RL Submariners

[LoBlo]

More questions for the RL submariners!

Question #1: On each of the various classes (SW, Los Angeles, etc), how many of the crew had to hot-bunk? And how was it decided who had to hot bunk and who got their own bunk?

Question #2: Was hot-bunking all that bad? Did people mind?

Qeustion #3: What about when special forces were aboard? On a long transit (1 + week), were those guys just sitting in their racks all day? Did they get duties (cleaning, cooking, etc)? Did they have to hotbunk too or did they get special treatment?

by the way, sorry to resurect this thread, but I always thought this thread was fasinating. I love hearing the RL skinny from those folks that have "been there and done that". Other than the fine folks on this forum, I've only met 1 other person that had been on a submarine during deployment. Hope no one minds.

[Rip]

hot-bunking varied based on whether there were riders or extra bodies on board. like midshipman, which is another reason they were usually given somewhat of a hard time. The first candidates are usually non-quals and non-rated and is often a source of some discourse when a non-rated qualified person or a rated non-qual have to be hot racked and the other not. My belief is the qualified person prevails and that is (IMHO) the usual decision. I have seen it go the other way and it caused great discourse. It usually isn't all that bad if you are rotating with someone of similar hygene and rating.

I have seen much animosity when you have let's say a sissy boy two shower a day no-load sonarman, hot racking with a greasy, non-showering, knuckledraggin ape of an a-ganger. But you know what they say. "A bitchin sailor is a happy sailor!"

[Neptunus Rex]

Originally Posted by Rip

I have seen much animosity when you have let's say a sissy boy two shower a day no-load sonarman, hot racking with a greasy, non-showering, knuckledraggin ape of an a-ganger. But you know what they say. "A bitchin sailor is a happy sailor!"

Oh, and don't forget about the ESM ET's! If your not at PD, they have NOTHING to do!

I once went into ESM when not at PD (when at PD ESM was off-limits to all but a few) and these guys were all wearing Hawai'ian shirts, paper hats and throwing paper airplanes all over the place.

[LoBlo]

That's interesting to know. Thanks. Had any experience about special forces and how they kept busy when onboard? Just curious.:hmm:

[LoBlo]

Here's another question:

What did submariners on the fast attack boats do to keep in shape? Or was it not possible at all? I heard that some boomers run around the missile silo, but on a fast attack that's not possible? Was there any excercise equipment? Chin up bars?

[Bubblehead Nuke]

We made barbells out of barstock and TDU weights. We wrapped them in foam and electrical tape so that if they got dropped they would not clank.

In the engineroom, we had designated pull up bars on various pipes. They had signage posted so you knew it was a safe place to workout without getting burned or electricuted, or create a soundshort. You could do a pushup just about anywhere you wanted to as long as it was not in a passageway. If you could hook your toes you did sit-ups where you could.

The one thing you could not do was run. Instead we had an excercise bike stashed in the mezzenine over the shaft in shaft alley. We also had a stairmaster port side aft of the main electric switchboards. It blocked a ladder access, but you could work around that.

You got creative in working out. You just adapted and figured out a way to do it.

[Frame57]

Originally Posted by LoBlo

Here's another question:

What did submariners on the fast attack boats do to keep in shape? Or was it not possible at all? I heard that some boomers run around the missile silo, but on a fast attack that's not possible? Was there any excercise equipment? Chin up bars?

On the 637 class we used to do push ups using the port and starboard torpedo racks. the center isle was spaced between those by about 3.5 feet. Depending on our weapons loadout we would strap extra aluminum racks here also, usually when we had "spooks" on board (yes, I said spooks...) Junior NFG's usually got these racks.

[Frame57]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead Nuke

I will say, when I was cranking that second time, I had all the people I needed to sign off for me cornered. They could not hide, could not say that they did not have the time. I was the night crank and they came out to watch the movies... and I had them. It was like moths to a flame. And if they didn't want to talk to me then "No popcorn for them!"

