25 incredible photos of life on a US Navy submarine

Orvelin Valle
Updated onSep 28, 2023 9:50 AM PDT
2 minute read
submarine life

SUMMARY

Life on a submarine certainly has its challenges, but these photos show some of the incredible perks, too.

A U.S. Navy nuclear submarine is one of the most mysterious places in which a member of the military could serve. Armed with advanced technology and enough firepower to destroy civilizations, it's no wonder that every sailor aboard these vessels must have a secret clearance or better. WATM scoured the Navy's official website and asked the sailors of the Submarine Bubblehead Brotherhood for personal pictures to come up with these incredible photos of life under the sea.

Here are 25 incredible photos of life on a US Navy submarine

Deployment starts with departing from home port...

Photo: US Navy

Submarine life is cramped...

Photo: US Navy

Hatches are smaller than on surface vessels...

Photo: US Navy

Bubbleheads – Navy speak for submariners – go without sunlight for weeks at a time.

Photo: US Navy

Sailors as young as 18 years-old drive the ship...

Photo: US Navy

Seriously, even midshipmen get a turn...

Photo: US Navy

There are no windows on a submarine; sonar technology is the eyes and ears of the crew.

Photo: US Navy

 Submarines have some of the same amenities as surface ships...

Photo: YouTube

... but, everything in a submarine is modified to limit noise. These are rubber shock absorbers under the treadmill...

Photo: YouTube

It pays to keep the cook happy...

Photo: YouTube

Submarine chow is some of the best in the Navy...

Photo: YouTube

Swim calls on a submarine are awesome. . .

Photo: US Navy

After months in the ocean depths, a little Vitamin D (sunlight) could be just what the doctor ordered . . .

Photo: A. Ceglia

This is what a steel beach picnic looks like on a submarine . . .

Photo: Reddit

Life-long friendships are made...

Photo: S. Southard

Shipmates become an extended family...

Photo: J. Barton

Some things never change. This photo of sailors painting the sub was taken in the 1950s . . .

Photo: K. Haughton

This one was taken in 2010...

Photo: A. Ceglia

One lesson holds true in any era: Don't use the submarine paint to dress up like the Hulk . . .

According to a Reddit feed, this man in Brazil used permanent submarine paint to dress like the Hulk. After unsuccessfully trying to remove the paint, his mother came to help with industrial cleaning materials. Photo: Reddit

Submarines sometimes break through the ice to surface on the North Pole.

Photo: US Navy

Santa wasn't around for this visit, but these polar bears gave a big welcome . . .

Photo: US Navy

Many sailors become shellbacks, but few have a blue nose...

To become a Blue Nose, a sailor must have crossed the Arctic Circle in a Navy vessel. Photo: D. Gudman

The best words a CO could ever say are, "Folks, let's go home."

Photo: US Navy

And nothing beats a homecoming...

Photo: US Navy

Nothing...

USS Scranton sailor, Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Warren Jack holds his daughter for the first time after a seven-month deployment. Photo: US Navy

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