Navy, GI and Hollywood Showers
Explain and differentiate between Navy, GI and Hollywood showers.
Navy Showers
Navy showers are based on a long standing tradition of showering on board ships. Water, ironically, is in short supply. While at sea, fresh water and resources to heat water have to be conserved. So sailors learn to wash quickly. Very simply, they turn on the water by pressing a button to wet down their hair and bodies. When the button runs out, the water turns off. Then they soap up and scrub with the water turned off. Finally, they turn the water back on to quickly rinse themselves clean. Protocol and etiquette say the enlisted man gets but two button pushes unless in dock. Failure to comply can have unpleasant consequences. Once in dock, he may get a few more pushes… see Hollywood Shower below.
In the 1980’s, the Navy adopted a new, handheld, low flow shower head capable of storing water while the sailor soaps up. The net result is the sailor gets nice water pressure for rinsing off while the ship’s water distillers are able to keep pace. Bottom line, more consistent hot water showers available. Not necessarily more water, just better utilized.
21St Century Navy Goes Green
The USS Makin Island is a new naval amphibious assault ship named for the site of an historical WWII raid. August 1942, US Marines attacked the Japanese held Makin Island.
Marine Corps raiders launched one of the first US offensive attacks of WWII, with mixed results. The raid launched from submarines surfaced in very rough surf. Retreat was hindered by the bad conditions. While the raid was lauded as a victory on the home front, the Navy never again launched a raid behind enemy lines from submarines. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s son, Major James Roosevelt, USMCR, was second-in-command.
Just as the Marine Corps Raiders were a revolutionary fighting force of their time, the USS Makin Island is a revolutionary new kind of ship. Commissioned June 2009, the USS Makin Island is powered with gas turbine propulsion engines and electric motors not unlike a hybrid car. Both save energy and manpower. While civilian pleasure cruise ships have been powered mainly by electricity for a couple of decades, the Navy was slow to follow as military ship classes are designed with several decades of use in mind.
And just what does any of this have to do with Navy showers? Well the USS Makin Island is outfitted with four – 50,000 gallon reverse-osmosis water-purification systems. Reverse-osmosis, also known as hyper-filtration, is the gold standard for water filtration today. Used by premium water bottlers, the system employs a membrane that water can pass through leaving behind unwanted contaminants. The membrane is then flushed to remove the contaminants down the drain so it is a nice clean membrane all the time. The membrane can trap particles as small as 0.0005 microns in size.
On ship, water can be continually purified and plenty is available for use including showers. Now sailors can get a consistently hot shower most anytime.
Hollywood Showers
The phrase Hollywood Shower may one day become unknown in naval lexicon. If more ships are made energy and fresh water efficient, Hollywood showers may become the new Navy shower. In the Navy, a Hollywood shower is a shower in which one presses the water button multiple times. While two water presses are the standard at sea allowance, taking more is said to be taking a Hollywood shower. It is alleged that Hollywood showers are common among officers. While enlisted men who attempt to take more than their share will find themselves on head scrubbing duty.
Beyond the military, the phrase Hollywood shower has come to mean any luxury shower in the civilian world. It can refer to long showers or those wonderful shower stalls with multiple water heads pulsating all over your body. Both energy and water wasters, Hollywood showers are still an indulgence the public is not going to surrender easily or willingly. Ironically enough, Hollywood is actually located in a functional desert where water shortages and calls for conservation are frequent.
GI Showers
GI Showers are that shadowy part of military life that makes civilians cringe. Anytime you force a bunch of people who don’t know each other well into close quarters, a kind of “Lord of the Flies” mentality ensues. Conformity breeds contempt for the non-compliant. Any military person who does not practice hygiene acceptable to the group is at risk of receiving a GI shower. In theory, throwing a stinky person in a shower and washing them is not such a bad idea. Unfortunately, a GI shower is administered with cleaning products like scouring powder and stiff brushes. Water is optional. It is a sort of hazing intended to teach an unforgettable lesson. The GI code binds the victim to silence. To tattle would mean a far worse punishment. It is worth knowing that commanders allow this kind of military communality to exist up to a point. That point is usually within a few inches of the victim’s life but it is effective.
[...] In fact, two people can get cleaned up with one gallon of water. But that is primarily using the Navy shower method. You may have become accustomed to Hollywood showers at home but you should plan to set your [...]
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Can you tell me what is the material of the shower bag. Is it non-toxic pvc, low lead or non-phthalate pvc? Is this pvc complied with Europe safety standard? Thanks!