# US Nuclear sub with all-female crew? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285 "2008-11-12T01:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/1 "2008-11-12T01:55:51Z")
Yes, it sounds fairly unlikely, but I’ve gotta ask. Yesterday at lunch, our receptionist was talking about her daughter, who had joined the Navy some time back. Supposedly the reason for the daughter joining was that she wanted to get into the submarine service. She went on to explain that since the Navy does not allow mixed-gender crews on subs, they’d designated one boat for an all-female crew. “Just one?”, I asked. “Yep.” OK, so is this true? If so, which boat? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/2 "2008-11-12T01:59:36Z")
Yep. [New Page 5](http://www.subsim.com/new_york_times_sub_article.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/3 "2008-11-12T02:04:09Z")
I read your OP and thought, “boy that sounds like BS” Then I [googled](http://www.subsim.com/new_york_times_sub_article.htm). ETA didn’t google fast enough apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/4 "2008-11-12T02:14:31Z")
Interesting. I have absolutely no problems with female submariners but how much training will the sailors have had if most of them have never been on active duty in a sub? Once the program gets running for a few years it won’t be a problem but I’d be worried about the first few tours. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/5 "2008-11-12T02:14:36Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Yep. [New Page 5](http://www.subsim.com/new_york_times_sub_article.htm) Hmm, Liberty calls are gonna be so disapointing to the girls in foreign ports. Declan ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/6 "2008-11-12T02:17:38Z")
Great, now Russia will tell the Captain she’s fat and start a global nuclear war. I went there ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/7 "2008-11-12T02:21:58Z")
Check the date of publication of that story in NYTimes. Oops, the website is “[subism.com](http://subism.com)”. It was the day after March 31st. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/8 "2008-11-12T02:36:53Z")
As I understand it, the objection to women on nuclear submarines isn’t just a matter of mixed crews (which having separate all-female subs would address), but also radiation exposure. Radiation is more likely to affect a woman’s chances of having healthy children than a man’s chances, and nuclear submarine crews are probably exposed to more rems than are surface crews. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/9 "2008-11-12T02:38:54Z")
> [@UncleBill](#): > > Check the date of publication of that story in NYTimes. Oops, the website is “[subism.com](http://subism.com)”. > > It was the day after March 31st. I would never even have looked at it , not bad for an april fools joke Declan ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/10 "2008-11-12T02:40:26Z")
Just out of curiousity, do those submarines carry their own launch codes? Or do the codes have to be transmitted to the submarine? Just wondering. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/11 "2008-11-12T02:54:05Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Yep. [New Page 5](http://www.subsim.com/new_york_times_sub_article.htm) An April Fool’s joke! Dammit. Don’t I feel like a shitheel. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/12 "2008-11-12T02:55:57Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > An April Fool’s joke! Dammit. Don’t I feel like a shitheel. Heh, I fell for it to, even after saying the story sounded like BS. Ah well, hopefully that used up my quota of dumb for the week. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/13 "2008-11-12T03:11:44Z")
What’s long and hard and full of se…_Goddamnit_! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/14 "2008-11-12T03:15:34Z")
Heh, if someone hadn’t pointed out the date I probably would have fallen for it too. They played it pretty straight up to the purported quote from the CPO saying, “Now I have to spend 60 days underwater with women? You know how long they take in the bathroom.” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/15 "2008-11-12T03:17:57Z")
The Royal Australian Navy have mixed crews on Submarines- a female friend of mine is a crewmember on one. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/16 "2008-11-12T03:24:45Z")
Damn, I hope that the article is real, but would agree that it probably isn’t. You might need to talk with your receptionist and break the news. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/17 "2008-11-12T03:25:16Z")
I thought it was a real article up until this: > [@](#): > > the Navy plans to get women into submarines and avoid mixing with \*\*seamen \*\*by making two US Virginia class subs consist of all-female crew and officers. I knew that would never make it past the editors! ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/18 "2008-11-12T03:27:05Z")
Think of the poor receptionist’s daughter who signed up for the Navy thinking this story was true. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/19 "2008-11-12T03:29:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As I understand it, the objection to women on nuclear submarines isn’t just a matter of mixed crews (which having separate all-female subs would address), but also radiation exposure. Radiation is more likely to affect a woman’s chances of having healthy children than a man’s chances, and nuclear submarine crews are probably exposed to more rems than are surface crews. Not a problem (seems they are safer from radiation on the sub than staying home) unless there is some sort of accident with the reactor but then that is a whole other world of trouble. > [@](#): > > The nuclear reactor that powers the submarine emits radiation. In order to protect the crew, the reactor compartment is shielded by steel, water tanks and polyethylene. With this protection, the crew members and the outside world are well shielded from the reactor’s harmful radiation. In fact, the crew members are actually exposed to less radiation than the general public. This is because on land there is naturally-occurring radiation, called background radiation, and water acts as a radiation shield. So when a nuclear submarine is submerged in water, the crew is actually being exposed to less radiation than what they would be exposed to on land. > > SOURCE: [http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb01/submarine.html](http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb01/submarine.html) ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285/20 "2008-11-12T04:02:41Z")
OK, so the link in the OP was an April Fool’s joke… But what about women on submarines? Are they still segregated? Were they ever segregated? Asking about the US Navy, here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-nuclear-sub-with-all-female-crew/472285.md?page=2)