American "nukes" and our "maslopupy": the "inner kitchen" of US and Russian submarines
A meeting of personnel at which one of the NUBs receives "dolphins". Submarine Rhode Island (USS Rhode Island)
On June 16, 2020, in The Drive magazine, under the heading of The War Zone, an article was published by a former sonar speaker from a nuclear submarine of the US Navy Aaron Emik "Nukes, Nubs And Coners: The Unique Social Hierarchy Aboard A Nuclear Submarine". We’ll give the translation of the name a little later, after the translation of the slang names of the posts, specialties and status of the submariners that are mentioned in this name. The article itself is devoted to an informal hierarchy among American submariners.
The service in the submarine of the US Navy is gloomy from the word "completely." For Russian readers, for example, there will be news the fact that some American submariners experience post-traumatic disorders after service. Accidents with human casualties there, in general, happen, they just usually secret them, military operations against countries with which America does not officially fight, happen too. Boats often return from combat services with torn pieces of sound-absorbing hull cover.
You don’t have to laugh, this is the result of the widespread use of large moves at submarine transitions, due to the fact that they are simply not enough in the US Navy (and those that are, and their crews, are often used for wear). Well, about the fact that on their boats in bunks they sleep in turns in several shifts, the Russian reader, in general, knows.
But Emik, already a retiree, like all retirees, remembers mostly good and funny, and you just can't write about really interesting things to him, so first - a humorous fun look at the American melt.
Useless bodies and other interesting people
So, any newcomer to an American submarine is called a NUB, or Non-Usable Body, which translates as "useless body." It doesn’t matter if it is an officer or a sailor. Any newbie is a NUB (read and pronounced "En-U-B", spell).
NUBs are treated with undisguised disdain: after all, they spend space, water and air on themselves, giving nothing in return. The life of a NUB is somewhat easier if it is a “Hot runner”, “Hot runner”, that is, “undermined” to perform simple tasks that are set for it, and in general is generally initiative.
The NUB has about a year to master the knowledge necessary for him and begin to truly serve. At the first stage, when a newcomer gets acquainted with the boat, the crew can “eat” it - just do not help him and do not give the officers positive feedback.
In the future, the NUB will learn to navigate aboard, learn how to deal with an accident, and learn how to fight for survivability without prompting from other crew members, constantly demonstrating their knowledge to experienced colleagues and commanders.
In the end, the NUB, often dressed in a full set of protective fire equipment, with a breathing apparatus, goes through the entire boat and passes an oral exam to an experienced sailor on absolutely any system that he meets on the way, showing where, what and how to turn on, how to act in case of an emergency that turn off and shut off.
Then the NUB needs to ensure that officers and sailors, who can test new recruits by their position, find time for him and take exams from him. This is also not easy, even organizing such an exam for yourself requires a lot of effort and time. Often NUBs “put down” the commission, buying various cakes and cookies for the exam, but this is more likely a tribute to tradition.
After a five-hour “interrogation”, the NUB, if successful, becomes a man. In case of failure in the exam, he will have another attempt, after failure in which the NUB will be dismissed from the submarine. But this is a rarity, basically everyone goes through this selection.
The last stage is a personal conversation with one of the senior officers of the boat, who decides whether this person is finally fit for service or not. If so, then personally the boat commander hands him the "dolphins" - the breastplate of the submariner. Now he is not a NUB, he has become his own and, as a hallmark, may no longer wear a uniform cap while on board.
Now he is waiting for a direction in one of the large crews of the Nukes or Coners crew.
“Nuke” from the word “Nuclear” means “nuclear,” it is a slang word that can mean anything nuclear — a bomb, for example. “Nuclear” are those who are responsible for the movement of the boat, officers and sailors who serve the reactor, turbines, turbo-gear units and in general everything that makes the boat move. Emik jokes that those who have decided to realize the Star Trek series in reality go to Nyuki. They are head over heels in math and datasets and eat at the same table as Chief Petty officers.
