This weekend I was listening to an NPR reporter interview crewman aboard a deployed Navy ship. One item that stuck out was the necessity of 2 minute Navy showers. To conserve water a shower consists of turning on the water for one minute to get wet, soaping up with the water off, then turning on the water for one more minute to rinse off. This obviously doesn't allow any time for the water to heat up! ... I wonder if they would let a body go European all week so they could save up their water minutes to enjoy a nice long 20 minute shower on the weekend...?
Posted by jfer at January 27, 2003 9:40 AMI bet if everyone went "European" all week, the enemy wouldn't need a telescope to see it approaching--they could just sniff the wind.
Posted by: Elizabeth on January 28, 2003 1:09 AMYou lovely ladies aren't being very nice to the Europeans - how do your spouses feel about that? Altho' Dale may not classify himself as European. That is a neat link, Jenny, - glad I don't have to be a part of that life. On a technical note, they may have a "European" shower set-up which instantly heats the water in a container right at the shower. We've seen a lot of showers like that in Europe.
Posted by: Cynthia on January 28, 2003 6:35 AMClearing things up...that sub is old. New subs do not use "hotbunking" or the "two-minute showers"
The real downside to most subs today, is the smell. I'm not sure what it is for, but it kinda smells like formaldehyde...Sub sailors actually put their civilian clothes in "space bags" so they can smell nice when they pull into port.
(info per hubby- currently aboard the USS Ticonderoga)
Posted by: Sharon on January 29, 2003 8:54 AM It was Barry Scott who taught me about Navy Showers. He continued to take them as a civilian. I have begun to take them as a conservative on nature . . . we are in a drought and all, so I am just doing my part and saving a little loot at the same time.
From my memory, a minute to rinse on and another one to rinse off would have used too much water was described by Barry. Five gallons or so was their daily allotment for showers.
One negative is if the soap is not rinsed completely .. well ring-out a soapy dish cloth without rinsing it first and wait until it dries.
The resulting odor is worse on a human being.