I though that was odd. But then there are kid on our island who do not know how to swim, which is very odd too.
He had no idea where he would be going and he said the 90 days was not guaranteed, it could be made longer with no notice.
Basic training drilled the sense of humor and sense of adventure out of him. He did not laugh at "24 guys go out in a sub and in 3 months 12 couples return." Also he was not amused by my efforts to convince him to hijack the sub, drive up the st Laurence seaway and give us rides. I explained an army guy in San Diego hijacked a tank and went for a ride up the 405, how is a sub on the St Laurence Seaway any different? All he said was he was not qualified to operate a submarine since he is only an electrician. Come on kid, you can drive a car, how much harder can it be to drive a submarine?
It will be interesting to hear what he thinks of the whole thing when he comes back. Having never been on a boat before, being underwater for three months might be kinda nerve wracking. Maybe he will show up at our neighbors dock after all.
Are you guys allowed to have a DVD player and DVD collection at your bunk?
What other types of entertainment are provided and/or permitted on board?
Thanks!
I had a high school buddy who ended up joining the navy. I don't know if he later got put onto a sub, or otherwise a larger ship. Suffice to say, he knew he had to be mobile, move around a lot, and wouldn't have much space to work with, so he got a large box that would fit everything he needed. A laptop was part of that, but I'd imagine you'd want to go pure digital for as much stuff as you can.
I don't think knowing how to swim would benefit a sailor on a submarine much.
Priceless observation!
But I gotta ask the submariners: Is it still a lot of work to get qualified?
I know it use to be because (caution; navy lingo follows) I went to ET"B" school at TI with a bunch of bubbleads in '66. All of them had been through Mare Island and been interrogated by Hymie himself. The stories were great, and every single one of the nukes were great guys.
Back then they made prospective submariners ascend up through a silo like device which simulated escaping from a sub. Anyway, no one got out of boot camp who could not swim.
In 1970 my brother was a civilian support crewmember the DSRV-1 Mystic back when it was operational. No swimming required for that - the DSRV was a rescue vehicle that could attach to a disabled sub and get the+ crew out without them getting wet... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSRV-1_Mystic
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