Or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Mx1kA3irk&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Well as I said we shall see, I remember much talk of the sky falling when woman were allowed onto the surface fleet but in general its been OK. Not perfect but OK.

RN has clearly said that woman will first go onto Vanguard class, as it will be officers first I think the accomodation can accomodate that.

In the end the MOD and RN have been in an increasingly difficult position on this matter, with the USN taking the plunge (pun intended) last year they couldn’t defend the prior position. They are hardly rushing are they, two or three female officers in a few years time.

If you watch the news report Prom you will see the navy clearly stating that radiation is not and was not the reason/excuse given for not allowing woman. The reason given was carbon dioxide poisoning of the foetus, its a weak excuse frankly. If a woman gets pregnant she is off just the same as the surface fleet.

On a vessel where people have to hot bunk because there isn’t enough room for all the crew, you don’t have the space to partition. Basically you have two options.
1) design new subs for gender partitions.
2) Create gender inequality in berthing conditions with the women having the senior enlsited/ junior officer staterooms and all the men relegated to the large bunkroom regardless of rank.
3) Just shove the women into the current berthings requiring them to shower and change with their mostly late teen-early 20s male counterparts.
4) Somehow do an all female crew.

But as I have already said these excuses that have been trotted out over the years by the RN are rather weak when other navies have managed mixed crews with far smaller Diesel subs. Did the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Spanish and Australian navies make significant habitation changes to their submarines to allow mixed crewing? I doubt it. So I call it out as a clear excuse rather then a valid argument.

You know I don’t know.

Frankly I am slightly confused why Australia is having those problems. Just ensure the T&C’s plus pay are attractive enough to recruits. Or is it more of an issue with getting enough officers?