A US Navy nuclear submarine is one of the most mysterious places a member of the military could serve.

Armed with advanced technology and enough firepower to destroy civilizations, it’s no wonder that every sailor aboard these vessels must have a secret clearance, or better.

WATM scoured the Navy's official website and asked the sailors of the Submarine Bubblehead Brotherhood for personal pictures to come up with these 27 incredible photos of life under the sea.

Deployment starts with departing from home port …

Submarine life is cramped …

Hatches are smaller than on surface vessels …

Bubbleheads — Navyspeak — for submariners – go without sunlight for days at a time.



US Navy

Sailors as young as 18 drive the ship …



US Navy

Seriously, even midshipmen get a turn …

There are no windows on a submarine; sonar technology is the eyes and ears of the crew.

Submarines have some of the same amenities as surface ships …



US Navy

… but everything in a submarine is modified to limit noise. These are rubber shock absorbers under the treadmill …



US Navy

It pays to keep the cook happy …

Submarine chow is some of the best in the Navy …



YouTube

Swim calls on a submarine are awesome. Sailors even sometimes use the sail planes as a diving board ...



US Navy

After months in the ocean depths, a little vitamin D could be just what the doctor ordered ...

A. Ceglia/via We Are The Mighty

This is what a steel beach picnic looks like on a submarine ...



via We Are The Mighty

Submarines sometimes break through the ice to surface on the North Pole.



US Navy

Santa wasn’t around for this visit, but these polar bears gave a big welcome ...

But nothing beats a homecoming ...