He claims that if a man earnestly tries to contribute to the over-all effectiveness and betterment of the ship, he can forget his own discomforts. Keeping active is important, according to one underseaman. Many indicated that the problem of adjustment is an individual one. The overwhelming reply was that submariners must first learn to adjust to their unusual environment, then do their best to get along with their shipmates. What with life the way it is aboard a submarine, how does one adjust? That extra pay, it goes without saying, was a motivating factor. That image is the result, they say, of the need for team-work and close-living compatibility, coupled with the reputation built through the deeds of their WW II predecessors.Īnd it is significant to note that nearly 46 per cent were attracted by the higher pay afforded submariners, as well as for some of the foregoing reasons. Others sought a more rounded career.įor 20 per cent, the idea of being part of an organization so well endowed with prestige, esprit de corps, and high morale was appealing. Some were lured by the call of adventure, and the opportunities available to seek greater challenges and to tackle more responsibility. More often than not their initial interest was sparked by friends who had served in-or were at the time serving in-submarines.īUT what brought about the ultimate decision? Most of the men who took part in the survey decided upon the Submarine Service after studying all the Navy’s programs. (Photo taken 5 July 1967 At Yokosuka…boats are inboard to outboard: Catfish (SS-339), Bashaw (SS-241), Redfish (SS-395), Diodon (SS-349), Salmon (SS-573) and Bream (SS-243).) It is a sampling of some 35 crewmembers from the following submarines: USS Bream (AGSS 243), Baya (AGSS 318), Caiman (SS 323), Diodon (SS 349), Razorback (SS 394), Redfish (AGSS 395), and Salmon (SS 573). Here are the opinions of men in Submarine Flotilla One. What’s more, those who volunteer seldom change their minds. Yet each year thousands of Navy men – seamen apprentices and veteran salts alike-volunteer for submarine duty. They live in an atmosphere where there is not enough water for daily showers at sea, where sleeping quarters are sparse and overcrowded, and where daily living can be rigorous as well as demanding. underseas fleet claim they put in longer hours, are separated more from their families, must perform more diversified tasks and take greater risks than their surface counterparts. What makes a sailor willingly submit himself to the rigors of the confining and often uncomfortable life of a submariner? Why Do NAVYMEN volunteer for the Submarine Service? What was most surprising was that according to the article, all of the men interviewed were submariners from diesel boats. The article was written by a Journalist for the Navy who interviewed and recorded the reactions of actual submariners. But the introduction of these new giants added whole new levels of complexity and need for resources.įinding this article on why Navymen volunteer for submarine duty was a real joy. Life on submarines had always been challenging and certainly dangerous. Plus, each of these boats were designed for extended patrols that lasted months instead of weeks and required two crews. In less than ten years, the country went from having a few ships like the Halibut that could clumsily launch five Regulus missiles for short distances to having 41 ballistic missile submarines that could each launch 16 missiles over a thousand miles. The FBM fleet by 1967 required a growing commitment of men and resources. By 1967, the daily news broadcasts were being swamped with negative stories about Southeast Asia and the rest of the news was just as bad since it told stories of a growing Civil Rights movement that extended form the streets of the big cities to the college campuses. The war in Vietnam was beginning to make all service life difficult as more and more men were drafted into the Army and the country was slowly turning its back on the military. I can only imagine that finding enough men willing to volunteer had to be a challenge.
Along with this expansion, conventional diesel boats were still the workhorses of the seas in trying to counter a growing Soviet fleet.
There had been an incredible push to build not only the ballistic missile submarines in order to counter the Soviet “threat” but many fast attack submarines were entering the fleet as well. As I look back at the history of the submarine force and what was happening during 1967, it is easy to understand why the Navy would want to put such a positive spin on submarine duty. This article was written for the Navy Magazine ALL HANDS. 1967 – Five years before I raised my right hand for the very first time
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