25 incredible photos of life on a US Navy submarine

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

submarine
Photo: US Navy

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

driving a ship
Photo: US Navy

Seriously, even midshipmen get a turn…

turning a submarine
Photo: US Navy

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

navy sonar
Photo: US Navy

 Submarines have some of the same amenities as surface ships…

navy pt
Photo: YouTube

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

submarine treadmill
Photo: YouTube

It pays to keep the cook happy…

ship's cook
Photo: YouTube

Submarine chow is some of the best in the Navy…

submarine mess hall
Photo: YouTube

Swim calls on a submarine are awesome. . .

jumping into the ocean
Photo: US Navy

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

swimming on submarine
Photo: A. Ceglia

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

bbq on submarine
Photo: Reddit

Life-long friendships are made…

sailor crew
Photo: S. Southard

Shipmates become an extended family…

submarine crew
Photo: J. Barton

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

sailors painting
Photo: K. Haughton

This one was taken in 2010…

sailors on submarine
Photo: A. Ceglia

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

submarine paint
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.

submarine in ice
Photo: US Navy

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

navy polar bears
Photo: US Navy

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

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.”

us navy submarine
Photo: US Navy

And nothing beats a homecoming…

homecoming life on a submarine
Photo: US Navy

Nothing…

navy family life on a submarine
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