Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Bunk Sweet Bunk ... The only place you could get even the smallest semblance of privacy on a submarine.

When I was a junior sailor on a submarine they would assign 3 bunks to be shared by 5 men. When you got off watch and ready to collapse you go to berthing and find one of the three bunks that was empty and crawl in and sleep....Since you were a non-qual (not earned your Silver Dolphins) you were only allowed to sleep for 6 hours...then you had to be up and studying for qualifications for 6 hours. It is called "Hot Racking" because the sheets never get a chance to cool off. Sheets got washed once a week no matter what!!!! I Hot Racked for one patrol...With a MK 48 torpedo as a bunk-mate. The three portable bunks were strapped between two "fish" (torpedoes) in the Torpedo Room and you had to roll over the inboard torpedo to plop into the bed.