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Poster: | Mandojammer | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 9:14am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | The "Shit Shower" explained (since SDH asked.....) |
When the sanitary tanks get full, they can be pumped or blown overboard. Pumping is noisy and takes longer - bad. Blowing is noisy, but much quicker - not so bad.
The tanks are pressurized to 10 pounds above sea pressure. For argument's sake, let's say we are at 200 feet. At .44 pounds per foot, sea pressure is about 90 pounds. We pressurize the tank with air to 100 psi. Then we open the hull valve on the bottom of the tank and whoosh, several thousand gallons of brown water goes overboard. The fish and shrimp love it - on sonar you can hear the snapping shrimp and carpenter fish go bat shit in the plume. Think about that the next time you order a shrimp cocktail.
Here's the inherent danger of this evolution. All of the heads (toilets) have a big ball valve on the bottom - when you are done with your business, you fill the bowl with a little flushing water (sea water) and open the ball valve. The sewage gravity drains into the san tank.
YOU CANNOT AND MUST NOT DO THIS WHEN BLOWING SANITARY TANKS OVERBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!
Signs are hung up in the heads to indicate that the sanitary tank is pressurized - "DANGER - BLOWING SANITARY TANKS, DO NOT OPERATE."
You can still use the head, you just aren't supposed to flush.
Once a week however, someone forgets - despite the big signs hung all over the boat. they do their business and then reach for the ball valve operator handle and whammo - they just created a vent path to atmospheric pressure. Given the choice, a 4" column of pressurized shit will ALWAYS take 14.7 psi over 90 psi. So now you have a 4" brown column coming at you with 100 psi backpressure.
It is, the proverbial "Shit Shower".
It has been tested countless times - you cannot get the valve shut fast enough. If I had to use the head while blowing sans, I would start chanting out loud "I will not flush, I will not flush" before entering the stall.
And in the finest of submarine traditions, regardless of your rank, if you blow a sanitary tank on yourself - you clean it up. Period. Does not matter if you are the CO or the most junior seaman on board. If you blow a shitter on yourself, get a bucket, sponge, iodine, soap, etc. and get cleaning.
There was one exception to this rule. We had a young petty officer on board who got violently seasick when the ship was on the surface. He would literally start vomiting when the lines were cast off. Once submerged he was one of the finest watchstanders and sailors I ever had work for me. We were in the Irish Sea headed to the dive point - the seas were typical - about 30 feet and the ship was rolling pretty good. The young lad was sick and in his rack. We decided to blow sans before we dove and were in the middle of the evolution when he crawled on his hands and knees from his bunk to the head to vomit. He crawled underneath the signs, into the stall, puked and with his head still in the bowl, flushed. He got hit in the face with a column of shit that went into his mouth, nose and sinuses and under his eyelids. Once we got him to sick bay and started on a two week antibiotic course, his shipmates went back and cleaned up the mess.
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Poster: | jglynn1.2 | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 9:38am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
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Poster: | Earl B. Powell | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:08pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
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Poster: | bluedevil | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:14pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
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Poster: | Earl B. Powell | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:21pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
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Poster: | Mandojammer | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:33pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
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Poster: | elbow1126 | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 9:51am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
I am glad someone warned me. We are meeting tonight in SF and going to see Los Lobos. I wouldn't want to give him the wrong impression.
Seriously, the sub posts rock. Really interesting stuff.
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Poster: | SomeDarkHollow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 10:21am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
Seriously, hope the show rocks
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Poster: | high flow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 10:26am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
Los Lobos will do their worst to Mr Lbo......I hope he can handle it. Good thing I'll be there to keep an eye on him.
Wish me luck!
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Poster: | johnnyonthespot | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 11:24am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
Have a great time at the wolves. As I know you know, they're ALWAYS great.
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Poster: | high flow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:12pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | johnnyonthespot | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 1:13pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | SomeDarkHollow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 10:32am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | NoiseCollector | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 11:20am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | elbow1126 | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 10:25am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | William Tell | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 11:27am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | high flow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:01pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | elbow1126 | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 11:53am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | jglynn1.2 | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 11:37am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
Seriously!!
