Submarines
By ClosetBrony87

Submarines are submersible ships. They can submerge underwater through the use of ballast tanks, and are propelled by a propeller. The ship is powered either by a diesel engine or a nuclear reactor. All United States submarines are nuclear powered.

In this article, I will be talking about United States Navy submarines unless otherwise noted.

There are two basic types of USN submarines – fast attack and ballistic missile. Fast attack submarines, or SSN’s, are smaller and faster, and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reconnaissance and battle group support. Ballistic missile submarines, or SSBN’s, carry a payload of Triton nuclear missiles, which can be launched from the submarine when the need arises.

Life on a submarine

A submariner’s typical schedule depends very much on the type of submarine they’re on. On an SSBN, the schedule is very regulated and predefined. The submarine will go out to sea, typically for three months, return to port, resupply, and trade off crews. The new crew will then immediately go back out to sea while the offgoing crew will enjoy vacation (or leave) and training.

On an SSN, it is much more unpredictable. The submarine can go out to sea at a moment’s notice, spending anywhere from a week to several months at sea. About every two years, a deployment will happen. This lasts for six to nine months, and the submarine goes far away from home, usually stopping at foreign countries for supplies and rest. (This is the main advantage of serving on an SSN. On a ballistic missile submarine, foreign port stops are very rare.)

While at port, an average work day lasts eight to twelve hours, depending on the sailor’s rate, or job. For example, a sonar technician will often go home soon after lunch, while it is not unusual for an electrician to stay well past dinner. In addition to these work days done every Monday through Friday, duty days are also served. These happen once every three to five days (more often for new sailors). On duty days, you spend the entire twenty four hours on board, ensuring all systems are working normally and guarding the submarine.

While at sea, everybody has to work their ass off. Days at seas don’t last twenty four hours, but eighteen hours. The first twelve hours are spend standing watch (that is, operating the ship’s equipment), and doing maintenance. The next six hours are spent sleeping (unless there’s drills or vital maintenance to be done). However, most people don’t understand how incredibly tiring it is to work on an eighteen hour schedule. You usually don’t get the full six hours, because most people choose to eat or shower as well. You also have to do your laundry during this time once a week (which takes two hours during which you have to stay awake watching the washer and dryer).

Speaking of sleep, a lot of people are curious about submarine beds (or racks). They are famously cramped. They measure about 6 ½ by 2 ½ feet, and there is about a foot between the top of your mattress and the bottom of the rack above you. Here is a picture of my rack when I served –

Submarine Rates

There are several different rates that serve aboard a submarine. They are separated into two groups, colloquially called “nukes” and “cones”. Nukes serve in the engine room, and are nuclear-qualified. This requires going to nuclear school, a very academically intensive military school that lasts around a year and a half. The cones serves in the “forward end compartment”, and have to go to submarine school (this last three months). Each rate has a very specific job to do as outlined below –

Cones –

A-Gang
Works on miscellaneous mechanical equipment, including the diesel engine, various atmospheric control equipment, and most famously, the plumbing.

Sonar Techs
Works on the sonar, and monitors sonar when out to see. Their screens are about as decipherable as the Matrix code.

Nav-ET’s
Navigate and do maintenance on the navigation equipment.

Yeoman
They do paperwork. Yeah, that’s about it.

Fire Control Technicians
They work on and operate the computers that launch the torpedos and tomahawk missiles.

Torpedomen
Works on the physical part of the weapon systems. They work in the torpedo room, where the torpedos and launchers are located. They also sleep down there on top of the torpedos. Seems safe.

Radiomen
Send and receive secret messages. They work in the radio room. This is a super-secret room that only radiomen and officers are allowed to go into when they’re doing stuff. I’ve been in there once. It didn’t seem that secret.

Cooks
They cook stuff. Some of them even do it well.

Logistics Specialists
They work in the supply shack and keep track of all the spare parts and such.

LAN Div
Work on the computer network. Usually consists of only one or two guys who are technically Nav-ET's.

Missile Technician
These guys are only in SSBN’s. They babysit the nuclear missiles. With batons.

Doc
This is the doc. You can't call him the doctor, because he doesn't have a medical degree. He's typically an E-6 or E-7 who receives special training. Everybody respects the doc, because there's only one, and he's the one who takes care of you when you get battery acid splashed in your eye (it wasn't my fault!)

