From the shore, the sonar technician tracks a submarine that is thousands of miles away from his base. "It's just amazing," says sonar technician Jason James. He is currently based in Millington, Tennessee. "By looking at different lines, you can watch the equipment and follow everything the submarine is doing."
He tracks the submarine's exact location. "I can see how fast it's going, if it turns left or right. I can see what equipment he's got on," says James. "I might be in Washington state and tracking what the sub is doing in the middle of the Pacific."
While working on shore, tracking submarine movements can be exhilarating. But James says nothing can beat actually working out at sea. "Being at sea intensifies the feeling," he says. "You're suddenly in their playground. It's only more important that you find that other submarine."
James still remembers when he found his first threat submarine. He had only been in the navy six months and was startled by the discovery. "I suddenly got one, and knew that it wasn't supposed to be there," he says. "Lives were at stake. It was a very important find."
He says locating that sub and reporting its presence made him proud to do his work. "I held my chin up a little higher," he says.
Brad Browne is a sonar technician. He also enjoys working on a ship. As a technician, he spends hours trying to fix sonar computers and machinery. He finds it rewarding when he solves the puzzle.
"I see first-hand the results of my work," he says. "When we find a submarine or sail into port, I know that it's because I fixed that system that we're able to do it. To know that I can help 230 other people on the ship succeed, well, that's a satisfaction that sitting in a cubicle would never bring me."
Browne says that the crew spends many hours training on the warship. "Being a warship, we have simulated battle problems that we use for training," he says. "These situations make us learn to work as a team and train us to react in ways that will save ourselves and our shipmates."
Learning to get along with other shipmates and work in close quarters is important. It can be an enjoyable part of the career. Browne says these friendships go beyond working hours. "You meet people from everywhere and make friendships that last a lifetime. The comradeship is something you won't find in the regular working world."
Working at sea can mean long hours, shift work and living in cramped quarters. "But if you're at sea for six months, you don't spend the whole time out there," says James. "You pull into different ports and see and experience many different cultures."
Wanda Tobin is a sonar operator. She says that she enjoys this aspect of working on a ship. "I enjoy this work because of the travel," she says. "You get to see exciting things that few other people get the chance to."
Not long ago, women didn't have the opportunity to work in these capacities in the navy. But times are changing. Although women are still barred from working on submarines in the U.S., opportunities exist for women to work as sonar technicians on surface ships.
Tobin says that the opportunities for women in the navy are only getting better. "There are big opportunities for women in this field," she says. "They're trying to keep women in the navy and are giving them more benefits and advantages. The quality of life we can enjoy is getting better and better."
Nonetheless, months away from home can be trying. "The long hours and the times away from family can be difficult," she says.
Browne agrees that time away from family is one of the more difficult parts of the job. "Being away is one of the hardest things, but the feeling when you get home, when your ship slides through the mouth of the harbor and you see your loved one on the pier waiting for you, well, there's no feeling like it in the world."