Group Cites Dangers of Submarine Air to Pregnant Women

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brunette girl of AL 12:09AM June 18, 2010

Those men on the submarines have little space as it is. They share racks,(hot racks... One guy out, the next one in, before it even cools down.) They dont have enough showers, and they are under extreme pressure all the time. There are bigger issues than wether or not a woman can do the job.
You cannot pass in the "hallways" of a sub without touching another person. You take away room from these mens berthing areas that they already dont have enough of.
Lets put an all women submarine out there. Then they do the same job and have the same working enviornment. If they are qualified to the job, and it dosen't matter about gender, then they can all do it just, seperate and even. You want equality right, then be equal, just don't mix the sexes, after all they don't really matter right? Seems like a decent solution to me, and I am a girl,

steenna of WA 7:26PM March 17, 2010

Boats and hoes, boats and hoes gotta have me my boats and hoes.

Dale Dovak of MI 8:39PM March 02, 2010

I have a clue. I've been to sea with women on a submarine. Have you?
Spare me the party line with the "Navy Core Values" crap. Mixed-gender surface ships are basically haze gray high schools, with all sorts of screwing around in the gear lockers, berthing areas, you name it. I've seen that first hand too. That includes catching two people feeling each other up on the signal bridge, in broad daylight and underway. When the hormone-laden people in the surface fleet adhere to "Navy Core Values" then maybe we can talk.

sobersubmrnr of FL 8:48AM October 10, 2009

1. When men are confined in close quarters for significant amount of time homosexual acts can and do occur. Happens in prison all the time, why would we assume that submarines are different? It is because we are professional and truly understand our Core Values (and also that we have this little thing called self control) that we don't screw everything in sight all the time, day and night.
2. Pregnancy, in most cases (particularly in the first trimester), is not a serious medical condition. Gee whiz, if pregnancy was so freaking dangerous how did we all manage to be born generation after generation? Navy leadership needs to get more proactive with family planning counseling for both male and female Sailors. There is plenty of time on shore duty for having babies. There are also contraceptives that prevent menstruation for a whole year (killing two birds...pregnancy and what to do with hygiene products).
3. The comments about pink submarines are rude and insulting and are NOT in line with Navy Core Values (grow up), the comments from wives who believe that female Sailors will seek out your husbands for sex are rude and insulting-your fears about adultery say more about your marriage than they do about the women who might serve with your husband.
4. Several comments about pregnancy indicate that the commentator has no idea what OPNAVINST 6000.1 says about it. Always a good idea to review the instruction prior to making wild guesses about what rules apply to pregnant Sailors.

Sailor in Afghanistan 9:23PM October 09, 2009

With the exception of the Royal Australian Navy, women on submarines live with the men. They share berthing and sanitary facilities and have no privacy. That environment would be totally unacceptable in the US Navy. Sexual attitudes (and sexual politics) are entirely different in say, Sweden. In the RAN, their submarine force of six boats is so short of personnel that they only have three in commission and are talking about dropping that to two. For a crew of 59, they have a six-person berthing area set aside for the women which is rarely full. Many Aussie submariners got out when the *political* decision was made to put women on the boats. The RAN as a whole has a problem with personnel retention, but the submarine squadron has it the worst. I wonder how things would change if the women were removed? Maybe more men would volunteer or maybe their wives would let them. Food for thought.

sobersubmrnr of FL 1:19PM October 09, 2009

Just how does the Mullen-Mabus-Roughhead Cabal plan to do this? Do we pull every boat into Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock's yard and "stretch" the hull another 30 feet to make room for the new female cres quarters? Maybe we just pull the boats into Portsmouth Navy Yard and have redundant electronics and a few torpedoes/missiles taken off to make room for the sorority sisters. Hey, since this administration is so hell bent on being inclusive, I have a suggestion that may work for the nuclear missile boats. Instead of blue and gold crews, we could have four rotating crews - blue, gold, pink, and lavender. Pink for the ladies and lavender for them that want to allow open homosexuals to serve. Separate but equal and everyone will have a shot at becomming CNO/CJCS, regardless of gender or orientation.

Bill Wright, BMC Retired of VA 11:52PM October 07, 2009

You wrote:
"If females really want to be "bubble heads" then the only real solution is design a submarine with them in mind."
Gee...how about we make it pink!
" Currently, there is no submarine in the fleet that will support all their needs."
Yummm...really? Just what might those needs be Joe?
We had two women scientists ride us (688) for three week and there were ZERO issues.
"Reality is, women will be offended by most submarine guys. Women will not like being the minority on a ship fully of over sexed men, who are just looking foward to there next port of call."
What are you talking about? What Navy were you in? Offended by our fellow sailors? Now were not professional but over sexed? Please save your stereotypes for your drinking binges with the boys down at the Legion Hall. Frankly you offend me!
As for this pseudo science voodoo article it cites no studies, ZERO facts, make statements as if they were fact yet cite none! I'll wait till the assessments are made and the facts studied before I make

Jeff of IL 3:15PM October 04, 2009

Let me first say that I do not have a single problem with women being on submarines. I have met both capable and incapable male sailors, so I welcome the opening of another talent pool. I have served aboard "boomers" for the past six years and am extremely proud to call myself a Submariner. I have one other issue I would like addressed to be added to the many that people have already posted.
I had a Kidney stone a few months back and have gone through the appropriate testing for the follow up. A kidney stone (along with many other medical issues) is submarine disqualifying, meaning that while you will stay in the Navy and serve out your obligated service, you will do so in the surface fleet, no longer allowed to serve aboard submarines. This is due to, as others have mentioned, an urgent medical problem arising while underway will cause the command to have to make a decision as to when and how to get that sailor off the boat and get them to safety. (I also had appendicitis in the middle of a patrol. It was four days form the onset until they could get me off.) A submarine only carries one enlisted medically trained person. They are capable of performing field type medicine, though they don't have the facilities for much else. A sailor's personal medical problems present many issues for the submarine fleet.
1. The Sailors health and safety. While the care is there to get the sailor taken care of the command must think of the ship and the mission first. Can we give up our task to get this person to safety. A sailor's tooth ache can affect submarine operations in the global theatre.
2. We have many enemies foreign and domestic, and submarines are a prize target, sometimes the situation will not warrant risking the submarines/nations safety to get one sailor specialized medical attention.
3. Manning. Manning is fixed in the fleet and the numbers are being cut. There are no back-ups or reliefs if someone cannot stand their watch or perform their duties. A submariner works on an 18hr day 6hr watch, 6hr work, 6hr off. When a sailor leaves the amount of work does not change, his job is now spread the few men capable left behind.
With this said, I have the potential of needing medical attention again some time in the future, and therefore I may not be allowed to serve onboard submarines. I am a risk the Navy is not willing to take. However the Navy has recently changed its maternity policy to allow female sailors up to 1yr off after giving birth. I have nothing against pregnancy or women choosing to start a family. I question what the Navy's solution or work around will be when a female submariner becomes pregnant and in my eyes, becomes a medical issue as I have.

Jim of GA 12:52PM October 01, 2009