Smoking ban on US submarines

US NAVY submarines became No Smoking zones yesterday after a Pentagon study earlier this year found the risks of secondhand smoke were severe in confined spaces.

About 40 per cent of the US navy's 13,000 submariners smoke - double the US average.

Yesterday's order came 16 years after a smoking ban in US military buildings and installations, and aboard Navy ships.

A ready supply of nicotine patches and gum will be stocked on the subs to help smokers deal with the ban while at sea, officials said.