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Submerged

Life Underwater

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Today we will learn submarines and how they work!

Before we start, let’s reflect on these questions:

  • What is a submarine?
  • What was the role of Growler?
  • What challenges exist for living aboard a submarine?
  • What did submariners do during leisure time?

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What is a submarine?

A submarine is a vessel that can submerge and travel underwater. Watch the video on the next slide to learn a bit more about the submarine USS Growler (SSG-577)

Growler was a guided missile submarine capable of launching and guiding the Regulus I nuclear missile. What are some things you think you might find in a submarine?

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What is the role of a submarine like the USS Growler?

The submarine USS Growler (SSG-577) was commissioned on August 30, 1958. It was a guided missile submarine capable of launching and guiding the Regulus I nuclear missile. Growler made eight strategic deterrent patrols to the Western Pacific Ocean, waiting for an order to launch its missiles at military facilities in Russia. Growler was decommissioned on May 25, 1964. In 1989, it opened to the public at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

A Regulus missile test launch in the Cold War

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What challenges existed while living on a submarine?

Watch the videos on the right and identify some challenges for submariners living on Growler

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What did submariners do to relax on the USS Growler?

To keep spirits high, the Growler crew enjoyed some of the best food of all the Navy. In all, 264 daily meals and 88 desserts fed Growler’s crew of 88 men.

This common space was also used for relaxation, such as watching movies and playing games, like pinochle, poker, and cribbage. The Outlaw (1943), a popular western film, was a favorite.

When the submarine would surface for oxygen in warm waters, crew members sometimes had opportunities to take advantage of being outdoors and swim in the ocean or lay out on top of the submarine.

Submariners relax in the crew’s mess of Growler while playing cards.

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Write a journal entry as a Growler crewmember

Write a journal entry imagining that you are a Growler crewmember.

Share a story involving some issues you may have living in a shared space like Growler. In your story, include a solution to that problem.

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Reflection

  • What are some challenges that come with living in a small space?
  • How can breaks be helpful?
  • Would you want to live and work on a submarine? Why or why not?

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