Can women serve on british submarines?

Very soon they will.

The Americans, ever the firm and steadfast allies of the British, have recently allowed women to serve on a combat submarine.

The USS Maryland, whose current skipper (Feb. 2011) is Commander (CDR) Jeffrey Grimes, is an American ballistic missile submarine whose compliment and crew lately includes female sailors.

The United States Navy has also benefited lately from a complete repeal of the DADT (don't ask, don't tell) rule, which had previously endangered the careers of many good sailors who happened to be gay or lesbian and would not shut up about it. It seems we may finally understand that a good sailor is a good sailor, and that is that. The Brits have us Americans beat on that account, having accepted gay soldiers and sailors for some time now.

I served, as an enlisted sailor, under Jeffrey Grimes aboard the attack submarine USS San Juan, circa 1997. He was a lieutenant then, and the Weapons Officer of the San Juan. I found him to be professional, unflappable, likeable, and decisive.

I am not surprised he was chosen to command, or to command the first American submarine with female sailors. I believe that very soon the United States Navy will be completely unrestricted as to the sex or sexual preference of any volunteer who wishes to serve on any vessel, submarine or otherwise.

And Great Britain, ever the example of reason and democracy, will not long suffer the upstart "colonies" to whip them in the arena of who may or may not serve on submarines.