12 year Navy vet with years on a submarine and the Reserves. Ask me anything!

Was it dead silent deep in the ocean? Or was there a latent background "sound" of silence from machinery, electronics, etc.?

He hasnt answered yet but I can. Yiu dint hear much unless youre insonar then you hear everything. Whales other biologics etc. Source: Definitely listened to 2 whales boning on one underway

Sonar also listens to shrimp getting it on a lot. I still can’t listen to popcorn in the microwave without thinking about that.

What movies did you guys watch during down time?

How else did you entertain yourselves?

In my day, we were sent movies on what looked like a mini vhs tape. I’m told they get them digitally now. We were lucky enough to get movies about a week before they hit theaters on a pretty regular basis. At any given moment, there were about 200 movies onboard. We watched a lot of Van Wilder (it was still somewhat new) and Ice Princess for some damn reason.

A few nukes played a lot of cribbage too. I never got into it until later in life. The occasional person would read a book or two. Beyond that, you’re either working on quals or in the rack. Sleep is just something you try to get every chance you get.

What's with ice princess? I remember watching that movie way too many times.

I’m blaming Michelle Trachtenburg. We watched a lot of Eurotrip too...

I'm sure there's a "This isn't where I parked my car" reference somewhere.

Dude. Sweet.

They send us DVD's. I wish we still got 9mm tapes, harder to scratch. Van Wilder was my qual movie back in '02 on the Alabama!

Nice!! Mine too.

This is something I’ve always wondering though I imagine the Navy is selective for submarines. Did anyone ever get claustrophobia and if so how did they treat it? I have it a bit so the idea of being in a giant metal tube sealed up underwater is a nightmare to me. Thanks!

It’s not really a thing. It’s very similar to being locked inside your house for a few months and everything you need is in it. You don’t really think about it.

You do realize submarines need to breath just like other animals so they dont stay underwater the whole time, that's when the crew opens the windows when the submarine goes up to breath

I knew they did some but I didn’t know for how long or how often.

Was true in the old diesel sub days. Not with nukes. Pretty sure the US doesn’t have any diesel subs anymore.

A nuke can stay submerged for its entire tour. Couple of months I think.

^{^} what he said.

Not a question but I’m a fellow submariner (EM). Six year contract on a Los Angeles class out of Groton. I’m just here to say hi and read the questions you get. :)

Actually, question: boat and homeport?

I was on Chicago when it was in Pearl Harbor the first time. (I hear it’s back in Pearl after about a decade of homeporting in Guam now)

Glad you didn’t get stuck in Guam ;)

Went there twice. That was enough for me.

what's so bad about Guam?

Guam is really fun........for about 12 hours then youve seen everything there is to see

Nudie bars get boring after a while on an island. And I have no business scuba diving. Guam does have some of the best diving locations in the world.

Beyond that, it’s the armpit of the universe.

I'm not military, I spent 3 months on Guam, it was cool. Did a lot of fishing, drank in a lot of interesting bars, saw some cool stuff in the jungle, drank a surprising amount of German beer, almost had a chance to go hunting but couldn't get it all together. It was fun. Dunno if I'd want to stay there more than 2-3 months, but it was otherwise fun. Tuesday night was steak night at the Horse and Cow; as a former sailor told me "It's not the best steak you'll ever have, but it's the best $7.00 steak you'll ever have". I would not disagree.

Late edit to add: The brisket smoked over mango wood at the barbecue place in the Chamorro market was effing awesome.

If it’s at the horse and cow... it’s worth it.

Snakes or the wind?

Snakes. I’m from Chicago area. Used to the wind. The heat was a son of a bitch too.

Fuck yeah Groton B.E.S.S was awesome!!!!

I was a nuke so I didn’t go to BESS but I bet it was more awesome than Nuke school, haha.

Can confirm. BESS was better than nuke school. By a long shot. Even though the best thing to do in Groton is leave...

Are there any long term heath effect from being on a submarine for extended periods of time? Thank you for your service!

Your knees go after a while. Walking on steel all the time. Guy on my boat (attack submarine) was on his last sea tour -16 years in and was having a really hard time getting around.

Personally my hearing was affected - lost 30/40% in one ear. It probably affects everyone differently.

