Weekend Submarine Browsing with Video

Bothenook of a geezer's corner posted an invitation for submarine topside watch yarns there, recently, and several entertaining stories attest to what a nightmare skimmer duty must be given that rarely, even carefully screened submariners may have misbehaved (at least in the old days). An anonymous wag used the term brow in his yarn.

For the uninitiated, a brow is a portable walkway from the pier or jetty to the ship's quarterdeck (where a submarine's topside watches are stationed in port). When you see the possibility of this brow, ask yourself which country will incorporate it into one of their submarines first (not the U.S., because frills like this are expensive and intrusive to proper functioning).

The design of this hyraulic footbridge is English. If French and Breton Jules Verne had known of it, would he have incorporated it into one of Nautilus's marvelous features? The circular stowed bridge suits a submarine. The Aussies are planning their new subs, might they do something similar? No? China, Canada, anyone?

Here's a YouTube of it in action:



Perfect submarine design?... H/tip to Joe Stirt's bookof joe

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Some of you may be swimmer's as in daily milers. In my Navy days, however, I never served with one sailor who cared about swimming (other than 'swim calls' in the Pacific). Yes, we had sharpshooters on lookout for sharks and yes the fins appeared in less than 25 minutes.

With swim call over, A-gangers promptly fashioned giant fishhooks we baited with raw meat to catch one of the critters (will post photo someday). That did not work either, so we had to submerge our hopes with our vessel.



Apparently, dependents and college athletes used the fine pools at every Navy base. Why would an ordinary sailor wish to spend time ashore swimming?



I enjoy swimming in lakes and non-chlorinated (ocean) areas. Someday, the wretched smell of chlorine (actually, chloramines) may be eliminated from your neighborhood pools. Someday is now: Swimmers Beware has a short video that tells us how.