( CNN ) -- For cybersecurity reasons , sailors on U.S. Navy vessels ca n't always use smartphones and tablets . And in the cramped quarters of a submarine , there 's little room for shelves full of books . So how is a bookworm sailor supposed to pass the time during those long hours at sea ? The Navy has a solution : The Navy eReader Device , or `` NeRD '' for short , a custom-made , secure e-reader that comes preloaded with a library of 300 titles . The device has no cellular connectivity or Wi-Fi , so there are no signals to betray its location or tempt enemy hackers . Yes , that NeRD name may stigmatize reading for some seamen and women . But the Navy is hoping the new gadget will be a welcome companion for bored sailors . `` I know the paperbacks ( on Navy ships ) get passed back and forth until they fall apart , '' said Nilya Carrato , program assistant for the Navy General Library Program . `` We 're hoping the NeRD holds up a little better . '' The Navy will start by distributing five devices to each of the submarines in its active fleet , Carrato told CNN . Eventually , it plans to send NeRDs to all Navy vessels . `` I 've gotten some e-mails from sailors on surface vessels who are very eager to know when they 'll get them , '' Carrato said . Each NeRD will offer a mix of fiction , nonfiction , best-sellers , classics and historical books selected by the Navy . Popular titles will include the `` Game of Thrones '' series , `` The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , '' `` Ender 's Game , '' `` The Lord of the Rings , '' Stephen King 's `` The Stand '' and `` The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks . '' More literary-minded sailors will be able to read digital versions of classics by Shakespeare , Jane Austen , James Joyce , Walt Whitman and even Samuel Taylor Coleridge , whose `` The Rime of the Ancient Mariner '' would make a fitting read . Contrary to some news reports , Carrato said the devices wo n't contain any Tom Clancy novels , however . So if sailors want their `` Hunt for Red October '' fix , they 'll have to watch the movie adaptation on DVD . The e-readers were developed for the Navy through a partnership with Findaway World , which provides digital devices and audiobook technology to the Pentagon . Publishing partners for the NeRD include Simon & Schuster , HarperCollins , Hachette and Random House .
The U.S. Navy has developed a customized e-reader for its sailors . The `` NeRD '' will come preloaded with a library of 300 titles . Device has no connectivity and is more secure than a tablet .