About 2 weeks into it I had all my sigs and they would not give me a board. I cornered an LT and asked when he would hold my qual board. He decided to give me a board, on the mess desk, during movie time right NOW. In fact, he turned OFF the movie and announced that he was holding a sub qual board right then and there and he needed some people for the board.

That was a rough board as just about EVERYONE who was off watch took turns tormenting me. They were not amused by the interruption of the movie. It was a bloodbath.

The board lasted THROUGH the midwatch till breakfast.

I am proud to say that my qual sheet has almost EVERYONE who was sub qual'ed sign off on it. They ALL sat my board. It was a 'beat up a nuke night'. From the XO on down, someone had a question. Heck, half the time it was get this, show me that, the whole board roved the boat looking for things to beat me up on.

I still have that qual signoff sheet. 19 years after the fact. When I wonder if I can accomplish something I pull it out and look at it. It is still one of the proudest moments of my life. I can close my eyes and 'walk' the boat in my mind, remembering all the strangest details.

Sometimes I wonder why I got out....

The nukes on both the Archerfish and the R.B. Russell never had to to crank. In my mind that worked for me because I will be quite frank here. The nukes bust their butts in many different qual aspects than the coners did. Next to the nukes only the A-div worked as hard. I remember the one question that we like to ask on a qual board was..."You are a molecule of sea water, now explain how you become carbon monoxide once inside the boat...?

[Bubblehead Nuke]

Originally Posted by Frame57

"You are a molecule of sea water, now explain how you become carbon monoxide once inside the boat...?

We would ask "You are a molecule of H20, explain how you get into the boat and out again."

This was also an intelligence and motivation test. We did not ask for any specifics. As you know, there are MANY ways to get on and off the boat as a molecule of water. We wanted to see if this prospective submariner would take the easy way or the hard way. Would he choose something related to his divisional duties/resposibility? Or would he cop out and use something real easy. Would they be creative and give you something diffrerent? (<= more on this in a later post maybe)

You could tell what kind of shipmate you had by this ONE question and see how he considered his answer.

[LoBlo]

Good stuff, good stuff. Okiedokie, here's another a couple more...

1)If you had to bring just *one* luxary item (besides pictures of family) onboard the submarine what would it have been? A picture of the sky? Extra sweets? A favorite video game?

2) Hypothetically, say you could change the design of the boat to include *one more creature comfort* for the submariners onboard without impacting the function of the boat. What would it have been? The inclusion of a exercise gym (about the size of the torpedo room)? A hot tub like the Typhoons supposedly have? A rack for every submariner so no one had to hot bunk? What would it be?

Originally Posted by Frame57

You are a molecule of sea water, now explain how you become carbon monoxide once inside the boat...?

? How can a molecule made of hydrogen and oxygen become a molecule containing carbon? There's no carbon in H20.... I think I would have failed.

[Bubblehead Nuke]

Originally Posted by LoBlo

Good stuff, good stuff. Okiedokie, here's another a couple more...

1)If you had to bring just *one* luxary item (besides pictures of family) onboard the submarine what would it have been? A picture of the sky? Extra sweets? A favorite video game?

2 pounds of gummy bears. It was so nice to have something sweet and fruity to bring a smile to my face. Also, these were not your 5 pounds for $4.99 kind. No sir, these were the $10+ a pound ones. The GOOD ones you had to go to a sweet shop for.

Later, when I had a key to the supply lockers (the chop trusted me), I cleared a supply locker that was accessable via my rack (yes, the door was in my RACK!) and lined it with foam and stored 6 CASES of various soda's in it. There was NOTHING like sitting at a movie on the backwatch eating my ration of gummy bears and pop the top on a soda. Granted, I only did this AFTER the soda machine ran out of sryup or invariably broke.

