The kid that lives next door to me was asking me questions about the military. One of the things he asked was "are Navy ships air conditioned ?" I really don't know, I was in the Air Force, so if they aren't how hot and uncomfortable are they, or, are they cooled to a chill ?
rowlfe
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YES, they are. They have been ever since the invention of the refrigeration process. I served in 4 vessels in my 21 years in the Navy. The first was the USS McKean, a destroyer out of Long Beach. I was a Machinist Mate in the Auxiliary Division. Part of my job was to maintain and monitor the operation of the refrigeration units for the freezer and chilled compartments for the galley and the units used in the ventilation system. These units all worked in exactly the same manner as the typical refrigerator. The only difference is in what temperature was maintained in each location. All compartments that are ventilated have both heating and cooling available which is controlled within the compartment or group of compartments. Storage compartments which are not ventilated or occupied were sealed. It takes special precautions to enter a sealed compartment to make sure the atmosphere is good. The only time this is not the case in ventilated areas is when ventilation is secured for watertight integrity. The places not heated with heaters were the 2 enginerooms and firerooms which relied on leaking heat from the power plant and steam powered equipment to keep the space warm in cold climate areas. When in port with no fire in the boilers, we piped on auxiliary steam from shore to run auxiliary equipment which included compartment heat. However, often, it was not enough to keep the engineering spaces warm. I was next on a nuclear submarine, the USS Halibut, the first missile carrying sub. It had the small refrigeration units for the freezer and chilled compartments, and 4 huge units in the engineroom which cooled water. The water was circulated to radiators with fans blowing air to cool an area. The water was also used to cool equipment such as electronics. The chilled water cooling system was very similar to what is found in commercial buildings. Instead of a cooling unit for individual spaces, there was central cooling units and chilled water pumped to outlying areas. Electric heaters are used instead of auxiliary steam which was used on surface ships. Newer ships shifted from steam heat to electric heat the bigger the ship got to be. Less maintenance is required for electric heat than for the piping and such required for steam heat. Even with heating and cooling, it can get very hot and very cold. In the submarines I was on, when we went north near the ice pack, we actually had ice forming on the inside of the hull in the engineering space from condensation. We had to wear heavy jackets in the engineering spaces since the insulation was so good, the heat leakage from the piping and equipment was not enough to keep the engineering spaces warm. Likewise, when we went south of the equator, it got very warm even with the cooling units working at capacity. Personally, I would rather be cool and wear a jacket than not be able to take my skin off... Remember one thing, the air conditioning is not there for the crew, but is there for the equipment. Air conditioning for the living spaces and the crew is fit into things after the fact of taking care of the equipment. My time in the Navy was both good and bad. One of the worst was during drills when ventilation is secured. The spaces where I worked in the engineroom could get to over 100 degrees in minutes. If the drill ran long, it would be secured and ventilation immediately restored if the temperature got to 110 degrees. There were times when I literally ran with sweat and the deck was slippery from the sweat running off everyone. I can't imagine what conditions must have been like in ships like the battleships and aircraft carriers of WWII when they sealed off ventilation when going into combat. For me, in the ships and subs I served, the only time ventilation was secured was for a drill or an actual casualty. Many drills, few actual casualties. Actual casualties are over rather quickly which is opposite to what you might logically expect. Training and drills really DO pay off for when the real thing happens...
Anonymous
+1
CharlieFoxtrot
Yes. Ships use a complex system of chilled water loops, fan rooms and ducts. Also some spaces have additional fan coil units to keep cool. When it's all working properly, it's comfortable. Sometimes when the sea water temperature is very warm and the weather is blistering hot the system struggles to keep up and it gets pretty warm. Other spaces on the ship are just notorious for being hot. Spaces near the steam catapults on carriers, the scullery where dishes are washed, and some engineering spaces are just always freakin' hot. In those spaces the heat stress levels are monitored and there are set periods for how long you can safely work in that space.
Melany
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it's a perfectly working link!
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Armed with Inkstick
Absolutely. A/C is vital to keeping numerous things cold-computers, electronics, cooling water for electronics, radios, food, etc. And people, as well.
I can say from experience (in one of my jobs, I used to own the ACs) that a guided missile destroyer (DDG) has 4 200-ton AC plants, where as a guided missile frigate (FFG) has 5 10-ton AC plants (they have a lot less advanced electronics than a DDG).
Hope this helps.