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Poster: | high flow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 11:54am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
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Poster: | bluedevil | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:02pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
Last time I saw them together was El Rayo X and Los Lobos (w/ Dave Alvin) at Laguna Seca opening for the boys....
Los Lobos may be the most criminally underrated band around. Have a great night - it's guaranteed.
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Poster: | high flow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 12:09pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: Thanks for the warning about Flow |
However, I'll be meeting Lbo for some drinks and conversation, so we may miss part of the opener.
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Poster: | SomeDarkHollow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 9:37am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
Guess you do know your shit about subs.
Ba-da-boom.
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Poster: | Mandojammer | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 9:46am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
Any ideas or wishes for the next submarining lesson topic?
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Poster: | SomeDarkHollow | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 9:56am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: The 'Shit Shower' explained (since SDH asked.....) |
Submarine Sanitation
With all of those people in such tight quarters, how do you maintain submarine sanitation? In a simple answer: it is hard to keep the submarine properly sanitized. Frequently people develop atomic toe rot while underway. For your own safety you should wear shower shoes. Many people do not actively set personal hygiene as any sort of priority. Half way through an underway, you will frequently find yourself instinctively reminded to take a deep breath in the bathroom (gross) before you walk into aft berthing. If they could take the scent of that but crack and foot funk and invert it, it would be the most amazing cologne on earth.
It is not just an issue of their own safety, but dirty people spread germs, especially while you hot rack with them. One time I had to hot rack with the stinkiest kid on the boat. I am by no means a clean freak, but some of these kids were so bad that the submarines doctor had to personally observe them shower. Imagine the embarrassment, these kids were treated as such; even worse, they had to shower.
Ok so lets say you never sleep and never have to go wake anybody up. Lets ignore the fact that some shipmates crapped in the urinal and shower. Surely then submarine sanitation must not be much of an issue. That is not true. In fact, it could not be any more false. The systems that are designed to get rid of the human waste and other submarine waste have to be aligned to do this properly. One kid alone managed to align the bathroom to receive instead of give around a half dozen times that I can remember. He was never punished though, because submarine sanitation is not an important issue.
Sometimes things go one step further, and come out of areas other than the bathroom. There is waste made from the meals, and the same place that we wash dishes in is where they prepare meals. If things are done improperly, bathroom can meet the meal. I have seen this before, and the thought alone is gross. Of course, the person at fault was not punished because little is expected of him and submarine sanitation was not a priority aboard the USS Dallas (SSN 700).
Somewhat pertinent. I like "bathroom can meet meal"
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Poster: | Mandojammer | Date: | Dec 5, 2008 10:05am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | "Bathroom Meets Meal" |
As far as hot racking with a slob - during command, I made sure every sailor had their own rack. I only had limited say as a junior officer, but hot racking was generally the exception rather than the rule. Typically the only time we had to hot rack was if we had riders on board for inspections or examinations.
As far as food prep and dishwashing meeting the bathroom - sort of.
The galley sinks and dishwasher are drained to grey water tanks (non sewage) along with the showers and sinks in the heads. I can't recall someone ever taking a dump in the shower (since you would have to stomp it through the drain grate with your foot) but I'm sure it happened.
It is possible to incorrectly line up the grey drain system so that there is back flow into the sinks, showers and galleys. It's not as bad as blowing a shitter on yourself, but whatever food is out is ruined - the meal is shot - and the cleanup is pretty extensive. This happened once during my command tour. I disqualified the offending sailor from watchstanding and had his chain of command come up with a training and requalification program. He was a good kid, he just made a mistake - but I made sure sailors on my boat understood that they would be held accountable for their actions - mistakes or otherwise. I was fair and consistent and my guys always knew what to expect. For the most part, I considered having to take disciplinary action with a sailor a failure on my part as well as his divisional and departmental chain of command - unless it was just gross, deliberate and culpable negligence or endangered his shipmates. Then I hammered the shit out of the kid. Fortunately I only had to do that four times in 24 years.