Do submarines need to come up for air?

Modern subs don't need to come up for air, either. Chemical processes continually remove carbon dioxide from the air on board, while oxygen generators use electrolysis to extract oxygen from surrounding seawater. As long as the equipment is working properly, the air is always fresh and breathable.

Do submarines have to come up for air?

This means the submarine captain can decide when to sink down into the ocean or come back up to the surface. In order to control buoyancy, the submarine relies on special tanks that can be filled with water or air. To return to the surface, the tanks are filled with air.

How long can a submarine stay underwater without coming up for air?

Air isn't a problem as their make their own oxygen and keep the air clean. The limits on how long they can stay underwater are food and supplies. Submarines generally stock a 90-day supply of food, so they can spend three months underwater.

How often do submarines have to surface for air?

While old diesel submarines needed to surface in a matter of hours or a few days at best to recharge batteries, new AIP powered vessels only need to surface every two to four weeks depending on type.

How does a submarine get fresh air?

How does the crew get breathable air inside a submarine? Oxygen onboard a submarine is released either through compressed tanks, an oxygen generator, or by some form of an 'oxygen canister' that works by electrolysis.

How Do Nuclear Submarines Make Oxygen?- Smarter Every Day 251

Do submarines make their own oxygen?

Oxygen in submarines is produced by putting sea water through a process of electrolysis. Submarines typically have a couple of big oxygen tanks as well, used to quickly raise oxygen concentration if the system fails.

What happens to poop on a submarine?

Usually it sinks by itself, but some scrap metal can be added to aid its journey to the bottom of the ocean. Therefore, yes, submarines do produce trash that is thrown out into the ocean and it is terrible.

Where do submarines get air to surface?

To get a submarine to surface, the main vents in the top of the tank are closed and high-pressure compressed air is blown into the ballast tanks, forcing the water out through the flood ports at the bottom of the tank. Replacing ballast water with lighter air reduces the vessel's total mass.

How long can a nuclear submarine go without surfacing?

The nuclear submarine that can remain underwater for 25 years. In a Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, Stuart Godden, the director of engineering for BAE Systems' submarines division in Cumbria, is narrating a slide show and comparing the UK's latest submarines programme – the Astute class – to Nasa's Space Shuttle programme.

What is the longest time a submarine has stayed submerged?

The longest submerged and unsupported patrol made public is 111 days (57,085 km 30,804 nautical miles) by HM Submarine Warspite (Cdr J. G. F. Cooke RN) in the South Atlantic from 25 November 1982 to 15 March 1983.

Are females allowed to work on submarines?

The only officers with their own cabins are the captain, executive officer and weapon engineer officer. Only a small number of the 160-strong crew are female. For the officers on a submarine the wardroom is one of the few places — other than their cramped bunk — to relax.

Do submarines hit whales?

Most subs have two types of sonar: active and passive. Active sonar sends out acoustic sounds, or “pings,” which can reach thousands of yards. If the ping bounces back, that means it hit an object—like a whale, a ship, or another submarine.

How long are submarines out at sea?

Because of the nature of the work and the limited space for onboard supplies, submarines typically have shorter deployments than surface ships. A typical submarine deployment is: 6 month deployment for a fast-attack or guided missile submarine (SSN/SSGN) 3 month patrol for a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)

Why can't submarines go to the bottom of the ocean?

So you can see how even machines have to be incredibly tough to be able to withstand that pressure without crumpling like an old pop can. Deep sea submarines – the ones that go deeper than anything else – have to have very thick hulls. Their windows are made of super thick glass.

Why can nuclear submarines stay underwater?

Nuclear-powered submarines in the army may remain submerged for extended periods of time. What is this? They don't have an issue with air because they produce their oxygen and maintain the atmosphere on board. Food and supplies are the only things that limit how long they can stay underwater.

Do submarines have to surface to fire missiles?

The Missiles

Each missile can carry up to 12 nuclear warheads and each Vanguard-class submarine can carry up to 16 missiles. The missiles are carried in vertical tubes in the mid section of the submarine and are fired from beneath the surface. Each missile is independently controlled by the submarine.

Why do submarines need to surface?

A submarine comes to the surface once every few days (or even more frequently than that), not only to get a fresh supply of atmospheric oxygen from above the water's surface, but also to dispose of the waste gases that it produces onboard.

How does a submarine rise to the surface?

In order to control buoyancy, the submarine relies on special tanks that can be filled with water or air. To return to the surface, the tanks are filled with air. This makes the submarine less dense than the water around it, causing the sub to float to the surface.

Are submarines pressurized?

Pressure increases by 1 atmosphere every 10 meters. So, yes---that submarine at 300 meters has a pressure on the hull of 31 atmospheres. Because the internal and external forces are not equal (but the surface areas are), there is a much greater force pushing on the outside of the hull than the inside.

How do submarines ventilate?

Breathing space. Ventilation is obviously a vital consideration in any submarine. When submerged, the air in the submarine is continuously recirculated using centralised fans with electrostatic precipitators to filter out particulates and aerosols, and chilled-water coils to cool and remove excess moisture.

What do submarines smell like?

Some submarines smell like Cinnabon.

One of them is food—better food than you'll find if you were stationed elsewhere. The military spends more money on food on subs than it does on regular Navy ships.

Do you get seasick on submarines?

Will I get seasick? Is it like being on a boat? Being on a submarine is very different to being on a boat. There is no rocking motion, as the submarine sits below the waves, and so people who get seasick on a boat will not do so on our submarine.

Are there showers in submarines?

The showers on a submarine are set up much like the ones in your home, well kind of. They have hot and cold water access with a recirculation pump so that the water stays hot so that you can use it quickly and efficiently by minimising water usage. Reducing water usage is a constant major driver for submariners.