Nuke Deppers, Ship Dates, and Stories

[Human_Glowstick]

what are sub quals?

[Fermi2]

what are sub quals?

LOL!!!

(I'm not laughing at this young man by the way!)

Mike

[LaFeet]

what are sub quals?

A qual that requires you to be able to explain relative bearing grease, mail bouy retrieval and other important submarine activities.

 Blue nose, shellback, Order of the Ditch, Golden Dragon..... ahhhhhh  to be able to run on the ice again

[Human_Glowstick]

That's cool, im seriously considering getting my dolphins, so any tips would be good

[LaFeet]

That's cool, im seriously considering getting my dolphins, so any tips would be good

STUDY STUDY STUDY..... don't be afraid to get dirty while tracing piping.  Ask the guys who work on the system for details. 

 Just remember, each system is on the boat to support your survival in one method or another. 

 And never piss off the cooks..... nuff said on that.

 Good Luck... I'd be proud to drink your fish with ya

[Roll Tide]

That's cool, im seriously considering getting my dolphins, so any tips would be good

It is not optional. Expect to be in at least one qualification program for the first three years on your first command. In reality, you should be qualifiying on a sub until you get your EWS / EDPO quals.

Sub quals are important, but must be balanced against watchstation and BEQ (Basic Engineering Quals, or at least that is what it was called a decade or so ago).

[Marlin]

   While you are in as a nuke your Sub quals will seem like a secondary qual, but you will come to appreciate your "Dolphins" more as you learn what kind of community you are entering. I've recently become the Base commander for the Smoky Mountain Submarine Veterans in Knoxville. Our members are from E-4 to O-6, we have two WWII vets, old diesel boat sailors and nukes. Only thing we have in common is that we earned our dolphins. I don't know many "bubbleheads" that were not proud of pinning on their Dolphins. Well its either that or getting off of the non-qual status that tends to make you a second class citizen on the boat, its a pain in the A#$ to get kicked out of your chair during the movie for a qualified crew member.

[Sirveri]

'Fish' quals are treated differantly on every boat. On mine most nukes simply call it the 'shut up coner' pin. But once you get fish a lot of the 'nub hate' from up forward tends to come to an end. Work on BEQ first and foremost, that will enable you to actually do the job you signed up for. Then whatever your first watchstation is (for 688 it is MM=ERLL, ELT=ERF, EO=AEA, RC=RT, you'll get the acronyms later, they aren't important right now). Get your two sigs on fish per week until you qual a watchstation, then push fish and BEQ. I personally enjoy learning new things, so I try and actually get checkouts, but most people just try and get shit 'blazed' off. Choice is yours, though rampant blazing will make your board fairly difficult. Blazing being a sig on your card where you really don't know anything, nor did you display any real knowledge, they basically just sign it.

[drainbamage]

I depped in, in July '07. I ship in February '08 unless my paperwork to push my ship date gets me a ship date in fall of this year.

It's gonna be cold 

[drainbamage]

Hi.

I'm new to the community, I depped in as a nuke in July and I ship in February of next year. Thought i'd get to know ya'll by sharing my dep story and maybe hearing a few of yours.

Mine was funny after the fact, but not at the time. While getting our 'orders' for the day, prior to the majority of our processing they asked us if anyone in the room didn't have underwear (which apparently will kill your processing for that day if you are without), and I unfortunately was the only one to raise my hand. To my surprise the first thing they said were, "Are you in the navy?" Apparently Ft. Sam has a reputation for incidents with Navy Deppers. So they march me downstairs and to talk to the Navy-boys about getting some briefs, no-go. We go to the Army, they don't want me to have to come back, also a no-go. Finally after checking all the hubs, we get to the Coast Guard who happens to have some size 47 granny panties (i'm a size 32) and I take them and change. I was told I had a funny story, and it was, the rest of the day at every station I was greeted as the guy who went commando. During the Physical Exam they couldn't stop laughing because I had tied the underwear like sumo shorts and did my duck walk, etc. I framed those underwear because I felt that was my first little introduction to navy life since the gentlemen there weren't surprised by my being, by extension, part of the navy.

Anywho, nice to meet ya'll. I appreciate the information i've garnered from this forum.

[navytwinmom]

I gave you karma just for admitting you went to DEP commando and that you wore granny panties!!

Welcome to nukeworker.com and thank you for your service!!

Take Care

[Samabby]

How about some stories from Band camp. 

[landlubber]

I was told I had a funny story, and it was, the rest of the day at every station I was greeted as the guy who went commando. During the Physical Exam they couldn't stop laughing because I had tied the underwear like sumo shorts and did my duck walk, etc.

Way to go, drainbamage.

Just keep your sense of humor, never let anyone under your skin, and your time in the Navy Nuke Program will be a breeze. Okay, not a breeze, but you already are a step up on the rest of your shipmates.

Too bad you aren't an aviator. With a story like yours, you would have a great callsign.

Sumo, Granny, Silkies.....hmmm

[drainbamage]

Too bad you aren't an aviator. With a story like yours, you would have a great callsign.

Sumo, Granny, Silkies.....hmmm

That would be fun, to have an interesting callsign. I didn't know that they could derive it from a story like that.

