Navy submarines going smoke-free

BANGOR, Wash. – The USS Michigan got a jump on a dozen other Kitsap-based submarines, and its sailors are breathing easier because of it.

The Blue Crew of SSGN-727 went smokeless at 7:27 a.m. on July 27, matching the boat’s hull number. By midnight on Dec. 31, the rest of the Navy’s subs must follow suit.

On April 8, the Navy said it would ban smoking cigarettes below decks on submarines to protect sailors from secondhand smoke. The move was in response to a 2009 study by the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory that showed the ill effects on nonsmokers.

The Michigan was the first boat from Naval Base Kitsap, and possibly in the Navy, to kick the habit, said Submarine Group 9 spokesman Lt. Ed Early. It wasn’t alone, however.

As of Oct. 22, 21 of the Navy’s 71 submarines had gone completely smoke-free, Early said.

There are about 3,500 submariners based at Naval Base Kitsap. If 31 percent of sailors smoke, as a 2008 Department of Defense survey contends, then nearly 1,100 local submariners will have to either quit or subdue the urge to smoke while they’re on patrol.

Submariners can still use smokeless tobacco, though the Navy highly discourages it. Ten percent of them do, according to the survey. They can take cigarettes onto the boat and smoke them pier side or while on liberty. If they get caught sneaking a puff on board, the commanding officer will determine the proper response.

“The goal is to educate smokers about the effect on smokers, and if they want to quit, to help them quit,” Early said.