I have about the same issues. Knees are shot, hearing is screwed a bit, chronic back issues. Doesn’t help I played hockey and was in a few bands before the military. I can’t blame all of that on the boat, but I’m sure it didn’t help.

First things first...the smell. Scale of 1-10, how was it down there. To go along with that, what was the temperature on the sub?

The forecast is the same every day... 72F and fluorescent, unless something is broken. It can get a little toasty then, but it’s bearable. But... that smell is a smell that you’ll never forget. Imagine running your lawnmower at full speed in your living room for 6 months. Berthing smells of mostly feet, farts, and diesel. You get very used to that smell.

Two words: venting sans.

When the shitter's full, you've got to empty the sanitary tank. So you shut valves, hang signs in the heads (so nobody gets a turd geyser in their face), and use air pressure to push the crap to sea. Once empty, you have to depressurize the tank. The air that was just pushing poo gets vented back into the boat for your aromatic enjoyment.

If you were on a 637/688 and slept in the berthing just forward of the torpedo room, you knew exactly where the vent was. There were charcoal bags in front of the vent to reduce the smell, but their effectiveness depended on how fast funky air was being pushed through them.

Triggered. Lol

What was the basics of your position on the submarine?

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( Feel free to respond with; CLASSIFIED )

Highly classified. I was a part of the navigation division. I got paid to color maps and fix electronics basically.

How accurate is the Simpson's episode where Homer joins the Navy?

Hahahahaha. Pretty accurate but less threat from penguins. Much like Down Periscope.

hot bunking horror stories?

Had to hot rack with a dude that had some serious BO issues. Definitely did everything in my power to make his life miserable. He had the joy of being racked out for anything I could ever dream of. One thing you don’t share is your sleeping bag. I would have kicked his ass if I ever caught him using it.

Wtf who downvoted you?

Probably ol’ boy. I can’t even remember his damn name.

Who has to clean the Fleshlights?

Newest member of the crew. Never be the new guy.

1) how often were hookups on the boat? 2) What did you call women who only got hot when in a sub?

Rare. Short of a crew member bringing his girlfriend down for a tour. I only know of one.

Most of the ones that would get all worked up were “tag chasers”. They just want your paycheck and medical benefits.

You a shellback?

Yessir. Golden at that...

What’s your greatest fear while submerged?

What’s an easily overlooked mistake that has horrible/disastrous consequences?

Going too deep and/or not coming back up. The number of dives is supposed to equal the number of surfaces.

Every system has a backup. It is a warship after all. A part of qualifying on submarines is knowing all of the systems without hesitation. There wasn’t really much of a threat of something being overlooked.

Have you ever had your timber shivered and did it cost extra in Thailand?

No. I don’t think so... lol

Everything in Thailand is cheap.

Where's the safest place to beat off in a submarine without getting caught? Did you have to go back to using magazines?

Fan room. Magazines were the way to go.

Best memory / worst memory on board?

Best memory is the crew. They made the job bearable and I consider them family. They’re the kind of friends you couldn’t get rid of even if you wanted.

Worst memory, some of the work hours were the shittiest. When I got out and I was told to go home at the end of an 8 hour day, I was completely dumbfounded.

Los Angeles, Ohio, seawolf, or Virginia class. Which is the best, worst and why?

I’m partial to LA because I was on one. Best liberty ports, super tight crew, we did some cool shit. Ohio misses out on all of the cool ports, but has a set schedule. Seawolf does all the cool shit, but it was always tied to the pier. Virginia has potential, but I have very little exposure to them.

Was playing your bass more brutal in the deep or is Dethklok lying to us?

I can neither confirm nor deny playing a ton of songs that started with “this ones for the fish”...

How many times you seen someone go insane inside a submarine? What would happen if someone gets sick in the submarine would you have to go back to shore or stay until the mission is over?

Depends on the situation. Doc takes care of everybody. And there is only one Doc. If we are on mission, that dude better start praying for either good drugs or quick death. Otherwise, we’d probably pull into port and drop him off.

Not OP, but just recently left the Navy as a submariner. Most people tend to cope by growing thick skin and growing sadistic senses of humor (much like how the rest of the military does). Most people are depressed but handle it in different ways and often discuss it through humor.