The "nukes" that serve the reactors, the "nukes" -electrics, and the "nukes" -mechanics are different "nukes." The first of them look like “geeks”, obsessed with technology and computers, the second - like chameleons, can even get lost in the crew photo, and the third - hefty, smelling machine oil thugs, standing their six-hour watch in the hot and noisy compartments in the stern.
"Nudes" study the scheme of submarine systems
The space of the “nudes” ends where the compartments with their equipment end, usually a reactor compartment. Then begins the space, which, regardless of its actual shape and number of compartments, is called “Cone” - “Cone” (apparently this name appeared on old boats of the US Navy, the hull of which narrowed to the bow more or less evenly along the length of the boat). In the "cone" live "Cone" - "Coners". All submariners are taken to this group, regardless of their specialty, except, of course, “nukes”.
The world of “Cone” is America in miniature, a section of society. But since those who theoretically may not fit into it are “eaten up” by the crew at the stage of the “Larva of the Submariner” - NUB, everyone gets along well with each other and interact normally. In the world of "cones" we find "torpedo guys", and acoustics, and navigators, as on any submarine in the world.
Typical "nukes" check the performance of the equipment of the Central post of submarines
There are radio operators, the only people besides the boat commander who have at least sometimes some personal space. Acoustics are the freest people on the boat, they can just sit silently and do noise spectrum analysis during a shift, or just listen to the world through headphones. No one else has this level of freedom on the boat. In “revenge” they have to wear the nickname “sonar girls” (“sonar” - a submarine’s sonar station).
A special zone is the Sherwood Forest: a missile compartment with ballistic missiles, where rocket technicians work, constantly monitoring the microclimate in rocket mines and generally monitoring the main weapons boats.
"Sherwood Forest" from missile silos of the American SSBN
Apart from these are the A-Gangers (roughly the “Atomic Fast Horse”), the technicians responsible for ventilation, air regeneration, diesel generators and other supporting systems, including latches. This is in some way the “black labor” of the submarine, as Emik writes, “a mixture of“ nuclear waste ”, that is, a sailor who could not stand the school of training for sailors in the reactor compartment and a diesel mechanic from some seedy place.” Well, or like a non-evolutionary "nuke" mechanic, but "with a reserve."
There are also quite unusual people for Russians - Yeomen. Yeomen is a kind of clerk, a person trained to quickly type commands and texts on a keyboard. They hang all the paper work of the U.S. Navy. Usually, yeomen is the “right hand” of senior officers, saving them from routine and freeing up time for command.
Yeomen 2nd class Tara Spencer. She is not from a submarine, but we could not resist. Photos from the tender of the USS Frank Cable SSBN, VMB Apra Harbor, Guam
The most popular and respected by all members of the crew "cone" is, of course, ship's cook. It is hardly necessary to explain something here.
Now it’s becoming clear that the title of Emik’s article “Nukes, NUBs and Konusniks: a unique social hierarchy aboard a nuclear submarine” becomes clear.
This is what the informal division in the American submarine looks like. And what about us?
And we, oddly enough, are very similar.
"Suites", "maslopupy" and the entire depth of our depths
If the American submarine is divided into “nukes” and “cones” (NUBs are not submariners, but their larvae, we won’t count them), then ours are “mechanics” and “suites”. "Mechanics" is the personnel of the warhead-5 (electromechanical warhead). On diesel-electric submarines, due to the specifics of the main power plant and the side effects of working with it, the personnel of the БЧ-5 are often referred to as a much brighter name - "masloopups".
However, on the one hand, on some "diesel engine" they can still be mechanics, on the other - and on some nuclear submarines they were oil-filled. These traditions are alive, they evolve, and over the years everything changes, and at different fleets there are differences.
BCh-5 on nuclear submarines is divided into divisions: 1st movement, 2nd electrotechnical and 3rd hold.
The word “maslopup” is funny, like jokes about “hold”, but it directly depends on these people whether the boat will return from the campaign or not. Situations when the reaction of officers, midshipmen and sailors of the BS-5 depended on whether the boat would die or not, in our submarine, alas, were often. Including in modern times.
