NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — All this month, 10 On Your Side has been giving you an inside look at the U.S. Navy as part of U.S. Fleet Forces Sailor for a Day program.

The final story for the series focuses on the simulators that sailors in our region train on every day. 10 On Your Side’s Ricky Matthews had a chance to try out some of those simulators and learn how they’re preparing sailors for the fight. 

One of only two in the world, the Laser Shoot Littoral Combat Simulator at JEB Little Creek allows Expeditionary Security Groups to train by using machine guns on a motion boat platform. With 360-degree screens surrounding the boat, trainers can load in any scenario or environment from open seas to river basins. By giving them real world scenarios in the virtual world, they build muscle memory, so that when they’re in the real thing in a stressful environment their muscle memory takes over.

I got to try my hand at shooting, and reloading, the guns. … Thankfully, nobody was shooting back at me, but hey, I did sink the enemy boat — eventually. 

Nearby at Naval Station Norfolk, the Submarine Learning Facility includes a full-scale motion simulator of a Virginia class submarine, allowing submariners to train on the sounds, controls and interfaces they’ll see on a sub. 10 On Your Side had a chance to go inside the simulator and see what it looks like.

When a disaster strikes on a Navy ship or submarine, the first responders are the sailors or submariners onboard. At Naval Station Norfolk, the Naval Submarine Learning Facility has a fire and pipe burst simulator, allowing for units to train on how to respond to a fire while underway or a pipe burst. This training is designed to show crews what a fire may be like in a tight, confined space like a submarine, where seconds count.