I might be a little too claustrophobic to go on a ride myself, although I have never tried. And I feel immense respect towards people that do serve onboard submarines. With all my claustrophobia, I have this positive prejudice that it must be amazingly cosy to sleep onboard: feeling slight motions as the submarine moves, hearing the engine hum, having a “sleepover” with people you trust with your life…
Do any of you have any experience sleeping in (why do I want to say “on”…) a submarine? What’s the actual feeling like? 😊
So my sub was a modern nuclear sub. It had both a reactor and a diesel engine. But modern diesels and even some older ones, they would get close to the surface to run their diesel (because you need oxygen for combustion) via a snorkel to charge batteries, then go back under.
A reactor is much quieter than a diesel. And batteries are quieter still. Water moving through pipes, anything with periodic motion, is going to have a frequency. And sound moves far more effectively under water. So generally yes, in operation, you aren’t running equipment like the diesel engine. The goal is to be sneaky. Running a diesel is practically announcing to the whole ocean “here I am”.