4 ms·

I cannot imagine what it must be like to live in a submarine for months at a time, even without being greeted by a pandemic upon return.

brink 7y ago
Probably like what you're likely feeling now - quarantine. Just with less bad news, less natural light, and more people in your house.
- bradstewart 7y ago
  The lack of natural light seems like it would really, really mess with me. Maybe it's possible to prepare for that with certain training, I don't know. I'm lucky enough to have a backyard, in which I've been spending a lot of time lately.
  - numpad0 7y ago
    Sunburns. Human skin generates Vitamin D out of UV damages to it, which plays roles in hair and nails but also in maintaining healthy thoughts somehow. Apparently kids in arctic regions receive “sunbathing” sessions in a dark room with UV lamps for this reason. I’ve been thinking to replicate it but haven’t been able to find much technicalities in it...
    - kc0bfv 7y ago
      Are you talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) lamps? I think most "full spectrum" bulbs will work, they sell them at hardware stores.
    - jules-jules 7y ago
      Look for a solid Vit D3 K2 combo and you should be golden.
      - dralley 7y ago
        Although, be careful with your Vitamin K intake if you're highly sedentary. Increases the risk of blood clotting problems. It's not a problem if you're active though.
  - zentiggr 7y ago
    I didn't have much trouble adapting to underway conditions. But then I've always been somewhat introverted and love hunching over a desk doing projects. Underway was just a bit tighter spaces, flourescent only. Like knowing you were going into a really weirdly laid out half industrial half office space and you just weren't leaving for a while. (I was lucky enough to be in a rating where I was on periscope every now and again, so I had that bit of extra 'view'.)
- aequitas 7y ago
  Probably a lot worse than our average quarantine: no view of the outside, no fresh food, no way to 'escape' temporarily by going for groceries. Working on and off shifts sharing your sleeping bunk with another shipmate, little possibility for leasure, no Netflix, PS4, home cooking or spending more quality time with your family.
  - ekianjo 7y ago
    > PS4 I am pretty sure they have video games in a submarine these days.
  - zentiggr 7y ago
    Actually submarine fleet gets a bit better food than the rest. Toward the end of a long underway, things can get a bit odd, but I was never truly disappointed in the food. You find other escapes - I bought my own laptop at the Exchange and taught myself Linux from the install CD up on one deployment. If you're senior enough, you get your own rack. Perks :) And once you're off watch, there's routine to do but after that you have your own music, games if you like, movie nights (voting gets weird sometimes), read, we even made up a Stellar Conquest type game once, played out on paper, one turn per watch rotation. The family thing could be a big deal but I was already pretty estranged from my very small number of relatives, so wasn't much for me. YMMV.
c0nsumer 7y ago
A buddy of mine headed out to Alaska to do the full 1000 Mile Iditarod Trail Invitational on a bicycle before this all really kicked off. The world she came back to is really, really different: https://salsacycles.com/culture/an_interview_with_jill_martindale_iditarod_trail_invitational_1000_champion https://salsacycles.com/culture/an_interview_with_jill_marti...
izzydata 7y ago
It sounds rather peaceful to me.
- gregoriol 7y ago
  They are likely on alert 24/7, training when nothing happens, ... so not sure about peaceful; but to get a taste of peaceful, throw away your TV and everything will be much more fine
- yourapostasy 7y ago
  It's smelly. Check out submariners' recall of the amine smell that permeates even their skin. They're experimenting with a nanomaterial that might replace the amine. https://www.quora.com/Does-a-Navy-submarine-have-a-distinctive-smell-you-can-describe-Do-your-ears-pop-while-underwater https://www.quora.com/Does-a-Navy-submarine-have-a-distincti... https://paulamrozowicz.com/2015/02/10/submarine-life-what-i-definitely-dont-miss/ https://paulamrozowicz.com/2015/02/10/submarine-life-what-i-...
  - zentiggr 7y ago
    Twenty years later, I still remember that exact smell, so yeah. But I can't say it bothered me any more than walking into other people's houses to their distinct combination of odor. Just very different and something you get used to.
chrisseaton 7y ago
I think it's only up to around three months - 90 days - it isn't like a full-length tour.
- zentiggr 7y ago
  Boomers, yes. Fast attack boats are never really underway that long, but they deploy away from home port for 4 - 6 months at a time. I did five deployments in a 54 month sea tour. (My time away from home port was 68+%)

brink 7y ago

Probably like what you're likely feeling now - quarantine. Just with less bad news, less natural light, and more people in your house.

