Machinist Mates (MM), Electricians Mate (EM), and Electronic Technicians (ET) are the enlisted ratings in the nuclear community that can serve on either submarines or surface ships (Carriers). The 26-week Nuclear Power School near Charleston, South Carolina, and the 26-week Prototype Training program in Charleston or Ballston Spa, New York, close to Albany, are both prerequisites for graduation. The Navy’s non-nuclear enlisted ratings that are part of the submarine community are listed below.
Why work with submarines?
Many people who work on or around submarines as a profession enjoy being near or in the water. Professionals can choose from a variety of jobs and industries with submarine careers. There are job openings on and in submarines in a variety of industries, including engineering, healthcare, telecommunications, and maritime.
What is a submarine career?
A career in a submarine is one that involves working with or inside of one. Due to the complexity of developing submarines as transportation vehicles, a lot of experts devote their time to designing, developing, building, and testing these machines. For professionals interested in working on a submarine, there are a variety of careers available. Most of these careers involve employment through the military.
15 submarine careers
The 15 jobs that can be done with or on a submarine are listed below. Please click on the links below for the most recent salaries:
A sonar technician’s main responsibilities include searching the bottom of the ocean and other bodies of water using cutting-edge sonar and oceanographic technology. Sonar is a term used to describe tools and machinery that use sound waves to locate objects or gauge distances. The objective of a sonar technician may be to track another submarine or underwater craft, create a map of the ocean floor, find marine life, or find lost items or debris.
Sonar specialists frequently gather, examine, and interpret artifacts or intelligence they learn while using their equipment. Managing ship fire control systems, maintaining sonar equipment, and driving surface ships above the water are additional duties.
Primary responsibilities: A hospital corpsman is a military medical position. Whether for urgent medical needs or preventative care, hospital corpsmen assist service members. Depending on their educational background and military rank, their specific responsibilities can vary. For instance, while some hospital corpsmen assist physicians or nurses with patient care, others may practice medicine and assess, identify, and treat patients. Hospital corpsmen may be assigned to specific military vessels, such as helicopters or submarines, as well as bases or above-ground field operations.
A solderer’s main responsibilities include constructing, repairing, and maintaining metal machinery. A type of metal known as a “solder” can fuse or bond objects together. To carry out their duties, solderers use specialized equipment like soldering irons and welding machines. A solderer may work on both small and large metal objects, such as computer chips and submarines. Depending on the type of products they produce, specific tasks might include precisely cutting metal pieces, polishing or grinding metal edges, melting solder materials, and thoroughly cleaning equipment with chemical solutions.
A Navy diver is a military professional who spends the majority of their time underwater. They may participate in underwater missions for search and rescue, recover items from the ocean floor, and work on ships underwater to repair or maintain them. A Navy diver may work in a variety of underwater environments, including deeper ocean floors and shallower reefs. To carry out these duties safely and effectively, they use cutting-edge diving equipment.
Primary responsibilities: Seamen are experts who work on boats, submarines, and other naval vessels. On their vessel, they frequently carry out a variety of operational, maintenance, and navigational tasks. Utilizing navigational equipment, keeping an eye on their vessel weight loads, piloting small boats for search and rescue operations, and keeping security patrols are just a few examples.
Typically, seafarers spend most of their time at sea, but they may also have some duties on land, such as assisting their ship or other vehicle in reaching port. Depending on whether they work for a private company, like a shipping company, or the military, some of their duties may change.
A logistics specialist’s main responsibilities are to oversee the organization’s shipping, delivery, and inventory functions. Logistics experts ensure that supplies and finished goods leave their company on schedule and in top condition.
A military logistics expert can concentrate specifically on logistics for submarines. These specialists manage inventories of submarine equipment, operate or update computer systems with logistical data, sort and distribute mail to submarines, and evaluate the caliber of submarine supplies, among other tasks. They may occasionally work on a submarine or in an environment above ground, such as a base or field station.
Primary responsibilities: A Navy SEAL is a member of the military’s elite force. Because Navy SEALs frequently carry out their missions in all three types of environments, SEAL stands for SEa, Air, and Land. For instance, a Navy SEAL may perform military observation while submerged underwater for one mission, and then jump out of a helicopter for another. Their duties may include gathering information or intelligence, apprehending adversaries, researching potential military targets, and erecting defenses against terrorists, depending on the demands of the current mission.
