Introduction

For my 4th blog post I will be talking about submarines! Although it is not the most common job in the navy, it is still very popular and submariners are an extremely important asset to the fleet. In this post I will talk about what a submariner does, what training is like, different types of submarines, and where submariners work.

Why are Submarines Important?

Although some submersibles were created in the late 1800’s, the submarine itself was really brought into use during WWI and used much more commonly in WW2 and the Cold War. Submarines are unique because they offer the firepower similar to ships or aircraft but of course are underwater and therefore extremely stealthy, quick, and low risk. Today, operations themselves are very secretive and only a select group of people know where U.S. submarines are at a given time. Despite the lack of knowledge known by most people, they are a critical asset because of their capabilities in intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance. Submarines provide extremely important intelligence for national security and military issues because of their ability to travel to hotspots around the world unnoticed. Additionally, in times of war submarines play an extremely important role. Because all submarines in the U.S. Navy are nuclear armed, they can completely destroy an enemy if needed. Even the fact that other countries know our submarines are nuclear armed is a way to deter them from acting aggressive against us. Their 16 tomahawk land missiles also can be launched without the need of resurfacing, and their accuracy and power is unmatched. Their ability to travel from one part of the world to another is also outstanding and beats many other naval forces around the world. Modern submarines are continued to be built with new upgrades and capabilities because of their recognized value within the fleet.

How Does One Become a Submariner Officer in the Navy?

Before graduating and commissioning as an officer, midshipmen who wish to become a submariner must pass multiple tests and also pass an interview with an Admiral in the Navy.  If selected, midshipmen will graduate and attend Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, SC for 24 weeks. This 24 week course dives into a variety of science related topics including thermodynamics and nuclear propulsion. After this officers will attend Nuclear Power Training Unit for 26 more weeks where they will learn to operate a full nuclear propulsion plant. Lastly, they will go to Submarine Officer Basic Course for 12 weeks in New London, CT where they will learn safety, damage control and seamanship. From this point on, one is officially a submariner officer and they will begin their first tour on a submarine.

Different Types of Submarines

Fast Attack: Fast attack submarines have 3 classes: The Los Angeles class, Seawolf class, and Virginia class. These attack submarines are meant specifically to attack other submarines and surface warfare ships. They are extremely important during wartime because of their firepower and ability to hold cruise missiles and launch vertically.

Ballistic Missile: These types of submarines have the ability to deploy missiles with nuclear warheads thousands of miles away, and they are also extremely stealthy due to new technology known as acoustic quieting. While of course they can target other ships and hit land targets as well, their main purpose is nuclear deterrence, power projection and sea control. The Ohio-class is the U.S. Navy’s class of Ballistic Missile submarines.

Guided Missile: Guided missile submarines are adapted Ohio-class submarines changed to do a specific duty. These submarines have very similar capabilities but are meant to hit more specific targets with a shorter range on their missiles but with higher precision. They use a variety of GPS and radar systems to find their target.

Why Should You Become a Submariner?

While submariners have an extremely important job, they get to explore the world and fulfill an extremely important job that protects the country in a variety of ways. However, submariners work underwater for up to 6 months at a time or longer and therefore one must be willing to not only the light of day for that long but also, in some cases, not have much communication with friends or family. Despite some obstacles, the camaraderie on submarines is known to be the best in the Navy and submariners still get to explore all parts of the world including Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Submarines and Women

Lastly, I thought it would be interesting to talk about how women have played an increasing role in the submarine lifestyle. If you did not know, until 2011 women were not allowed to work on a U.S. submarine. This was because if women were aboard a submarine, the navy would have to find a way to build completely separate berthings and bathrooms for women and they had not developed a cost effect and space efficient method to do this. However since 2011 women officers could work on a submarine and in 2014 enlisted women could work on submarines as well. They are increasing these standards and integrating more women every year to make an equal Navy.