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The primary purpose of the ventilation system onboard US Navy submarines is to condition and move air throughout the ship to maintain design conditions in all compartments. A second and equally important function of the system is to emergency ventilate any compartment within the ship. The emergency ventilate mode is the means used for evacuation of a specific compartment of atmospheric contaminants such as smoke, toxic gas or other objectionable or noxious gases. In this mode, a supply of fresh air is established into the effected compartment while a second path is established to exhaust its content. This paper will discuss the ship's normal ventilation system, emergency ventilation system, and emergency air breathing system.

Atmospheric monitoring is one of the most important elements in life support aboard U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. The Central Atmosphere Monitoring Systems have reliably served the U.S. Navy by accurately monitoring life gases and contaminants for nearly 30 years. However, as new knowledge of chemical effects on human health increases, the demand for monitoring additional compounds in these closed environments is also increasing. As a result, expanded capability for detecting trace compounds becomes more important and a next-generation monitoring system is warranted. In addition to improved analytical performance, the trend for submarine operation is to increase the degree of distribution and automation to minimize the resources needed for operation and maintenance. It is therefore desirable to incorporate the monitoring instrumentation into the atmosphere control system to provide real-time feedback and automated control.