Why the red light

[AndreasT]

What I have always wondered is in movies and stories whenever an attack takes place the red lighting gets switched on.
Why?
Is this done in real life?

[Sailor Steve]

Surface ships always use red lights at night. White light blinds you to pretty much everything in the dark. Red light makes it much easier to see out and quicker for your eyes to adjust. Also it makes it easier for the interior to be dark but let the crew still see when they need to get from quarters to stations.

In a submarine there's not much need to dim the lights at night, except for the crew to sleep better because it's darker. When preparing for an attack the captain needs the lower lighting to help when he's looking out the periscope at night. If conducting a surface attack the bridge crew need to already be adjusted to the darkness, plus they want to keep the hatch open for emergencies, and the dim red light doesn't make a glow that the enemy can see.

[Buddahaid]

I thought there was also something about the longer wave light that made it visible for shorter distances at night. I just woke up and that's what I remember reading somewhere years ago.

[ETR3(SS)]

On a nuclear submarine the control room lights get turned off completely when going to periscope depth at night. Only faint lights from indicator panels illuminate the control room.

In the sonar room there is white lighting but only the blue lighting is used when sonar is manned. Reason being for this is it helps to contrast the green light being emitted from the CRT screens.

As for berthing areas those are kept dark with usually a single red light to provide enough light to see into your rackpan or locker.