Included in the flood of emails awaiting the USS Mississippi when it surfaced early Friday morning on its approach to Pascagoula were reports of the fire onboard USS Miami.
But the two boats' situations could hardly be more different.
Nobody onboard the Mississippi had access to specifics of what happened on the Miami, but there are key differences to how they respond.
Submarines can have altered firefighting capabilities when in a shipyard environment, and the crew's instructions can be different as well.
The built-in systems to provide firefighting water to hoses and clean air to breathing systems may be under repair. Often, there are temporary systems installed to replace or supplement any degradations.
As a result, the ship's crew may have instructions to evacuate the ship instead of fighting the fire.
The crew handles initial response, but then the firefighting efforts might be taken over by people from the shipyard, base or local fire departments.
Mississippi crew members demonstrated damage control equipment and techniques during its three-day transit from Port Canaveral, Fla., for its June 2 commissioning ceremony.
The first person to detect a fire is supposed to pick up a phone from the nearest onboard communications station and make an announcement heard immediately throughout the ship. He would indicate were the fire was and what was burning.
Through their qualification process, all crew members learn where all electrical equipment is powered from. They are supposed to de-energize that equipment, or start any built-in fire-fighting capabilities that might be available, such as in the galley, or kitchen.
That initial report starts a wave of additional personnel arriving to fight the fire, staffed by the watchstanders who stood watch the previous six hours. The first grabs a hose reel, a one-inch hard rubber hose that looks like an air hose but can quickly unspool and be taken to the fire.
The next person arrives with an emergency air breathing mask, or EAB, to relieve the man on the first hose. Those are connected to air supply stations throughout the ship. He would be better able to stay in a smoky space and fight the fire.
The next two men would wear EABs, bring a 2.5-inch fire hose and get it pressurized.
Progressively more capable firefighters continue to arrive to take over the fire hose.
A four-man team is tasked to be fully dressed out in firefighting coveralls, gloves, a flash hood and a self-contained breathing apparatus. The SCBA, which resembles a scuba tank, is capable of supplying air for 30 minutes and can be recharged from a ship's system while in use.
While those actions are taking place, other members of the crew are manning stations to provide assistance and evacuate injured crew members.
In the control room, the ship's control party quickly begins to bring the boat to periscope depth. When the fire is out, they can ventilate the smoke and any dangerous fumes overboard and bring fresh air in.
Submarine crews train on such actions frequently when under way, drilling several times a week with simulated casualties that include fire, flooding and engineering problems.
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