How Much Time Out At Sea After Prototype

[Hilariousity]

I've been DEP forever. Anxiously wondering if I made the right choice signing up to be a nuke and I hope you guys can help put my mind at ease. About How much time can I expect to be out at sea when not on a deployment? Will there be lots of 8 hour work days or lots of work-ups and op-tempo?

[HalfHazzard]

About How much time can I expect to be out at sea when not on a deployment? Will there be lots of 8 hour work days or lots of work-ups and op-tempo?

Depends on a number of factors, some controllable (though none by you) and some not.  I was on a fast attack submarine.  For the first ten months I was onboard, we were in and out of dry dock, welded to the pier (ZERO sea time).  The next 28 months I spent about probably half my time at sea doing various work-ups, inspections, on occasion "CO's discretionary time" (though that was eaten up a lot by other things), we took VIPs on board, and eventually we deployed.  I rarely worked 8 hour days at sea, it was more like 16-20, depending on what was going on.  In fact when qualifying, I never took time off... Your job is to qualify; your shipmates will appreciate that.

After all of this, I really couldn't tell you what to expect.

[IPREGEN]

Well it depends...
The type of ship or sub you get and if they are going through a refuel or refit.
Also if there are any military activities that your assigned vessel may be participating.

[eaton1981]

Interesting. You say you're wondering if you made the right decision on whether to be a nuke, then you ask about time at sea.

For the most part, any submariner will spend the same amount of time out at sea on his (or...her) boat as their peers in the other rates attached to the same boat. A Sonar Tech will go to sea just as much as a nuke, provided both are attached to the same boat.

Based on the odd phrasing of your question, I'm led to believe that someone told you or you read somewhere that nukes go out to sea a lot compared to other rates.

Well, honestly, they do, but so do most every other rate that are worth a damn.

If you're really worried about spending time at sea though, consider another branch (although I don't know what the policies are for Deppers...I was only in Dep for six days after 9/11). If you are a nuke (or again, most any other rate) bet your bottom dollar that you'll be heading out, frequently.

If you have any questions about the nuke program specifically, search around and ask!

Hope that helps.

[eaton1981]

One of the things nukes ARE notorious for is working long hours both at sea and in port, compared to other rates. Not A-Gangers though, they have it worst than nukes, and don't get propay for all the sh** work they do.

If you're going to a carrier though, again, it depends on where the ship is with regard to needing to drydock, go into overhaul, etc. Carriers and subs are generally the same way with regard to workday schedules. I'm a submariner myself, but I live with a carrier nuke currently on a CVN in the yards in WA, and have lived with many other surface nukes (65, 74, 73) and worked at protoype with a lot also.

To give you a bit more perspective on the "8 hour work days" you asked about, they don't exist when you're at sea.

In port on the other hand...

For the most part, I've seen nukes be on 5 section duty (rare), 4 section duty (getting to be commonplace) and 3 section duty (used to be nearly commonplace back in the day, now almost as common as 4 section duty). The dreaded 12 on, 12 off will maybe happen while you're in the yards. The work day will last until the work is done, but if you're not on duty, expect an 8 hour workday. Total for a week, expect anywhere between 60 - 90 hours/week if you're on a 4 section rotation, with 74-78 hours being about average.

Sunday morning - Monday morning: 24 hours
Monday morning - Monday afternoon: 4-8 hours (depending of if your chief lets you out early since you're "day after")
Tuesday morning - Tuesday afternoon: 8 hours
Wednesday morning - Wednesday afternoon: 8 hours
Thursday morning - Friday morning: 24 hours
Friday morning - Friday afternoon: 4 hours (it's rare in my experience to go past lunch on Fridays)
Saturday: Off

Total: 74-78 hours of being at the boat. A lot of this is sitting around waiting for stuff to get setup, or standing watch, or sleeping though, so I wouldn't call it "work" in the sense it requires energy to be spent by you to do it. But you are still required to be AT THE BOAT, and not on liberty. So thus, 74-78 hour work week.

I hope that doesn't scare you too much. It's not bad once you get used to it.

Attitude is everything. If you go into the training pipeline, and then your first ship with a positive attitude, and are able to retain it, you will do great things. If you let it get you down (or let others take you down), you will hate your time.

