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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009

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|NEXT STORY »

Navy Will Allow Women to Serve on Submarines

Female officers will be the first to join sub crews

By Nick McMaster| Posted Oct 6, 09 3:41 PM CDT|

(Newser) – The Navy is going to start allowing women to serve on submarines, with the first female officers reporting for duty in 2011. The close confinement of subs has kept co-ed crews at bay, but that's going to change, reports the Honolulu Advertiser. “I believe women should have every opportunity to serve at sea, and that includes aboard submarines,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

Integration will be gradual, at first covering only officers and only the larger submarine types. Some military spouses have voiced concerns about mixed-gender crews, but a Navy spokesman noted that "a lot of those same concerns were voiced early on with integrating women in the surface fleet, which we've been doing now for 16-plus years."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Navy, the Los Angeles class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) is seen anchored off the US Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Don S. Montgomery)

This is a March 5, 2008 file photograph of former Mississippi Gov., current Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus shown in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

This is something I have been working on since I came into office. I believe women should have every opportunity to serve at sea, and that includes aboard submarines.
- Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

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23 comments

VIEWING:

Timinator2K
Oct 6, 09 3:52 PM CDT

Here come the Jr. High sea men jokes...so to speak. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

alkaseltzersammich
Oct 6, 09 3:54 PM CDT

I'm sure the men would love for the women to ride on their submarines.

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Oct 6, 09 3:55 PM CDT

Is that an Air Force STS, Tim?

IN RESPONSE:

shonangreg
Oct 6, 09 4:44 PM CDT

Submariners do it deeper.

IN RESPONSE:

riffran
Oct 7, 09 1:08 AM CDT

whats long hard and full of seamen?........rofl...that one never gets old

IN RESPONSE:

Tarantulas
Oct 7, 09 3:24 PM CDT

Go up to the tender and comshaw me ten feet of chow line. Then get back here on the double because we will be firing inboard water slugs. "There are men working in the sail. Do not raise, lower, rotate or radiate from any mast or antenna. There are men working in the sail"

IN RESPONSE:

riffran
Oct 7, 09 10:50 PM CDT

ALRIGHT TARANTALAS....I aint heard that lingo since 1990...thanks for the reflash, and in tribute....."There are men working aloft do not rotate any device while men are working aloft in the aft stack"....lol

| 0 minutes ago

Netstorm2k9
Oct 6, 09 3:59 PM CDT

I was in the Navy, though not a bubbler, and they're already aboard surface ships without difficulty. Liaisons in the paint locker are nothing new. Fraternization rules really only extend to officer/enlisted relationships, so everything else is pretty much "don't ask/don't tell" as long as problems don't result from dating strife. Then the hammers can come down. So, everyone looks the other way to avoid trouble, and people learn to be real discreet. Works pretty well. Subs shouldn't be much different. Although there will be individuals doing stupid things. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

godawgs
Oct 6, 09 4:12 PM CDT

my concern is that on that first deployment the amount of pregnancies that occur. we lost at least 5 women to unplanned pregnancy in the month leading up to deployment. so those are lost billets, i was on a big deck and it wasn't too bad, but on a sub that type of lose of manpower can affect the mission.

IN RESPONSE:

BlahBlahBlah
Oct 6, 09 4:21 PM CDT

Pregnancy before deployment is nothing new. When I deployed in 2001 we had 12 females get pregnant within a month. It is going to happen and keep happening. Females on ships / subs are an unavoidable thing. I suggest we all just find a way to deal with it. My only problem with it is all of the drama that the inevitable relationships bring.

IN RESPONSE:

Netstorm2k9
Oct 6, 09 4:26 PM CDT

I agree, it's a problem, but nothing that mandatory contraception won't cure. Kinda like on Defying Gravity (awesome show- Damn ABC) where they all wear the halos to calm libido. We can't do that yet, but we got DeproVara, or whatever it's called.

IN RESPONSE:

riffran
Oct 7, 09 1:10 AM CDT

hadn't heard the "bubblehead " description in a while...almost went subs myself, but went surface instead....didnt like the lack of sunlight aspect

| 0 minutes ago

Timinator2K
Oct 6, 09 4:05 PM CDT

I believe the pregnancy rates should double that of the male-female surface ships crews. TOO close and tight of quarters in iron coffins. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Jayster999
Oct 6, 09 4:12 PM CDT

Bubbleheads also have to share racks due to the confined space. They better hand out condoms--unless the females strictly go down with the ship--so to speak. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Timinator2K
Oct 6, 09 4:20 PM CDT

Finally, newser posts some stuff that lends itself to plainly funny posts...it gets a bit old with theLlibs vs. The Rational debates. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

rajanKazhmin
Oct 6, 09 4:48 PM CDT

You just had to sh*t in the apple pie huh? You almost had a good one.

IN RESPONSE:

RockyPneumonia
Oct 6, 09 4:49 PM CDT

I wasn't aware the we liberals had debated ourselves.

| 0 minutes ago

polstroad
Oct 6, 09 4:43 PM CDT

You would think that the ladies would know enough to protect themselves, and the men would use protection, in order to avoid pregnancy..after all, we are not dealing with juniors in high school, or are we? Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Jayster999
Oct 6, 09 4:52 PM CDT

There are a lot of Navy broads who get knocked up while deployed. Some actually do it to get out of the service (they generally give them a choice to get out or stay in).

| 0 minutes ago

geos00
Oct 6, 09 6:59 PM CDT

The impact of a loss of personnel on a submarine is to the point where individuals are frequently called away from well earned shore duty in order to keep a submarine on an operating schedule. Pregnancy is not an issue that can be simply said "won't happen". In addition, the confined spaces mean that the term "unwanted contact" is one that either will not exist or will plaque a ship's operaitng schedule. Currently there is one corpsman (medical personnel) assigned per ship. Either a female corpsman will have to be immediately assigned, or the right to have a female medical representative present will have to be waived. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

HeatherCC09
Oct 7, 09 3:36 PM CDT

Seems like it would make sense to assign both a male and a female corpsman to a co-ed sub.

| 0 minutes ago

riffran
Oct 7, 09 1:16 AM CDT

we always referred to the subtenders as "love boats".....Was having a good ole time chasing college skirts from SDSU once in Tiajuanna, and hooked up..(unknowingly) with a LTJG...three days later I pass her up on the way to my boat while we both were in uniform.....(panic)...Her eyes got real big I went pale...then I saluted and simply "maam" she returned the salute......(she was walking with about six other officers!!) and we just kept walking......THAT could have been an ugly mess Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Monjubikahn
Oct 13, 09 10:42 AM CDT

Feminine topography makes the sea look better. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 23 comments »

gender • military • women • Navy • submarine • Navy officer

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Navy Will Allow Women to Serve on Submarines