IamA nuclear reactor operator on a submarine. AMA!

What would happen if a six year old was allowed to run around the reactor control room and allowed to press all the buttons he wanted?

Probably nothing. There isn't some button that would just make something explode; the worst that would probably happen would be some flashing lights and maybe a piece of gear or two would get turned off.

Oh man. I always thought he would somehow be able to chernobyl the submarine. What's the worst that you can do from the control room then

There are so many safeties it's hard to list them all. Given enough time, the worst he could do to the reactor would be shut it off. In the control room? If no one was watching, he might be able to emergency surface the ship, or steer it around.

Wow. That's pretty six year old proof.

We like to make things as hard to break as possible. Remember, we build our entire world; we make our air, out light, our water, and control the ground we walk on. We like to make things as failsafe as we can.

How painfully innacurate is Crimson Tide?

It's sort of a stock joke amongst submariners that the most accurate movie is Down Periscope. One of the reasons it's a stock joke is that it's kind of true. Crimson Tide put a lot of drama into what is, frankly, not a very dramatic or glamorous job. At least, anymore; in WWII, supposedly, things were a bit different, but that's beyond my experience.

What about Das Boot?

I've always been fascinated by subs, probably due to the fact that my country has more functional subs in a shopping mall than in our Navy, Go Canada Go!

I don't want to throw a lot of stuff around around WWII boats, because they're so far outside my experience, but they were very tough animals to tame. Imagine a kitchen the size of three phone booths, and feeding fifty or sixty men out of it.

I can only imagine what the washroom was like

It's better if you don't. They're not too great even now; imagine 170 guys sharing a total of five showers, and one of them only two guys get to use. Another is only for about a dozen. Everyone else shares the other three.

Edit: sorry, six! One for two guys, two for about a dozen guys each, and the other three for everyone else. This is specific to a 688 class; other boats vary.

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The CO and XO (commanding and executive officers).

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It may be more effective, but we maintain separation between the ranks. Rank doth have its little perks.

So who makes the whale noises

Usually the guy in the movie playing on crews mess.

Old Navy Nuke here (class 9302). Excellent IAMA! Informative, factual, but 'appropriate' in every way. I was fortunate to spend time on every flavor of nuclear ship except boomers (CVN, CGN and SSN). You fast attack guys got worked to death (at least you did in the 90s). Do you think SSNs should have a blue and gold crew like the boomers? At least for the nukes, anyway?

I've always just wanted single crews on every boat; spread out the surplus from the boomers to the rest of the fleet. The current system made sense when they came up with it, but now it just sucks.

Ever had any Seals aboard your sub? What are they like? I imagine not very approachable

Only once, and only for a few days. They're very into exercise; they love it. Contrary to what some people believe, they're (usually) very intelligent. They're quite approachable, as long as they're not working; most people I've met in the Navy are pretty friendly, as long as you talk to them respectfully.

Awesome, thanks for doing this AMA I'm a big military buff. How long are you down in a sub at a time? Do you get sick after coming back up after long periods? Are the subs stable or do they rock/sway alot during transit?

It can vary from a few days to try something out, to a three month deployment (for boomers) to as long as seven or eight month deployments for a fast attack (usually about six). Fast attacks usually pull in a few times on deployment, to take a break and load food and so forth. When you say get sick, do you mean like seasick? Or like actually ill? As to stable, a submarine has a round cross-section; it has essentially no weighted keel. So it pitches around a lot, particularly when the seas are heavy. It's much better to go deep when the seas are rough.

How is the food? Is there much variety? Can you cook for yourself ever? It would drive me crazy to not be able to cook for months on end...

The quality depends on the cooks; I've had great cooks and terrible ones. Mostly, it's kind of bland, without a lot of fresh stuff. A lot of guys bring hot sauces to use on everything. No, there's pretty much no cooking for yourself (unless you're a cook).

A lot of guys bring hot sauces to use on everything.

This sounds like a horrible idea. How good is the ventilation in subs?

Pretty good, but there's no getting rid of boat smell. You just have to live with it; after a while, you stop noticing.

How do you stray from boredom in such a confined space?

There is a small library on board (which I ran), and most guys bring laptops, mp3 players, game systems, books, and so forth. There are movies played on crews mess, and some boats even set up LANs for sharing movies and stuff. There is also, as you may guess, a certain amount of...adult material.

