NOGALES, AZ — After his school days of junior high and at Nogales High School, Bobby Astengo followed in the steps of his father, Robert Astengo Sr., and worked in Nogales’ produce business.

But after graduating in 1978, Astengo wanted “an adventure, not a job.” So, he joined the Navy. In boot camp some officers were talking about service aboard submarines. That qualified as an adventure. When given the opportunity to volunteer for submarine servics, “I held up my right arm.” After boot camp, he was at the Groton, CT, Naval Submarine Base. Three months later he received further training at a base in Charleston, SC, and then he was under the sea aboard the USS James K. Polk, which was armed with ballistic missiles. Nuclear power propelled the 400-foot Polk toward, and through, the Mediterranean Sea.

Astengo, who today is a partner in the Nogales produce firm Healthy Trends, said a submariner’s social experience makes it hard to match the stories of sailors who make regular port calls. Astengo was at sea for a year and only called on three ports — one in Spain, the island of Mallorca and Guantanamo, Cuba.

In this 1981 photo from the records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Illustrator Draftsman Robert Astengo completes a drafting project while working aboard the submarine tender USS Simon Lake. Astengo’s four-year Navy career included a year aboard the ballistic missile submarine USS James K. Polk.Nuclear-powered submarines can theoretically operate indefinitely underwater, Astengo said. The subs process oxygen from seawater and also from seawater create fresh water through desalination. Still, water conservation is critical and showers are cruelly brief. “You turn on the water to get wet. You soap up. And then you turn the water on to rinse off!” he noted. After this life, “When you’re on land, a 20-minute shower is as good as a Hawaiian vacation.”

A submarine’s undersea limitation is stowing enough food to feed the crew for more than three months. So, the 140-crew Polk had “blue” and “gold” teams that alternated service every three months. When ashore, the liberated crew enjoyed a month of rest and recuperation before reporting for two months of technical training.

The Navy has learned that good food is a key to maintaining morale for a crew that is contained in submarine for months on end. “The food is five-star rated! We had steaks and lobster and pizza. Plus, we had access to food 24 hours a day.”

Aboard the Polk, Astengo was a planesman and helmsman. “I was at the wheel but it was nothing glamorous,” he noted. The planes — wings — of a submarine adjust the depth. The helm, of course, controls the rudder for starboard and port guidance. Being “at the wheel” meant sitting in front of panels of dials alongside another sailor, flanked by an officer giving orders, which were commonly, “Get me another cup of coffee.”

With daytime and nighttime meaningless on a submarine, the ship works on Zulu time (Greenwich Mean Time) for its operations and external communications, Astengo explained.

Each day aboard a submarine involves six hours on watch. And six hours of training. Training rewards are “Dolphins,” which are given as proficiency grows. The objective for every submariner is to have a full understanding of his ship should there be an emergency. If part of the submarine is breached and waterproof hatches are sealed, crew members may be separated from one another. So relying on a crew member for specific expertise may not bring a bright future.

Generally speaking, an understanding of electrical systems is of key importance on a submarine. And becoming an effective firefighter is of utmost importance for anyone at sea.

After his Mediterranean tour, Astengo spent the remainder of his four-year tour of duty in Kings Bay, GA, aboard the submarine tender USS Simon Lake. The Simon Lake provided refit, repair and supply functions for the nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarines of Submarine Squadron 16.

He was honorably discharged in 1982.

With Robert Astengo Sr. planning to retire from produce in 1983, he encouraged his son to enter the business soon, if Bobby planned to learn from his dad. That is what he did. Today he is enjoying the creation of Healthy Trends.