[Higgs]

What are you anxious about? Going to sea as a sailor?

Sailors belong on ships, and ships belong at sea.

Anytime not at sea is a gift, and not something under your control, so I would stop worrying about it.

Justin

[eaton1981]

Anytime not at sea is a gift, and not something under your control, so I would stop worrying about it.

Justin has summed it up nicely.

[HydroDave63]

I've been DEP forever. Anxiously wondering if I made the right choice signing up to be a nuke and I hope you guys can help put my mind at ease. About How much time can I expect to be out at sea when not on a deployment? Will there be lots of 8 hour work days or lots of work-ups and op-tempo?

Men were meant to be on ships

And ships were meant to be at sea

Haze grey and underway makes for a fine Navy day!

In the world's (formerly) finest Navy

Where every day is a holiday, and every meal a feast!   

[HeavyD]

Men were meant to be on ships

And ships were meant to be at sea

Haze grey and underway makes for a fine Navy day!

In the world's (formerly) finest Navy

Where every day is a holiday, and every meal a feast!

Every muster is a family reunion

Every paycheck is a fortune

Land is a navigational hazard 

[Samabby]

" Anxiously wondering if I made the right choice signing up to be a nuke "

You went through Great Lakes & the grind your behind schedule @ Goose Creek. Your path is set for the next 4 years, where you will repay the taxpayers for your fantastic training.

As noted, you will spend long hours and an assortment of cruise lengths. Your career, memories and experiences are now up to you. Make them all as positive as possible.

One thing I do know ( it's a very short list  ) is that 20 years from now, you will be proud to have served in the USN.

Good luck, son.

[GLW]

I know a former SSN sailor who, from 15APR82 to 15APR85, experienced 937 days underway on nuclear power,...

I know another former SSN sailor who, from 23APR82 to 16JUN86, experienced 206 days underway on nuclear power,...

Same nuke school section, same NPTU, both selected for ELT school, same ELT class, both stationed in the same home port, then, different boats, different squadrons, different experience,...

YMMV,...

....Anytime not at sea is a gift,....

Yup, pretty much,...

...One thing I do know ( it's a very short list   ) is that 20 years from now, you will be proud to have served in the USN....

That is a noble sentiment, but nowhere near a universal truth, I'm just saying,...

...Total: 74-78 hours of being at the boat. A lot of this is sitting around waiting for stuff to get setup, or standing watch, or sleeping though, so I wouldn't call it "work" in the sense it requires energy to be spent by you to do it. But you are still required to be AT THE BOAT, and not on liberty. So thus, 74-78 hour work week.

And then,...there is always,... ,...heheheheheheheh,...

(sic) commonality edit,...

[drayer54]

I've been DEP forever. Anxiously wondering if I made the right choice signing up to be a nuke and I hope you guys can help put my mind at ease. About How much time can I expect to be out at sea when not on a deployment? Will there be lots of 8 hour work days or lots of work-ups and op-tempo?

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/eisenhower-strike-group-to-deploy

My old ride is about to depart to sea for a looooooooong time. I shouldn't say for how long because of a Navy thing called OPSEC. But, I know they won't be back Fish Friday or Nets Two's Tay.

I used to use all the cool decoder ring tricks to tell my wife specifics without making the email a violation. I even picked one word and carried out the vowel a specific amount of times so she would know a specific quantity, like months.

You should expect the sea time to get even longer. It seems to be the direction of the navy to utilize civilian maintenance vendors improved shipboard maintenance programs to keep these things on the water more and longer deployments seem to be the norm now.

[Hilariousity]

Interesting. You say you're wondering if you made the right decision on whether to be a nuke, then you ask about time at sea.

For the most part, any submariner will spend the same amount of time out at sea on his (or...her) boat as their peers in the other rates attached to the same boat. A Sonar Tech will go to sea just as much as a nuke, provided both are attached to the same boat.

Based on the odd phrasing of your question, I'm led to believe that someone told you or you read somewhere that nukes go out to sea a lot compared to other rates.

Well, honestly, they do, but so do most every other rate that are worth a damn.