That being said, boredom is a real problem. Some guys get into fighting, or heavy exercise, or self-mutilation. I knew one guy who made pictures in his arm by hitting it with a stapler, sticking the staples into his skin.

What about Wifi networks?

Is this possible?

http://chainsawsuit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/201211081.png

Some boats set up entertainment networks to exchange movies and stuff. And no, not really. The controls are far too well-designed and maintained to get screwed up by an iPod. Unless you mean picking up wifi from another sub: if you did, you're WAY to close.

Yes, the second one.

Oh yeah, no, you would probably hit before you picked up the signal; the hull is very thick metal. And even if you didn't, wi-fi range is way, way to close to be to another boat.

See I think that would drive me nuts more than anything. Not being able to get fresh air whenever would kill me.

Some people can't hack it. And you can't tell beforehand, usually. You just have to try them out and see.

What happens to people who can't hack it? Anybody ever righteously flip out?

Not that I've seen, really. Everyone gets angry and lashes out sometimes, even in regular life. But really losing your mind is something we try to avoid. I have known quite a few people who got transferred off because they couldn't handle it. Sometimes they go talk to a chaplain or a psychologist who recommends their removal, or sometimes the command takes the initiative. But no one is fine one minute and flailing around like a madman the next; we keep a close eye on each other. It's hard to go quietly and privately insane in such close quarters.

How many personal effects can you bring on board? You guys should just have kindles instead of a library.

A lot of guys do have kindles. You can bring about as much as you can fit in your rack pan (the size of a single bed, and about three inches deep). Unless you're hot-racking (three guys in two beds); then it's two-thirds what you can fit in a rack pan. Plus whatever you can hide in nooks and crannies.

How does hot-racking work...you take turns spooning?

There's actually a written rule against there being more than one person in a rack at any given time. But since only a third of the crew sleep at any given time, in theory, three people could share one rack. But basically, you wake up the guy who's next on watch, he gets out, you get in. He goes on watch, and when it's time for you to relieve him, the guy he relieved wakes you up.

Since only a third of the crew is asleep at any given time, it's not a big issue. There's actually a written rule against more than one person in a rack at a time; not to mention there really isn't the space, unless they're both fairly thin.

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Scariest true thing? There was a boat that was close to the surface and a cargo ship slammed into it; that, or the submarine that slammed head-on into an underwater mountain.

I decided on this because I'm above average intelligence but was (was!) below average in applying myself. That led to no college scholarships, and my parents were too poor to pay for my education. So I wentto the the military recruiters, and one test later the Navy offered me big money to become a nuke, and get my degree to boot. So away I went.

How does something like that happen? A boat with presumably about the most advanced navigation and sensors ever designed, and it can hit a mountain or surface into a cargo ship?

I understand that you might turn off active sonar, but surely you would know where you are well enough to avoid the sea floor, and passive sensors could hear a cargo ship underway.

Most such incidents boil down to human error. Too many people ignoring indications, not checking what they're supposed to check, using the wrong book, and not backing each other up can lead to disaster.

What will happen if I press the RED button?

Which one? We have so many!

The one that says "Launch"

I wasn't on a boomer (ballistic missile sub), I was on a fast attack. And I'm not a fire control guy (the guys who launch stuff). But I can tell you this; it takes a lot more than one button to launch anything, even cans of trash.

Could you explain the process of launching trash?

That sounds interesting and relatively unclassified.

Basically, we have a lot of big squares of steel. We use a machine to roll the squares into metal cans, and then use a hydraulic press to force the trash into it. Then, there's a big pipe that leads to the bottom of the sub, with a massive valve on the bottom and another on the top. You open the top one, drop cans of trash in, and close the top valve. Then you open the bottom valve, and the cans drop out. All this being said, a lot of times, we don't launch trash. We keep it until we get in port. And we never launch plastic anymore; environmental concerns.

What is the best part of being in the navy?

Job security. It sounds mundane, but my job isn't all that glamorous; it's nine to five (or seven to five). Unless I'm underway, and I also stay at work for 24 hours every third day.

Are you on a sub right now?

No.

I kinda didn't get the difference between a Boomer and a fast attack submarine/boat whatever, could you elaborate this real quick ?

Thanks for doing this AMA btw, it was a reeeeally interesting read ! Keep yourself safe mate

A boomer is a ballistic missile sub: it can carry 24 ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles, armed with nuclear warheads. It goes out to sea and hides in case we need to launch. A fast attack is smaller and carries no ICBMs; its missions are different. Some of them can launch cruise missiles.

