Tenders Keep Our Submarines On The Move In the Navys submarine fleet, sometimes referred to as the Silent Services, the submarine tender is a silent partner. As a ship, it can best be described as a floating city, supplying the needs of submarines and personnel from ice cream cones to generators. As a rule, submarine tenders are based close to combat areas. Submarines returning from patrols receive essentially the same service from tenders as they would from some larger base. In the Pacific this has been a big factor in our accelerated underwater warfare, since our submarines can spend more time on patrol, and less time going to and from the combat areas. After a long cruise submarine sailors, returning to a tender for servicing, head for the tenders go-dunk stand. There, they get their fill of ice cream, one of the few luxuries enjoyed in the forward area. This photograph was taken sometime during World War II.