Submarines

A submarine is to spy on ship movements and if necessary sink ships

A member of MyNavyOnline.com had signed up for sub duty but wasn't really told much about the process, I sent the to him so he would have at least a slight clue as to what to expect. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/to ... ining.html

http://www.jcs-group.com/military/allyn ... phins.html

http://www.submarinesailor.com/Stories/Qualifying.asp

Above are a couple of links to some information. The second one talk about John (C), he is known in my SubVets group as "Gumba." His writing is very accurate, but you may not truly understand what is written there until you have your fish on your chest.

Once you are through with your rate schools you'll go off to Basic Enlisted Submarine School [BESS] where you will begin to learn the most basic information about the boat. When I was going through school, they were training on the Los Angeles Class; I would imagine at this point they are training on the Virginia Class.

In any event, many of the basics you will be taught will be able to understood from boat-to-boat.

The schedule in BESS is VERY rigorous and there is a specific reason for that; we take ONLY the best of the Breed. Every Submariner on the Pond to make sure that ONLY those who are worthy make it to a boat TRUSTS the Instructors. If the Instructors don't think you can make it, then you won't make it. YOU have to make the Instructors believe you are worthy to be one of their Shipmates.

Once you graduate from BESS and make it to your boat…THAT's when the real trials begin; those are your qualifications.

Essentially, the qualifications were traditionally written by the Plankowners of the boat while it is being built. There may be additions later when new equipment is installed, but the basic format is set upon each boat. Your qual card mat look similar to mine but there are always slight differences.

The qual card is kind of an instruction manual for learning about the boat. You will be required to have a basic knowledge in EVERY SYSTEM on the submarine, this is part of what sets Submariner's qualifications apart from the others [AW, SW, etc.] Being part of a submarine crew has little to do with your "job", but it has everything to do with the boat.

As a Fast-Attack Submariner, I was EXPECTED to know enough about every area of the boat to be able to start and stand a watch in any compartment.

Your knowledge MUST be sufficient to satisfy the person who is authorized to sign-off that particular system.

You will be EXPECTED to state and physically show where EVERY valve on the boat is located, this is because there is no time in an emergency to look-up a boat schematic. You will be EXPECTED to cross-connect systems as necessary to bring a system on-line and keep the boat functional.

This is HARD, and there will most likely be times when you wonder if it is all worth it…IT IS.

Your best friend on the boat will be your "SeaDaddy." He is generally someone from your division who is assigned to you to ensure that you complete your qualifications and he is VITAL to your survival. He may seem pretty cruel quite often, but you must ALWAYS remember that he is there to help you to be a successful Submariner. He will be on your back for the entire time you are trying to qualify, usually 12-14 months [that may have changed.] You will not get a lot of sleep during that time as this is also part of a test to see if you can handle the stress and pressure of being on a boat. For a very long time I was allowed 4 hours of sleep a day [this is the Navy's minimum while not at war.] This does not mean 4 consecutive hours, you may get 2 hours then be woken up for a while then get another hour, etc.

The secret to not being caught-up in this mess is not going Dinq [dink], which means "delinquent in qualifications."

When you start your qualification process, you are assigned a time-table by the Qualifications Coordinator. If at any point you do not received the amount of sign-offs he has assigned you for the week, you "go dinq." Life as a dinq IS NOT PLEASANT and it reflects poorly on your SeaDaddy. Your qual card is set-up to bee attainable if you follow the order of the areas to be qualified. Some require a lot less work and are really easy to get, but try not to do the areas out of order; it will most likely come back to bite you in the end.

Once you have completed your qual card, there is a process you will have to go through before you go before the boat's "Qualification Review Board."

The process traditionally is:

A Review by your SeaDaddy

A Review by your LPO

A Review by your Division Officer

A Review by your Department Head

Then you go before the "Qualification Review Board." My Board was roughly 4 hours [I believe] and they go over EVERY aspect of the boat; In-Port, Underway, Emergency Underway, Duty Stations/Sections. Then they go over the various systems of the boat [you will be expected to give valves name and numbers as well as locations.] My Board was sat by; a 2nd Class Auxiliaryman, the Navigator, the Weapons LCPO, The Weapons Officer, a 2nd Class QuarterMaster and the XO [no pressure there. LOL.]

After the initial Q&A session, mine went a bit different as I was told; "You are a drop of seawater, make the dive planes take a 10* down angle." [This wound up being the normal process after the Board liked the results of this format. They just changed the initial question.]

Basically what this required was for me to be brought into the boat, be transferred from seawater to air, become pressured air, then High pressure air, then work my way to the accumulators [which were air over oil], pressurize the oil, move the oil into the headers and back to the actuation valves and then throttle myself to only give sufficient pressure to move them 10*.

During this whole time, the Board is throwing questions at me to see if I could keep my mind straight enough to follow the actual path.

It sounds harder than it really is after you've lived with all these systems for over a year.

My first set of Dolphins [fish] were given to me by my SeaDaddy, as his SeaDaddy had before him [and yes, I still have them.] I bought my SeaPup's first set of dolphins, as well as the other 3 I was SeaDaddy to.

It is a major tradition…this means that you have gained the TRUST of the Captain, Officers and crew. The ceremony is very simple, but it is the meaning of the Dolphins that only a Qualified Submariner can ever understand.

And remember, these fish don't have an expiration date on the back…Once you are Qualified, ALWAYS will you be Qualified.