Is there something you'd love to answer but was never asked?

Sometimes people ask me if it's worth it. I would love to answer that, but I can't; I don't even know the answer for myself. I know it's worth it to some people and not to others.

Describe a usual day on the submarine for you.

It's eighteen hours long. I get up, eat a meal, and stand watch for six hours. Eat again, clean for an hour. Then, I might watch movie, go to training, run drills, or study. Once I was pretty senior, life got somewhat easier. Another meal if you want, six hours of sleep, and repeat.

What would happen if the nuclear reactor failed? If this is too close to OPSEC and you can't answer I understand. But I know that would be my biggest worry on an underway.

I'm not sure what you mean by "failed". You mean just stopped working? We have an emergency diesel generator on board. But there really isn't a way for it to just stop working all of a sudden; it's very well designed and controlled. It's not really possible for it to just run out of fuel or aything.

That is pretty much what I meant. Also, what if it's working and it starts leaking?

If it starts leaking, we have a plan (actually, several plans). We have a pre-thought-out plan for just about any emergency you could think of, and we drill on them constantly. Also, the equipment is designed to be very safe and tough. We've never had a serious accident.

Well, that's not very exciting at all.

Nope. It sure isn't. This job doesn't have a godsmack soundtrack. Think more of a metronome, ticking away, for twenty years.

How did you get into the job? Is it something you always dreamed about or did you just apply to the navy and rolled into it?

I didn't even know it was a thing until I talked to the recruiter. I took a test and they told me about the program straight away; they love signing nukes, because it looks good for them to find nukes. I scored very high on the ASVAB (armed services vocational aptitude battery), so I was an easy pick. So I guess you could say I just rolled into it.

How hard is it to go from college to nuclear route? Do you know how competitive it is? Also what was your asvab?

Most guys with complete degrees become officers. I know a lot of enlisted guys who dropped out of college for various reasons. If they think they can train you, you've got a shot. We always need new people.

What if something hits the reactor/submarine hard enough that it ruptures/sinks? Would the water become infected with radiation?

We've lost two nuclear vessels at sea; there has been no leakage.

I don't know if you can answer this or not, but is it true that for every Russian boomer there is a fast attack boat with a firing solution on it at all times?

That I can't answer. I apologize.

No problem.

Is it true that if you tie a rope tight from one wall of the boat the the other wall on the surface it will sag in the middle when you are down deep?

Yes. The hull compresses under pressure.

Who would win in a fist fight, Oppenheimer or Einstein?

I would think the big O. He's got a better reach, from the looks of it. And he's less of a pacifist.

How much do you love/hate Sealab 2021?

I love sealab. "And victory...for the proletariat!...........That's you!"

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Sometimes people get a little cagey, and it takes a few days to adjust, but you mostly get used to it. Transitioning back can be hard. Coffee helps. as to medical issues, I've never had one, but there really aren't any light cycles to screw you up.

The 18 hour day stems from the fact that we have three shifts of people. Making guys stand 8 hour watches doesn't work as well as 6 hour watches, and upping the crew by 25% isn't really feasible either.

Is the Navy looking at thorium reactors?

Not that I know of, but I'm way too low on that totem pole.

I've heard that the vast majority of the crew on a nuclear sub is assigned to working on the reactor and propulsion. Is that true? How many other operators are there on a sub? If you can't answer no worries.

A bit less than half of the crew is responsible for the reactor and propulsion. Only a fraction of them are rated to run the core: it's a rather rare rate. I'm sorry, but I can;t say how many each vessel has.

Has anybody ever went full on panic mode or insane while you guys were submerged? What would be the procedure in case this happens?

Never on my boat, but it has happened. Basically, you tie them up and keep them in their rack with someone watching them until you can send get them transferred off.

Ever seen K9, how realistic is it(its based on a true story but I doubt all the details are factual)? Whats the standard procedure for a reactor meltdown on the sub?

Not all the details are factual. There actually is a blue glow inside a reactor (it's called cherenkov radiation; youtube a pool reactor pulsing some time). The portrayal of massive radiation sickness wasn't far off. One fun bit; the scene where Liam Neeson is angry that they only have chemical suits, not radiation suits, because the depot was out. He says "they might as well wear raincoats!" That's pretty much true even if they did have radiation suits. There really isn't any such thing as an effective shielding material that can be worn. The best you could do is keep material off of you. A human can take an amazingly high does of radiation, but getting contaminated is more of a problem.

