# submarine crew **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868 "2003-11-12T18:41:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [November 13, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/21 "2003-11-13T18:46:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ale \* > \*\*How about Nitrogen?, is it recycled or replenished? \*\* The nitrogen in the ship’s atmosphere is essentially inert. It is ignored. It is changed out (along with the rest of the ship’s atmosphere) when you ventilate or run the diesel. BTW, the “burners” on board are actually known as the CO-H[sub]2[/sub] burners. They oxidize any hydrogen on board (generally produced when charging the battery) to water, and any carbon monoxide on board (produced by the mess specialists burning the chow, for example) to carbon dioxide. There is a fancy piece of equipment known as the Central Atmospheric Monitoring System (CAMS) that is used to keep track of the various constituents of the ship’s atmosphere, as well as the pressure. ---
**Author:** ![AZRob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azrob/32/3003_2.png) [@AZRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZRob)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/22 "2003-11-13T18:56:47Z")
BF, robby, Wheel, et. al. – thanks! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\*I figured it was something along those lines, but I refuse to let a little common sense get in the way of a perfectly good joke! \*\* Gorsnak, that’s a wonderful life philosophy (and would make a great sig. line).😃 Rob ---
**Author:** ![AZRob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azrob/32/3003_2.png) [@AZRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZRob)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/23 "2003-11-13T19:02:25Z")
BF, robby, Wheel, et. al. – thanks! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\*I figured it was something along those lines, but I refuse to let a little common sense get in the way of a perfectly good joke! \*\* Gorsnak, that’s a wonderful life philosophy (and would make a great sig. line).😃 Rob ---
**Author:** ![AZRob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azrob/32/3003_2.png) [@AZRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZRob)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/24 "2003-11-13T19:08:11Z")
BF, robby, Wheel, et. al. – thanks! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\*I figured it was something along those lines, but I refuse to let a little common sense get in the way of a perfectly good joke! \*\* Gorsnak, that’s a wonderful life philosophy (and would make a great sig. line).😃 Rob ---
**Author:** ![AZRob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azrob/32/3003_2.png) [@AZRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZRob)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/25 "2003-11-13T19:14:47Z")
BF, robby, Wheel, et. al. – thanks! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\*I figured it was something along those lines, but I refuse to let a little common sense get in the way of a perfectly good joke! \*\* Gorsnak, that’s a wonderful life philosophy (and would make a great sig. line).😃 Rob ---
**Author:** ![Redsland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@Redsland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redsland)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/26 "2003-11-13T19:33:21Z")
Does anyone have any suggestions regarding Gorsnak’s sig line? 😃 Welcome AzRob! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/27 "2003-11-13T23:16:43Z")
OK then. someone mentioned windows in a sub… well why the hell not? Yeah yeah yeah, sea pressure and all that. But assuming a window (or series of windows) could be installed that have the same depth and pressure tolerances as the steel (?) hull, would they be beneficial at all? Let’s say there’s an enemy sub nearby that’s gone silent and can’t be found by traditional means like sonar or radar (remember, I’m non-military and have NO idea what I’m talking about, so forgive any errors 'cuz I got all this from movies…heh). Anyway, in that case it’d be a simple matter of looking out the window at the big sunken blimp in front of you, eh? So are windows currently out simply due to pressure requirements? (And let’s not limit it to breakable glass… maybe plexiglass?) Is it that hard to build something transparent that can handle those extremes? Or are there other reasons – like even if they COULD be put in, you really don’t need them? ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/28 "2003-11-14T00:16:55Z")
For windows (and their surrounding materials) it would be quite impractical. One, Hy80 and Hy100 steel, with which modern fast attack boats are made out of, are flexible. Plexiglas at that thickness (IIRC) does not have the same flexibility. Two, “turbidity”, ie, junk floating in the water, and at what depth, will prevent anyone from seeing anything at X feet of water. At 400 feet plus, you’d need very high candle watt power to see something substantial at say 200 feet away. And depending on the sea (the Indian Ocean, say, or the Med or Bermuda) you can theoritically see forever, but how far can you really see? With modern sonar, close range survelliance is less than 2000 yds. With the size and maneuverability of modern fast attack boats, less than 2K yds means disabling your torpedo’s fail safes in order for them to detonate within that envelope. Even though it is fiction I highly recommend watching “The Hunt for Red October” for a pretty good dramatization of what the US and the USSR was doing from the '60’s until the early '90’s. ---
