A Steinke hood, named for its inventor, is a device designed to aid escape from a sunken submarine, essentially an inflatable life jacket with a hood that completely encloses the wearer's head, trapping a bubble of breathing air. An advancement over its predecessor, the Momsen lung , it was standard equipment in all submarines of the United States Navy throughout the Cold War period. The US Navy plans to replace Steinke hoods in all US submarines with escape suits called Submarine Escape and Immersion Equipment by 2005.

References

• Steinke Hood Fundamentals: Part I and Part II (note that the string "flash" in those URIs does not refer to Macromedia's Flash, but rather is an acronym for "Factual Lines About Submarine Hazards.")