Submariner

Dave Gustafson's Interesting Places and Stuff.

About Submarine Qualification:

The emblem of the Qualified Submariner is a fish on each side of a front view of a WWII Submarine. The two fish are Dolphins from which the Badge gets its name. The One who proudly wears them, proved his ability to man every position on the Boat. The Submarine is called a Boat. The badge proves that the person who is qualified to wear them has passed a proficiency test underway and in all emergency conditions as well as every combat condition. The qualified person has proven that he can man every station proficiently in the event of any emergency or condition. The person who is qualified has stood watches at every station underway and has memorized every system aboard, demonstrating the use and control of every emergency system under war time conditions. The person qualified has also proven, by practice, that they are capable of operating every ordinance and weapon aboard. Not only is he able to operate every ordnance but also can load, arm, and fire them at every station to insure their deployment. He is also able to maneuver the Boat by dead reckoning using radar and even the operation of the propulsion equipment. In the event of the loss of all the officers they are able to continue in command to complete the mission. The first qualification is to pass the depth test. They are all subjected to a pressure test of 100 feet and must show the ability to escape from a submerged Boat at a depth of at least 100 feet with out any equipment but a life preserver. This is called blow and go. The final test of the qualifier in order to receive his Dolphins, is to drink them from a milkshake glass of beer (or other beverage) with out stopping until they are in his teeth. Then comes the tattoo. When the badge is attached above the breast pocket, the badge is punched with the fist plunging the needle points that attach the badge into the chest, leaving two small marks. This is a tradition and not the official practice of the system or the Navy. The next option is to be thrown over board. During qualification, this is a common practice for slow learners, called, The Overboard Drill. For a non-qualified man the watches go on around the clock with no more than four hours off at a time to sleep. The normal time period to qualify is about 6 weeks to 6 months. There is a pre-qualification, that tests the ability of the recruit to cope with submarine life and its pressures. It also tests the ability to learn quickly and how to be consistent to the rules. It takes a special person to endure the hardships of combat conditions aboard the Submarine. I have referred to the old system of the WWII Diesel, pre-nuke era. The newer Boats are much more compatible with the human system and extremely comfortable in comparison. The old Boat was designed for the success of the mission and the system came first the crew second. If the batteries needed water that was the priority not the men or their hygiene. Baths were rare in the old service while underway. Room freshener was a stop gap till the senses became used to the smell. The fuel tanks were vented into the living space and added to the atmosphere along with the battery acid and hydrogen. It was not a friendly atmosphere and took a certain kind of personality to cope. That is why the submariners were so close and would give their life for one another, like family. I hope this explains the mystery of the honor behind the Dolphins and Submarine life under the sea of that era of men and their machine. The next challenge is space and the same sort of men are there. The advances of science have made the life of the adventurer safer, but the challenge is still there. That is why men climb mountains. The Submarines today are completely self contained, faster, and can dive much deeper. Because of this they are no less of a Challenge to the crew than our old Diesels were. Prepared by Dave Gustafson, ENC ( SS ) USNR-R, Retired. 11/3/96 Take her down! Click on this new addition.

Hot Off The Press From, DAVE'S APPLIANCE SERVICE:

Appliance Tips: Be sure to clean the coils under your Refrigerator. The heated rooms during winter causes the unit to run hotter and at a lower efficiency. Cleaning helps and should be done every 6 months. If you have a SubZero it must be done every six months or the motor may over heat and fail. The coils are located on top behind the grill on most of these models. The grill has a safety screw that must be removed to let the grill down for cleaning. The grill is spring loaded for easy access on older models. Be sure to replace the safety screw on overhead grills. The newer models have a compartment cover that is removed by lifting the cover to un-hook the four tabs. It is also a good time to wash off your Air-Conditioner Coils on the out side unit so it will be ready for the summer months. Be sure to change your air filters in the Heating and Air-Conditioning unit every month for proper air quality. Even better, use an Allergy Free Filter that is 90% efficient. They pay for themselves, because they can be washed every month if needed.

Our Year End Special is; any Standard Size at $70 each. E-Mail me for more info.
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Dave's Hobbies:

Dave has always been interested in old cars. He has built and used radios of all sorts including two way communications. He started with the old CB stuff back in the 50's and now prefers to listen to his scanners on the emergency channels. He still has a couple of old CB's, and uses from time to time to talk on side band. His handle was Washing machine Man. He uses two way radios in his business, but cell phones are the convenience of the day. Dave has been messing with computers for the last 20 years and still has an old Apple II and a CP/M Machine going. He is the SYSOP (system operator) of the Birdhouse BBS (bulletin board system) that has been running for almost 10 years now on an old 286 with an old used Seagate 251 40 meg hard drive. (Guess What, the thing has crashed the Hard Drive and is no longer on line. Dave's BirdHouse Web Page is now on the Internet.) He also has a computer on line for E-Mail and another for a FAX. Dave used to do some Back Packing, but finds little time for it now that he is getting older. He had a real nice Sail Boat, but doesn't have time for that anymore either. Dave and his wife raised birds and had an air-conditioned aviary that was also heated in the winter. They sold out the birds and use the bird house for storage now. Dave reconditioned appliances to sell and used the profits to support a mission work in India that started here in Modesto. There are over 70 churches now there. Dave likes to collect old toys and what ever. His best collections are old books on church history and Captain Midnight Decoder Badges. He has written two books on eschatology and is working on a revision now. He is active in computers and has done a lot of tutoring in word processing and desktop publishing. He likes database programs, HTML WebPage Design and accounting. Right now the Internet and Windows98 keep him busy. His appliance repair business keeps him busy the rest of the time, but he always finds time for a cup of coffee and a little conversation at Conrads Coffee Shop. Give him a call some day. Dave is enjoying his SSI, and his Navy Retirement and only works part time four days a week.. He would like to travel more but the business keeps him close to home. Maybe I will think of some more stuff later.

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