Submarine singing it's swan song in my city.

S

Strauss

Active member
Hey there everybody, I am just letting you know that right now in my city there is a retired russian submarine waiting to be taken apart to be recycled in my city, if anybody is interested I can go take some proper pictures of the submarine, both inside and outside. I have been there but forgot my camera, it was really interesting and it gives a good sense of how claustrophobic it must have been to work there.

Let me know and I will try and find time!

Actually I found a picture on the net, but you can't see the inside of it from here :)

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Claustrophobia you can learn to live with.
But the smell, I tell you - the smell :sick:

A pig would feel at home after a few days (also it would not stand out from the rest of the crew - if you ask me) :-P
 
Seehund: Were you on Sælen when it operated? If so, how was it to be submerged for extended periods of time? I am not sure if I could cope with that, seeing as it was pretty damn small.. I have only been onthere while it was not submerged and looking at the bunks I thought to myself "oh hell no!"
 
My experience is that you can learn to live with Claustrophobia to a certain amount, but it demands a high level of adrenalin to cope with it.
Spendt some of my time in bunkers (deep in the bedrock) but I just couldn't stand the idea of living down here, even though it was calm and peacefull as any grave.
Given that a submarine is moving on top of it all....no thanks!

The smell would pose a minor problem for me, I mean, even people who eat garlic on regular basis get married...
 
To answer the question I would love to see more pictures if you have them, living in part of the world that never sees these things it could be very interesting.
 
Strauss said:
Seehund: Were you on Sælen when it operated? If so, how was it to be submerged for extended periods of time? I am not sure if I could cope with that, seeing as it was pretty damn small.. I have only been onthere while it was not submerged and looking at the bunks I thought to myself "oh hell no!"
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Yes, I have sailed the "old lady” and also other Danish and German submarines. I wish I could tell you about the fun and exciting Missions I've been on - but unfortunately, all Danish missions remain confidential.

If you ask whether it is exciting to sail on a submarine then the answer will often be: "Well, the few moments of intense excitement, life / death decisions and pumping adrenaline fully offset the many long hours of waiting". It requires iron discipline and a very high morale to be below the surface for many days when you only see the sun through the periscope.

The temperature is often high and the humidity is near 100%. When snorkeling or opening the turret hatch and thereby offset the pressure, you can actually see that it "rains" in the boat. The air is heavy and it smells of diesel, lubricating oil and moisture mixed with the smell of food and sweat. Water is primarily for drinking or cooking, so showers are few and far between. We had a shower that the chief engineer had made in the engine compartment that used the hot water from diesel engines cooling system. It smelled like swamp water but just the fact that the water was hot was luxury.

Normally you are on duty for 6 hours and then off duty for 6 hours and so it goes 24 hours a day every day. It quickly becomes monotonous and you have to manage livening with that. The biggest highlight is when we eat - we get really good food in a submarine and the cook are usually able to conjure up little surprises in-between meals. A big plus is that you get a camaraderie that is second to none. It is a fantastic experience but it requires a person with a solid character and lots of mental energy if you want to serve on a sub.
 
Speaking of claustrophobia.
The Danish submarines are not designed for the insertion of attack divers or SEALs. But one way to do this, was that the diver climbed into an empty topedo tube. The hatch was closed behind him and the tube slowly filled with water. Then you open the door in front and the diver climbs out. When he returns to the submarine he climbs back into the topedo tube. The door is closed and the tube is emptied of water and then he can be hauled out.


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Same story up here, and I've always kept wondering how they managed to fit both the diver and the rebreather in the tubes... :-?
 
Damn!
It must be more tight than in a girl´s ........! :shock:

You must be a bit of a bad ass when you're a frog! 8-)
 
lol Thank you for this. If it wasn't for the Scandinavians doing all the work and picking up all the cost, our government would just let old subs lie in the water and rot, nuclear reactor and all, environment be damned...
 
Prapor said:
lol Thank you for this. If it wasn't for the Scandinavians doing all the work and picking up all the cost, our government would just let old subs lie in the water and rot, nuclear reactor and all, environment be damned...
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Well, it was actually the Soviet navy who gave us the idea.
It all started out when they managed to park one of their old "Whisky-Class" diesel sub's on a rock in a fjord outside the Swedish capital Stockholm... :lol:

So the Swedes started calling around, and we had to find a way to clean up the mess. ;-)
 
MontyB

Oh yeah, I will get right to taking some pictures both inside and outside :)

Seehund

I really appreciate your fullfilling reply!
One thing I don't get though, the diver coming out of the submarine in your picture, is he coming out of the torpedo tube? If so, is the submarine positioned vertically?
 
Strauss said:
MontyB

Oh yeah, I will get right to taking some pictures both inside and outside :)

Seehund

I really appreciate your fullfilling reply!
One thing I don't get though, the diver coming out of the submarine in your picture, is he coming out of the torpedo tube? If so, is the submarine positioned vertically?
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Hehe that is the new method of putting SEAL teams onto the deck of hijacked boats, they park vertically next to the ship and fire them from the torpedo tubes onto the deck.

Sorry it just amused me at the time, I will stop now.
:)

Look forward to the pictures.
 
Strauss said:
Hey there everybody, I am just letting you know that right now in my city there is a retired russian submarine waiting to be taken apart to be recycled in my city, if anybody is interested I can go take some proper pictures of the submarine, both inside and outside. I have been there but forgot my camera, it was really interesting and it gives a good sense of how claustrophobic it must have been to work there.

Let me know and I will try and find time!

Actually I found a picture on the net, but you can't see the inside of it from here :)

11609_large.jpg
Click to expand...
All the pics you can get!
 
@Strauss

Yes he is coming out of the torpedo tube.

It's an optical illusion. The photo is taken obliquely from below.
Putting a submarine vertically is not a good idea - unless you want to bury the boat below the seabed. ;)


@Monty

Now you know why they are called SEAL's!

We are firing them from the sea up in the air and god knows where they land. :lol:
 
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Seehund said:
@Strauss

Yes he is coming out of the torpedo tube.

It's an optical illusion. The photo is taken obliquely from below.
Putting a submarine vertically is not a good idea - unless you want to bury the boat below the seabed. ;)


@Monty

Now you know why they are called SEAL's!

We are firing them from the sea up in the air and god knows where they land. :lol:
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Shouldn't matter what sort of boats they are fired at, SF are used to hardships.

:P
 
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