US Navy Submarine Normal and Emergency Ventilation Systems

The primary purpose of the ventilation system onboard US Navy submarines is to condition and move air throughout the ship to maintain design conditions in all compartments. A second and equally important function of the system is to emergency ventilate any compartment within the ship. The emergency ventilate mode is the means used for evacuation of a specific compartment of atmospheric contaminants such as smoke, toxic gas or other objectionable or noxious gases. In this mode, a supply of fresh air is established into the effected compartment while a second path is established to exhaust its content.

This paper will discuss the ship's normal ventilation system, emergency ventilation system, and emergency air breathing system.