We had a super tight schedule the last couple of years I was onboard and averaged about 18 months out of 24 at sea. We had just gotten back from a deployment, just to get surged on another deployment when everyone got back from post deployment leave. Now, the thing about surges are that you might get some really interesting tasking or you might end up doing circles waiting for something to happen. We had the latter. After 3 more months, we had a cook snap and repeatedly stab his good friend up and down the neck and face with a kitchen knife. To this day, nobody knows the real reason why, only that he had mentioned he wanted to get off the boat before the surge deployment. We pulled into port just to touch the pier and drop off the victim and the cook, then right back out to see for another 60 days. The victim survived with scars, but the cook is still awaiting trial.

I suppose I was lucky, I only developed a caffeine addiction and a hatred for the color Seafoam Green.

Jesus. Hope they lock him up and let him rot.

What's the most realistic submarine movie?

Down Periscope. Minus the very end when they hide in the wash of the surface ship. The rest of it is pretty accurate.

have you sailed the seven seas?

Location is classified. But I’ve been a lot of places.

Hey there! Thanks for the AMA

I'm working on a game revolving around submarines entirely. What are some "slang" terms for things that only submarine crew-members would know of?

There are a shitload that are sub specific some are just navy terms. I’ll let you google away on these:

Geedunk Scuttlebutt Nub Nuke Coner A gang Cob Weps Nav Eng Head valve Midrats Snap roll

Good luck!

Is it long and hard and full of sea men?

Yup.

[deleted]

At most. 6 hours a day. That’s rare. Work 6 hours, clean/study for 6 hours, sleep 6 hours. Repeat.

Those 6 hours of sleep get interrupted by drills, actual emergency, and field day on a very regular basis.

Any advice for someone interested in the Navy, specifically regarding subs?

Make sure you want to join the military. Talk to somebody other than a recruiter that has already done it. Go subs. I can’t imagine any other way. (Maybe a pilot, but I wear glasses so...)

How was the food? Did the cooks have a rotation of food or did they just surprise you? You had all the same wardrooms as on a surface ship ?

Officers eat the same food the enlisted ate. We have a wardroom, but it’s just another spot for the officers to eat.

Menus were made weekly by the cooks. We knew what time of day it was based on the meal being served. Hands down, best food in the Navy. Breakfast was made to order eggs. Lunch was a basic meal. Dinner always had a nice protein. Steak was pretty common. Alaskan crab on halfway night.

Midrats was the only bullshit meal and was usually left over dinner or some damn chef boyardee.

What rate were you in the navy & why?

Navigation Electronics Technician

I trained to be a nuclear electronics tech, but failed, and went Nav Div.

How do you feel about Cmdr. David Fravor and the Tic Tac UFO incident? What do you think that could be?

I know nothing of the incident outside of what I just found on google. I have no idea what the hell that is...

What do you think of cryptologist?

They’re all Spook’s?

Rack taking, food eating, non qualified nubs. The ones that get qualified are always pretty cool.

Does the lack of sunlight result in depression? How often did you “surface” to get fresh air?

We actually don’t need fresh air. There are systems on board that take water (H2O) and split hydrogen from oxygen, blow the hydrogen overboard, keep the oxygen.

Nothing beats that first breath of fresh air after a long underway though.

Sunlight is overrated.

how are you doing?

Pretty good?!

Any experience with UFOs?

No. They were all identified.

Did you ever shot out a torpedo because of a stupid dare some other guy did?

Definitely not.

Which variety of Shellback are you?

Golden

I have a couple questions.

On your last AMA, you have a picture of yourself with a rifle, but why would anyone bother carrying a rifle on a submarine? The only reason I can think of is if it was borrowed from an onboard SEAL attachment or something.

Also, what is the spacing like inside a submarine? The vessels are already small, and I imagine the accessible inside area even smaller because of the thick pressure hull, ballast tanks, and machinery.

On the older submarines with periscopes and lacking photonics masts, the CIC is typically located right under the sail and on the uppermost deck to accommodate the periscope. What is the spacing like over there?

Gotta pull into port sooner or later. Small arms like an M16, SAW, or shotgun are our best option. I just happened to be in the torpedo room when they were cleaning them.

My job was in the control room. It’s only really cramped when we were piloting and everybody was in there. Definitely the most stressful part of the job being in Nav div. Control is definitely one of the most packed spaces on the entire boat.

Are there any movies that accurately portray life on a sub? Also, what movie does every sub mariner love? I.e. hunt for red October, crimson tide, etc.