As to standard procedure, I can't say. I will say that is has never happened.

Question about personal security. Is the crew still sleeping together, or are they finally able to put every member in a single room? As far as I know from the movies, the officers have their private rooms. But have no idea about the crew.

If you have still have to sleep together, how can you not be aftraid that some crazy freak will do something to you while you are sleeping deep because tired at night?

The only officers who get their own rooms are the CO and XO. Everyone else, including the junior officers, sleep with at least two other people in the same berthing space, and some rooms have many more.

I'm not really concerned about someone losing it, any more than while I'm awake. You tend to get a good idea for how people cope; someone won't just snap. You can see it coming.

Fascinating AMA so far.

Just wanted to say thank you for your hard work, long hours, and service. I've always been impressed with the work of Navy Nukes. I'm attending OCS to go NFO in June.

One more thing, is it true that a hundred men go down in a sub and fifty couples resurface?

The truth of that varies, but at least now people don't have to hide it if it happens.

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I'm not generally in favor of it, primarily because submariners are incredibly crude people underway. It's not uncommon to see some pretty vulgar stuff, and I think that's an offshoot of living together for literally months on end trapped in a huge pipe; you can't act professionally all the time. You'd snap if you tried. But if they can deal with that, and do the job, welcome aboard. god knows we need more people that can do the job.

you mentioned the showers in another comment, wouldn't that be a problem?

There are various logistical problems, but we can work them out. For instance, on a 688 class, there is the CO/XO shower, the chief shower, the junior officer shower, and three enlisted showers. Two of the enlisted showers are in one head (bathroom) and one in another. We would just designate that last one females only. Or, you simply put a sign on the head that states which gender is currently in the head, and flip it as you enter and leave. We can work just about anything out.

Any good simpsons jokes?

There's speculation in the community that Matt Groening was a nuke. Mr. Burns is supposedly a mockery of Admiral Rickover, who pretty much single-handedly built the nuclear navy. We joke about Rickover sometimes; he was a pretty unusual guy. At one point, every officer that wanted to be nuclear had to interview with him personally. Once, his secretary told a prospective offier to go sit in a broom closet. At lunch, he was given an hour to eat. More broom closet sitting, then he was told to go home and come back the next day. At the end of the week, Rickover opened the door and told him he was rejected. The idea was that he didn't want people who blindly obeyed orders. We have that same attitude to this day.

Know any good Navy/ submarine jokes?

Most of them are vulgar, or only really funny to sailors. But I'll try one.

Tell the marines to secure a building, and they'll storm it and kill everyone inside.

Tell the army to secure a building, and they'll surround it and get ready to shoot.

Tell the navy to secure a building, and they'll post a watch with a log at every door.

Tell the air force to secure a building, and they'll lock the front door and go home.

Do navy subs ever collide with whales? If so, do you ever see/feel it?

Not often; I've heard of a glancing blow, once. You would feel it, but there's no way to see it. The only window on board is in the washing machine door (not really, submariner joke. But there are no windows to the sea).

Do you hear anything strange from the outside? This might be a stupid question but how often do you hear sonar pings?

Every once in a while a whale or something. The first time I heard a ping, I nearly wet myself (I was very new, and very jumpy. I wasn't even on a submarine; I was on a barge). But a ping only comes from active sonar, which is rarely used. They can be very, very loud; active sonar at close range can kill a man.

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There is a noticeable level of noise. After a while, it becomes part of your running thoughts; I notice instantly if something turns off that isn't supposed to. In most places, you can still hear a whisper. Think like your fridge running and being in the same room.

Cold? It depends where you are, in the sea and in the boat. The wrong combination can be unbearably hot. But yes, it can get chilly, and a lot of guys wear sweaters or coats.

Is it possible to jettison the core in an emergency?

No. There wouldn't be much point, really; we can't fix anything if it's gone.

I've heard that the primary limit to how long a nuclear vessel can stay at sea is how long they can feed the crew. is this true?

also, do subs operate alone or is it more common to roll with a fleet/other subs?

That is one of the big limits. We make nearly everything else ourselves: air, water, light.

Submarines can operate solo or as part of a battle group. Boomers (ballistic missiles subs) tend to operate alone, since operating them with a battle group would make them easier to find, and we don't want that.

Does radiation really glow green or is that something cartoons made up?