If you're really worried about spending time at sea though, consider another branch (although I don't know what the policies are for Deppers...I was only in Dep for six days after 9/11). If you are a nuke (or again, most any other rate) bet your bottom dollar that you'll be heading out, frequently.

If you have any questions about the nuke program specifically, search around and ask!

Hope that helps.

Maybe I picked a bad title for this thread. A better title probably would have been "How many hours can I expect to work per week while not on deployment" My primary concern isn't that I will go out to sea a lot. It is will I have the time to complete my goals of finishing my bachelors degree and finding a wife while serving in the Navy.

One of the things nukes ARE notorious for is working long hours both at sea and in port, compared to other rates. Not A-Gangers though, they have it worst than nukes, and don't get propay for all the sh** work they do.

If you're going to a carrier though, again, it depends on where the ship is with regard to needing to drydock, go into overhaul, etc. Carriers and subs are generally the same way with regard to workday schedules. I'm a submariner myself, but I live with a carrier nuke currently on a CVN in the yards in WA, and have lived with many other surface nukes (65, 74, 73) and worked at protoype with a lot also.

To give you a bit more perspective on the "8 hour work days" you asked about, they don't exist when you're at sea.

In port on the other hand...

For the most part, I've seen nukes be on 5 section duty (rare), 4 section duty (getting to be commonplace) and 3 section duty (used to be nearly commonplace back in the day, now almost as common as 4 section duty). The dreaded 12 on, 12 off will maybe happen while you're in the yards. The work day will last until the work is done, but if you're not on duty, expect an 8 hour workday. Total for a week, expect anywhere between 60 - 90 hours/week if you're on a 4 section rotation, with 74-78 hours being about average.

Sunday morning - Monday morning: 24 hours
Monday morning - Monday afternoon: 4-8 hours (depending of if your chief lets you out early since you're "day after")
Tuesday morning - Tuesday afternoon: 8 hours
Wednesday morning - Wednesday afternoon: 8 hours
Thursday morning - Friday morning: 24 hours
Friday morning - Friday afternoon: 4 hours (it's rare in my experience to go past lunch on Fridays)
Saturday: Off

Total: 74-78 hours of being at the boat. A lot of this is sitting around waiting for stuff to get setup, or standing watch, or sleeping though, so I wouldn't call it "work" in the sense it requires energy to be spent by you to do it. But you are still required to be AT THE BOAT, and not on liberty. So thus, 74-78 hour work week.

I hope that doesn't scare you too much. It's not bad once you get used to it.

Attitude is everything. If you go into the training pipeline, and then your first ship with a positive attitude, and are able to retain it, you will do great things. If you let it get you down (or let others take you down), you will hate your time.

This is exactly the answer I was looking for thank you eaton1981. I'm a bit more confident that I will be able to complete my goals.

" Anxiously wondering if I made the right choice signing up to be a nuke "

You went through Great Lakes & the grind your behind schedule @ Goose Creek. Your path is set for the next 4 years, where you will repay the taxpayers for your fantastic training.

As noted, you will spend long hours and an assortment of cruise lengths. Your career, memories and experiences are now up to you. Make them all as positive as possible.

One thing I do know ( it's a very short list  ) is that 20 years from now, you will be proud to have served in the USN.

Good luck, son.

Actually I haven't yet I'm still sitting in the DEP. I sort of wish they would ship me out soon though  . I actually filled out paperwork to go early and was hoping to leave by May. Here we are in June and I am still waiting in the DEP to be shipped out to boot camp.

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/eisenhower-strike-group-to-deploy

My old ride is about to depart to sea for a looooooooong time. I shouldn't say for how long because of a Navy thing called OPSEC. But, I know they won't be back Fish Friday or Nets Two's Tay.

I used to use all the cool decoder ring tricks to tell my wife specifics without making the email a violation. I even picked one word and carried out the vowel a specific amount of times so she would know a specific quantity, like months.

You should expect the sea time to get even longer. It seems to be the direction of the navy to utilize civilian maintenance vendors improved shipboard maintenance programs to keep these things on the water more and longer deployments seem to be the norm now.

This worries me a lot. I remember reading somewhere that carriers were being recommended to go out on 8 month minimum deployments instead of 6 month deployments due to recent budget cuts. I would think that budgets cuts would mean that ships would stay in port more frequently. Shows how much I know doesn't it?

