[BrianR]

To answer Glatt's question, two guys can fall asleep in the same bunk, either stacked on top of one another REALLY closely, or, much more likely, sitting sideways on a top bunk. I think that story happened at a school though, where you get to sleep on a more normal-sized bed.

Colds and other contagious bugs are a different matter. One undiagnosed case of cold or flu can take out the entire berthing, which is why most sailors will head to sick call at the first sign that something is wrong. They then are checked out by the corpsman and if they are contagious, they are sequestered for the protection of everybody. Vermin are another problem. Should someone bring in lice or fleas or anything like that inadvertently, everyone in that compartment gets their belongings laundered in smelly soap and they get "dipped". The unfortunate sailor usually gets pummelled that night, too.

Living that closely can be problematic at times.

Brian