this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
180 points (97.9% liked)

Ask Me Anything

1932 readers
1 users here now

Ask Me Anything (AMA) Community Rules and Guidelines

This is the lemmy.ca AmA.

Welcome to the Ask Me Anything (AMA) community! This is a space where individuals from various backgrounds come together to engage in open and informative discussions. To ensure a respectful, enjoyable, and inclusive experience for everyone involved, we have established the following rules and guidelines:

  1. Be Civil and Respectful:

    • Treat all participants with respect, regardless of their background, expertise, or opinions. Personal attacks, insults, or derogatory language will not be tolerated.
    • Engage in constructive conversations, even if you disagree with the person answering the questions. Focus on addressing their responses or providing alternative viewpoints without resorting to hostility.
    • Remember that the participants are sharing their knowledge and experiences voluntarily. Appreciate their time and effort.
  2. Practice Politeness and Courtesy:

    • Use polite and considerate language when asking questions or engaging in discussions.
    • Be patient and understanding if the person answering takes time to respond. They may receive a high volume of questions.
    • Avoid spamming or repeating the same question multiple times. Give others a chance to ask their questions as well.

-Use NSFW and trigger warning TW in brackets if you talk about sensitive subject.

  1. Respect Boundaries and Privacy:

    • Do not ask personal or invasive questions unless the participant explicitly invites such queries.
    • If a participant declines to answer a question or requests to move on from a topic, respect their boundaries without pressuring them for a response.
    • Avoid sharing personal information or disclosing sensitive details about yourself or others.
  2. Be Inclusive and Stand Against Discrimination:

    • Respect diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Discrimination, including racism, homophobia, and transphobia, will not be tolerated.
    • Foster an environment that welcomes individuals of all races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and identities.
    • Be mindful of your language and the potential impact it may have on others. Avoid offensive slurs or derogatory terms.
  3. Avoid Spam and Irrelevant Questions:

    • Ensure your questions are relevant to the participant's expertise or field of knowledge.
    • Avoid posting low-quality or repetitive questions that add little value to the discussion.
    • Respect the purpose of the AMA and avoid using it solely for self-promotion or advertising.
  4. Engage in Meaningful Discussions:

    • Prioritize thought-provoking and insightful questions that foster engaging conversations.
    • Be open to different perspectives and use the AMA as an opportunity to learn and broaden your understanding.
    • Jokes are allowed as long as they are respectful, appropriate, and do not target or marginalize specific individuals or groups. -If you are sarcastic, we recommend to use /s to be sure there is no confusion about your intention. Fake sarcasm will be found.

Remember, these rules and guidelines are in place to ensure a positive and informative environment for all participants. Failure to comply may result in 3 strikes warnings, temporary restrictions, or permanent bans at the discretion of the moderators.

in the future, a mod check and balance system might be implemented . Subject to change : [You might appeal your ban by contacting a special appointed moderator to judge if the ban was abusive.

Special appointed mod can create jury like conversation with randomly chosen users with jury votes to decide if bans are legit or not.]

Thank you for being a part of the Ask Me Anything (AMA) community. Let's engage in enlightening discussions, share knowledge, and create an inclusive space that values respect and diversity!

Friendly communities :

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

SSBN. ETV. Will not respond to questions about sensitive or classified subjects. My views are my own and I do not represent anyone.

Hi there!

Edit: since this has been asked several times:

SSBN stands for “submersible ship, ballistic missile, nuclear powered”. That is, the same overall type of ship as the Red October.

ETV stands for “Electronics Technican, Navigation”, because N was already taken by Nuclear Electronics Technicians. I work with everything from interior communications and announcing circuits to Electronics, shipwide atmospheric monitoring, navigational inertial gyroscopes, strategic nuclear missile navigation, and tank level indicators to basic underwater submarine navigation using the voyage management system and even helming the ship itself.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] vraylle@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Does the smell get as bad as I'd expect on extended duration missions?

[–] wanderingmagus@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

No, we take regular showers and use deodorant, and if you genuinely smell the ship's Doc will force you to shower with someone watching you.

[–] tal@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How about the boat itself? I've read some pretty critical takes of the atmosphere, though a lot of that was early -- like, diesel fumes wouldn't be a factor on your SSBN.

googles

https://teddit.net/r/submarines/comments/b30qkm/does_a_sub_leak_does_it_smell/

This is more modern. Here's a guy who said that he was on two 688s:

how is the "air" in a sub ? Dry ? Humid ? I know there are oxygen systems, and I've read here that the air is cleaned all day long so - is it like living in an aircon flat ? does it smell (oil, grease, metal, food, etc ?)

The air sucks. Straight up huffing lightly oiled air that smells like a fart rusted. If you're not on the boat for awhile you can smell it as soon as you get down the hatch. Then you get used to it after awhile. My first long deployment I thought there was something wrong with my washing machine. No matter how many times I washed my uniform it smelled like a mix between amine (ammonia) and something vaguely metallic (like you licked a nickel, but a smell instead of a taste). Underway the air is usually moist because once you get deep enough, no matter where you are in the world, the water is coooooold (no sunlight). So most people usually bundle up pretty tight, especially if you work around electronics (like sonar or fire control); they keep these spaces extra cool to make the electronics happy. We do have "air conditioning", but like I said, these are more for the electronics. I remember one underway putting my shoes on day after day for watch, and each passing day my shoes went from dry, to moist, to damp, to wet. No matter where I put them to dry they wouldn't, resulting in prune feet that wouldn't stop peeling for a few weeks.

An Royal Navy submariner in the same thread:

I'm an ex RN submariner but I still work in the business, so to speak.

I was on a boat still in build a few months ago and it already smelled of boat, which leads me to believe that not only does the smell come pre-installed, but it must be part of the original design requirements.

So, not just submariner fart and hydraulic oil. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Someone on the USN side again:

The boat does get pretty smelly, yeah. On VA--at least when I was in--SONAR stood lookout while surfaced. It's the best watch, chilling out on the sail... fresh, moving air...

Until you have to come back below. It's like a giant fist of farts and ballsacks and fried hamsters dragon punching you in the face as soon as you get back into the hatch... hell just leaning over the hatch. Only time I ever came close to retching on a submarine.

[–] tal@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

This page blames it on the CO₂ scrubbers, in part:

https://www.wired.com/2014/11/nano-sub-co2-scrub/

I take that back, the air is gross, because the chemical used to remove CO2 smells like old diesel mixed with a dash of sulphur, and it permeates everything on board. This chemical, called amine, is known by every submariner (I was one for 3 years), as well as every submariner's wife, husband, or anyone else who encounters that sailor's laundry.

[–] wanderingmagus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Smells like amine, rust, hydraulic fluids, paint chips, and 100 sailors stuck in a can, yes. You get used to it, and it's actually not noticeable in some places with good ventilation.

[–] HidingCat@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Man, was in army (conscripted), and there were some guys I interacted with who definitely could do with a forced supervised shower. Cannot imagine that level of hygiene in a sub.

[–] wanderingmagus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

That's why, for all that other branches tell me they couldn't imagine voluntarily going into a sinking ship, I can't imagine rucking in the Army or jumping out of a functional airplane. Everyone has their own little insanity, mine just happens to be willingness to lock myself in a tin can and diving into the abyss.