A new report provides a glimpse into how Navy SEALs covertly exit a submarine while it is submerged in the ocean — through what is known as the lockout trunk.
Business Insider took a tour of the USS John Warner, a Virginia-class submarine based in Norfolk, Virginia. Senior Chief Mark Eichenlaub showed the outlet a small room that can be sealed off.
"This is actually how we would get SEALs off the ship submerged," Eichenlaub said, showing off the lockout trunk.
"So you would stick a platoon of SEALs in here, 14 guys . . . You fill this chamber with water until you match the outer sea pressure. Once the pressure in and outside the ship match, the hatch will lift off its seat open, and they can swim out of a fully filled chamber out into open ocean."
The SEALs could then swim up to the sub's tower — the portion that sticks up vertically — and take the gear they need from another compartment called the special-forces operations box.
In the event of an emergency on the sub, the lockout trunk can also be employed by the entire crew to evacuate.
The issue of submarine safety was in the news recently after Argentina lost contact with one of its subs, the ARA San Juan, last month. The ship has yet to be found and the sailors onboard are presumed to have perished in the accident.
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