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After sharing that YouTube video “Special Report - Life on an Indian Submarine”, I decided to go back and take a second look.
Having served on a US Sub, undergoing it’s strict weeding out process at Subschool, and of course the demanding and stringent process of Qualifying for your “Dolphins”, aka the Submarine Warfare Insignia, it always fascinated me what life would be like aboard boats of other Navy’s.
What is it like? Do the similarities outweigh the differences or are we all really just shipmates of the ‘phin doing what we can for our homeland regardless of Politics? Needless to say, Submarine duty is one of the most demanding Services mentally. Not knocking other forms of Service, just saying I was told by a Battle hardened Marine that we would never catch him on that “deathtrap”. Chances are a knife fight between two boats will be over in minutes and amounts to who hears who first and gets off the first shot. No POW camp waiting at Davey Jone’s locker.
Knowing how we lived, seeing now how other Submariners around the world do, is a real treat for me.
So I kinda made it a “one man mission” to go out there on YouTube and find these glimpses and bring them back to share with you.
The following should bring you to the series of Submarine Life aboard a Russian Kilo Class Submarine of the Indian Navy.
Indian Submariners Full Episodes | Breaking Point | Veer by Discovery
Two things I’m mentioning among the many I caught, though I need to start the complete series from the beginning:
1-I would NEVER want to stand watch dressed in something only as protective as “Skivvies”. Though we wore good old dungarees at first , we switched over to the one piece “Poopy Suit” after my 2nd Patrol. MY legs would have looked ridiculous anyway,
2-All you have to do to be considered a “Submariner” is drink the water taken at the max depth of your first dive? I’ll take the US Qualification process anytime. At least if we’re stuck at 600’ down huddles in the torpedo room on line for the escape trunk, I’ll know everyone around me not only knows what to do, but is qualified to do it. Maybe it was just for this guy.
Thoughts?
Having served on a US Sub, undergoing it’s strict weeding out process at Subschool, and of course the demanding and stringent process of Qualifying for your “Dolphins”, aka the Submarine Warfare Insignia, it always fascinated me what life would be like aboard boats of other Navy’s.
What is it like? Do the similarities outweigh the differences or are we all really just shipmates of the ‘phin doing what we can for our homeland regardless of Politics? Needless to say, Submarine duty is one of the most demanding Services mentally. Not knocking other forms of Service, just saying I was told by a Battle hardened Marine that we would never catch him on that “deathtrap”. Chances are a knife fight between two boats will be over in minutes and amounts to who hears who first and gets off the first shot. No POW camp waiting at Davey Jone’s locker.
Knowing how we lived, seeing now how other Submariners around the world do, is a real treat for me.
So I kinda made it a “one man mission” to go out there on YouTube and find these glimpses and bring them back to share with you.
The following should bring you to the series of Submarine Life aboard a Russian Kilo Class Submarine of the Indian Navy.
Indian Submariners Full Episodes | Breaking Point | Veer by Discovery
Two things I’m mentioning among the many I caught, though I need to start the complete series from the beginning:
1-I would NEVER want to stand watch dressed in something only as protective as “Skivvies”. Though we wore good old dungarees at first , we switched over to the one piece “Poopy Suit” after my 2nd Patrol. MY legs would have looked ridiculous anyway,
2-All you have to do to be considered a “Submariner” is drink the water taken at the max depth of your first dive? I’ll take the US Qualification process anytime. At least if we’re stuck at 600’ down huddles in the torpedo room on line for the escape trunk, I’ll know everyone around me not only knows what to do, but is qualified to do it. Maybe it was just for this guy.
Thoughts?