hello sailors!

[danny_galaga]

i know a couple of you guys on here used to be in the navy, so riddle me this: is there a height restriction for sailors? i ask this because every time i see US sailors on shore leave in the city, i seem to loom over most of them. im a little above average at 183 cm but im not THAT much taller! i remember being told that sub-mariners couldnt be over a certain height because of size limitations of the craft. would this be the case for ships too?

i mean, i see indonesian sailors on shore leave and id be hard pressed to say who would win in a bar fight, them or the americans! cant say much about aussie sailors because naturally im not really going to notice them when they are on shore leave...

[missioncontrol]

no height restrictions that I can recall.... I'm 5' 9" (don't know what that is over there in future land) and there were some taller guys on my ship and there were shorter guys too...

[danny_galaga]

maybe only shorter people feel the call of the navy?

this ties in nicely with the forum- i went to my favourite arcade tonight after a movie to kill some time before catching the bus. playing raiden 2 and one o the lil fellers asks if he can join in. sadly the player 2 joystick wasnt working properly. funny, youd think player 1 would be stuffed rather than 2. he did alright considering...

[patrickl]

i know a couple of you guys on here used to be in the navy, so riddle me this: is there a height restriction for sailors? i ask this because every time i see US sailors on shore leave in the city, i seem to loom over most of them. im a little above average at 183 cm but im not THAT much taller! i remember being told that sub-mariners couldnt be over a certain height because of size limitations of the craft. would this be the case for ships too?

i mean, i see indonesian sailors on shore leave and id be hard pressed to say who would win in a bar fight, them or the americans! cant say much about aussie sailors because naturally im not really going to notice them when they are on shore leave...

I think Americans on average are shorter compared to North European and Australian people. I'm sure about the Dutch since a few years ago a study showed the Dutch were the tallest people on the planet. I'm average height for Dutch people (at 6' 1") I've been in several states in the US and when walking among crowds, like for instance a mall, I have always felt like a giant.

On the other hand I think the Dutch military seem shorter than average to me too. Maybe there is something for a shorter frame to be better in combat? Or more that shorter people are more likely to feel the need to fight.

[danny_galaga]

i dunno. the times ive been to the US i couldnt help but notice how big people are there (well, at least width wise  ). seriously though, the sailors seem below average for americans, not just against me...

[patrickl]

lol yeah they can be big. Especially in an "all you can eat" restaurant you find the biggest specimens. I also love the 1 liter "free refill" buckets at burger places.

Have you seen any Australian military men? Indeed he Dutch military seem shorter (on average) to me too.

When I was younger I remember my shorter friends were always the ones to get into fights. Maybe it's related somehow?

[ChadTower]

Kind of depends where in the US you are.  Places like Texas have a lot of tall people.  Places like CT/RI, not so much.

[patrickl]

Couldn't find any statistics on average height of the military, but for Belgium military I ofound a report that their average height was shorter than the normal average. They claimed it might be because on average more people with a poor a background (and thus lower quality nutrition) enter in the military.

[danny_galaga]

IIRC, and I may be wrong, the Navy has a height limit of 6'4".

I can remember in high school I considered the idea and was like, "whew, just below the limit!"

I'd say anyone over 5'10" is going to have a hard time getting around on the ships.

well, they certainly arent anywhere near that limit then! as for soldiers, australian soldiers seem to cover the whole spectrum. tends to be a few big bruisers of course but seems to be roughly in line with normal population. there was a big army base near my home town so saw plenty of AJ's...

[crashwg]

I have never heard specifically of any height restriction in the US Navy but I can tell you for sure that after my Navy ACC tour last year, you probably wouldn't want to sign up if you're anything above 6'.

You see, I'm 6' 8" and most hatch ways were about chin height and the bunks were only like 6'1" or 6'2" tops.

Personally, I wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force.  Too tall for that though, stupid people designing cockpits around average people... 

[ChadTower]

I remember being told back in the day that they tend to advise tall people to talk to the Marines.

[RayB]

A short guy manning a chaingun is harder to snipe.    

(I think I've been playing too much BattleField........)

[ChadTower]

They should just fill the boat with OMNIBots.

[shorthair]

I think there are considerations at least for those on subs.

Yeah, contrary to tv, pilots (and then astronauts) weren't/aren't tall. The rest of the fly boys it doesn't matter, really, cos even if they're going some place it's usually on a freight/carrier craft.

tall marines: mmm, not necessarily a good thing. They do the most PT in the Corps, at least they used to, and taller is more wear on joints.

And where does the nordic height come from?...all that fish they ate?

[ChadTower]

The Vikings had a few genetic differences from most of the world for some reason.  Red hair, lactose tolerance, extra size...

[crashwg]

The Vikings had a few genetic differences from most of the world for some reason.  Red hair, lactose tolerance, extra size...

You been watching some Viking porn, eh Chad?

[ChadTower]

What can I say, it's fun to invade the Irish women.

[BobA]

Short sailers fit in subs better.  Don't think you want to be 6 ft something in one of those.

[danny_galaga]

 extra size...

You been watching some Viking porn, eh Chad?
 

[Hockeyboy]

As an ex-US Navy sailor, I seem to recall that there were height requirements and restrictions for pilots, but not so much for enlisted US Navy sailors. The reason given for pilots was that certain cockpits would simply not allow for someone too short or too tall to be able to see clearly.

