Dmitri's typical day includes two four-hour watch periods, equipment maintenance time, training on qualifications and equipment and finally, six to seven hours of sleep. Today, Dmitri is assigned to the 0400 to 0800 (4 a.m. to 8 a.m. watch) and the 1200 to 1600 watches. He and other members of the crew will normally spend 2-3 hours training and conducting drills. Periodically, he and others receive a political lecture or class from the political officer on board. Finally, if there are no further drills while off watch, he will have 1.5 to 2 hours of free time to spend reading, watching movies, or board games. (Games of cards were strictly forbidden).

Showers are a luxury aboard the K-77. Most sailors clean themselves using an alcohol bath or wash by hand. There are limited laundry facilities. Awakened at 0330 by a shipmate, he has time to clean, shave, dress, and enjoy a quick breakfast prior to relieving a fellow shipmate at his watch.

Submariners in the Soviet Navy all ate essentially the same food. There was no difference between the meal provided to the ship's captain or what Dmitri ate as a concript. On board refrigeration for food was limited. The sailors were provided a variety of juices (orange, mango, tomato, apple, etc.) eggs, preserved fish, meat, salted fish, red caviar, chocolate, sauces onion, garlic, white and black soft bread and various ingredients from which fresh soups could be made. Since there was not a special mess (dining) room aboard the Julliet-class submarines, Dmitri got his meals in the second battery compartment along with other enlisted and midshipmen. The officers took their meals in their wardrooms.

After lunch, Dmitri participates in training under the eye of his immediate supervisor, Nikolai Zukhov, a midshipman. As a midshipman, Zukhov is an enlisted man who opted to continue to serve on submarines after completing his initial military obligation as a conscript. He has signed on for a four year tour.

As an enlisted man aboard the submarine, Dmitri was expected to be proficient in the operation and repair of all the equipment in his compartment. The equipment in his compartment was stenciled with a numeric code as was the uniform he wears. Unlike American submariners who are cross-trained and required to attain qualification in a variety of disciplines and areas throughout their boat, Dmitri is authorized to work on the equipment in his compartment - and this equipment alone. The only exception to this rule applied to other sailors who had served as watch standers on base. In these cases, the sailors were also required to be expert in all systems and equipment connected with survivability and fire fighting.

The ship's captain routinely tests readiness of both the boat's crew and equipment through a series of drills. Drills are conducted to test the crew's reaction to casualty and combat situations of various sorts: fire, loss of power, depth charges, etc. Every drill is an "all hands" effort; even those catching up on some lost sleep are summoned by the ship's alarms. Fire hoses are unrolled, medical bags opened, gas masks worn, equipment is operated. In short - nothing that can possibly enhance the realism of the drill is neglected.

Unlike American submariners, Dmitri and his comrades do not have "the run" of the K-77. They remain, for the most part, in their assigned compartments where they work and sleep. With the exception of periodic trips to the Galley in Compartment 5 to pick up their meals, this small area is the extent of their undersea world for the next few months.

Last Updated:
2/10/03