I have a great reader in Australia who has shared some of the life a Navy person experiences. When I reached out to ask for ‘real’ experience to help me understand how it works, he came through in spades. Now, I am sharing his comments (with his permission).
Here is Part 2:
Bad guys are a big problem. So either someone changed because of psychological pressure or they had a hidden flaw. Remember most people have key skills so you often need that person who snapped. If you can, you change their watch and the people they’re working with, keep them under constant supervision and council them. When you can, they’ll be replaced as soon as possible, and dealt with alongside, but in the meantime you might need them. If it was really really bad, like not just a punch but they tried to kill someone or sabotage the boat, then confine them as best you can and redistribute personnel to cover the hole. It will make more work for everyone. This also happens if someone gets sick or injured.
And yes, submarines are often compared to spacecraft. Like spacecraft, you have redundant systems dedicated specifically to creating a survivable environment (O2 generators, CO2 scrubbers etc…) and everyone on board is trained in damage control, safety and observation because the problem nobody spots or reacts to in time will likely kill you all.
Ah, there’s also maintenance issues with moving around all the time, since you get more wear on parts, though that would come up eventually regardless. With a good crew and resupply you can do a fair amount of maintenance at sea, but long term you also need a secure dry-dock to work on hull/screw/rudder, and replace large machinery. Every 2-5 years depending on the complexity of the platform (more complex more maintenance) and if it has a major problem to fix.