Radiation itself is invisible. Some radioactive things do glow, and there is a blue light inside a reactor. It's called cherenkov radiation. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb-U7KEKRJo.

Hi i have heard that once started the reactor cannot be shut down immediately like you start and off a diesel engine. The reaction goes on for years and gives on power so once started does the submarine goes on using the power and keeps exploring the ocean like nuclear power plant which goes on producing electricity. When the submarine is stable and not moving where the generated power is used. What is minimum time the reactor will run after starting the reaction. Hope you understood my query.

The reactor can be turned off. All reactors, civilian and military, continue to make a little energy in the form of heat, but nowhere near as much as they do while operating. The reactor runs for the exact period we want it to; no less and no more. Being able to start it up and shut it down is very, very important to us.

What was the scariest moment ever on the submarine for you?

Operationally, I can't say. Personally, I once got stuck in between two pipes with my full body weight resting on a pipe fitting the size of a silver dollar in the middle of my belly. I was there for about twenty minutes until they got me free. Or once a guy came at me with a knife, and I had to dodge it; that was unnerving.

Can you give us a pick-up line with 'nuclear reactor','submarine' and 'operator' in it?

Not without sounding like a huge tool.

Are you allowed to say what's the procedure if nuclear materials or anything envolving in the process leak into the ocean or inside the submarine?

Sorry, no. But I can say that, as with all of our nuclear procedures, the safety of the public is of the utmost concern; I realize this sounds like just good PR, but we operate at all times with the safety of the public in mind. we sometimes call it "keeping mom safe".

What's the worst/ closest shave you have had?

Operationally, I can't say. Personally, I once got stuck in between two pipes with my full body weight resting on a pipe fitting the size of a silver dollar in the middle of my belly. I was there for about twenty minutes until they got me free. Or once a guy came at me with a knife, and I had to dodge it; that was unnerving.

How did you manage to get stuck?

I was trying to clean a hard to reach area. Submariners, mostly the leadership, are obsessed with cleaning. You will spend an unbelievable amount of time cleaning.

sounds like you'd make one hell of a brewer

Another nuke actually introduced me to brewing. I prefer a good hoppy wheat beer, but I like fiddling around a lot.

Thanks for the AMA. I am currently attending college and am considering OCS for the navy after I graduate. Do you have any advice?

A few bits. First, really research your job; don't believe the people in charge. Insist on asking the guys who work where you'll work, the grunts, and talk to several of them. For subs, at least, they really want you, and if they say you can't, tell them you'll walk. Second, do NOT act like you're better or smarter than anyone else, even enlisted; I don't care if you think you are, just don't act like it. Third, read every single thing you ever sign, and ask questions until you understand it BEFORE you sign it. And fourth, never, ever take someone's word for anything; get it in writing or from a book.

Thank you! Follow up question. What can you expect after you get out with your current job?

I could get out and go to a civilian plant to operate, and probably start at six figures if I looked around a bit. That being said, I don't want to; If I wanted money, I would have gotten out a long time ago and done that. As it is, I'll have my retirement and my medical, and I plan on going into a public service field.

How much do you get paid? Is there a bonus for being a Submariner?

Pay depends on rank and time in, mostly (there are pay charts for enlisted ranks, and they don't change much from job to job). There are certain bonuses; there is a nuke bonus, a submarine bonus, and re-enlistment bonuses are pretty good for nukes. It's not unheard of to make an extra $200,000 over the course of a twenty year career just from re-enlistment bonuses.

funniest story that happend on the sub ?

Oh, lord. That's a whole other thread. This is a bit NSFW, so forgive me. Long story short, we had a guy who thought it was funny to flash his genitals at people. He ended up getting hydrogen peroxide sprayed in his nether regions. Not a good time.

What is the worst thing that could happen on a nuclear sub?

Worst for who? For the people on board, any kind of catastrophe that sinks the boat, like a weapon detonating. Especially in really deep water.

How much training do you have to go through before you get on a boat? What can you tell us about the training?

Do you see yourself continuing in the nuke field when you get out of the navy?

About eighteen months, during which time I absorbed the bulk of a college degree and qualified to operate a nuclear core, including operating a real core for several months. I took courses in math, materials, heat transfer, fluid flow, electronics, nuclear physics, and so forth.

I don't intend to stay in the field when I get out, but a lot of guys do. Reactor operators in particular are in high demand at commercial sites.

How often does the sub surface?