There were also tragic cases when sailors from the BS-5 were killed, saving their ships and comrades. Such here they are, "maslopupy".
All the rest who are on the submarine are “suites”.
In the bow of the boat (or closer to the bow, if it is, for example, “Ash” or “Ash-M”) in the torpedo compartment, the personnel of the BC-3 - mine-torpedo warhead — are serving their service.
In its composition there are sailors of different ranks, but in any case for the rest they are “miners”. And the Miner also commands them, just with a capital letter. They may have cruise missiles, anti-submarine missiles, guided torpedoes in the ammunition, and mines may not be, it doesn’t matter. "Miners" - and the point. By the way, they are not called “Romanians” of underwater “miners”; it is a nickname for sailors from surface ships.
The tremendous economy of the "miners" and their commander "Miner" on the submarine, pr. 941
In the warhead-1, navigational warhead, also has its own hierarchy. For example, the boatswain and the boatswain team of steering-signalmen are “rudders,” and the young and inexperienced navigator officers are “navigators.” In general, the warhead-1 is a "navigator."
Missile warhead-2 is often the "Chinese". According to legend, this nickname arose because of the terrible tightness of the rocket compartments on the first diesel submarines with ballistic missiles. I must say that this nickname is not used everywhere.
The leading channel "Star" in the abode of the "Chinese" on board the Strategic Rocket Forces, etc. 955
БЧ-4 (communications) and 7 (lighting of the situation and management), as well as services (for example, supplies or chemicals) cannot boast of such specific nicknames (however, this is unlikely to upset anyone). But intelligence, OCHAS, is always “canary.” I must say that this title contains a rather gloomy irony, but that's how we got it. And he commands the Canaris, of course, the Canaris.
Fate is not chosen.
Do we have analogues of American NUBs? No, the process of “incorporating” a submariner into the service on our boats was built differently. And here it’s worth stopping the joke. You should look at some things from a serious angle.
Initial clearance and continued service
Despite training at schools and training centers (junior staff) and naval schools (officers), with the arrival of a new crew member in a submarine, he will be given credit papers on the specialty and structure of the ship and training on survivability.
Note: according to the current regulatory documents, the credit record for a specialty without a closed credit score for the device of the ship does not have legal force. However, this situation in the Russian Navy is very often violated, moreover, as a rule, in relation to officers. The younger team is under severe pressure - and low status (persons without access), and the fact that while the unauthorized occupies the staff, other crew members carry out shifts and duties for him.
There could be problems with the junior staff due to insufficient education, but this is already in the past, now there is no longer any urgent service in the submarine, and since the mid-2000s, while they were still there, they began to be selected for the submarine, and their level Education has grown markedly. In addition, in a good crew with a well-trained personnel training system, a young sailor of the “village tractor driver” level in about a couple of months became a fully trained submariner. True, for this he did not study only when he slept and “waved a spoon” in the galley, the rest of the time it was a continuous and tough preparation.
By the way, the transition to manning crews with contract sailors eliminated yet another unofficial hierarchy - the anniversary of bullying.
Note: the training of personnel on the device of the ship and the struggle for survivability is carried out not only by "their own superiors", a very important role is played by the preparation of the duty service on the ship
The situation with the officers recently was quite common when an officer could be a group commander, a lieutenant commander, but still could not close the record on the ship.
In many ways, this led to the separation between the "mechanics" and the "suites" in our sub-melting (in relation to the latter, it was understood that for them the "screws begin behind the galley").
At the same time, the requirements for knowledge of the ship for "luxury specialties" in some cases were not lower than for "mechanics", and this primarily concerned officers of the watch officer category (usually an assistant commander, commander of a mine torpedo and missile warheads and torpedo group commander) and the ship’s duty officer (or his assistant), from any category of officers who passed tests and were admitted by order.
The very fulfillment of these duties required good knowledge not only of “mechanical issues”, but also of leadership and the struggle for survivability, including in the "feed" (mechanical compartments). The situation when the "suites" are in an emergency party, working in the compartments where the submarine's power plant is located, is quite standard. This also applies to the reactor compartment.
