Submarine watch light suggestion

My son is in submarine school right now and will eventually be on a boat for months at a time. Can someone recommend to me a good multitasking light? He has to do watches at night right now and could use a bright light. I was thinking a Nitecore EC11 because it does have a red light onboard, but it is also kind of small and lacks in runtime.

I would think he is going to need a rechargeable light. I would go for the Olight S1R for something to drop in a pocket. Or the Thrunite TC10 for a bit more oomph and throw. Either of these cane be easily charged up while he is sleeping ready for the next watch.

I agree that some sort of rechargeable setup would probably be best, given the possible long deployments submarines sometimes go on. I would also strongly recommend that whatever light is obtained should have an 'intrinsically safe' rating. I'm sure that would make the Navy very happy, if they even allow personal lights aboard ship. I would guess a red light mode would also be appreciated. Given all these restrictions, I would add that a high CRI emitter would be helpful as well.

You might want to consider a headlamp instead of or in addition to a hand held light.

Casebrius said:

My son is in submarine school right now and will eventually be on a boat for months at a time. Can someone recommend to me a good multitasking light? He has to do watches at night right now and could use a bright light. I was thinking a Nitecore EC11 because it does have a red light onboard, but it is also kind of small and lacks in runtime.

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Honestly, this is a fascinating question. I don't know any submariners to ask - you might want to ask him, as they might mention something in school. Or for that matter, he might ask his instructors - I have to imagine the question has come up before.

It would suck to invest a lot of money in a flashlight that isn't approved/authorized for shipboard use.

When I was in the Navy personal flashlights were never a problem. Didn't need them much --- plenty of light was available. But.... the Navy was very concerned about anyone plugging into the ship's power supply to get electricity because there could be a fire or electrocution problem because of the all-metal environment. All plug in devices had to be inspected and were often modified by the ship's electrician with a ground wire before they could be used. Your son should inquire about the policy onboard his submarine....

HotWire said:

When I was in the Navy personal flashlights were never a problem. Didn't need them much --- plenty of light was available. But.... the Navy was very concerned about anyone plugging into the ship's power supply to get electricity because there could be a fire or electrocution problem because of the all-metal environment. All plug in devices had to be inspected and were often modified by the ship's electrician with a ground wire before they could be used. Your son should inquire about the policy onboard his submarine....

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And since I don't think using solar power to recharge cells would work very well in his environment, that would leave his only other option some sort of hand cranked generator setup, probably into a power bank.

What is the current deployment cycle for subs these days? I believe it is different between boomers and fast attacks, but it's been a while since I talked to anyone from either one. I would hate to suggest primary cells for an extended deployment, since I know how much personal space is available in this man's navy, and wouldn't want to recomend using up a portion of it for cell storage. [Daughter was a petty officer on the USS Truman for several deployments - Truman is one of our aircraft carriers and personal space was limited there for enlisted - I imagine on a sub it would be even more so.]

The ship's store and the naval exchange probably sell AA batteries. I would suggest starting with a penlight. Most sailors work/sleep all of the time. There would be some time that could be spent with hobbies, but.... since submarines stay underwater for long periods something simple would seem the best idea.... When I was in the Navy I never carried a flashlight because the ship's lights were always on.... Rules for devices used in training are probably more strictly enforced than on a ship. Sailors who needed a flashlight for their shipboard duties were issued flashlights by the Navy.... Storage space is limited --- smaller is better....

HotWire said:

The ship's store and the naval exchange probably sell AA batteries. I would suggest starting with a penlight. Most sailors work/sleep all of the time. There would be some time that could be spent with hobbies, but.... since submarines stay underwater for long periods something simple would seem the best idea.... When I was in the Navy I never carried a flashlight because the ship's lights were always on.... Rules for devices used in training are probably more strictly enforced than on a ship. Sailors who needed a flashlight for their shipboard duties were issued flashlights by the Navy.... Storage space is limited --- smaller is better....

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Good points. I forgot about the ship's store. If we are not talking about anything really bright, a Lumintop Tool or IYP365, either with the Nichia emitter, would be good and not too expensive. Another option would be the Nitecore MT06MD. I recommend the -MD over the regular MT06 because of the high CRI Nichia emitter it has. I would think color rendition would be rather important doing typical sailor's tasks that might need a light. The Lumintops are single AAA, and the MT06MD is two AAA.