Deodorant + submarines

[Lance Dean]

I recently watched a special about life on submarines.  According to the TV special, submariners are not allowed to wear deodorant while in submarines because the deodorant interferes with the CO2 absorbent.  Is this true?

[JohnG]

I seam to remember hearing something about that on the Discovery Chanel back when i had cable. A

[JTheotonio]

You referring to nucs or diesels? Diesels don't have an issue with CO2, so no restriction.  Besides with limited space you took only essentials with you to sea on patrol.  There is no amount of deodorant that will cover the smell of diesel.

On nucs it had nothing to do with deodorant - it was the aerosol cans that was the issue.  The gas used a few years back could cause an issue with the CO2 absorbent systems.  Shaving cream was in tubes, or the old cake-type for many guys. Spray paints were not used either for the same reason.

Here's one - radium-faced watches - remember those green faced watches that glowed in the dark so you could see the numbers?  They were usually not allowed on board a nuc either because they could interfere with your rad readings.

[Lance Dean]

The show was talking about nuclear powered boats.  I think the show was about 10 years old though.  All they said was that submariners weren't allowed to use deodorant because it interfered with CO2 absorbent.

So stick deodorant is ok then?

[JTheotonio]

stick is ok

[Darrin]

Stick deoderant was fine on the Honolulu and shaving cream was touch and go in the aresol cans because of the propellants inside of the cans. I had a watch with the radium in the dial and it was confiscated on the brow and returned at the end of the run that we were going on, never wore one like that again and I haven't worn a watch at all since OIF 1.

[JTheotonio]

Took my watch - sure.  But I just loved going topside with my rad-badge on - drove doc crazy! More rads from loading a missle (for 8 hours topside) than for the entire cruise!

[Darrin]

I used to love riding other boats and getting the Engineer's TLD's instead of the forward guys TLD and my numbers were always different when I would come back from a different boat, used to piss the doc off and I even brought one of the badges with me because I had to turn my TLD in from the Hono before going to sea and he realized real quick why my numbers were different from other TM's and he couldn't say poo about it