bradstewart 7y ago
The lack of natural light seems like it would really, really mess with me. Maybe it's possible to prepare for that with certain training, I don't know. I'm lucky enough to have a backyard, in which I've been spending a lot of time lately.
- numpad0 7y ago
  Sunburns. Human skin generates Vitamin D out of UV damages to it, which plays roles in hair and nails but also in maintaining healthy thoughts somehow. Apparently kids in arctic regions receive “sunbathing” sessions in a dark room with UV lamps for this reason. I’ve been thinking to replicate it but haven’t been able to find much technicalities in it...
  - kc0bfv 7y ago
    Are you talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) lamps? I think most "full spectrum" bulbs will work, they sell them at hardware stores.
  - jules-jules 7y ago
    Look for a solid Vit D3 K2 combo and you should be golden.
    - dralley 7y ago
      Although, be careful with your Vitamin K intake if you're highly sedentary. Increases the risk of blood clotting problems. It's not a problem if you're active though.
- zentiggr 7y ago
  I didn't have much trouble adapting to underway conditions. But then I've always been somewhat introverted and love hunching over a desk doing projects. Underway was just a bit tighter spaces, flourescent only. Like knowing you were going into a really weirdly laid out half industrial half office space and you just weren't leaving for a while. (I was lucky enough to be in a rating where I was on periscope every now and again, so I had that bit of extra 'view'.)
aequitas 7y ago
Probably a lot worse than our average quarantine: no view of the outside, no fresh food, no way to 'escape' temporarily by going for groceries. Working on and off shifts sharing your sleeping bunk with another shipmate, little possibility for leasure, no Netflix, PS4, home cooking or spending more quality time with your family.
- ekianjo 7y ago
  > PS4 I am pretty sure they have video games in a submarine these days.
- zentiggr 7y ago
  Actually submarine fleet gets a bit better food than the rest. Toward the end of a long underway, things can get a bit odd, but I was never truly disappointed in the food. You find other escapes - I bought my own laptop at the Exchange and taught myself Linux from the install CD up on one deployment. If you're senior enough, you get your own rack. Perks :) And once you're off watch, there's routine to do but after that you have your own music, games if you like, movie nights (voting gets weird sometimes), read, we even made up a Stellar Conquest type game once, played out on paper, one turn per watch rotation. The family thing could be a big deal but I was already pretty estranged from my very small number of relatives, so wasn't much for me. YMMV.

c0nsumer 7y ago

A buddy of mine headed out to Alaska to do the full 1000 Mile Iditarod Trail Invitational on a bicycle before this all really kicked off. The world she came back to is really, really different: https://salsacycles.com/culture/an_interview_with_jill_martindale_iditarod_trail_invitational_1000_champion https://salsacycles.com/culture/an_interview_with_jill_marti...

izzydata 7y ago

It sounds rather peaceful to me.

gregoriol 7y ago
They are likely on alert 24/7, training when nothing happens, ... so not sure about peaceful; but to get a taste of peaceful, throw away your TV and everything will be much more fine
yourapostasy 7y ago
It's smelly. Check out submariners' recall of the amine smell that permeates even their skin. They're experimenting with a nanomaterial that might replace the amine. https://www.quora.com/Does-a-Navy-submarine-have-a-distinctive-smell-you-can-describe-Do-your-ears-pop-while-underwater https://www.quora.com/Does-a-Navy-submarine-have-a-distincti... https://paulamrozowicz.com/2015/02/10/submarine-life-what-i-definitely-dont-miss/ https://paulamrozowicz.com/2015/02/10/submarine-life-what-i-...
- zentiggr 7y ago
  Twenty years later, I still remember that exact smell, so yeah. But I can't say it bothered me any more than walking into other people's houses to their distinct combination of odor. Just very different and something you get used to.

chrisseaton 7y ago

I think it's only up to around three months - 90 days - it isn't like a full-length tour.

zentiggr 7y ago
Boomers, yes. Fast attack boats are never really underway that long, but they deploy away from home port for 4 - 6 months at a time. I did five deployments in a 54 month sea tour. (My time away from home port was 68+%)