Life Under the Sea: 30 Fascinating Facts About Living in a Submarine

Life on a submarine might sound exciting to some, while many others might find the idea downright terrifying! Whether you’re planning on taking a submarine tour, joining the submarine force, or getting your dose of underwater living facts, you’ve come to the right place.

If you were in the submarine force before 2014, then you would have an 18-hour split into three six-hour sections.  However, a few junior officers decided to shift submariners back onto a 24-hour schedule to optimize sanity.

While you should never steal at any point in your life, thievery is highly frowned upon when living on a submarine. If you still want on a submarine, you have to deal with some fairly severe consequences.

Everybody knows the importance of sharing, no life on a submarine takes this idea to an entirely different level. Because of their small size, submarines do not have individual bunks for every passenger. Most often, a bunk is shared by two to three passengers.

Who doesn’t love an adorable dolphin? In the case of submariners, dolphins are very highly regarded. In fact, one of the highest honors you can earn from your commander when living on a submarine is the Dolphin Pin.

The thought of living in a submarine is enough to generate a claustrophobic panic attack for some. This probably makes it fitting that many submariners refer to their beds as “coffins.”

If you want to live on a submarine, you have to become a master of sleep. Things will always be happening around you, and if you can’t sleep through them, you’ll never get the right amount of sleep that you need.

Remember, submarines operate deep beneath the sea, meaning it is pretty rare for anyone onboard to see the sun rise and set. You’re bound to lose track of time at one point or another, especially when you consider the fact that a submarine can be underwater for many months at a time.

Submarines operate with lower internal oxygen levels, which can introduce some unique physical side effects. For starters, if you get injured aboard a submarine, it may take longer for your body to heal itself.

Even if you feel like you might be okay with living in tight spaces, you may change your mind once you realize you’re living adjacent to some of the most powerful weapons of destruction on Earth.

When free time rolls around, the best thing you can do is hang with the rest of the crew in the mess hall. While you won’t find a lot of space here, you’re bound to find good times and entertainment.

If you get lost while driving down the highway on a road trip, all you need to do is pull over and ask a local for directions. However, when you’re hundreds of feet beneath the surface of the water, you don’t really have anyone to pull over and talk to.

Living on a submarine may sound quite mundane, as you have the same schedule each day and a limited number of things you can do. Unless you’re in the middle of a war, you won’t be dealing with much action.

If you’ve ever complained about your apartment’s tiny bathroom, the submarine life may not be for you. With so much equipment and machinery on the inside, there’s not a lot of room left over for much else.

We’ve pretty much driven home how little space there is on a submarine, especially when you consider the fact that crews can add up to more than 100 people. You can’t be rolling a board with three suitcases packed to the brim with non-essential items.

Many people dream of becoming submariners, though many are blissfully unaware of how much work it takes to become one. The training process for becoming a submariner is quite rigorous, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight.

Do you think you can take some time away from your phone? When you submerge beneath the surface in a submarine, you won’t be able to communicate with the outside world. This means no text messages, social media, or sending letters.

Take a look at the members of most military branches, and you’ll see the same, heavily groomed look. We’re talking about military buzz cuts and li,ttle to no facial hair. Military members that are living on a submarine get a little more leeway in this regard.

If you have trouble committing, submarine life may not be for you. Going down into a submarine is a major commitment, as many submarines dive for weeks or months at a time.

The first thing that the crew will do when the submarine is fully submerged is check for leaks. Nothing is more of a danger to a Submariner than a leak in the boat.

Remember when we said how small the bathrooms are in submarines? The same thing goes for the showers. By now, you know that submarines are filled with tons of equipment and machinery, leaving very little room for non-essential amenities.

Aboard every submarine, you will find a kitchen, which is referred to as the galley. This is the area where all the food and beverages are prepared. As you may have expected, these kitchens are pretty Limited in terms of space. However, that doesn’t stop cruise from enjoying three tasty meals a day.

