SERVICE IN SUBMARINES

the United States Navy submarine school where crews are trained to take underwater vessels to that end of the fathom known only to the sounding lead where the Navy schools men to guide a thousand tons of steel above the ocean floor where he teaches men the technique of operation and upkeep of the Machinery of the submarine service this completely equipped Academy is situated at New London Connecticut where the temps River and Long Island Sound open a seag gate to the Atlantic providing all practicable depths and current conditions for subsurface Maneuvers a draft of new recruits fresh from turrets engine rooms and fighting tops arrives to enter the training Force these men volunteers all are are selected from other branches of Naval service to make up the Personnel of the submarine division this Duty requires a high standard of physical Perfection and the selected men are thoroughly examined prior to their assignment to the school these LS have just arrived from the fleet and after a quick once over from the officer of the deck they shoulder their duffel and go to their new quarters after this man STS his gear in his new Locker he hangs up a picture of his old school teer and makes himself at home in the comfortable Barrack accommodations another complete examination is given to each student before final acceptance by the school every part of the physical apparatus is put on the inspection line and checked by the troubleshooting Squad eavesdropping in the engine room proves this man could register A1 at Lo barometer readings of the blood pressure are taken and the gentleman trying to keep his eyes from colliding is undergoing a reflex test it's all over and the doctor claims that none of them will live to be a day over 90 here's one place where mes call means all hands on deck to sto cargo and there's plenty of room in the hold for [Music] seconds the school day begins at 8:00 with the students marching to the classrooms the first three weeks are given over entirely to Theory here expert instruction ensures that each man becomes familiar with the function of all Machinery on board for at some future time the safety of the ship and crew May hinge on his ability to operate in an emergency any of the submarines equipment but textbook Theory must be tempered with practical application so in this completely equipped laboratory they learn the operation of the various types of diesel engines their studies ashore are under constant check of periodical exams so it isn't long before the paperwork is put to test in the school ship students and crew go aboard the training craft and man their posts for actual cruising and Diving tests cast off for and after and the submarine seminar prepares to get underway this type vessel not having reversible engines uses electric drive for backing down power is supplied by storage batteries carried aboard now a shift is made to the diesel engine used solely in surface cruising these oil burning units are maintained and exercised by specially trained men but every member of the crew must qualify in their operation to the burning prob of our oil fed Eng Eng the Slender Craft slides along leaving Coastal chartings in her weight to head for Open Water those men not on watch relax on the forward deck while deck officers direct the progress of the boat from the bridge it doesn't require any graduate instruction to operate this piece of Machinery the Helmsman steers a course for the diving area as the captain scans The Horizon for surface vessels word is passed below to prepare the boat for the dive in the control room the hand operated wheel rigs out the bow diving Rudders which stabilize the submarine in its descent when everyone top side is safely stoed below the conning Tower hatch is securely fastened and the boat is now completely watertight the valves which let sea water into the ballast tanks are open reducing the buoyancy and permitting the boat to settle at a gradual rate submerged her diesel engines are cut off and she travel solely under electric power at observation depth the Periscope I cuts a wake of feathery foam on the surface waters while Below in the various compartments the students attend carefully to every detail of operation under the watchful guidance of the regular crew the novices must try a hand at each station it may look easy but it requires real skill to keep her level at the required depth the whale likee boat rises from the green vastness of the lower Waters students and crew come out into the sunlight for a welcome breath of Ocean Breeze and a steaming Scuttle of black jamoke after a successful and instructive days run the submarine returns to her base leaving the undersea boat in her birth the men hit the beach in marching order back on Shore The Lads settle down to a little relaxation in the recreation room and then turn to on their classroom notes in preparation for the weekly exams no this huge Tower is not asyo but a water-filled classroom where men are trained in the use of the moms and lungs known as the submarine parachute a group about to try this safety device enters a decompression chamber where they will be subjected to a gradual application of 50 lb of air pressure to be assured that the men do not suffer any undue physical discomfort a doctor or other qualified person is present the lung resembles and works in rough principle like a gas mask air exhaled into the device passes through soda line with removes the waste carbon dioxide and replaces it with fresh oxygen when each student has mastered the use of the lung he is then ready for the first attempt at underwater breathing the preliminary Ascent is made from a very shallow level first the buoy is set up attached to a line that will guide the men to the surface the line is marked at regular intervals indicating where the men will pause for 10 breaths to allow the body to become adjusted to the decreasing pressure encountered in the ascent to the surface and now for the real test a trip to the top of the tank from the lowest level of the tower the compartment is flooded until the pressure balances the weight of the water above charging their lungs with oxygen the men pass up through the escape hatch one at a time holding securely to the marker line and taking particular care to pause at the designated intervals for decompression this man has safely reached the surface from a depth of 100 ft this safety device was developed by the United States Navy and has been made available to all the fleets of the world in the interest of humanity and safety under Seas Graduation Day brings final inspection of a group of men trained in the fundamentals of a hard exciting game ready to join the submarine botellas of the United States Navy [Music]