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Groton,
Conn., Jan.7 (AP) - Fresh vegetables 20,000 leagues
under the sea? No daydream out of Jules Verne, they are
a part of everyday life for the men of the navy's Polaris
submarine fleet.
Nothing beats a fresh serving of salad
or a piping side-dish of peas and carrots while cruising under
the ocean for 60 days, says the navy.
Develop
New Method.
To
make sure Polaris crewmen get these delights during their long
voyages, a method of growing lettuce, carrots, and green peas
on board has been developed by the Electric Boat division of
General Dynamics Corporation. The vegetables are grown in
hydroponic garden kits - three foot planters that look like
large window flower boxes. The seeds are planted in a chemical
growth base and intense fluorescent lights are kept on them,
Electric Boat explained.
Lee
Carries Garden.
The
gardening experiments were conducted by Electric Boat under a
contract from the office of naval research. Five hydroponic
garden kits have been shipped to the submarines' anchorage
at Holy-Loch, Scotland. The Polaris submarine Robert E.
Lee carried a miniature garden on a recent cruise, and similar
ones are being installed in other nuclear submarines, Electric
Boat said. How long does it take to raise a fresh crop
of greens under the sea? General Dynamics researchers
say ruby lettuce can be grown in about three weeks, and
carrots and dwarf peas in about four.
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