An interview with a Navy officer provided information about submarines and submarine service. [1] Modern submarines are much larger and more sophisticated than World War II models, allowing navies to do more. [2] The U.S. Navy began using submarines in the Civil War to gather intelligence covertly. [3] Today's submarines are used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, delivering resources to remote areas, and maintaining strike capabilities for defense, if needed.

1. An Interview with Navy ________________________
About Navy Submarines
Q Some of us remember being inside the German U-Boat at the Museum of Science and
Industry. Are submarines still like that?
A Even that submarine is way beyond where submarine service started, but U.S. Navy
Submarines today are much larger and dramatically more sophisticated than the World War II
models. As a result, we are able to do significantly more with our fleet.
Q When did America begin using submarines?
A The Navy began using submarines during the Civil War. Submerged vessels could travel
undetected into enemy territory to gather valuable information about military activity. Those
vessels could only accommodate one or two people and could only remain submerged for brief
periods. Now, of course, our Navy operates under the water with our submarines, on the water
with our ships and over the water with our aircraft.
Q What are our submarines used for today?
A As you might expect, all of our submarines are equipped for waging war as a strike force
in one fashion or another. That’s essential for our nation’s defense, even though we hope we
never need to use those capabilities. Perhaps more important is the ability of these
technologically advanced ships and crews to gather intelligence, provide surveillance and
reconnaissance, and deliver specialized resources to parts of the world that might be practically
unreachable via any other means – such as to the North and South Poles, for example.
Q Just how large are these ships today?
A Our fast attack submarines, capable of undersea, anti-surface, and special warfare, stretch
more than a football field in length. Ballistic and surface-to-air missile-carrying submarines are
longer than the Washington Monument is tall – almost two football fields long.
Q Do people aboard submarines require special training?
A Certainly it requires special training to deal with the special conditions that submarine
life presents, but sailors aboard submarines also have jobs to do. Those jobs range from running
specialized equipment to maintenance and support work and more. The ship is a self-contained
unit that has to remain operational in every respect. We need people to run engines, radar
systems and computer gear. We need tradesmen including cooks, plumbers, electricians,

2. mechanics, welders and a host of other specialties. That’s a long answer but, yes, a lot of
specialized training is required to be a submariner.
Q How long can our submarines remain under water?
A Unlike the old submarines that had to surface every few days to recycle or replace air on
board, today’s submarines have systems that maintain air quality, handle temperature
adjustments, and produce fresh water from seawater so that they can remain submerged for
months at a time.
Q When people deploy, for how long are they gone?
A The length of a deployment will depend on the type of ship and the mission assignment
for the ship. Some cruises may be limited to only two to three months while others might be a
year or more. On average, a ship and its crew are typically deployed for a period of about six
months.
Q If our submarines are nuclear powered, how safe are they?
A It is true that nuclear power means that the fuel source is a radioactive material. Although
the total amount of it is quite small, it is capable of producing enough heat to generate steam,
thereby powering the ship’s propulsion system and also generating the electricity required for all
of the ship’s on-board needs.
Navy’s first nuclear powered submarine was put into service in 1954, so we have more
than a half-century of experience with nuclear powered vessels, and although some of these ships
have had some accidents, those accidents have not been related to the power supply. The nuclear
power plant on one of these ships, once in place, is designed to power the craft for 30 years.
Q Are there other countries that have nuclear powered submarines, too?
A Other countries do have nuclear submarines. Movies have been produced about the
Russian submarines, but in addition to those, France, United Kingdom, People’s Republic of
China, and India all have operating submarines, and Argentina, Brazil and several other countries
have ongoing projects in different phases to build nuclear-powered submarines
Q Is some of our students are interested in submarine service, what is the best way to find
out more about it?
A Actually, the best first step is to contact the local recruiting station to find out about any
and all of the jobs that we have available. To reach us, simply contact our station by calling
______________, or stop in most afternoons at __________________________________. If

3. you or an out of-town friend want to locate another station near them, visit www.navy.com and
click on “find a recruiter” on the right side of the home page, then enter your zip code number. A
call to 800-4go –Navy will do the trick as well.
Additional comment:
To put the Navy’s role in perspective, you need to recognize that 70 percent of the world is
covered by ocean, 80 percent of the world’s population lives along coasts and 90 percent of the
world’s commerce travels by water. Protecting all of that is our job, and that makes America’s
Navy a global force for good.
Sailors serve on land and from the sea; from ships on the water, submarines under the water, and
planes and helicopters over the water – all to meet America’s threats far away so that those
threats cannot harm us here. We welcome the best men and women to join us in accomplishing
today’s missions and meeting tomorrow’s challenges.
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