In The Navy (Sub School), Part 7

Only one physical test left, the Damage Control trainer.

The Damage Control trainer is an enclosed room that is designed to mimic the machinery and engine rooms of a submarine. Its water tight, cramped and poorly lit. The class is filed into the room. Behind a window, several Chief’s monitor the whole event and will grade the participants.

You get introduced to some pretty interesting wooden blocks and cones that you get to use to try to plug up the predrilled holes in the pipes. It seemed very unlikely to me that this was going work at all. You also get to handle these metal bands that you are supposed to use to strap coverings over the larger holes. These metal straps are sharp as hell and handling them while your hands are wet, it’s just a matter of time before you get cut. The tool you use to tighten them is clunky too and not very easy to use.

Everyone is in regular navy issue dungarees (pants like blue jeans and a pale blue polyester shirt), but we got to wear sneakers, like you would be underway on a real sub. It was a chilly day and chilly in the trainer. That should make it interesting.

So everyone gets ready and we decide quickly who’s going to do what. I luckily (so I thought) was one of two assigned to do support work, grabbing tools, plugs and bands. Then it started.

https://www.npdc.navy.mil/slc/nss/dct041901.htm (you may want to mute the sound after a few seconds)

The Chiefs in the control room start feeding water into the smaller lower level pipes and water starts shooting across the room in various directions. I start unpacking tools and supplies that I estimate appropriate for the size of the pipes that are spewing, then hand them out. A few on the team are over anxious and drop things, and they get even more panicked. I’m staying pretty cool and we actually get a few of the smaller leaks plugged.

Moments later, the next level of pipes starts dripping. Slow at first and then more avid, very quickly. The pipes at the lowest level were quickly under water and pretty much impossible to plug. One of the guys tried though and was ducking his head under the water and trying to finish off one of the leaks. He was the first casualty. He had over tightened a band and it snapped, whipping back at him and sliced his hand deeply. He was quickly removed and now we were short handed.

Since I was a little farther back from the action, I had to dodge the streams of water shooting across the room and try to negotiate them as I brought tools and supplies up, to be used. We were making little headway at this point; the velocity of the water is so great that we can’t get the patching materials in place to even start to get the bands around them, to hold them in place.

The lower level is completely under water now and the second deck was awash. It was at this point that I realized, this test was not one that anyone has probably ever conquered. I think we were meant to fail because every time we got one pipe patched, two more would open up. Finally a large 6 inch pipe near the ceiling started to gush. The hole in the pipe is so large that the water can’t shoot across the room, just pour down the side. We were quickly up to our knees in water and anyone on the middle level was almost up to their necks.

I was struggling just keeping the supplies moving up above water. Then it ended, a buzzer went off that was not too far removed from a dopey game show. The lights brightened a bit and the water slowly stopped gushing. It got quiet, except for one guy still tightening a band over a patch, which was possible since the water had stopped. Over the PA we’re told the test was over. The water slowly started to recede and everyone took a minute to catch their breath.

I guess we passed, but we did a lot more class work on Damage Control. Duh, on the boat, you would want to isolate the leaking pipe (close the supply valve) before you try to patch it if possible. We never had that option in the trainer.

In my next post I will wrap up Sub School. I did mention that we played a lot of Spades, right?