Down Periscope. I literally pick apart every sub movie I’ve ever seen. They are all bullshit at some point.

How realistic was the movie “hunt for red October”?

Completely full of shit. But still a good movie.

Do you ever "splice the main brace" while at sea?

Hell. I wish. We drank like fish in port, but never on the boat.

Never understood exactly what "cavitate" means while piloting a sub. Also, is a "wild Ivan" a real thing?

Crazy Ivan. Turn 180 degrees towards a torpedo or enemy sub.

Cavitation happens when the screw (propeller) is turning so fast it makes bubbles. Doing so makes noise. Kinda similar to flooring the gas pedal in a car. Makes a shitload of noise and gets to top speed fast.

How tall are you? Is it better to be shorter when you work in a compacted environment like a sub?

6 feet on the button. Height doesn’t really matter. We had a guy that was 6’5”. He hit his head on everything but adjusted pretty quickly.

Hitting your head on a submarine fucking hurts. A lot.

What was the most useful item you used during your time, and why?

I had a SOG diggit. Basically a leatherman multipurpose tool. It was on my belt for years. Lost the damn thing crawling out of the sonar dome in the tunnel. As far as I know, it’s still on the boat.

Were you too tall for comfort, or were tall guys not on board?

I think if it pretty well. We had a guy that was 6’5”. He barely fit, but adjusted quickly.

When you eventually come back up to the surface, would you need to take any extra “care” in adjusting your eyes back to natural light? Would your eyes become more sensitive?

All of us would squint for the first few minutes. It’s very similar to walking out of your house at high noon, regardless of time.

I was always told you guys on the subs get the best food i.e steak and seafood just high quality food to keep morale up since you're in such a confined space with so many people, any truth to this?

In short. Yup.

Favourite condiment? Thank you

Sriracha. That’s a no brainer.

Is the Kraken real?

If it is, I never saw it.

whats the honest reason you first joined the navy?... i was very close to joining the navy or army but i didn't like the idea of blindly taking orders

I was ready for something different. I REALLY wanted to fly jets. It was a childhood dream of mine. Walked into the Air Force and told them this. I was immediately rejected due to eyesight. I got pissed off and my Navy recruiter came outside while I had a smoke and he lit up next to me and we started talking. One thing lead to another and I decided underwater sounded pretty cool.

Is the Navy overwhelmingly Republican? If so, why?

Not that I’m aware of. Most of us couldn’t give two shits about politics.

How does it make you feel that Clown Trump is your highest ranking officer?

Not a fan of him at all. I’m a civilian now so it doesn’t affect me as much.

Thank you for your service, but what would you consider your Most terrifying occurrence while serving?

Edit: Grammar

Unfortunately, not something I can talk about.

Is it as bad as I think?

Not really. The hours are long and the work is pretty repetitive. Other than that, it’s a lot easier than a lot of other military jobs.

But the tight spaces?

Meh

What is the highest speed that the USN will admit that a submarine has gone?

Pretty damn fast. Faster underwater than on top.

Yeah, I know. Just wondered what the "official" speed was.

I think the official answer is 20 knots surfaced or submerged.

Why did you want to be in the navy in general?

Yes, You can sail the seven seas

Didn’t want any other branch besides the Air Force and I got shot down for bad eye sight.

What rank were you when you left the Navy?

E6

Have you noticed significant changes in how things operate based on different presidential administration's? What are your thoughts on people who kneel during the national anthem

Not really. Submarine operations are highly classified so they tend to do a lot of the same shit over and over again.

As for taking a knee... it’s freedom of speech. I don’t agree with it, but it’s his right. Even if he’s an idiot. I usually worry about more important shit like “where am I gonna set my beer?” When I stand up and put my hand over my heart.

Have you ever witnessed or heard about anything paranormal/supernatural on the job? Since you’re trained in CQC how many average joes do you think you can beat in one fight?

I’m talking 5”9 180 pounds average joes with no fighting experience except from maybe a bar fight.

Nothing paranormal or supernatural that I’m aware of.

Trained to shoot first and ask later. I’m going with 45.... only because I never had more bullets.

If we are talking today... I have two teenage daughters and listen to heavy metal. I have plenty of pent up aggression and feel sorry for anybody who could push me to the limit of needing to swing.

