Submarine crews will learn navigation, mariner skills in simulators.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.

* GROTON, Conn.--The Navy is looking to buy a virtual submarine bridge trainer to teach crews navigation and mariner skills.

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., developed a submarine bridge trainer prototype that immerses crews in a simulated environment viewed from the top of a submarine's flying sail or bridge.

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"You open the door, you walk in, you're standing on a bridge pedestal inside of a sphere, looking 360 degrees," said Capt. Kenneth Swan, commanding officer of the submarine learning center, which oversees the Navy's undersea warfare training. "There could be five of us in there training as if we were on the bridge, versus one person wearing the helmet doing virtual reality."

At submarine schools today students typically do most of their...