# Do US Navy submarines have urinals?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 14, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164 "2012-07-14T00:58:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@moonshot925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonshot925)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/1 "2012-07-14T00:58:29Z")
How many?
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### Author:  [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/2 "2012-07-14T01:06:30Z")
Not to be too facetious, but if they didn’t would’t the bilges get pretty disgusting?
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### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/3 "2012-07-14T01:30:00Z")
I think they may only have toilets, rather than urinals.
The plumbing and valves required when deep underwater, and with significant changes in the air pressure inside the boat, make this complicated. It may be hard to do that on an open fixture like a urinal.
In addition, a urinal is a single-use, single-gender facility. A toilet, however, can be used for either peeing or pooping, and by either gender. So it might be easiest to have only toilets.
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### Author:  [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/4 "2012-07-14T02:22:18Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> In addition, a urinal is a single-use, single-gender facility. A toilet, however, can be used for either peeing or pooping, and by either gender. So it might be easiest to have only toilets.
Until very recently, there were no women on submarines. Well, US ones anyways. In fact, one of the supposed stumbling blocks to mixed gender submarines was having to divvy up the limited bathrooms. I believe that right now only female officers are allowed because the officer’s head can be temporarily converted to a ladies room without too much trouble, but too many people have to use the enlisted men’s head at the same time.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/5 "2012-07-14T04:02:09Z")
On the _Sturgeon_-class submarines I served aboard, there was one in the Engine Room, Upper Level, just forward of the maneuvering room (IIRC).
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### Author:  [@Shosy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shosy)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/6 "2012-07-14T04:29:35Z")
My friend on destroyer duty told me that at watch change that was called the sink… 😉
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/7 "2012-07-14T11:03:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> On the _Sturgeon_-class submarines I served aboard, there was one in the Engine Room, Upper Level, just forward of the maneuvering room (IIRC).
Which one were you on? mrAru was on the Spadefish.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/8 "2012-07-14T15:09:01Z")
Two, based in Pearl Harbor. The Tautog (639), and the Queenfish (651).
Both of them are giving close, comfortable shaves to somebody at the present time.
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### Author:  [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/9 "2012-07-14T15:19:19Z")
I was on the SSBN620. No urinals but a barely adequate number of toilets. The poor old John Adams is now providing razor blades as well.
Regards
Testy
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/10 "2012-07-14T16:01:43Z")
Ah =) Same with the Spadefish.
It was interesting doing dependents cruises on sturgeon and comparing it to a 688I, mrAru was on both the Miami and the San Juan.
I have to say, as a female I think I would prefer a smaller command like a sub to something huge like a carrier. You an get to know everybody on a sub, carriers have way too many people to get to know anybody outside of your division.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/11 "2012-07-15T01:54:46Z")
The OP hasn’t returned yet, but here’s what may have led to this thread: [http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/11/navys-new-gender-neutral-carriers-wont-have-urinals/](http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/11/navys-new-gender-neutral-carriers-wont-have-urinals/)
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/12 "2012-07-15T02:56:08Z")
There’s one in the middle-level head on a 688.
And that news article is right - the drain pipes on the urinals get clogged up very easily. Seemed like the urinals on my boats (I was on three) were secured more often than not.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/13 "2012-07-15T03:21:34Z")
What were you sailors peeing that they clogged so easily?
I mean I can see some seedy redneck bar bathroom where god knows what is ending up in the urinals but I would think on a USN nuclear sub weird shit (piss?) isn’t ending up in the urinal causing problems.
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### Author:  [@TurboNuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TurboNuke)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/14 "2012-07-15T04:30:12Z")
Seawater is used to flush them. There seems to be a reaction between urine and seawater because they always seemed to have a ton of build up on them.
Lower level berthing had the one toilet I think, no urinal. And forward berthing had a urinal. I dont remember about the Chiefs or Officers. Didnt they have a foot valve for flushing? 688 btw.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/15 "2012-07-15T04:33:41Z")
Ahhh, that I can believe. But you’d think sooner or later somebody would go “uhh, maybe we need to do something else?” Like flush it with dish water or laundry water or sumptin.
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### Author:  [@Shosy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shosy)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/16 "2012-07-15T04:37:24Z")
> [@TurboNuke](#):
>
> Seawater is used to flush them. There seems to be a reaction between urine and seawater because they always seemed to have a ton of build up on them.
>
> Lower level berthing had the one toilet I think, no urinal. And forward berthing had a urinal. I dont remember about the Chiefs or Officers. Didnt they have a foot valve for flushing? 688 btw.
I have some experience with sea water flushed toilets…I always just chalked it up to the fact that..well sea water is alive with life…
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/17 "2012-07-15T04:42:57Z")
Ohh, I should throw in this disclaimer. Due to my username/number one COULD argue that I might be a submariner. As God as my witness that IS NOT the case (that and I thought turkeys could fly). My username has nothing to do with that. Its just a funny coincidence. Though, ironically, there were a couple of times in my life were I might have ended up working on/in a nuclear powered tube moving about in the oceans of the world.
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### Author:  [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/18 "2012-07-15T08:01:53Z")
Those subs are giving close shaves? What does that mean?
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### Author:  [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/19 "2012-07-15T08:38:02Z")
All I know is that French subs have bidets.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2012, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-navy-submarines-have-urinals/628164/20 "2012-07-15T09:12:40Z")
> [@FuzzyOgre](#):
>
> Those subs are giving close shaves? What does that mean?
It means that the have been decommissioned and scrapped and the metal has been reused to make some more useful items such as razor blades.
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