Have you ever had the desire to just drop everything and run off to live on a submarine? Though it's tempting to abandon this world in favor of living life beneath the waves, not many people know what it's like actually living on an real sub. Fear not! This list will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about what it's like living on a submarine.
What are the bathrooms like? Can you even lift? There's more to life on a submarine than you might think. Sure, it's hard to tell time, but once you earn your Dolphin Pin, all the hard work is worth it. Read on for all the facts and details that you need to know before you decide to run away from your problems and start your career as a submariner.
19 Things You Didn't Know About Living on a Submarine,
Minimal Bathrooms Make for a Tight-Knit Community
With so many vital machines and components crammed into a submarine, it's not surprising that the non-vital elements are left a little under-served. One problem that might turn a lot of people off to the idea of living in a submarine is the bathroom situation. If the submarine is really lucky, there are a couple of small, cramped bathrooms around the sub, but in a lot of cases, there will only be one tiny bathroom for close to 40 men. Think about that the next time you watch The Hunt for Red October.
The Beds Are Called Coffins
As if being confined to a metal tube that could sink or explode any moment wasn't bad enough... you sleep in bunks called coffins.
The Lower Amount of Oxygen Messes with Your Body
Submarines keep oxygen levels extremely low for safety reasons, but this has some serious side effects. The lower oxygen makes it more difficult for your body to heal if it's been injured. That's usually not a problem, but if you accidentally cut yourself while working, you're not in for a pleasant time. Your wound will constantly ooze because it can't heal properly. Other side effects include being tired more often and everyone being extra angry all the time.
Communication with the Outside World Is Tough
There's no scuba mailman on his way to the sub with a crewman's Amazon Prime order. Communication with loved ones becomes a very difficult process when you're under the surface of the ocean. The only time submariners get a chance to send emails home is when the submarine surfaces, which happens only a handful of times within one tour. Even then, sending an email isn't always guaranteed. By sending one out, it gives off a signal that identifies where the submarine is, which is the exact opposite of what a submarine wants to do.
Training for Submarine Life Might Be the Worst Thing Ever
So you want to be a submariner. Great... though good luck surviving the training for it. One former Navy nuclear machinist's crew member describes the training as absolute hell, saying a popular theory is that "there were no ships - the fleet, the school, the whole thing was a myth contrived by Navy psychologists as part of a sadistic experiment." Yikes. He goes on to say how for the first months, you spend 10 hours a day studying non-stop, then march back and repeat it all day after day after day. He says "they cram four to six years of college-level information into a six-month period."
Sharing a Bunk Is Completely Normal
Usually, there are not enough bunks, or racks, for everyone. This is just something you have to get used to. It means that most of the time, up to three people are sharing the same rack. When one person comes back from a shift, he wakes up whoever of the three is sleeping and switches spots with him to begin his sleep shift. This is often called "hot racking," because usually, the spot will still be warm from the guy who was just sleeping there.
Most of Your Free Time Is Spent in the Mess Hall
The lack of space on submarines limits what the crew can do during their designated free time. In most cases, crews like to hang out in the mess hall. Usually that communal area has a few big televisions and a DVD library with close to 400 movies, offering at least some kind of entertainment while deep under the waves.
The Typical Tour Lasts Between 90 and 180 Days
If your biggest dream is to be an expert submariner, you better be prepared to commit. It's not like crew members spend a few days down there and then come up for air. Normal tours last for about 90 days, but it's common for tours to stretch out to almost six months.
It's Almost Impossible to Keep Track of Time
Unsurprisingly, a giant submarine puttering along at the bottom of the ocean does not get a lot of time to bask in the sun or moonlight. Because of that, it's incredibly easy to lose track of time, especially given the odd schedules the crew members follow. If you were hoping to continue your circadian rhythyms while below the surface, you can throw that notion right out of the metaphorical window.
Life Is Divided Into Three Six-Hour Segments
Forget living a normal life while on a submarine, you live and die on a strict schedule. The hardest thing might be adjusting to the three, six-hour segment routine you have to endure. Crew members get six hours for sleeping, six hours on watch, and six hours for free time. This kind of segmented schedule would be a lot to adjust to.