When you’re on watch duty, you have to be alert. The good thing is that watch duties never come as a surprise, as crew members are always on strict schedules.

Of course, living on a submarine isn’t all about war. In fact, submariners enjoy plenty of unique recreational activities to keep them sane and have fun while below the surface.

Just like your toilet at home, the toilet aboard a submarine can get clogged. However, toilets work a bit differently down here. The water is pumped from the toilet into three separate sanitary tanks within the submarine.

There’s nothing quite as unique and exciting as a sailor ceremony, and one of our favorites is the line-crossing ceremony. If you tried to guess what it was by the name, you probably guessed wrong!

Slam the door on a submarine, and you are bound to get in trouble. Submariners don’t get very much sleep, which is why they put strict rules about slamming doors. The last thing you’d want is someone slamming your bedroom door while you’re trying to get your beauty rest, so suffice it to say, it’s a pretty good rule.

Even though you have water all around you when you’re down in a submarine, the freshwater that is stored on the vessel is very precious. Most submarines want to remain undetected, meaning they are unable to expel used water very often.

Even with a relatively large crew, there may only be one washing machine and dryer aboard a standard submarine. This means that each crew member will only be able to throw in a few articles of clothing at a time. Even though these ships are rigged with military equipment, the washers and dryers are pretty similar to those you’d find in your average apartment complex.

When it comes to the types of uniforms military personnel wear, submariners are special. While they still have all the same badges and emblems that are representative of the United States Navy, their uniforms are made of lint-free polyester.

We probably all wonder how servicemen and servicewomen living on submarines for an extensive period don’t suffocate. Submarines are equipped with an impressively simple technology that enables them to produce oxygen from the water.

In some Hollywood films, submarines are usually shown laying at the bottom of the ocean. But, is that truly even accurate or possible? Well, it depends on the type of submarine.

Sometimes, there are more than 100 people (or more) living on a submarine at one time. So, naturally, there’s bound to be lots of trash everywhere. But, where is all of this waste even ending up?

Even with such limited space, crew members are able to make plenty of room for serious artillery. Many submarines carry Trident missiles, which are equipped with unique, independent targeting technology.

To avoid detection, submarines must remain as quiet as possible. Due to this, their hull is coated with an anechoic coating, a special material. It consists of complexly engineered rubber tiles that are attached with glue to the submarine’s hull. 

Due to its covert and distinctive nature, many may not know this fact. United States submarines have a special lockout trunk used by the Navy SEALs. Now that we know of its significance, what purpose does it serve? 

Being a nuclear-powered submarine has a lot of advantages. One of the main advantages is that it will continue to be serviceable and operational for decades without needing to be refueled. For example, the Royal Navy-operated Astute class nuclear submarines only require refueling once every 25 years. 

We already know that submarines don’t have enough sleeping bunks and sailors sometimes have to share the bed space. However, when even that isn’t sufficient, there are additional temporary bunks placed in the torpedo room. 

Usually, the ship’s doctor has a dedicated area on a modern vessel that’s exclusively reserved for them. The word “doctor” may be misleading because, on certain submarines, a senior corpsman serves as the medical authority on the vessel. But, they will only receive that honor after intensive training. 

Since submarines need to remain submerged for extended periods, food is obviously important. Unfortunately, fresh food won’t last for more than a few weeks, and then it’s up to the chefs to improvise. Sometimes, dried foods are utilized in preparing delicious and complex meals.

This fact might come as a surprise for those who haven’t ever been on a submarine before, but there is usually relative stillness below even if there’s a storm raging above. So, why is that? Typically, submarines travel dozens (and, sometimes even hundreds of miles) of meters below the surface. 

A significant aspect of the submarine’s mundane routine is the countless drills that occur. Fire drills, flooding drills, and reactor drills are the most important. Additionally, there is another type of drill that deals with various battle scenarios. 

