They have attended high school basketball games in which the women were the participants, not the cheerleaders. And, over the past 20 years, women have proven they can do their share in service with men in other Navy assignments. But there is still much the Navy must do to prepare for the integration of women into the all-male submarine force. Submariners are forced to deal with those close quarters, and we expect them to co-exist in the passageways, the shower facilities, the duty stations, without groping each other. We have to be able to expect that same level of professionalism and courtesy when some of their crewmates are female.
Submariners probably have less privacy than any sailor outside of boot camp.
The bathroom and shower facilities on the subs will have to be refitted, especially to allow more privacy in the dressing areas by the showers. But submarine life will have to change, too. Crew members will no longer be able to walk naked between their berthing areas and the showers. It will not be an easy change. One of our board members concluded that women should not be integrated into submarine crews because she didn't think doing so would benefit the Navy.