How much do underwater currents affect subs and to what extent? What's the worst storm you ever cruised in or under? Thanks!

More than you’d think. A 2 knot current pushing to the side doesn’t sound like much, but imagine going in a straight line for a few hours. It will push you off course by a couple of miles. We are constantly checking that and making course corrections though.

Worst storm was a cat 3 or 4 (can’t remember, but it was a beast) off the coast of another country in the Pacific.

Have you heard of a video game that came out called Cold Waters?

https://youtu.be/zduzR9GjNWU

Another former submariner who was a sonar operator plays it on YouTube, it is essentially a realistic depiction of tactical submarine warfare.

Pretty big fan of this one. It’s very realistic.

On the Itchy and Scratchy CD-ROM, is there a way out of the dungeon without using the wizard key?

What the hell are you talking about?

Could you see sea life swimming by or was it too dark? What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen in the ocean?

No windows on a navy sub. When I think of cool things underway though... dolphins playing in front of the boat on the surface was awesome. The BEST part was being surfaced in the middle of the ocean at night and looking up. There are soooo many stars.

Someone else asked how you felt working for a “terrorist organization.” While I agree with you that his question was ignorant (and shitty), I would be curious to get your general opinion on US armed conflict and naval power.

Do you consider most US wars to be justified? Why or why not?

How do you feel about the depiction of the US Navy as “defending the world’s shipping routes?”

Would you recommend a naval (or other armed forces) career, in general?

What is your opinion on the phrase “all vets are heroes?”

Thank-you for your service!

Some great questions here!!

1. Most US wars are over some stupid shit that doesn’t make any sense to me. I find it difficult to justify the death of any human being for any reason other than the threat of endangering my own. If the comment before was made by an American, my best advice to that person is you don’t have to agree with the government to stand behind the military. If you can’t stand behind your military, feel free to stand in front of them.
2. We do defend the worlds shipping routes, among other things.
3. A military career in the United States is challenging and rewarding at the same time. I learned a ton of things and I’m a better person overall because of it.
4. This one is a little controversial. Not all vets are heroes. However, their service should still be respected. No matter how minuscule. Every bit counts. I definitely met some people in boot camp that struggled to do basic life stuff and I have no idea how they did in the fleet. I’d like to think they got by, but who knows. Regardless, they did something so somebody else didn’t have to...

Hi, Any underwater chasing happened at your carrier? I am thinking about fast moving objects under water...

I’m assuming you meant submarine and not carrier? If there was anything moving fast underwater, it was us.

My last deployed (BOG) OIC was a sub SuppO and told me about some of the crazy shit you have to know to get your dolphins. Any crazy questions on, or stories about your SS board?

I remember bringing a shitload of individually wrapped candy. They had to focus on opening that shit while I fumbled through questions.

Hardest question? One that stands out to me was regarding the ventilation lineup. I knew that shit like the back of my hand. COB asked me where the air goes when we are rigged in port because it wasn’t in my VERY detailed drawing.

I took the lookup. My dumbass couldn’t figure out it went out the hatches.

Also needed to know the submarine song and since they knew I failed nuke school, I got hit with a lot of damn nuke questions.

And yes, that board is super difficult, but rewarding.

is it true what they say? Its not gay if is on the sea?

It’s not....

Thank you for your service. I realize you may have hit the rack, so no rush.

I am wondering if there was security on your fast attack boat, and submarines in general? If so was it provided by the Navy, possibly Marines back in the days when they still did that? No rush on the answer, I’m just an insomniac and found your two AMA’s fascinating, thank you for doing them!

Yes there is. It’s provided by the crew.

Thank you for the reply!

One more thing, if you are into the bass still, highly recommend Geddy Lee’s book. The photos alone are worth it but also Geddy’s knowledge of the instruments within is... well, you would know better than most. This is coming from a drummer,

Thanks again, have a great one!

Geddy Lee is amazing. Also a huge Victor Wooten fan.

Have a friend who was a Navy airman whose brother enlisted for submarine duty. The airman said when 80 men went down on a sub, they came up 40 couples.

Is this true or would airmen bust the chops of submarine guys?

(J/K)

If I had a nickel every time I heard this, I wouldn’t have needed the GI bill...

We goofed off a lot, but there’s definitely a line that isn’t crossed.

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Proof in the original AMA for anybody that is weary.