2) Hypothetically, say you could change the design of the boat to include *one more creature comfort* for the submariners onboard without impacting the function of the boat. What would it have been? The inclusion of a exercise gym (about the size of the torpedo room)? A hot tub like the Typhoons supposedly have? A rack for every submariner so no one had to hot bunk? What would it be?

A room, not very large, were you had a COMFORTABLE chair, non-florecent lighting and soundproof. Someplace where, for maybe 15 minutes, you can not hear the incessant hum of a fan, people chatting. Maybe put in a scent of growing grass, maybe a sea scent. Someplace were you could be alone and AWAY from the boat, even for a few minutes

Originally Posted by Frame57

You are a molecule of sea water, now explain how you become carbon monoxide once inside the boat...?

? How can a molecule made of hydrogen and oxygen become a molecule containing carbon? There's no carbon in H20.... I think I would have failed.

Short version:

You come in via the aux seawater system bonded with two of you buddies know as hydrogen. You then go to a device that ensure that nothing but you and your twins get through; the rest goes back overboard. You then go to the O2 generator and get divorced from your H2 partners and then you are then stored in a large bottle for a while till they let you out. Then you float through the air till you are inhaled by a carbon based life form. You then are used to facilitate the conversion of matter to energy in said carbon based life form after which you are exhaled with the byproduct known as carbon you have now become bonded to.

And there you go, that is how a oxygen molecule becomes carbon dioxide.

[Neptunus Rex]

Frame57
The nukes on both the Archerfish and the R.B. Russell never had to to crank. In my mind that worked for me because I will be quite frank here. The nukes bust their butts in many different qual aspects than the coners did. Next to the nukes only the A-div worked as hard. I remember the one question that we like to ask on a qual board was..."You are a molecule of sea water, now explain how you become carbon monoxide once inside the boat...?

No one on the boats I served was spared. I cranked for only about 3 weeks , then overhaul started and the galley and mess deck were ripped out.

[LoBlo]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead Nuke

You come in via the aux seawater system bonded with two of you buddies know as hydrogen. You then go to a device that ensure that nothing but you and your twins get through; the rest goes back overboard. You then go to the O2 generator and get divorced from your H2 partners and then you are then stored in a large bottle for a while till they let you out. Then you float through the air till you are inhaled by a carbon based life form. You then are used to facilitate the conversion of matter to energy in said carbon based life form after which you are exhaled with the byproduct known as carbon you have now become bonded to.

And there you go, that is how a oxygen molecule becomes carbon dioxide.

Aye. But the question wasn't how do a oxygen atom become part of a carbon monoxide molecule. It was how does a H2O molecule become a carbon monoxide molecule. Now if you assume that the question was pertaining not to the molecule as a whole, but the invidual atoms of the molecule, then yep, the question is doable. But if you assume that the "molecule" itself, must be perserved, then its a non sequitur.:p

[Rip]

Originally Posted by Neptunus Rex

Oh, and don't forget about the ESM ET's! If your not at PD, they have NOTHING to do!

I once went into ESM when not at PD (when at PD ESM was off-limits to all but a few) and these guys were all wearing Hawai'ian shirts, paper hats and throwing paper airplanes all over the place.

Indeed. I loved being the only ESM ET and being on call when on missions where we transited a lot and seldom went to PD. They couldn't make you hot-bunk, and you could make it to EVERY meal. Never got so much sleep and watched so many movies. That was the life!

[Rip]

Originally Posted by LoBlo

Aye. But the question wasn't how do a oxygen atom become part of a carbon monoxide molecule. It was how does a H2O molecule become a carbon monoxide molecule. Now if you assume that the question was pertaining not to the molecule as a whole, but the invidual atoms of the molecule, then yep, the question is doable. But if you assume that the "molecule" itself, must be perserved, then its a non sequitur.:p

Son are you trying to be a smart ass with this qual board? I think I am going to have to rip up your qualification card and let you start all over? I am sure when you return we can expect you to have a little more respect for you superiors!

:rotfl: