How do submarines get rid of human waste?

Waste that is discharged overboard must either be pumped out against the ambient sea pressure or blown out using pressurized air. Waste materials are collected and periodically discharged.

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How do Navy ships dispose of human waste?

Answer: It dumps it into the ocean

Other waste is compressed, melted or shredded on board, and stored for disposal on shore. Trash from a ship's mess decks can amount to 150 bags per day, creating a sizeable challenge for those charged with keeping the ship clean and safe.

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How do submarines flush toilets?

HOW DO YOU USE THE TOILET ON A SUBMARINE? Pressurised seawater is used to flush the toilets on a submarine. A simple ball valve operates the flush on the toilet which enables the toilet to be 'plumbing free'. Once flushed, you then manually turn a valve next to the toilet to refill the bowl.

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What do nuclear submarines do with waste?

The nuclear reactor compartments are cut out, carefully sealed and taken to an approved disposal site. After the vessel's hazardous materials are properly removed and disposed of, the ships are stored at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. They are eventually cut up and the various metals are recycled.

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How do they get fresh water on submarines?

Most submarines have a distillation apparatus that can take in seawater and produce fresh water. The distillation plant heats the seawater to water vapor, which removes the salts, and then cools the water vapor into a collecting tank of fresh water.

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What Happens After You Flush on a Submarine

40 related questions found

Where does the toilet waste go on a submarine?

Most bigger submarines have something called “Trash Disposal Units”, which are exactly what you think you are. Somewhere in the submarine there is a long tube or a shaft, which has a ball valve separating it from the ocean. Crew members have to assemble canisters from pre-punched galvanized, perforated steel sheets.

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Can water boil in a submarine?

The pressure of water in the power plant of a nuclear submarine is more than the atmospheric pressure, so the boiling point temperature of the water reaches above 100∘ C 100 ∘ C .

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How are clothes washed on a submarine?

In the US Navy you use the on board shower(s) and you either use laundry service or wash (and dry) in a self service machine.

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Why are submarines red on the bottom?

Shipbuilders of the early years of shipping would use a copper coating as a biocide, to prevent organotins from sticking on the vessel's hull. That copper coating was responsible for the ship's red color.

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How often do submarines shower?

How long and often can one shower for in a submarine? On a US nuclear sub, you take a shower every single day unless the evaporator is secured for a reason. In fact, the Chief of the Boat (COB) will usually demand you take a shower if you smell like sweat.

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How do aircraft carriers get rid of human waste?

“Most of the sewage waste produced on an aircraft carrier comes from the toilets' urinals,” the video continues. After entering an integrated treatment system, a complex array of filtration and cleaning methods are applied, including the use of a bio-reactor and a sediment tank for processing.

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How does the military dispose of human waste?

Proper disposal of waste during deployment is essential to prevent health problems and protect service members. In certain situations, when sanitary and waste management facilities are not available, this waste may be burned in an open pit.

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Why do they sink ships instead of recycling?

Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel, to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard, as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being captured by an enemy force (or, in the case of a vessel engaged in illegal activities, by the authorities), as a blockship ...

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Can you wear deodorant on a submarine?

In the enclosed atmosphere of the submarine, these pollutants can build up and pose a health risk. Therefore, aerosol cans (such as hair spray, shave cream, spray deodorant) are not authorized to be brought on board.

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Why do you not shave on a submarine?

Submariners were allowed to grow longer beards because their limited access to fresh water made shaving difficult. Sailors deployed to colder climates also were permitted to have fuller facial hair to protect them from the elements.

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How do they keep food fresh on a submarine?

The cool room is maintained at a temperature of 40 degrees F, the refrigeration room at 15 degrees F. Meats, poultry, and fish are stored in the refrigeration room. Vegetables, fruits, and dairy products are stored in the cool room.

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What is the golden rule of submarine escape?

The water pressure on the outer hatch is always greater than the air pressure inside the submarine, which prevents opening the hatch. Only when the pressure inside the escape chamber is equal to the sea pressure can the hatch be opened.

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What happens if a window breaks in a submarine?

There are no windows onboard a military submarine. Submersibles (research and rescue devices) do have windows and if one of those broke at any significant depth in the water, you die. Very simply very quickly.

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Can submarines go to the ocean floor?

But reaching the lowest part of the ocean? Only three people have ever done that, and one was a U.S. Navy submariner. In the Pacific Ocean, somewhere between Guam and the Philippines, lies the Marianas Trench, also known as the Mariana Trench.

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How deep do submarines swim?

A nuclear submarine can dive to a depth of about 300m. This one is larger than the research vessel Atlantis and has a crew of 134. The average depth of the Caribbean Sea is 2,200 meters, or about 1.3 miles. The average depth of the world's oceans is 3,790 meters, or 12,400 feet, or 2 13 miles.

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Why can't you smoke on a submarine?

Everybody is aware that smoking is a legal, if harmful, stress reliever. So the Navy banned smoking aboard submarines not with the stated purpose of curing the smokers, but of protecting nonsmoking submarine crew members from the threat of heart and lung disease from secondhand smoke.

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How many years can a submarine stay underwater?

However, with a special fuel cell system, subs can remain underwater for longer. The present record – set by an HDW Class 212A submarine – is 14 days. If a submarine is unable to surface, regulations require that the crew must be able to survive for at least six days.

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