Airborne Noise Levels in Submarines

Octave band levels of the airborne noise in most compartments of two submarines were measured for a number of conditions of operation. The majority of the measurements were made both directly, with sound level meter and band analyzer, and from magnetic tape recordings. A two track method was used in which noise was recorded on one channel while the pertinent data were read onto the tape using the other channel. Large differences in noise levels were observed among different compartments and for different operations. Illustrative recordings will be reproduced. Although the data were obtained primarily for use in the design of speech communication systems, they may be of value to others concerned with submarine equipment or operation. This paper reports a portion of the work performed under U. S. Navy contract NObs‐56355; a part of the recordings were made in cooperation with the U. S. Navy Electronics Laboratory, San Diego, California.