Why is a Submarine called a "Boat"

[Weedsnake]

Because there is the right way, the wrong way, and the NAVY way.

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

... QW, your not thinking about the U-Boats of WW2?

No, but that brings to mind that WWII boats were surface vessels that could submerge for periods of time. Today's subs are designed to remained submerged most of the time. You can see that in the surface ship shaped hulls of the former vs the "cigar" shape of the latter.

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

For landlubbers, the COB is the equivalent of the first sergeant or sergeant major, the top enlisted member on board...
...The Chief, the Commander, and the XO are the three top dogs aboard, each has his unique role.

I forgot the XO Worked on one boat over several months from her last months in the Connecticut shipyard through sea trials in Florida. While she was in CT, the boat had rock and roll on the PA all the time, the crew generally wore working blues and they partied hearty while on shore leave at night - some looked pretty rough the next morning. It was said there were cliques and some other unhelpful things going on as well. This was the "Blue" Crew, one of two, the other being the "Gold" Crew. This system allows one crew to be home and in training while the other was at sea.

The first trip to Florida, I was on board, heading for the machinery space aft, where I had been doing trials instrument installation. The boat was unusually quiet, and one tended to see more crisp khaki than worn blues. As I passed an engineering space, a strong hand grabbed me by the collar. "Who are you, and where in the hell do you think you are going??!" the hand's owner demanded. I said I was going back to continue an installation that had been started in CT. He said that I had to have proper id and notification of where and when I would be working cleared with him. I made the mistake of telling him that these things had not been needed in CT. Forcefully he said, "That was the Blue Crew... This is the Gold Crew, and I'm not going to have unknowns wandering around on my boat." I got the impression he was not very fond of the Blue Crew. And I had met the Gold Crew's Engineering Duty Officer, with whom I coordinated all my work and we got along in a professional manner, indeed he was very helpful. With the Blue Crew I had been ignored.

I later told this story to one of our test engineers. He said "Basically, what you've witnessed is the difference in the two XO's."

[Hollytree]

They were referred to as boats from the beginning.

here's a good history... ideas are always much older than you think.....

Submarines - History and Design of Submarines

[Visit a Library]

The reason is that no yacht or ship could ever have ballast and trim tanks...

Or because the bridge is not covered...

Or because when the decks are awash the con is the size of a boat...

[nattt]

An interesting question - what is a ship and what is a boat? Here is another twist. You can have a steamship and a steamboat. The traditional Mississippi River Boat is large enough to be called a ship, it has sleeping quarters and has life boats and it is too large to be lifted aboard a ship. So why is it called a steamboat. The answer is that it is designed to navigate the shallow inland waterways of rivers and it is not seaworthy. To be called a ship it must be seaworthy.

[Angus Podgorny]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

For landlubbers, the COB is the equivalent of the first sergeant or sergeant major, the top enlisted member on board.

The CO and XO ultimately rule the roost, rank-wise, but much consultation typically goes along with the first sergeant, because often he's been around longer (and has deeper institutional knowledge and more relationships) than anyone else. Again, a lot depends on the personalities and politics involved. Other members in the formal or informal chain are often consulted.

A sub, I'd hazard, especially in the diesel boat days, is a very tight team effort. One error, all can die. That's not necessarily true for ground pounders.

The CO is where the buck stops, he's the one who will garner the top reward or top punishment for deeds good or bad.

The Chief, the Commander, and the XO are the three top dogs aboard, each has his unique role.

That's pretty accurate, although it needs to be remembered that the Chief of the Boat is an enlisted man. If anything happens to the Captain or the XO, it isn't the COB that assumes command. It's the next senior officer.