The move is not yet official, so Lt. Cmdr. Mark Jones, a spokesman for Submarine Force, would say only that Vice Adm. John Donnelly “is examining the options of changing the policy of smoking in a submarine to improve the overall health of the entire crew.”Interestingly, submarines are one of the few indoor "public" places you can still smoke in Scotland, because they feel it would be too dangerous to go outside on the sub to light up. It makes sense strictly from an engineering sense to get rid of a load on the Burners, but I'm wondering how the submarine crews will take this proposed ban. During my JO tour from '90 - '93 is when they first started really restricting smoking on the boats; during that time, as I remember, they outlawed smoking on watch if you were in a closely-packed area (Maneuvering or the Ship's Control Party; I can't remember if you could light up in Sonar and Radio or not.) By the time I got to my next boat, I think it was a Force-wide policy that you could only smoke off-watch, in Shaft Alley, and only a couple guys at a time. Lots of guys took up smokeless tobacco. What do you think of the proposed ban?
Jones would not speculate on when a decision will be made, but a final order likely will come soon. The catalyst for change is the effect of second-hand smoke on crew members who remain submerged for months at a time.
2) Wired magazine has a story on the Submarine Escape trainer in Groton, with a video:
3) Here's a really nice summary of the five WWII U.S. submarines whose Eternal Patrol locations have been found since 2005. Toll the Bell.
