[SubSailor]

Interesting question. I'm not sure what the policy of the Navy was during WWII. I could be wrong, and if anyone knows for sure please correct me, but I think that as long as the war was on, and as long as you were not seriously injured, you were required to get back on the horse, so to speak. If you were on a surface ship that got sunk and were rescued, you got assigned to another surface ship. Same thing with subs, but there were not nearly as many survivors of subs that sank. If anyone knows for sure, feel free to correct me.

[ableChair]

When I was in if you were on a ship that was sunk and you survived you were guaranteed shore duty after that; if you wanted it. I think it was the same way in WWII.

[cajungirl]

The Squalus sunk in 1939 before the US got into the war. His sub that he later died on went down I think in 43. I think people were less likely back then to get out of going to the next duty unless they were really messed up. Even the guys who freaked out on the battlefront got treated up close to lines and sent back, that was the practice then. Not much coddling I think. But a refusal to go to the next sub under orders and during a time we were not at war, I don't know. I just know he wanted to go back. I guess he loved it.