Submarines: More Women Join Crews
August 16, 2023: South Korea is the latest country to accept women on submarine crews. Nineteen other nations already allow women to serve on submarine crews. These nations include; Argentina, Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal. South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States and Venezuela. Women are in submarine crews because service in submarines requires volunteers with technical skills and there are not enough qualified men volunteering. As a result, only fourteen nations actually have women on submarine crews. Several South Korean women have volunteered for submarine service and the first of them will complete her training and join a crew in 2024.
In 2010 the U.S. Navy decided to allow women to volunteer for submarine service, but it wasn’t until 2014 that women completed their training and joined crews. The navy decided to have one more experienced (on a sub) female officer (usually a lieutenant or O-3) serve as a mentor for two ensigns (O-1). The second dozen female officers will be integrated into sub life the same way. Enlisted women for submarine crews came later.
In 2009 the Naval Academy was asked to survey its female midshipmen and see how many would want to join the submarine service. About two dozen said they were interested in one of the seven slots the academy has been told would be available. The navy was initially assigning the women to SSBNs (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) and SSGNs (four SSBNs converted to carry cruise missiles), mainly because these larger boats have sufficient room to provide separate quarters for women. The Ohio class SSBNs also have hatches large enough to easily get in the equipment needed to build the separate quarters. SSBNs also have two crews, which alternate running the boats on their 77 day cruises. In between each cruise the boats are in port for about 35 days for maintenance and resupply.
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