A rigger’s main responsibilities include setting up, maintaining, and supervising rigging tools or machines, which are tools or pieces of machinery that can help stabilize or move heavy objects from one place to another. To successfully hold or move the heavy objects, riggers carefully align and anchor their equipment.
They use a variety of rigging equipment, including pulleys, blocks, clamps, ropes, and beams. A rigger will also solve simple mathematical equations to determine the proper weight loads and distribution. Among the heavy items that riggers can support or move are submarines, building supplies, lumber, and shipping pallets.
The main responsibilities of an engineman are to work on diesel engines on ships and submarines, among other maritime vessels. Enginemen are skilled in using, maintaining, and repairing the machinery that powers things like ships and creates electricity. The piping systems for oil, water, and air are frequently aligned during these processes by enginemen. Other duties include operating small boats, testing auxiliary equipment, replacing parts like valves or pumps, and keeping thorough records.
The main responsibilities of a missile technician in the military are strategic weapons systems on submarines. Both missiles and the electrical or computerized equipment that controls them, such as electrical distribution panels, switchboards, voltage regulators, and voltage transformers, are assembled, operated, repaired, and maintained by missile technicians. Other duties might include maintaining missile security systems, testing support handling equipment, and aligning or calibrating missile equipment.
A marine engineer’s main responsibilities are developing maritime craft like submarines, sailboats, tankers, and aircraft carriers. Marine engineers, also known as marine design engineers and marine mechanical engineers, design, plan, construct, repair, and maintain a variety of watercraft. Marine engineers can work in the government or the military, depending on their preference. Their tasks may include following local or federal regulations, testing prototypes or components, creating ship schematics, and creating project budgets, though they may vary depending on factors like their employment type.
A system project manager’s main responsibilities include managing staff and initiatives pertaining to communication and information systems, such as those for radio signals and the internet. Systems project managers handle a variety of project management-related tasks, including creating project schedules, estimating costs, assigning tasks, and assessing dependencies. They also have technical knowledge of information systems, including designing communication networks and testing software or hardware. Specialists in communication systems used by submarines, such as tactical communications or sonar technology, may be drawn to careers as systems project managers for these vessels.
primary responsibilities: developing nuclear energy systems and equipment A nuclear engineer frequently focuses on creating a specific type of nuclear-powered system or piece of machinery, such as spacecraft or medical diagnostic equipment. As nuclear energy enables these maritime vessels to stay under water for extended periods of time without recharging or refueling, many submarines use it.
Nuclear engineers may be involved in the design, development, testing, modernization, or maintenance of nuclear devices and systems. Other responsibilities include properly disposing of nuclear waste, writing instruction manuals, responding to emergencies involving nuclear energy, and maintaining nuclear equipment.
primary responsibilities: designing and planning maritime vessels When designing a ship, a naval architect frequently starts by analyzing proposals and specifications, such as the vessel’s desired weight and speed. Following that, these experts can create plans for features like the ship’s size, form, center of gravity, and buoyancy. Other duties of a naval architect include planning the layout of a ship’s interior spaces, adhering to industry standards or safety laws, modifying designs in response to test runs, and using mathematical prowess to create safe and effective ships.
Although marine engineers and naval architects frequently work together, marine engineers are responsible for developing a ship’s internal systems, including its propulsion, steering, and electrical systems. Naval architects, on the other hand, concentrate on the exterior aspects of ship design, such as its structure, form, and body.
Principal responsibilities: A captain is a senior-level rank in some military branches. On a particular maritime vessel, such as a warship, submarine, combat ship, or sea-lift support ship, captains frequently supervise the crew and operations. Depending on their current assignment or vessel, their job responsibilities may vary, but they may involve assigning work to service members, managing combat operations, carrying out search and rescue missions, and rendering supportive emergency or medical services. The duties of a captain may also include instructing students at a military base or training new recruits.
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A Career in the Submarine Service
FAQ
What jobs are on a submarine?
- Sonar technician.
- Hospital corpsman.
- Solderer.
- Navy diver.
- Seaman.
- Logistics specialist.
- Navy SEAL.
- Rigger.
How do I get a job in a submarine?
Candidates who are chosen for the submarine specialization will be commissioned as officers with the rank of Sub Lieutenant and must complete a 22-week naval orientation course at the Naval Academy in Ezhimala, Kerala.
Is it hard to get a job on a submarine?
It’s challenging to find work on a submarine, but once you do, it’s very rewarding and challenging and not for everyone.
