Personal Experience: SUBSCREEN

Some Background
Psychological fitness screening of  volunteers for U.S. submarine duty has been a significant topic at Molten Eagle since 2006.  Later psychological issues queried whether NASA had adequately screened its female astronauts before a very major embarassment with regard to Capt. Lisa Nowak (2007).  Of course, implications of that question also bore directly upon the political decision to admit women into submarine crews. A three-part series in 2009 began with A Bloody Nose, Sexual Harassment and a Deserter (after only 110 days) - Part 1,  Part 2, and Part 3.

An earlier series (2008) had been based on psychological officers actually on submarines - Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. 

Then, ten days ago, a new book, The Killing Depths, came to Molten Eagle's attention.  A plot review on Evilcyclist's Blog rekindled Molten Eagle's question of pyschological screening adequacy for enlisted sub crews. In response, Vigilis read The Killing Depths without finding a concrete answer. However, the psychopathic killer in Depths was highly skilled in both submarining and disguising his true nature. 

A Qualified Submariner's Personal Experience
In my first days at Groton before Submarine School (BESS), during the huge nuclear sub buildup of the Cold War, I would meet many other volunteers who would become casual acquaintances, liberty pals, future friends, or, mostly, remained total strangers. Often such meetings would occur in various waiting lines for medical/dental testing or meals.

These hundreds of fellow volunteers (mostly draftees) seemed to have little in common beyond individual accomplishments of  significant work experience and/or post high school education.  All seemed physically fit and their general demeanor was cheerful, courteous, and honorable, with one unmistakable exception. 

He was shorter in stature, with a personality that made nearly everyone around him very uncomfortable.  He was needlessly loud, quick-tempered, inordinately critical, and he displayed open hostility and inappropriate aggression toward authority. Some of us felt his personality disorder might have been due to a Napoleonic complex , but how would we really know?

Personally, I just hoped he would never be assigned to the same sub as me...  after all, how far could someone like him be trusted?  Weeks later, when day-long classes had barely begun, cuts were made without notice. Two guys from my class, people who had made little lasting impressions, simply disappeared. Not only were they missing from future school activities, we would never see them again. We knew they would become skimmers.

However many people were cut the result was not obvious in our lunch lines. And, although we would never discuss it among ourselves, the little misfit was also gone.

At that point, my confidence and pride in the U.S. Submarine Force received an immense boost for its wisdom and competence.  Of course, there would later be Subscreen, too.  - Vigilis


Submarines are always silent and strange. 

Female submarine sailor commits suicide onboard: NEW Thriller

First Sub Thriller of its kind: The Killing Depths Paperback by Martin Roy Hill 

"The USS Encinitas, the first attack submarine crewed by both men and women, stalks the Crescent Moon, a renegade Iranian sub armed with nuclear-tipped missiles." 

 

"The USS Encinitas has a problem. A female sailor who was thought to have committed suicide on the submarine is found to have been murdered."  - Evilcyclist's Blog

NCIS investigates female sub sailor's suicide....finds homicide,

Note:  The Killing Depths is on my reading list because it involves an SSN and NCIS. The concept of a serial killer among the crew of a U.S. submarine strains credibility for me at this point. How could such an animal survive screening (has Navy screening been relaxed unduly by a clueless administration, or perhaps another security contractor takes a shortcut on psychological fitness (related story below*)?  I trust an experienced historian, journalist, author and veteran like Martin Roy Hill will have answered my questions satisfactorily, and one way or the other will provide my informed book review. - Vigilis

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Reality

Sub Culinary Specialist 2nd Class to Miss His Boat's Reunion 

Sentenced in January Defense attorneys had argued  post-traumatic stress disorder from his 5 years of living on a submarine*.

Perhaps we can guess why he did not make the Navy a career (drunken stabbing fatal, life sentence).

 

Submarines are always silent and strange.