RUN SILENT RUN DEEP QUESTION

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Guys
I was watching this WWII film and I noticed a large amount of crew randomly smoking below deck. Was this a common practice on American submarines in WWII?
Best wishes Peter

[BigWalleye]

Yes. Read Fluckey or O'Kane. Smoking was permitted whenever minimum safety considerations permitted, even when submerged. O'Kane talks about the air getting so foul that it was physically impossible to get a cigarette to stay lit - but the sailors kept trying anyway! You might think that this was not a good idea when pinned down by DC-dropping escorts and forced to stay deep for who knew how long. But they were willing to trade the release of tension against the extra breathable air. (Although, from what I've read, the term "breathable air" barely applies to the stuff inside a WW2 submarine, even on the surface!)

[gap]

I was watching this WWII film and I noticed a large amount of crew randomly smoking below deck. Was this a common practice on American submarines in WWII?

Probably yes, and it was still allowed until recently:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_smoking_really_allowed_on_submarines_like_in_th e_movies
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343689/US-submarines-smoking-ban-comes-force.html

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Guys
Thanks for the explanation. It's a good job it is not factored into SH4 otherwise staying submerged would be even more limited.
Best wishes Peter

[BigWalleye]

I don't know if the CO2 build-up rate is adjustable at all, If it is, I would guess that RFB uses historical data for the rate of air exhaustion ("CO2"). The RFB team tried to be as historically accurate as possible. Then smoking is probably built in. So sit back, light up a Camel, and relax!

[Sailor Steve]

Just for future reference, Subsim has a forum dedicated to movies and books about submarines and just about everything else.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/forumdisplay.php?f=186