(Source: The World Book Encyclopedia web site - http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/)

“Submarine is a ship that can travel underwater. Most submarines are designed for use in war—to attack enemy ships or to fire missiles at enemy countries. These submarines range in length from about 200 feet (61 meters) to more than 550 feet (168 meters). Their rounded hulls are about 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter. More than 150 crew members can live and work in a large submarine.

Some submarines are used for scientific research. These underwater craft explore the ocean depths and gather scientific information. They are smaller than military submarines and carry only a few crew members.

In war, a submarine usually attacks from beneath the surface of the water. A submarine must remain underwater to be effective. Early submarines could not stay submerged for long periods. They had to surface every few hours for air for their engines and crews. Enemy planes and ships could then attack them. Today, nuclear submarines can stay underwater for months at a time. Nuclear engines do not need oxygen to operate, and modern submarines can produce air.

A submarine's long, cigar-shaped body enables it to move swiftly underwater. Its working and living spaces, weapons, and machinery are encased in a pressure hull made of high-strength steel or titanium (a strong, lightweight metal). At operating depths, a pressure hull cannot be crushed by the pressure of the water around it. Built into the bow and stern of the pressure hull are tanks that, when filled with water, give the submarine ballast (weight) for diving. Submarines that are not built in the United States usually have a second, outer hull. The space between the hulls is used to store ballast tanks and equipment that does not need protection from water pressure.”

(http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbAuth/jsp/wbArticle.jsp)

1. Go to the Nova Online Submarines, Secrets, and Spies website (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/subsecrets/). From time to time, the links on the web site do not work. Either skip the question below or the page you’ve been directed to and go on. When navigating a site, you may want to use your forward and back arrows, or click on the icon (link) buttons. The back arrow is the best way to get from a particular screen back to the main screen.
2. Welcome to Nova Online Submarines, Secrets, and Spies!
   
   Let’s start by clicking “See Inside a Submarine.” Read the stats, then tour the USS Springfield and the USS Nautilus by clicking on various objects in the picture to learn more about them. (If you have QuickTime, view the submarines at the top. For the Non-QuickTime version, scroll to the bottom of the screen.) When you’re finished, use your back arrow to go back one screen.
3. Next, click on “Can I Borrow Your Sub?” and read it – this section consists of two pages. After you’re finished, use your back arrow to go back two screens. 
4. Click on “Life on a Submarine” and read the tales of the following people: Bud and Mary Turner, Bill and Lorraine Whalen, Lee Steele, Dennis Splane, Tippy D’Auria, and Paul Benton. Then, use your back arrow to go back to the Nova Online Submarines home page.
5. Click on “Sounds Underwater (Hot Science)” to take a short ten-question quiz.
6. If you’d like to learn more about submarines, check out the “Resources” section at the bottom of the Nova Online Submarines home page for additional sites and books. 

The goals and objectives of this fieldtrip are to: (a) explore the interiors of two submarines, (b) learn about how submarines have been loaned to scientists by the U.S. Navy, (c) read personal stories of people who have lived on submarines, and (d) test your sonic knowledge.

Grades K-3

1. What is in the control room of a submarine?
2. True or false: Sound can travel in space.
3. What is the brain of any submarine?
4. What kinds of whales make sounds that are melodic?
5. Are the men on a submarine close or are they very distant with each other?
6. What is “Dolphins?”
7. Of the two submarines we toured, which one has the greater speed? How does its speed compare to that of a car?
8. According to Tippy D’Auria, what would happen to you, a submariner, once you became qualified and received your Dolphins?
9. True or false: If you find out that life on a submarine is not for you, it’s too late – you’re going to have to go to sea, grin, and bear it!
10. How fast does sound travel?

Grades 4-8

1. Who is typically assigned to the duties of planesman and helmsman?
2. How much would it cost to overhaul a Sturgeon-class sub for civilian science? How much would the operating costs be?
3. What are the purposes of the many sounds that underwater animals make?
4. What are the benefits of a submarine versus a surface ship?
5. What does GPS stand for?
6. What is a hydrophone?
7. True or false: You have to earn you “Dolphins” before you are a true submariner.
8. What is a Weapons Control Panel? What does it house?
9. How far away have whale sounds been heard?
10. What does “snorkeling” mean in submarine lingo?

Highschool

1. What are you really hearing when you hold up a seashell to your ear?
2. What are the Navy’s benefits from the scientific cruises to the Arctic?
3. What does George Newton now want the Navy to do for the scientific community?
4. What are the jobs of the helmsman and planesman?
5. What does it mean to say that humans can't hear sounds above 20,000 Hertz?
6. What was the first submarine to travel under the Arctic icecap? In what year did the event occur?
7. There have been four scientific ice expeditions each year between 1995 and 1998. How were those trips funded?
8. What was George Newton trying to accomplish? Did he succeed? Do you think it’s a good idea for the U.S. Navy to cooperate with scientists?
9. What was a “deterrent patrol?”
10. What are the responsibilities of the Chief of the Watch?

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWERS

Further Activities

• Submarines delve into the lowermost regions of the sea. What kind of sea life is found at the bottom of the sea? How is it different from the sea life found near the top of the oceans?
• Define the following vocabulary words: germinal, tectonic, sonar, torpedo, ballistic missile, echolocation, knot, titanium, and ballast.
• Do some research and find three major scientific advancements that have occurred after the Navy allowed scientists to use its submarines. Then write a 1-2 page paper on how these advancements have benefited the earth and the people living on it.
• Go to the library or get on the Internet and find ten submarines that interest you. What are their names? What are their differences and similarities? See if you can find pictures of all ten submarines.
• Imagine that you’re assigned to live and work aboard a submarine. You won’t have a lot of room for clothes and personal items. Besides your clothes, you will be allowed to bring three additional items with you. What will you bring? Why?

Take the Trip