Nukes –

Electricians
This was my rate. They operate the electrical generation and distribution system. They also do maintenance on these things, as well as every electrical thing on the ship not under someone else’s control. Yeah, like the stove and the lights. They don’t get a lot of sleep.

Nuke-ET’s
They do maintenance on the reactor control and instrumentation systems. They also operate the reactor. It’s not as interesting as it sounds.

Mechanics
Operate the hydraulic and other mechanical systems in the engine room.

ELT’s
Monitor the chemistry in the reactor plant. Also measure radiation and are in charge of radioactive contamination.

Officers and Chiefs –

All officers must go to nuclear and submarine school. There are usually about a dozen on the submarine, and there is an officer in charge of every division.

Cheifs are enlisted personnel of E-7 or above. There is usually a chief in every division as well. They are, on average, much more experienced than their respective officers.

Both officers and chief have their own separate bunk rooms and bathrooms from the rest of the crew, as well as their own breakrooms.

Qualifying

All in all, life on a submarine is pretty miserable. When you’re new, it’s demanded that you learn as much as possible, cramming vast stores of information into your sleep-deprived brain so that more experienced submariners can laugh and/or yell at you for your lack of knowledge later. This is called qualifying and you need to do it in order to operate the equipment while watch standing. Qualifying can take anywhere from a few months to over a year, depending on your rate. While you are unqualified, you are designated a “nub”, and are not allowed to do anything that isn’t work related at all. Once you are qualified, you tend to hate nubs, because since they aren’t qualified, there is no one who can relieve you on watch, meaning you have to work more and don’t have time to do anything other than work.

There is a thing called “submarine qualified”, meaning that you are given a long test about every system on the submarine (an oral test where you have to draw all your answers out on a whiteboard). Once you are done, you get “dolphins”, or an insignia you can sew onto your uniform. This is usually the last qualifications that cones go through, and is much more important for them than for nukes, who usually have another half a year of qualifying after they get their dolphins. On most subs, only those who have their dolphins are allowed to partake in entertainment, such as watching movies or playing a gameboy during off time. Some submarines go so far as to not allow nubs to do anything but read technical manuals (not even stand in line), or not allow them to have dessert before they get their dolphins.

There is a submariner saying that goes like this – “A submarine submerges with only so much happiness in it. If you want to become happier, you have to steal it from someone else.” This is called the Theory of Finite Happiness. Many take it to heart.

In conclusion

(My sub in the Suez Canal)

In conclusion, submarines suck. But there’s nothing quite like them, and at the end of the day at least you can be proud you went through so much for your country. I know there’s a lot I didn’t cover, and I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has. However, this article is already longer than a fic, so I figure I should stop somewhere.

An interesting look at life aboard a submarine, but maybe not very much about the technology - like the title suggests.

3110555

Yeah, I figured that. I plan to change the tag once one is added that's more relevant.

As far as actual technology, submarines are so ridiculously complicated I don't know how much I could really put in one article, not to mention half of it's classified, anyway.

3110618

I'll add the Naval Ships subtag.

Edit: Actually going to replace this with Life/Navy.

3111921
So do we just get to write these things?

If so, I'd like to do one for Fighter Aircraft, please.

3114156

There is a tag for that.

Technology/Aircraft

Also, go ahead and write a piece on fighter aircraft. Contribution is encouraged here in this group.

3114561
Thanks mate, anything specific you do or don't want to see in it?

Also, sorry in advance if I kind of corner the historical questions, especially WW2; kind of a big thing of mine. Force of habit, I guess.

3114561
Also, do you mind if I hold of till tomorrow to write it? I've got a massive amount of studying tonight, and I don't want to rush a writing and shove it out there with a bunch of holes and errors.

3114993

Sure, I don't have anything wrong with that.

3114156 You may find this helpful.

3115862
Thanks a lot, but I've already got the info and sources I need. The bigger problem is more of an overflow of information and how I'm going to sort it out. Between the history, the tech changes, the pilots, and other pieces, it'll probably take more than one thread to begin with. Basically I need to break up what I know into their own 'chapters' and the order those 'chapters' are going to be published.

3115344
So, did it suffice for a good opening?

And sorry if it went up at the same time the site generally broke down, or whatever happened. Bad luck again, it seems. Not the best start, but hopefully the future additions won't be as unfortunate.

3110463 Looks like I'll be getting used to this. Ship out July 28th with a rate of CSS.