"Suites" in their natural habitat. Central post of a nuclear submarine
Closing the record on the ship (and admission to duty) is a very important “status” issue in the crew, and the officer’s direct “application” for a future career. This is not only an exam so much as the ability and willingness to take and bear responsibility not only for oneself, subordinates, but the whole ship.
For example, the last question when admitting one of the authors of the article to the ship was the question of the starpom on the "emergency exit of the ship from the attack of cruise missiles at the base." The submariners will be able to evaluate the issue (going far beyond the limits of “required knowledge” and “permitted by the hands of the docs” for a young lieutenant, even a ship duty officer). He answered successfully and unconventionally, and most importantly, he was ready to act in this way in a real situation.
All this was imposed by very stringent requirements of the State Supervision Inspectorate for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (GII for Nuclear and Radiation Safety), introduced after a series of severe nuclear accidents at the Navy of the USSR.
For example, one of the authors of this article, arriving at his first submarine, did not manage to get to his first compartment, when he was called to the central post and sent for practical training in the equipment room of the nuclear reactor, and the next day he “delved” into the squadron headquarters in Navy nuclear accidents (with a good “piece” of the theory of nuclear physics).
Here it is necessary to note the problem of “narrow specialization” of the officers - the legacy of mass military service on our ships before and often the weaknesses of the midshipmen.
The officer trained as a narrow specialist, and often from the first days of service, he needed a wide knowledge of related issues, a thorough study of which was not provided for by the programs of the schools.
Separately, it is necessary to note the problem of training acoustics, where experience is very important, but the fact of the career growth of acoustics officers made it difficult to obtain (and then discounted this experience). There was a frequent situation when a “classy acoustics” was a “raider” who was not kicked out of the RF Armed Forces just because he is a classy acoustics and does amazing things at sea.
It is also necessary to highlight one staffing unit, which the US Navy does not have.
The Zampolitians
Two illustrative quotes from experienced and respected submarine officers.
One:
When I was a submarine commander, in our division 70% of the political leaders were drunkards and womanizer, including on my boat. All the heads of the political departments that I knew can be characterized as drunkards, womanizer, thieves, careerists and big BAGS.
The second:
... different people met. I remember one of our deputy. He came to us from Bechevinki. From Warsaw (DEPL, in this case, project 877. - Auth.). Did not enter the Academy. Lenin. Well, he was sent from diesel engines to ships. We stood in a factory in Seldeva.
What did he do one of the first. He organized an excursion for families on the submarine, which at that time was in the dock, with a subsequent trip to Paratunka, to the sources. In winter, beauty. But that is not the point.
Performing the duties of the CFSP, in the evening at the dock, on the second factory shift, in the CPU, I observe such a picture. Submarine on the submarine stands, foreman of the bilge team. And then the deputy calls him and asks to show and tell him about the main drainage line. With all the pumps and pumps, Gogol with the auditors is resting, the CPU has a mute scene. The foreman shows him that he is crawling with him and writes everything down in the workbook of a submarine officer. It turns out later, he teaches the ship ... and not only the D-3, but also communicates with the officers and midshipmen D-1 and D-2 (battalion BS-5. - Auth.).
Further - more, the ship is driven out of the factory, and upon arrival in the division the ship is transferred to the horseless linear crew, and we fly to the CA, in Komsomolsk. Well, I see ... but at the KBR the deputy begins to draw a picture of maneuvering the submarine and the target assigned by the commander in order to have a visual picture. Yeah ... it looks like a fairy tale ... in a tavern, under a glass, it turns out that the officer was starting his service in Magadan, on old diesels. I do not remember, but, apparently, the 613th project. And there he stood as an officer. Plus, he participated in the transition of these submarines to Vladivostok for cut. In short, omitting the details of Aivazovsky, at this passage, they slurped more than one 9th rampart. And what didn’t enter the academy, so from his words, when asked, there are different questions.
He said what to do for the good of the Fatherland and the good of the cause. I do not remember literally, but the meaning is the same.