It varies. In theory, we can stay down pretty much until we get hungry. In practice, it's mostly operational concerns, i.e. is it time to pull in yet.

Thanks for the AMA - fascinating stuff!

As a member of the crew not necessarily involved in navigation etc, do you have much awareness at any particular time of whereabouts in the world you actually are?

I could ask, and probably get a pretty accurate answer, but quite frankly I don't really care. Until we pull in, I just care about how deep we are and how cold the water is.

Does water temp affect the reactor efficiency then? Or is it a core cooling thing?

It's important for various reasons, and most of them are the direct responsibility of those of us in the engine room. We just need to pay attention to it, to make sure everything works smoothly.

How aware are you of where you are in the world? I understand most people on the sub just do their job and aren't told they're all up in a specific country's private parts. Obviously everyone is concerned about nearby undersea mountains but do people know they're off the coast of a particular country?

Generally, we know more or less where we are, if we bother to check. Personally, I don't care; I mostly just care about how deep we are, how cold the water is, and when we're going to pull in next.

My dad was a nuclear reactor operator way back when in the mid 80s. What do you think has changed in terms of technology and job responsibility as a reactor operator in terms of responsibility and day to day tasks?

I've actually qualified on equipment from that era, but we're always working to improve things. Our responsibilities and daily routine are much the same; the foundation of my entire job is still to operate and protect the core. Probably the biggest chance is in how the gear operates, but I can't go into a lot of detail about that. Sorry.

Hi!

My brother just got accepted to the NUPOC program as a chemical engineer. He is going to be on a fast attack sub and he will be in charge of the nuclear reactors. Can you talk about anything for him to expect from the job? He's going to bootcamp in May. Thanks!

Tell him a few things for me. First, in boot camp, keep your eyes open and your mouth shut, and never tell anyone you're a nuke. Second, in school, follow the rules...all of them...until he gets his head on straight. Third, never, never, never sign anything unless he understands it completely. Fourth, never be afraid to ask questions until he fully understands something. And last, but definitely not least, learn to work well with people, and that includes growing a thick skin. If you knuckle under to fast attack guys, they'll eat you alive. But if you prove that you can do the job with them, they'll die for you.

How many steps does it take to fire one missile? Like every command, button press, etc.

I'm not from a boomer, and am not a missile guy, so I don't know. I do know that firing a nuclear missile takes five keys (one from off the boat), at least three officers, and quite a few steps. I learned all that from National Geographic, though; like I said, I've never had any professional interaction with that side of things. Sorry!

How hard is it to keep the reactor critical? I assume that, given it's a chain reaction, it requires constant tweaking however I don't know if most reactors now are designed to do this automatically. Is it a painstaking task of pressing buttons and flipping switches all day? Also what would happen to the sub if its reactor went subcritical? Would you have some sort of a grace period to get it working again?

I can't discuss a lot of details. Because of the nature of reactors, subcriticality isn't necessarily a huge deal; small power fluctuations even themselves out over time. If the reactor turns off, we make sure it's safe before we turn it back on again. Safety is our primary concern at all times.

So in terms of power generation from nuclear reactors in general (e.g. public reactors and how they actually work), they will still be producing energy even if they're sub-critical right? Or is it more of a make or break kind of thing with them (not asking for specifics on the reactors you work with obviously).

All radioactive materials produce a certain amount of heat all the time. Reactors contain a great deal of fuel, so they do produce some heat just sitting there; this is true of all reactors, of all types (excluding fusion reactors).

What's the absolute worst scenario you're preparing for?

Personally? I think it's best to acknowledge all possible disasters, to prepare mentally. Only when your mind is ready will you act properly when the time comes. I'm ready for if the vessel goes down (as in, permanently. It's supposed to go down when we want it to). But if you mean as a crew, there's is nothing we're not prepared for. Volume after volume after volume of books contain endless procedures and contingency plans. Someone could launch a weapon at us at the exact moment that flooding started and something burst into flames, and we would know what to do. We need to; there isn't a lot of margin for error, and we can't really call for help and expect it to show up fast, like people on land can.

Interesting. So a lot of the day-to-day is filled with drills, I would imagine. I'm curious as to what's the worst failure that can happen... with the reactor, I mean?

Worst thing would be anything that breaches the core. Everything we do revolves around keeping the core intact. This is going to make me sound a bit loony, but every good operator is prepared to die to protect the core. We have never broken one, or even come close, and we're ready to do whatever it takes to keep it that way.