As for the enlisted sailors, there are definite hazards if you are too tall (or even too short) onboard Navy vessels - I can recall that on a carrier there are hatches built into walls (bulkheads) and you had to learn how to effectively walk through them. You learned to duck and step high at the same time so your shins wouldn't hit the bottom part and your head wouldn't crack against the top part. Just imagine a 5-ft oval set about 12 inches off the ground and you'll understand. Also, overhead there are generally lots of pipes and cables and wires you have to watch out for.

I've met ex-sub guys who are 6'+ and I asked how they got around in subs...answer generally was: "You duck...a lot!" ha ha ha

[shorthair]

I'm about average height, and I'm fine on water, but I just didn't see anything in being on a ship. Though what really kept me from the Navy (and similarly the Army) was their bearing.

[Grasshopper]

The Vikings had a few genetic differences from most of the world for some reason.  Red hair, lactose tolerance, extra size...

I've always got the impression that red hair is mostly a Celtic trait.

And almost all Europeans (Caucasians) are lactose tolerant. So that's definitely not an exclusively Nordic trait.

Nordic people are generally pretty big though, at least in my experience.

[danny_galaga]

As an ex-US Navy sailor, I seem to recall that there were height requirements and restrictions for pilots, but not so much for enlisted US Navy sailors. The reason given for pilots was that certain cockpits would simply not allow for someone too short or too tall to be able to see clearly.

yeah, for military aircraft, performance is critical they arent going to add an extra cm or two just to cater for a few more people. for military, taller people could fly transports or some bombers since cockpit size is less of an issue...

[danny_galaga]

i think Americans on average are shorter compared to North European and Australian people. I'm sure about the Dutch since a few years ago a study showed the Dutch were the tallest people on the planet. I'm average height for Dutch people (at 6' 1") I've been in several states in the US and when walking among crowds, like for instance a mall, I have always felt like a giant.

On the other hand I think the Dutch military seem shorter than average to me too. Maybe there is something for a shorter frame to be better in combat? Or more that shorter people are more likely to feel the need to fight.

well ill be... looks like you were right!

http://www.yahoo.com/s/608472

i havent actually bothered to look at this as i have crap bandwidth and yahoo video is really bad with crap bandwidth. this must be why we keep sending aussies to the US for basketball- they just cant find tall enough people any more!

[Ed_McCarron]

Kind of depends where in the US you are.  Places like Texas have a lot of tall people.  Places like CT/RI, not so much.

Makes sense.  Texas is closer to the equator, more centrifigual force, people stretch...

I'm kidding.  No clue why, but I've noticed that too.  Wonder if theres a height by location demographic out there somewhere...

[ChadTower]

I've always got the impression that red hair is mostly a Celtic trait.

Some, but also partially as a result of Vikings as well.  The Vikings raped and pillaged all over the damn place.

And almost all Europeans (Caucasians) are lactose tolerant. So that's definitely not an exclusively Nordic trait.

Now they are after dozens of generations of breeding and movement.  Research the history of lactose tolerance and almost all sources point to 3-4 pockets where it spontaneously evolved as a result of environmental requirements.  The others are places like the Himalayas, places where certain times of year the only main food to be had was some type of milk.  One of the main sources is the Viking territories as well, the ones that spread all over the damn place planting seeds, which is why it developed so much earlier and more strongly in Europe than anyplace else on Earth.  Makes sense when you consider the racial breakdowns of lactose intolerance... it's something like half of blacks, 65% of hispanics, 90% asians, 25% whites, don't know about middle easterners.

[patrickl]

well ill be... looks like you were right!

Shocking huh 

[danny_galaga]

  Makes sense when you consider the racial breakdowns of lactose intolerance... it's something like half of blacks, 65% of hispanics, 90% asians, 25% whites, don't know about middle easterners

yeah, dammit. my mother is dutch-indonesian and my father is jugoslavian. fate has given me his balkan hairy arms and her lactose-intolerance 

[sez]

  Makes sense when you consider the racial breakdowns of lactose intolerance... it's something like half of blacks, 65% of hispanics, 90% asians, 25% whites, don't know about middle easterners

yeah, dammit. my mother is dutch-indonesian and my father is jugoslavian. fate has given me his balkan hairy arms and her lactose-intolerance 

Gees Danny - you're quite the catch! 

[danny_galaga]

  Makes sense when you consider the racial breakdowns of lactose intolerance... it's something like half of blacks, 65% of hispanics, 90% asians, 25% whites, don't know about middle easterners

yeah, dammit. my mother is dutch-indonesian and my father is jugoslavian. fate has given me his balkan hairy arms and her lactose-intolerance 

Gees Danny - you're quite the catch! 

you know it (",)

[Grasshopper]

For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.....

[Ed_McCarron]

How much did the bartending job pay, anyway?

[jbox]

Hey baby, wanna come back to my place and wiggle my joystick? 

Hey, wait! Where're you going?!? I wasn't being dirty, I really, hey, come back here!!! 

[danny_galaga]

Hey baby, wanna come back to my place and wiggle my joystick? 

Hey, wait! Where're you going?!? I wasn't being dirty, I really, hey, come back here!!! 

[jbox]

Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is so hungry!