On the old, conventional submarine that was my home for some years, it was of course necessary to take out the trash and garbage for eighty people. When we were submerged, we used the garbage disposal unit, or GDU. The GDU was a small, strong pipe sticking through the pressure hull, with a strong inner (breech) door and a strong outer (muzzle) door. Yes, it was quite similar to a torpedo tube, though smaller, being 10" in diameter, much smaller than the 21" torpedo tubes.

The GDU was located conveniently enough in the galley, since the cooking and cleaning processes there produced much of the garbage, and the most objectionable garbage. Since a 10" diameter hole in the pressure hull represented a major hazard to the boat, the instructions for operating the GDU were clearly posted for the cook to follow.

The cooks, however, had little of a "mechanic's feel," and frequently damaged the GDU by over-torquing the operating shafts with the wrench that was used for that purpose. It therefore became necessary to issue a torque wrench to the cook, and to require that it always be used to operate the GDU. Since we were a small, poor ship, this was frequently the only torque wrench on board.

Bear with me, please, for a digression. There really is a point to this.

In the next compartment to the galley, the radiomen had a lot of classified electronic equipment. There was a requirement that the equipment be smashed to bits in the event of likely capture by an enemy. To accomplish this, the radiomen were required to keep a sixteen-pound sledgehammer handy. Since we were a small, poor ship, this was frequently the only sledgehammer on board.

So, on our boat, if a boatswain's mate or anyone else needed a sledgehammer, he borrowed it from the radiomen. If a machinist's mate or an engineman needed a torque wrench, he borrowed it from the cook.

The military is always so logical.