Glad to see you finally found happiness.
Enlisted ratings often fill watch position normally filled by an officer. In port OOD's are more likely then not an E-6 and up, I was one. Chiefs and at least one E-6 I knew of stood as engineering watch officers on Bainbridge, but in the aft engine room, never in the forward, main control engine room. Decatur also had an E-6 and some chiefs qualified as underway watch officers, usually limited to solo steaming situations, not when accompanied by other ships, CIC was also manned by E-6 and above, it all depended on the circumstance. As you probably know, at one time all services had enlisted aviators, but that was mainly during or after war, I recall some even flew in Vietnam.
My main complaint with my nuclear experience was the hours. They never ended. The pay at the time did not offset the hours, nor do I think it could. As I have said in other posts, hours on the job at sea was one thing, but three or less section duty in port was more then I was prepared to put up with. I loved the Navy, but I did not marry it.
Making every NUKE a CWO is nonsense, better to pay them well and properly staff to make life a bit easier is better. Heck, if I knew that when Bainbridge arrived in port, and there were RO's from a tender that could pick up some of watches and other duties, perhaps my attitude would have been different. But that was not to be.
Back to Army CWOs, I guess the real reason not to use enlisted, is the time it would take to make Staff. Better to get someone green, train them for a year or what ever it takes, and go. But then what do I know?
Enough from me on this topic.
