Sandblast tested far more than propulsion endurance. Its psychological and habitability observations influenced the US Navy's decision to retain smoking aboard submarines for years. That result sits uneasily beside the confined air and chemical hazards inside a submarine, even though smoking was common across many navies at the time. The voyage also gathered extensive bottom-profile data and exposed the mapping and sounding support required for safe deep-water operations. These findings fed into the routines and environmental knowledge needed by later nuclear submarines.
Notable Point · 1:08:34-1:10:35
Sandblast changes habitability and undersea navigation practice
The voyage produced operational evidence about crew psychology, smoking policy, seabed mapping, and the information needed for safe deep-water submarine routes.