Why submarine service appealed to Carter

Submarine duty attracted fewer volunteers than service that allowed sailors to see the places their ships visited. The Navy could offer additional pay, but the confined and uncomfortable environment still discouraged applicants. Carter saw the shortage as a place where his science and engineering strengths could meet a real service need. That calculation also appears among submarine officers who discover the specialty after joining rather than entering with a lifelong ambition for it. Submarine recruitment emerges as both a personnel problem and a form of self-selection by technically confident volunteers.