To this day, those who ride the boats now will do whatever is necessary to ensure that those who rode the boats before them the utmost respect. If you have further questions, please feel free to ask. Remember, this life path is not for the week of heart or the week of strength. It's a very difficult career path, but it is well worth the trip to get to the destination. Submitted 09-Apr-09, 0832 Rob [Mongo] Lester (SS) rlester1967@sbcglobal.net

19 million troops.

Allied powers had 42 million troops mobilized

central powers had 23 million troops mobilized

From the shape- and the snout like appearance - the bow, ballast vents and/or torpedo tube openings.- Term more popular in World Wars I and II, now virtually obsolete- it was also mildly derisive- Pigs- the animals are dirty and submarine warfare was considered somewhat underhanded as well as undersea. Term used on both sides in War I. ( it was also applied- to non-submersible Whalebacks- ships with cylindrical like hulls that did, on the surface, somewhat resemble subs. Whalebacks are long gone except for one or two museum pieces. Italian midget submarines in World War Ii were commonly referred to as Pig Boats- it is said they were transported by truck near the action scene- and were more or less based at some state-owned Pig Farms- the term )Pig-boat for Sub antedates this. they were, somewhat oddly painted in a rust-retardant olive drab like Army tanks.

World War II submarines were powered by large electric motors. On the surface, the motors drew their power from diesel generators, not unlike how a diesel locomotive operates today. When submerged, the diesel engines could not be operated, and the motors drew their power from huge banks of electric batteries. After the batteries were drained of their power, the submarine would have to surface in order to run its diesel generators to provide propulsion and electric power to the submarine. During this period, the sub's batteries were recharged. Toward the end of World War II the submarine snorkel was invented, which gave a submarine the capability of running its diesel engines while submerged. The submarine was required to stay relatively close to the surface, but it was fully submerged with the exception of the snorkel mast.

Nuclear powered submarines also have banks of electric batteries, but they are only used when the main propulsion plant and/or its steam-powered electric generators are disabled. When a nuclear-powered submarine's batteries are fully drained, they are recharged by the boat's diesel generator if its steam-powered electric generators are not available, or by the steam-powered electric generators when they becomes available. Just like a diesel-electric submarine, a nuclear-powered submarine must operate its diesel generator on or near the ocean's surface.

The usual WWII sub crew was around 70-90, depending on which nation it belonged to. They were very cramped, and only a few more could be crammed in, if necessary. Both the US and Japan had built a few subs which were considerably larger than the standard fleet submarines, and these might be used to carry a few more. One of these large US subs (I believe it was the Nautilus) was used to ferry the Marine Raiders to and from their commando-style attack on Makin Atoll.

With that said, many large and long range German submarines only held a crew of 50 or less.

For personal watercraft submarines (those that don't really dive but can go underwater a small amount) it depends on the locality, similar to any State, City, or Town that may or may not require a license to operate certain vehicles.

For larger submersibles (1 and 2 man submarines), they need to be fully certified and they're large enough to require a ship/tender to be launched from, so rather than a license, there's usually a certification/qualification procedure that the pilot must go through.

For tourist submarines, licensing is the same as it is for any maritime vessel carrying passengers.

Normal ships are designed to move on the surface of the water. Submarines are designed to be able to submerge and travel under the water's surface, as well as on the surface.

When normal ships go down, they stay down. Submarines are able to come back up after they go down.

All American submarines are nuclear powered. With the exception of Aircraft carriers, surface ships are powered conventially.

"Sub" means below. "Sub" means below. "Sub" means under (or below). "Marine" means sea (or water). Ergo, Submarine = Undersea, or Undersee in German. Underseeboot = Undersea Boat, or U-Boat for short. [Schnellboot = fast boat, or S-boat.] As a noun, submarine is a type of boat that can submerge, but as an adjective it can be used to describe anything which exists under the sea.

Submarines solve the problem of not knowing what's under the water. They also aid us in underwater attacks during war, giving us an advantage over others.

The periscope is used primarily to view the surface of the water around the submarine, as well as to transmit Morse code messages to other subs or ships in the vicinity.

Increases

The 2 major features of a submarine hull design that helps it withstand sea pressure at extreme depth is the material it's made of, and the design of the hull itself.

Spherical or round-shaped objects can withstand more pressure than other designs. This is why the Teardrop and Cigar shaped hulls of today were designed. The hull's material is also key - the more it can compress and expand, the less vulnerable it is to pressure. This is a problem with old Russian boats like the Alfa - they're made of Titanium. While it's very strong, it's not elastic, and every time it goes to deep depths it becomes more brittle with age.

Modern submarines, depending on the country, are made of either flexible steel, Titanium or GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic). GRP boats are used by the Chinese, Titanium by the Russians. Most all other nations use flexible steel (the composition of which is classified) that compresses and expands with sea pressure as the boat descends or ascends through the depths. The steel used in pre-Seawolf class submarines was HY-80; The Seawolf and Virginia classes are using HY-100, which has a higher pressure rating.

Submarine decks are not actually attached to the inner pressure hull - they "float" by being suspended from cables. This is how the decks keep from getting crushed as the boat's hull compresses at deep depths, as the decks don't actually touch the sides of the inner hull.

The 'stern', just like any other ship.

The marines do not use submarines. Only the Navy does.

The mirrors are fitted at 45 degree angles in a periscope in the opposite directions. when you see through the periscope, the image gets reflected.

Six

A submarine.

David Bushnell

This sounds like it's probably the sonar system of a submarine.

A submarine can be used as either a defensive or offensive weapon. Also note that it is often classified as a deterrent weapon.

They help the sub go up and down. When water is allowed into the tanks, the sub goes down. When water is pushed out of the tanks, sub comes up.