**Author:** ![wnorthr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@wnorthr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wnorthr)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/29 "2003-11-14T01:22:56Z")
We had an outboard motor on our boat. I’m not kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Ring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ring)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/30 "2003-11-14T01:28:58Z")
Why is anyone willing to serve on a submarine? I mean you’re like locked in a tin can for what 30 days or so. No sun, no moon, no wind (the good kind), no view…nothing. Seems like claustrophobia city. Maybe with a nice big window like they have on the Enterprise, but otherwise why would anyone do it? ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/31 "2003-11-14T01:31:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BF \* > \*\*For windows (and their surrounding materials) it would be quite impractical. > > One, Hy80 and Hy100 steel, with which modern fast attack boats are made out of, are flexible. Plexiglas at that thickness (IIRC) does not have the same flexibility. Transparent aluminium anyone? Meanwhile, what’s the difference between a fast attack boat and a slow attack boat? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/32 "2003-11-14T02:34:00Z")
Of the 135 crew, one man is assigned to patch the holes in the screen door. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/33 "2003-11-14T03:31:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ring \* > \*\*Why is anyone willing to serve on a submarine? I mean you’re like locked in a tin can for what 30 days or so. No sun, no moon, no wind (the good kind), no view…nothing. Seems like claustrophobia city. Maybe with a nice big window like they have on the Enterprise, but otherwise why would anyone do it? \*\* Try up to six months at a time. Sub sailors get paid more, don’t have to live on board, and advance faster. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/34 "2003-11-14T04:42:29Z")
Well, there are some geeks who don’t see the sun for weeks at a time if they don’t have too. There are a lot of benefits to be a submariner. (Which is why I plan on being one when I complete ROTC.) ---
**Author:** ![Titan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Titan2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Titan2)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/35 "2003-11-14T06:17:19Z")
One of the drawbacks to those submariners has to be the"nowhere to get away from the fart" like in an elevator,but one most don’t think of is one an old friend of mine had the misfortune to encounter.He was (guess still is) on the \*\* Thresher. \*\*. I never knew his fascination for it either ---
**Author:** ![swansont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@swansont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swansont)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/36 "2003-11-14T12:05:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by boofy\_bloke \* > Meanwhile, what’s the difference between a fast attack boat and a slow attack boat? I realize this query is likely tongue-in-cheek, but the two main types of subs are fast attacks and boomers (missile boats) ---
**Author:** ![swansont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@swansont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swansont)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/37 "2003-11-14T12:10:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ring \* > Why is anyone willing to serve on a submarine? I mean you’re like locked in a tin can for what 30 days or so. No sun, no moon, no wind (the good kind), no view…nothing. Seems like claustrophobia city. Maybe with a nice big window like they have on the Enterprise, but otherwise why would anyone do it? I think it helps if you are insane. I worked with a number of sumbariners when I taught at Nuke school for the navy. They were definitely “a breed apart.” I had/have a lot of respect for them. I couldn’t get past the claustrophobia part, myself. My day-trip on a sub didn’t leave me with any kind of urge to do it as a career. ---
**Author:** ![grump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@grump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grump)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/38 "2003-11-14T12:21:47Z")
I don’t get the whole “claustrophobia” thing most people have against submarines. Jet airliners are much more crowded and cramped than a modern nuclear submarine is. I don’t like tight spaces, but I had no problem onboard a LA-class sub. And I’m not “insane”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/39 "2003-11-14T13:49:40Z")
To reply to some of the posts above. [ul] [li] The submarine service is an “elite” service. Everyone is a volunteer, and everyone has to qualify on the boat in order to stay there.[/li] [li] Like **Lunasea** wrote, the pays better, the chows better, when in port you live in pretty decent barracks, and advancement is faster.[/li] [li] There are a number of screening processes done throughout sub school, etc., so someone who’s claustrophobic will get weeded out quickly.[/li] [li] Fast attack boats have a chaotic schedule. One year we spent over 290 days at sea.[/li] [li] Boomers have strict schedules, 90 days at sea, 90 days in port (for the crews).[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868/40 "2003-11-14T23:40:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wnorthr \* > \*\*We had an outboard motor on our boat. I’m not kidding. \*\* And it’s called the Emergency Propulsion Motor (EPM), defined [here](http://www.navicp.navy.mil/84/842/iwst/t05sys.htm) WE2 - Emergency and Secondary Propulsion Systems The Emergency Propulsion Motor is used when the main propulsion system fails. The Secondary Propulsion motor is normally used to maneuver when the submarine is in port, but can be used in emergencies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/submarine-crew/212868.md?page=3)