While at sea on operational development, a submarine (just like any other complex machine) must have a high degree of maintenance so it can operate without any hiccups. Sailors have to spend many hours out of their days and nights fixing, repairing, and doing any maintenance necessary for every valve and hatch. 

Perhaps, this activity is unique to American submariners, but boys will always be boys. When the conditions permit it, sailors will sometimes “slide” down the submarine’s corridors when it undergoes steep depth changes. 

On submarines, there’s another odd ritual that’s the moment between the patrol and the deployment. Normally, this ritual is greeted with the celebration of a grand and sumptuous meal. The lavish meal could include lobsters, prime rib, or even a NY strip steak. 

Contrary to what many might think, the training and qualifications don’t stop once the sailors leave the shore. When they aren’t on duty, doing drills, or on watch, they dedicate their time wisely to improving their professional skills and qualifications. 

Although this is quite rare, it does happen sometimes. Whenever a submarine is afforded the opportunity to cross the Arctic Circle, its members paint their noses blue. 

Fortunately, it’s not always dark and depressing living on a submarine. When the weather conditions are pleasant (sometimes), and when the captain isn’t in a bad mood, the vessel will resurface, allowing the sailors to climb on top and have a little BBQ time. 

There are some moments when the submarine resurfaces, allowing for some much-needed recreation time for the exhausted sailors. When the conditions permit, the captain can choose for the submarine to resurface so the sailors can revel in some glorious swimming activities. 

Just as in any other armed forces branch, pranks are a necessary part of the military tradition. In this aspect, submarines are no different. There’s one funny prank that the sailor newbies have to go through – retrieving the mail buoy.

This funny prank is yet another aspect of life onboard the U.S. Navy sub, which is enacted on newly enlisted sailors who recently joined the underwater force. Usually, this prank occurs during maintenance time in which the “chief” asks one of the newbies to go to the supply deck and ask for “relative bearing grease.”

Submariners pretty much have little to no contact with the outside world, meaning that they don’t receive much news from home. This, at times, means they also are absent from college graduations, births, and other significant events.

When you are stuck in a tin can underwater for extended periods of time, it’s no surprise that you play silly pranks. Every week, submarines perform torpedo launching procedures.

Contrary to what you might believe, it’s not always the newbies who get pranked. There are times when the whole crew pulls a prank on one of the sub’s senior officers, which may even include the Executive Officer. The electrician taps into the lighting system in the living quarters of the officer and starts fooling around with the lights whenever the officer is there.

Unlike their U.S. Navy counterparts, sailors on board British submarines actually get to “communicate” with their families once a week. When we say communicate, we mean that they can send (and receive) a single message consisting of no more than 60 characters. These are known as “family grams.”

It’s known that the Navy is not as strict about its submariners growing beards and long hair, but there are times when they need a haircut. Actually, there are no official barbers onboard the submarines. 

As one of the many routines aboard a submarine, there’s a designated day for cleaning it. Ironically, the day is called “field day.” When hearing the order “sweepers, sweepers man your brooms!” booming over the PA, sailors have to pick up cleaning supplies and get to scrubbing and cleaning the floors as quietly as possible.

People on a submarine operate in close proximity to others, meaning that the air they inhale is always being recycled. Once the hatch is closed, the only thing you would smell is an unpleasant combination of oil, amine, and body odors.

It’s no surprise that spending weeks and even months devoid of communication with the external world could take a toll on one’s mental well-being. The sailors that serve aboard a sub go through an intensive selection process and training before being admitted to the submarine corps ranks. Despite this (although rarely), some of them crack under pressure. 

It takes hours and hours to master a submariner’s primary occupation. For example, a sonar operator spends much of their time perfecting the skills and knowledge required to work the sonar systems. 

Here’s yet another funny prank that submariners like to play on their Executive Officer – stealing their stateroom (living quarters) door. These officers are typically good-natured and kind, and, regardless of their difficult job, they just play along with these pranks!