# Crew's quarters in today's (US) Navy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857 "2020-04-29T23:41:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/21 "2020-04-30T14:10:17Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I find it somehow kind of sad that all the lockers have those huge-ass locks on them (hence the name). Even members of a tight military crew can’t trust that they aren’t robbing each other. There’s only one thief. Everyone else is just trying to get their shit back. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/22 "2020-04-30T15:50:36Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > [Perhaps this will help?](https://ibb.co/WDTTt2t) That does help - a lot. Thanks. I didn’t see the step by the sailor’s knee and thought the step above that one (on the next bunk up) was a handle. I wouldn’t call the steps “curvy” but the OP might (where is the OP). I thought the gray curvy thing he was thinking of was the seam that runs along the edge of the mattress (the sailor’s knee is almost touching it). ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/23 "2020-04-30T17:36:45Z")
That’s ONE of the reasons I didn’t join the Navy. I don’t think I could tolerate that. > [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > There are a number of good YouTube videos showing living conditions aboard a Navy ship. I wanted to bring to everyone’s attention [Tis 1952 film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RHcz1KS7F8) showing how bad conditions once were. What you are seeing nowadays is big improvement. The only amphibious ship I was aboard, troop berthing still looked very much like the racks at about 4:00 of that video. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/24 "2020-04-30T18:11:58Z")
Maybe they should look on the bright side… at least they’re not hot-racking like they often do on attack submarines. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/25 "2020-04-30T19:57:23Z")
Those bunks look exactly like they did when I was on the Nimitz in the 80’s, with the exception of what appears to be a little inspection port on the side by the lock. And if folks haven’t figured it out yet, the photo in the OP cut off the third tier, making it appear as if they are just double bunks, when in fact they are three high. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I find it somehow kind of sad that all the lockers have those huge-ass locks on them (hence the name). Even members of a tight military crew can’t trust that they aren’t robbing each other. On our ship there were 6,300 guys–total strangers who had the run of the ship. During the day, if you had a clipboard, you could walk through anyone’s sleeping area without as much as causing a raised eyebrow. Therefore it shouldn’t be surprising we had locks on our stuff. Most high schools are much smaller than that and still have locks on everyone’s stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/26 "2020-04-30T20:55:37Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > There are a number of good YouTube videos showing living conditions aboard a Navy ship. I wanted to bring to everyone’s attention [Tis 1952 film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RHcz1KS7F8) showing how bad conditions once were. What you are seeing nowadays is big improvement. And WWII era (almost USN ships a/o 1952) USN crew accommodation was criticized by the Royal Navy design establishment in their internal analyses as unnecessarily lavish. The space requirements and cost subtracted excessively from the combat capability of the ships in their view. RN crews of Lend-Lease US built warships liked the accommodations though. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/27 "2020-04-30T21:03:43Z")
I visited the WW 2 battleship USS NC, it’s a museum ship now. There were some places where the bunks were stacked 5 high. And the bunks were not much better than a hammock. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/28 "2020-04-30T21:35:41Z")
I am 90% sure the “gray curvy things” he’s talking about are the SHADOWS cast by the bunks. If he’s using a phone to look at the picture, they could conceivably look like hammocks hanging down. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/29 "2020-04-30T23:43:27Z")
Thanks for everyone’s replies. Appreciated as always. Turns out I didn’t see or describe things clearly. The grey curvy things are the design/pattern on the side of the mattress but seen in shadow (as noted by **Bear\_Nenno** ). I was convincing myself that no mattress could be so thin (especially if to be used on top of a hard surface) except in a jail. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/30 "2020-04-30T23:51:16Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > That does help - a lot. Thanks. I didn’t see the step by the sailor’s knee and thought the step above that one (on the next bunk up) was a handle. > > I wouldn’t call the steps “curvy” but the OP might (where is the OP). > > I thought the gray curvy thing he was thinking of was the seam that runs along the edge of the mattress (the sailor’s knee is almost touching it). The one by the knee is not a step (although it could be used as one). Instead it is the handle used to open the lid of the storage locker under the mattress. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/31 "2020-05-01T00:25:13Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I was convincing myself that no mattress could be so thin (especially if to be used on top of a hard surface) except in a jail. The military can be pretty Spartan. Prisoners get more space than this in the US. Military personnel often have to make do with amenities which are worse than those provided to prisoners. Also, sailors may add an air mattress on top. They’re likely tired enough that they don’t mind all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/32 "2020-05-01T01:07:19Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I was convincing myself that no mattress could be so thin (especially if to be used on top of a hard surface) except in a jail. > [@MicahelEmouse](#): > > The military can be pretty Spartan. Prisoners get more space than this in the US. Military personnel often have to make do with amenities which are worse than those provided to prisoners. > > Also, sailors may add an air mattress on top. They’re likely tired enough that they don’t mind all that much. I was once at a military school where they got sick of replacing mattresses, so they just used a sheet of 1/2" plywood, instead. We slept on regular metal beds [url=[Military Metal Bunk Beds | Round Tube frame](https://www.armynavyoutdoors.com/military-metal-bunk-bed-set-36-x-75-w-mattress/)]exactly like these[/urll, but instead of mattresses, we just had the plywood. Honestly, after a couple days of being out in the woods, we were always glad to get back on our plywood to sleep. With such niceties as A/C, a roof, and plumbing, the plywood might as well have been a cloud. Also, we didn’t have anything to add to the top of them except our sleeping bag. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/33 "2020-05-01T01:27:48Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > I was once at a military school where they got sick of replacing mattresses, so they just used a sheet of 1/2" plywood, instead. We slept on regular metal beds [url=[Military Metal Bunk Beds | Round Tube frame](https://www.armynavyoutdoors.com/military-metal-bunk-bed-set-36-x-75-w-mattress/)]exactly like these[/urll, but instead of mattresses, we just had the plywood. Honestly, after a couple days of being out in the woods, we were always glad to get back on our plywood to sleep. With such niceties as A/C, a roof, and plumbing, the plywood might as well have been a cloud. Also, we didn’t have anything to add to the top of them except our sleeping bag. Good times. Yeah, deprivation will make you appreciate small things. Indoor plumbing is particularly easy to appreciate if you’ve been missing it. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/34 "2020-05-03T16:23:36Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > The grey curvy things are the design/pattern on the side of the mattress but seen in shadow (as noted by **Bear\_Nenno** ). I was convincing myself that no mattress could be so thin (especially if to be used on top of a hard surface) except in a jail. > [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > I was once at a military school where they got sick of replacing mattresses, so they just used a sheet of 1/2" plywood, instead. We slept on regular metal beds [url=[Military Metal Bunk Beds | Round Tube frame](https://www.armynavyoutdoors.com/military-metal-bunk-bed-set-36-x-75-w-mattress/)]exactly like these[/urll, but instead of mattresses, we just had the plywood. Honestly, after a couple days of being out in the woods, we were always glad to get back on our plywood to sleep. With such niceties as A/C, a roof, and plumbing, the plywood might as well have been a cloud. Also, we didn’t have anything to add to the top of them except our sleeping bag. Good times. The natural history museum I volunteered at until recent events was the municipal building for Mesa until 1975. One of the exhibits there – not really fitting the museum’s mission any more – is the jail. The hardware was installed in a state prison about 1900, bought cheap and moved to Mesa about 1935 where it was used until the closure. There are two to four bunks per cell, which vary in size, and they are simply a sheet metal shelf. The information sign mentions that they were not furnished with mattresses or even a blanket. The inmates had a habit off setting them on fire. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/35 "2020-05-03T22:44:48Z")
[This](https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Cabin.jpg)is described as a "Junior Rates cabin on HMS Queen Elizabeth. They do okay on a Type 45 Destroyer too: [https://i.redd.it/0fpuzhk4nrq41.jpg](https://i.redd.it/0fpuzhk4nrq41.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/36 "2020-05-04T00:56:07Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > [This](https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Cabin.jpg)is described as a "Junior Rates cabin on HMS Queen Elizabeth. > > They do okay on a Type 45 Destroyer too: [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://i.redd.it/0fpuzhk4nrq41.jpg) The cabin in the first pic looks rather ‘lived in’. Maybe I’ve watched too many movies set in boot camps, but I thought quarters had to be tidy, if not immaculate. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/37 "2020-05-04T01:51:22Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > The cabin in the first pic looks rather ‘lived in’. Maybe I’ve watched too many movies set in boot camps, but I thought quarters had to be tidy, if not immaculate. Initial training tends to be more nitpicky than operations. As an example, when I was taught to drill, I was instructed to raise my arms 90 degrees. The way it works out is that after a while, everyone’s arms go to 45 degrees. Knowing people have a tendency to slack so you take that into account when showing how to do it for the first time. Also, there’s lots to do on a ship that’s more pressing than making sleeping rooms bootcamp-level neat. Someone who’s been on a military ship may correct/confirm: I’m guessing that when there’s slack in operations or it starts to get a little embarrassing, then NCOs must tighten the crew’s screw a little to make everyone understand it’s time to shape up. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/38 "2020-05-04T03:05:07Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > It looks like the TR has the same basic berthing setup that my much old Ranger did in the 80s. It was cramped, it was tight. Finding extra places to store stuff was a big deal for those of us that lived on the ship. > > The metal racks are 3 high. Middle rack was the worst. Bottom got a nice coffin locker that made it easy to organize your meager possessions. Top rack meant you could sit up and often had some rafter space to store things. E-Div was 117 bunks if I remember correctly. We got a a large locker or coffin locker and a narrow locket suitable for hanging up our dress uniforms. I’m pretty much the opposite. I preferred middle rack, because it is at waist level, meaning: 1. Doesn’t require one to climb into it (it’s just an easy pivot about the center of mass). 2. The locker area beneath the mattress is waist level, so you can open it up and get your gear without having to stand on your toes or bend over/squat down on the deck. 3. As with the bottom rack, being a “coffin” rack allows it to get much darker. The top, or “pan” racks are open at the top and may not be possible to get totally dark, even at nigh, because there will often be some amount of lighting from the head (toilet) area or from red lights to allow crew members with night watches to enter and exist safely. For all of the above reasons, I preferred middle and hated top. > [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Nice. I thought it was usually off limits except for certain days or special events. I’ve only talked to a few people, but they made it seem like they were never able to get above deck. Maybe it just depends on what shift a person works? Like if your particular shift means that your free time is during the 12 hours of aircraft OPs, you won’t get up there much. Or maybe they just wanted to make it seem worse than it was? Thanks for the info. Aircraft carriers are, ironically, the hardest ships to “get outside” on because you will typically not be allowed topside at night regardless (though how strictly or even if this is enforced on smaller ships varies) and in daytime (and possibly night time as well, but that’s already covered for previously stated reasons) a carrier will most often have the flight deck secured for flight operations. It’s a big deck with lots of space, but that’s so it can launch and recover aircraft. Think of it as an active runway. Anyway, living conditions on a ship are the absolute worst. I’d sooner go back to Iraq (admittedly I wouldn’t be the sort of person they’d have kicking in doors or going on foot patrols) than to another ship based on living conditions alone. Put me in a hole in the ground before you put me on a US Navy warship (I served on four of them, ranging in size from an aircraft carrier down to a 224-foot mine countermeasures ship). ETA: It is so nice to be able to complain about the Navy every now and then. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/39 "2020-05-04T05:36:54Z")
In case the question wasn’t answered, Navy mattresses are about 3-4 inches thick. ETA: This unofficial [reference](http://www.personal.psu.edu/tbh11/navy/manual/rack.html) says that “Navy enlisted mattresses come in three sizes: 72-1/2 x26x3, 76x26x3 & 80x26x3 inches. Submarine crews get thicker mattresses: 73x24x4-1/2 or 76x24x4-1/2 inches.” FWIW, I was on a submarine, and the mattresses for all crewmembers were the same thickness. We also didn’t bother locking our coffin lockers. God help anyone who stole from their shipmates. At sea, it’s not like a thief could easily hide anything stolen, and if they were ever caught, they were very liable to have an accident (like repeatedly falling down a ladder). Agree that middle rack is the best. For the top rack, you had to climb up to get into it, and it was also more difficult to access your coffin locker. For the bottom rack, it was like sleeping on the floor, and you had to squat down to access your locker. Storage was always an issue – I used to always have books and manuals wedged all around the sides of my mattress in my rack. At least I never had to “hot rack,” which is common practice on submarines for junior enlisted personnel due to lack of berthing space. The way it works is that three sailors in different watch sections share two racks. Submarines have three watches, so one of the three sailors is always on duty. The other two can sleep. The downside is you either sleep in someone else’s funk, or change the sheets every time you hit the rack. Another common practice on submarines it to strap temporary racks (including a mattress) on the top of the torpedoes in the torpedo room. > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > …Aircraft carriers are, ironically, the hardest ships to “get outside” on… Actually, I would argue that submarines are the hardest ships to “get outside” on, at least when they’re submerged (which is most of the time when at sea). 😉 When we were at periscope depth, I’d sometimes get a sailor asking to look through the scope for some “periscope liberty,” just for the chance to see the sky. > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > ETA: It is so nice to be able to complain about the Navy every now and then. Ditto. Brings back old memories. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857/40 "2020-05-04T07:00:28Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Actually, I would argue that submarines are the hardest ships to “get outside” on, at least when they’re submerged (which is most of the time when at sea). 😉 One would colloquially refer to a submarine as a… “boat” no? But then aviators have a nasty habit of referring to carriers as “boats,” too, so I guess it’s a wash. Stupid brown shoes… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crews-quarters-in-todays-us-navy/852857.md?page=3)