[OT] Question for submariners

[Heretic Apostate]

Whenever I watch a movie involving a submarine, doesn't matter which movie, there's always these pipes running through the ship that start leaking a flood of water, and everyone runs around turning valves.

What are those pipes, and why do they have them there if they keep leaking water?

 

[Dragongirl]

Whenever I watch a movie involving a submarine, doesn't matter which movie, there's always these pipes running through the ship that start leaking a flood of water, and everyone runs around turning valves.

What are those pipes, and why do they have them there if they keep leaking water?

I am not an expert, but my guess is that it might have something to do with the ballast tanks. Also in a nuclear sub you have the cooling water. . .

 

[Aramus]

Hey folks,

(puts on lengthy post hat)
I was stationed on a sub for 5 years, in the navy for 7, working in the engineering dept. Anyway, there are pipes EVERYWHERE in a submarine and they carry a number of different fluids ranging from seawater, diesel fuel, pure water, hydraulic fluid, etc. They have to have the pipes to carry the fluids to whatever needs them.

Seawater is used in many of the systems as a cooling medium and the reason that these pipes always seem to be the ones bursting in the movies is because they are exposed to the actual pressure of the ocean around the sub. So the deeper the submarine is the more pressure those pipes are subjected too and the more likely that they will rupture. That sounds sort of alarming but in actuality the pipes are tested under very strict conditions and are really tough. The movies play up the flooding issue because the submarines in movies are usually subjected to the shock waves of depth charges or torpedo's exploding nearby which puts alot of stress on those pipes.

Ok, I think that about covers the submarine 101 for today. *Grins* Oh, and as for the nuclear cooling part. The reactor is sealed and isolated for the most part and if those pipes are ruptured then you have some really serious crap to deal with.


Sorry for the lengthy post,
Aramus


City of Corvis: Iron Kingdoms Online RPG
http://www.digitaldreaming.org/D20

 

[Cedric]

Heh, oddly enough, Down Periscope did a really good job of showing how to patch a ruptured pipe.

As for the rest...well, I was never stationed on a submarine, I just trained the guys who were.

Edit: Read the post from Aramus above, he described this stuff much better then I did.

But, they definitely are not primary cooling pipes for the reactor. For one thing, those are behind the secondary shields where people can't go normally. For another thing...if those pipes burst, people die. The water flashes to steam and cooks everyone in the area, which has never really happened.

Cedric

 

[Kilmore]

I was in submarines too. One of the funnest moments of my admittedly boring life was going through the damage control trainer at Groton CT. Basically, they have a room full of pipes and catwalks, and another room with chief petty officers behind a one way mirror with levers and valves.

Whenever they see a training seaman near one of the "trapped" pipes, they let him have it.

We were supposed to fix all the leaks before the sub "sank".

There was an old episode of "Nova" that showed this. The chiefs looked like they were having fun.

 

[Piratecat]

Hey Aramus and Kilmore,

What sort of shift pattern were you guys working while on the sub - how many hours on, how many off, and how fast a rotation between time of day?

Thanks!

 

[CrazyMage]

Piratecat, stop thinking about work! You're here for fun!