[cleonard19]

So I went to a "surprise" going away party for me, that I in fact knew about for a long time tonight, and The gift I got from the group gave me quite the chuckle. It was just your standard Athletic Cup and Supporter, except on the back was taped a piece of paper that had a Radiation symbol and read accordingly:

Radiation Ball Saver

The Radiation Ball Saver (RBS) is the newest addition to the U.S. Navys "anti-personnel-loss" issuance. In case of nuclear meltdown, remove the RBS from sealed pouch, place over gonads, bend at the waist, place head between legs, and kiss your a55 goodbye. The RBS is also the frontline of Navy technology, in that it includes a state of the art elastic band that can be used for absofu(kinglutely noing in case of a sinking situation. Do not believe that anything contained in this package has been field tested for the purpose stated and remember that it is build by the lowest bidder. This product has been nuclear tested and has been cleared for use on unsupecting idiots in the United States Navy.

Its also worth noting that the card inside was addressed to "Supreme Allied Commander, Charleston" for added kicks.

Damm I'm going to miss my friends. Anyways, thought I'd share the chuckle.

[deucesanders]

hey i just passed the Nuke Qualifying test and my ship date is Apr 22, 2008. Does anyone have a ship date close to that?

[Fla Jackal]

most people end up getting nicknames in the training pipeline. im at prototype right now and the guy who sits next to me we call "buttons" because his buttons on his utilities are a different color for some reason. i was nukie in bootcamp.

[mark87]

Hey all,
  I'm new here, so I figured I'd say hi. I ship out for basic February 13, 2008 and joined DEP on October 23, 2007. Reading these posts have been really helpful, so thanks. And drainbamage, wtf? Didn't your recruiter tell you that underwear is a must? That was awesome, you score a lot of cool points, not only for doing that, but for admitting it. Only eventful thing that happened with me was that I scored really well on my hearing and everyone else scored worse, so I automatically assumed that my scores were the bad ones and that I was deaf and was going to get stuck peeling potatoes or paint. And when I took the ASVAB at first, I scored a 0 because the system crashed on me and a few other people and wouldn't let us answer any questions. I was able to retake it that night so all was well though, so oh well.

[Ken_Subnuc]

Hey everyone,

I've lurked around the site for a while, just reading, no posting. But since both drainbamage and mark87 ship out around my time I might as well add that I ship out Feb 12, 08', so I'll likely see you both at RTC/Nuke school.

As far as the MEPS underwear thing, I wore some boxers without a buttoned front flap. When it came time to do leg stretches with the doctor and the other 4 guys in the room I kept having to "readjust". It was slightly embarrassing to say the least.

Good luck to everyone currently in DEP, and I hope to see you around.

~Ken

[mark87]

Maybe MEPS was designed to make everyone feel like a fool. 

[nukemdukem]

Here is my situation.  I am 19 years old and have 1 year of college.  Mostly math courses.  I decided to drop out and join the Navy.  My recruiter pull the ASVAB out of no where and I scored well on it.  Well enough for Nuke.  I was put into D.E.P. and had to chose a "temporary" job such as advanced computer electronics or something like that. My recruiter told me she has to call the coordinator for Nuke and switch me over to it.  So here I am waiting for her to call them and set it up.  I just want to make sure my contract contains everything I deserve.  $20,000 enlistment bonus for February and perhaps a promotion for my college courses.  Or do I have to chose between my college being paid for or my enlistment bonus?  What else should I know?  I am just waiting for my recruiter to stop putting it off to tomorrow.  I want to get into boot camp asap. 

Thanks!

[ddklbl]

PM mikec426.  He'll be able to answer all your recruiting questions.

[Cycoticpenguin]

1) Just to help you out, there is a "college kicker" you get for having X amount of credits (im not sure, speak with your recruiter). This means you get a LOT more money for having college courses completed.
2) do NOT sign anything unless you get what you want. you will be "promised" whatever it is that will get you to sign, but unless its in writing, DONT do it.
3) If you scored high enough on your asvab you get an "asvab bonus" for your enlistment bonus (its about 300 bucks, not much but nice )
4)  dont be afraid to get proactive on YOUR carreer. Its YOUR job to make sure YOUR contract is the way YOU want it. Not your recruiters.


honeycomb - I was never offered to pay the GI bill all at once. Not saying its not possible, but I was forced to pay 100 a month for a year.

[Turtleberry]

They do give a bonus for college completed depending on the credit hours. For one year I assume you will get 20-something credits so it is a $2000 or $3000 bonus.

http://www.military.com/recruiting/bonus-center/resources/navy-bonus-and-incentives-overview

And yes, you have a choice between getting your college loans paid off or your enlistement bonus, so unless your college debt is more than $20,000, you should take your enlistment bonus. The bonus for college credits is seperate, that will be added if you are eligible.

As for the bonus for high ASVAB, this site says it only applies if you are in DEP for over 6 months, so you might not get it.

I am not a recruiter so dont quote me on this information, this is some of the stuff I found while personally researching the subject, I can't vouch for it and I am not even sure if it is up to date, but you need to talk to your recruiter about this stuff anyways.

[jwcj8513]

i leave for boot camp Feb 27th. A little info on me..I graduated with a B.S. in physics but not with a very high GPA and no interships so i am doing this to get further education and have some fun seeing the world and doing new things. plus to pay off some pretty extensive college loans. read a lot of the post on here and i learned a lot and can't wait to start and hopefully whiz through everything.