Is smoking permitted while submerged? Seems expensive in terms or oxygen. I’m surprised that 40% of the crew smoke, these days.
I wonder whether of not this is related to the decision to permit women to serve on submarines. Next they’ll be dispensing air freshener through the ventilation system.
Usually everyone smokes by the air cleaning equipment and the only time you can smell smoke outside of AMR bay (on a 688) is before and after watch when you get a real line of guys waiting to smoke hence a constant smoke factor.
We were only allowed 2 lit smokes at a time. 4 at a time if we had riders.
It’s not expensive in oxygen terms. If The Bomb(02 machine) is running smoking is only allowed in the ER (which makes the whole place smell like smoke for a few days, no air cleaning equip back there).
The one time we couldn’t run The Bomb(it was broke) or ventilate (on a mission) and were living on just O2 candles for about a week, they turned the smoking light out. Everyone was miserable and sleepy that whole week.
I called my Congress Critter about this. Everyone else should as well. Life sucks enough on a Boat. Don’t make it harder on our guys.