Deep Dive

Deep Dive
This was about my third patrol about 1975 or so. On board the Simon Bolivar (Blue). 
Making test depth dives was becoming something of a novelty as subsafe system re-certification after maintenance became a real bear. 
Simon B. was one of only two submarines at that particular time still operating unrestricted. 
Of course that means that Sea Trials would need to include a dive to test depth to show we were 100% mission capable. 
If you have ever made a dive to test depth you know it is not a task taken lightly. And if you happen to be a newbie on your first patrol and thence your first Sea Trials the hype is enough to put you on the edge of your seat. 
So it was for one such newbie. On my previous deep dives General Quarters was stationed and all bunks were empty as all hands looked for any leaks. 
This particular dive GQ was not stationed. All watch standers were on the sound powered phones. Off going watch standers were drafted into service for the inspection of leaks in those areas vulnerable to such.
This story takes place in the Control Room. Our Fairwater planesman was on his first patrol. He wasn't qualified but I was right behind him. 
The preparations for a deep dive are thorough to say the least. The fun is limited, but the string demonstration serves to psych some folks. It has been my experience that deep dives are usually punctuated by an emergency blow of the main ballast tanks. Why not kill two birds with one stone, right?
Our Diving Officer a Ltjg. Nuttier was a snooty son of a senator (go figure). And he loved to have fun at the expense of others, just like daddy taught him. Who was I to interfere with tradition?
SN Newbie had the Fairwater planes as the order came to make your depth ---- ft. (sorry, I was told it was confidential) As the 'Dive' echoed the order and commanded the control party to make their depth so, he also took the opportunity to warn the newbie about the dangers of the tremendous pressure of the surrounding sea. "It would crush this boat like a empty pack of smokes, if one thing goes wrong". 
"Which reminds me," he said, "the sea floor here about is quite porous and small air bubbles escaping is common. This isn't so bad in and of itself. The problem is the extreme pressure at these depths is enough to hold those bubbles at depth. After time, they combine into larger and larger bubbles until there is a bubble of rather large proportion. So big in fact that if we hit one of them at this depth, speed and angle we could well fall several tens of feet if not a hundred feet or more before we can correct our depth. Thereby placing a huge danger of catastrophic disaster in the path of our boat". 
Newbie was terrified! Eyes as big as main seawater inlets!. For the duration of the test, SN Newbie was on the last string of his very thin line. 
When the order came to "Surface the Ship, Chief of the Watch, Emergency Blow the main ballast tanks" SN Newbie wasn't paying particularly good attention. 
All of a sudden a loud explosion of HP air vented behind the BCP and the ship shook like a toy held by a child and the sound of 4500psi air dumping into the main ballast tanks in a loud rush weakened the hold newbie had on his bladder. Newbie was in embarrassed shock. The entire time I coached him as to his planes work and he did okay. 
(If you've never done this, too bad. This is a definite E ticket ride).
Nothing happened and we surfaced without a problem and headed into port for final load out and deployment. SN Newbie was now a deep diving sailor, friend of King Neptune and defender of the deep. 
A little braver and a little smarter. 19 was going to be a great birthday.