War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner

War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner

War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 7
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	4.18

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		After-shave, bunking, bunks, corpsman, courtesy, medic, nook, off-duty, Seadragon, submariner, submariners, lasting, atmosphere, nuclear, showers, military
	content words:		World War II

Print War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner
edHelper.com subscriber options:

	Print War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
	Quickly print reading comprehension
	Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner

Leave your feedback on War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner (use this link if you found an error in the story)

War Beneath the Waves - Sardine Duty: Life as a Submariner
By Toni Lee Robinson

¹     It takes a special person to be a submariner. In our time, huge subs roam the ocean, powered by nuclear reactors. Ohio class boats are 560 feet long and 42 feet wide. Fully loaded, they displace almost 19,000 tons of water. They carry crews of more than 150 men. These big boats patrol the ocean depths for months at a time. After half a year at sea, even a sub this size could begin to feel like tight quarters.

²     Imagine life on a World War II submarine. These boats were much smaller than today's subs. Life aboard these submarines was very cramped. For months at a time, crews of 66 men were squeezed into a 311ft. X 27 ft. tube. Every inch of space was used. Supplies were stuffed under beds. Equipment hung overhead.

³     The men slept in bunks or hammocks. Beds were stacked one on top of the other with very little head room. There weren't always enough beds to go around. This led to a shift system called "hot bunking." When you went on watch, someone coming off-duty would sleep in your bed.

⁴     There were two basic temperatures aboard subs: too hot or too cold. The diesel engines that drove the sub threw off a great deal of heat. Temperatures in the engine rooms were rarely less than 120 degrees. In summer, or in tropical areas, the engine heat filled the small vessel. "Eau de Sweat" was the aroma of the day. Winter in the Atlantic, however, was a different story. The metal hull of a sub radiated cold. Crewmen were chilled to the bone. The engine room was then a favorite place for those off duty.

Paragraphs 5 to 14:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

Copyright © 2008 edHelper