has anyone here done submarine service?? The US Navy has got submarines that are more than impressive.

I was wondering what it's like to be on one these things...I read a book called Blind Man's Bluff...about submarine espionage...awesome!

I would love to hear from someone that has done this sort of thing.Does it get claustrophobic?

Paul

I have.

Yes, they can be very confining for those inclined to claustrophobia. In the US Navy (in my day, probably still the case), sub sailors are volunteers (beyond just volunteering to be in the navy, that is) and evaluated for suitability to life on a sub.

I have been at sea on a Sub, HMS Otter, one of the ol Oberon class Diesel Electric Boats.That was back in the late 70s. I wasn't in the Submarine Service, I was aboard for a Nato Exercise for a week. Good fun but crowded.

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'The eye can only see what the mind is prepared to accept'

Over 20 years. Served on USS Lafayette, USS Providence, USS Honolulu. Blind Man's bluff is a good book. I did not serve on any of the subs mentioned but from what I understood (and stories I had heard), the stories are fairly accurate. My tours were, fortunately, rather mundane patrols and ops. There were moments of interest (can't talk about that sorry) but nothing as exciting as retold in that book. I tip my old chiefs cap to those guys (as well as all those in WWII). They definitely earned their dolphins and then some.

My Dad served on a sub (well, two of them) in WWII. He did two patrols on the USS SHARK (II) (SS-314) which then sank on its third patrol while he was on leave, then finished the war aboard the USS BOARFISH. He never forget his shipmates that perished on the SHARK.

Nick

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Nick Theodorakis

I was on the USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609). Because it was a ballistic missile sub, we didn't do anything cool - just cruised in our patrol area quietly waiting for orders to start WWIII (or end it).

I agree - Blind Man's Bluff is a good book.

For the stars, this place is full of NATO spies...

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"As truth is gathered, I rearrange,
Inside out, outside in - Perpetual change." - A British rock band

Not my cup of tea.

Always equated modern sub duty to being in the Army stuck in a one horse base for your whole enlistment or in the Airforce stuck in the bottom of a silo in Kansas. What you see around you is all you're going to see.

That and you guys had the sucky liberty ports, especially in the Eastern hemisphere.

Sub duty is so boring compared to other duties the Navy used to give them liberity in Karachi and they would be all, "Whee, they're being nice to us!" Yep, you really have to mess people up hard to make them glad to go to a place where the women dress in burkas, and as been noted to me by many submariners, the camels smelled better.

Me, give me the flightdeck, Sun, wind, the ocean. You know, stuff that makes you a sailor.

Modern submariners are proto-spaceship jockeys, not sailors. Without aliens and with lousy liberty ports.

One time on a bright morning in the Indian Ocean I was standing on the flightdeck, and in the space of one horizon there was the Kittyhawk, the Nimitz, the Enterprise, the Ike AND the Constellation herself. With attending escorts. We had formed up WWII style. My mind boggled at all the potential in that one spot.

Now on that magnificent, glorious morning do you know what the E-3 and below on the at least 6 attack subs that were undoubtedly present as well wrote in their diaries? "I went to work today and heard engines sounds of five supercarriers at once. Wonder what it looked like?"

Says it all right there.

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"The beauty of that discussion of averages is that you don't have to be an expert in Apollo or in photography in order to see where this time study "analysis" breaks down. You just have to be, well...not an idiot." -JayUtah

And they had you all plotted and sunk.

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'The eye can only see what the mind is prepared to accept'

I agree with that. We had a few liberty ports that were enjoyable but it did not compare to the skimmer fleet.

Not many ports would allow entry to the Sam Houston. Something about the sixteen ballistic missiles onboard.

Don, I believe we participated in war games against the 7th fleet. Despite the age of the boat and the fact it was a boomer, not a fast attack, we still sent the carrier to the bottom.

Can a modern sub send a modern carrier to the bottom with one shot?? Whitout the nukes that is.

That is so cool. That sounds like an awesome sight.

It depends what you mean by 'one shot' Against a target like a carrier you would fire a full salvo not just one Fish. Also modern subs have tube launched Harpoon Missiles.

In the Falklands War the General Belgrano (Ex US Cruiser USS Phoenix) was sent down by a single Mk 8 from HMS Swiftsure an RN Hunter Killer.

In WW2 the Battleship HMS Barham was sent down by 3 Fish from U331.
HMS Royal Oak was sunk at anchor by one Fish from U47.

Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal was sunk by one Fish from U81
HMS Corageous was sunk by 2 Fish frm U29

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'The eye can only see what the mind is prepared to accept'

Probably not. From Lincoln on up, the added displacement is allegedly extra armor.

But it would hurt.

Big Don, if you have a chance, would you look up the gasoline guy on Q&A?

Regards, John M.

wow!!

great to here about everyones experiences..I have only seen a submarine once and that was in Wellington,NZ it was HMAS Ovens..it was an obereon class submarine. I don't think I would like to serve on a submarine but its an interesting aspect of life. I cant imagine what 1 nuke sub with 16 ICBM could do a country...I hope it never happens!

Paul

In WWII, my mother's cousin (and by default mine) Fritz served in the silent service.

My father's best friend was in the merchant marines and was on a boat that was torpedoed. Because it was carrying ammunition, it blew in half. Luckily, he survived with only a slight loss of memory.

I did visit the U-505 at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

Hi Paul, I served from 67 to 73, part of which was on ss421 .
I listened to fish.
I'll take my chances with the murdering sea than a rice paddy.

Try snorkeling off Cape Hatteras in February.....in the conning tower.
Best regards, Dan

Captain, my brother, the one I served brother duty with, just utterly chewed me a new one for using the phrase "not sailors" in the above post. Which sounded a lot uglier coming out of his mouth than I meant.

Guys I have absolutely nothing but respect for submariners. The above was just rival football team stuff and my personal preferences. I wanted to be outside and see the world, and as I tell my Army and Marine friends, the Navy never sent me anywhere that didn't have a toilet or a coffee mess. And you can survive without a toilet.

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"The beauty of that discussion of averages is that you don't have to be an expert in Apollo or in photography in order to see where this time study "analysis" breaks down. You just have to be, well...not an idiot." -JayUtah

Submarine service certainly isn't for everyone.

The missiles are more accurately referred to as SLBM's, not ICBM's, and yes, sixteen of them could seriously ruin a country's - or planet's - day. Not that any one sub would have been able to wreak that kind of devastation, at least during the Cold War. We generally decided that we'd be able to get off four or five at the most before the local Soviet hunter-killer destroyed us. Takes time to sequentially launch the missiles and the process is very noisy.