If a ship was in distress, would a submarine surface to attempt a rescue?
Most likely, a submarine would surface and render aid. This picture shows an Oscar class submarine rescuing some sailors in the White Sea. However, the problem is that a…
Does a submarine’s inside diameter get visibly smaller on deep dives?
I recall a show where they tied a string taut from wall to wall and once deep under water the string was drooping, and they said the walls…
Instead of submarines having to return to port to refuel and switch crews, why don’t submarines dock with an aircraft carrier at sea so that crews can be swapped, and the sub can be resupplied without ever having to go to land?
It’s a common misconcepion that the two-crewed ballistic missile submarines only have to switch crews and load up on food and other consumables before heading back out to…
Can a submarine survive a hurricane?
Back in the late 1970’s the submarine I was Navigator/Operations Officer in was simulating a Soviet sub (ORANGE forces) during a major exercise in the Atlantic Ocean when…
How do submarines handle medical emergencies like a ruptured appendix when they’re deep underwater or in remote locations?
Approximately 1973, a USS Will Rodgers (SSBN 659B) crewman had a ruptured appendix roughly midway thought our patrol. The mission was a nuclear deterrent patrol, meaning 3 months…
Is it true that nuclear submarines carry some gold, firearms, and antibiotics in a vault to enable crewmen to survive a nuclear apocalypse?
I served on two nuclear submarines during the Cold War. We did carry gold, firearm, and antibiotics. They weren’t in a vault, though. The gold was carried, or…
What is the most dangerous creature on Earth for a submarine to encounter and why?
Without question these. Fruit flies. Submarines are massive, and made to withstand the huge force of pressure that acts on the hull at depth. No animal can externally…
How is the food on US navy submarines?
For the first week out of port it is delicious. The cooks know their stuff. To save space, bread is made fresh every day. I love fresh bread,…