Well, they wrapped him up, from the academy, and sent him to the steamers ... Yeah, and also, in the division, when the chief (political department head) found out about his zeal, in the study of iron, he was called and told. That all the animals in the forest are equal, but some animals are more equal ... Mikhail Removich, study your brain l / s, and do not learn the device of the ship. I don’t know how it ended with him with a nachpo, but we left for Primorye ...
What did he do one of the first. He organized an excursion for families on the submarine, which at that time was in the dock, with a subsequent trip to Paratunka, to the sources. In winter, beauty. But that is not the point.
Performing the duties of the CFSP, in the evening at the dock, on the second factory shift, in the CPU, I observe such a picture. Submarine on the submarine stands, foreman of the bilge team. And then the deputy calls him and asks to show and tell him about the main drainage line. With all the pumps and pumps, Gogol with the auditors is resting, the CPU has a mute scene. The foreman shows him that he is crawling with him and writes everything down in the workbook of a submarine officer. It turns out later, he teaches the ship ... and not only the D-3, but also communicates with the officers and midshipmen D-1 and D-2 (battalion BS-5. - Auth.).
Further - more, the ship is driven out of the factory, and upon arrival in the division the ship is transferred to the horseless linear crew, and we fly to the CA, in Komsomolsk. Well, I see ... but at the KBR the deputy begins to draw a picture of maneuvering the submarine and the target assigned by the commander in order to have a visual picture. Yeah ... it looks like a fairy tale ... in a tavern, under a glass, it turns out that the officer was starting his service in Magadan, on old diesels. I do not remember, but, apparently, the 613th project. And there he stood as an officer. Plus, he participated in the transition of these submarines to Vladivostok for cut. In short, omitting the details of Aivazovsky, at this passage, they slurped more than one 9th rampart. And what didn’t enter the academy, so from his words, when asked, there are different questions.
He said what to do for the good of the Fatherland and the good of the cause. I do not remember literally, but the meaning is the same.
Well, they wrapped him up, from the academy, and sent him to the steamers ... Yeah, and also, in the division, when the chief (political department head) found out about his zeal, in the study of iron, he was called and told. That all the animals in the forest are equal, but some animals are more equal ... Mikhail Removich, study your brain l / s, and do not learn the device of the ship. I don’t know how it ended with him with a nachpo, but we left for Primorye ...
Of interest is the American experience with the attempt to introduce “political leaders” in the crews of US Navy submarines, described by the first commander of the Nautilus submarine Andersen: having decided that because of the long stay under water the crew “will have problems”, the command landed a “specialist on such problems ”(Of a psychologist), as a result, the only person with“ problems ”turned out to be ... the psychologist himself is the only loafer on board.
Summing up, it is necessary to answer the obvious question: who has the best level of training - ours or the US Navy? In our opinion, “on average” the US Navy formed a much more optimal submarine training system, but this is true for the “average level”.
An unjustified emphasis on “mechanical” issues (often due to “tactical” ones) often leads to the stereotyped actions of US Navy submarines (or even erroneous ones in difficult tactical situations). A simple example: to become a commander of an American nuclear submarine, you need to undergo special training in working with a nuclear reactor, which takes a lot of time and makes an officer practically an engineer for the maintenance and repair of nuclear power plants. This is commendable, but the commander must first learn to fight. And when will he do it?
While the Americans “move on to technology,” their superiority is technical, they rely on technology that is ahead of the enemy simply in the era. They have no extraordinary level of tactical skills.
But with all the problems with the “average level of training”, we had outstanding crews, the commanders of which even with the worst equipment allowed us to withstand the US submariners with dignity.
True, to realize all the capabilities of our personnel often still did not work out because of worse equipment than the enemy, and in a real war in an extremely acute form there would be a backlog in weapons (torpedoes). But this, as they say, is completely different story...
- Maxim Klimov, Alexander Timokhin
- US Navy, US Navy by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alana Langdon, Oleg Kuleshov, Igor113.livejournal.com
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