Submarine Boredom

Abstract

When the hatchway closes and the water swallows the boat, the submariners return to a universe of their own, a micro-society far beyond the normal structures and rules of life. This detached and isolated community of the submarine is the final stop on our journey through different forms of military boredom past and present. This time, we shall listen to accounts of boredom told, not by novices, but by experienced officers with years of drill and training who have succeeded in becoming commanders of their own submarines. Through four interviews, with three commanders and one second commander, we will get to know how military personnel operating in these most extreme conditions have mastered the challenge of boredom. Together, these four officers represent nearly forty years of submarine experience. They have all worked their way up from positions as lower-ranking officers and crew members to their current position as commander or second commander.

The essence of submarine service was silence and secrecy; long stretches of tedium and waiting, interrupted occasionally by brief periods of excitement, terror and peril. From the standpoint of public visibility and wartime recognition, the role of the submarine navy was scarcely glamorous. When a submarine left (…) it disappeared from view.

Rear Adm. Corwin Mendenhall, USN