[HydroDave63]

It is will I have the time to complete my goals of finishing my bachelors degree and finding a wife while serving in the Navy.

You might be able to accomplish both right there on the ship. Fan rooms are a great place to shop AND study

This worries me a lot. I remember reading somewhere that carriers were being recommended to go out on 8 month minimum deployments instead of 6 month deployments due to recent budget cuts. I would think that budgets cuts would mean that ships would stay in port more frequently. Shows how much I know doesn't it?

Going underway costs more money than staying in port. 8 month deployments, which sounds like urban legend anyhow, would be based on having fewer carriers to cover the same amount of deployed air wings at sea at any given time.

[Higgs]

My primary concern isn't that I will go out to sea a lot. It is will I have the time to complete my goals of finishing my bachelors degree and finding a wife while serving in the Navy.

If you're lucky, your needs and the Navy's needs will line up.

However, at the end of the day, the needs of the Navy always trump yours.

There is no way of getting around this. Except by not joining the Navy.

Good luck.

Justin

[crewjobs_too]

The budget cuts will mean fewer ships but a shrinking Navy also means the remaining ships will have to deploy for lot longer than they did in years past.  Either that or they have to cut back the missions by the same amount. For example the number of attack subs is going to shrink, so unless they want to cut the mission by the same amount, that means more time at sea.  Same for carriers, if they cancel or delay the John F Kennedy then the other ships have to cover the same ground with fewer ships.   Having 1.7 carriers in the Persian Gulf at all times means longer cruises too I think.   Just my opinion based on reading the news and Navy Times etc.

This being an election year things could change over the next 4 years though.

[HydroDave63]

This being an election year things could change over the next 4 years though.

OR, with an October surprise, over the next 4 months! It's not just a job, it's an adventure!

[gogamecocks]

1. Bad news is the deployments are longer and the work hours in port are longer than they use to be too. All due to downsizing. It does depend on what ship you get on. I only know about carriers. If you get on a ship in the shipyard, you might think this a good thing but in my experience those are the longest hours while in port. There is no such thing as an 8 hr workday in the Navy. My husband gets annoyed everyday by sailors complaining about working more than 8 hrs. If your Master Chief or Chief is working 10-14 hrs a day don't ask him if you can leave after 8. This will not go well for you. Other bad news is that the port calls are a lot less than they use to be. You will spend a Med Cruise in the Persian Gulf most of the time with 1-2 port visits to Dubai(which is actually not a bad port) and maybe one stop on the way in and one on the way out. My husband's last med was a port in France(way in) and one in Greece(way out). The rest of the time he was in the Persian Gulf region. It was a 7 month deployment. This does vary among carriers depending on schedule and what's going on in the region. Maybe by the time you get in the fleet they will be back to visiting a lot of ports in the Med. region like in the old days. Also, there will be work ups before a deployment. My husband's ship is coming out the yards and they will be out most of the time between now and the next Med. You will work less hours if you qualify fast b/c then you won't be put on extra hours. You will work the least amount of hours on shore duty. This is when you may work less then 8hrs and sometimes even get to cut out at 1 to play golf, but that's a long way away. Volunteer for volunteer days(i.e. beach clean up days, working an event, etc.) My husband lets the sailors cut out early after these events. It's not all bad sometimes you may even get a surprise 4 day weekend after doing well on an inspection. It all depends on your Captain and his temperament. Some ships my husband has loved and some he's hated due to the command. Hopefully, you will get a good one. His first command, he loved the most.

2. You can take college courses online while deployed.

Good Luck! You will never make better friends then the ones you make in the Navy. This you will value forever.

[Hilariousity]

2. You can take college courses online while deployed.

Good Luck! You will never make better friends then the ones you make in the Navy. This you will value forever.

Really? I have real doubts about the ability of the Navy to provide internet access to potentially hundreds or even thousands of people at a time on an aircraft carrier and I know for a fact they couldn't do it while at sea on a submarine because any signal can give away a subs position in the water. I should research that more though, because I don't think i will be able to finish my a bachelors degree unless what you are saying is true.

In the meantime, I compiled a list that potential future sailors might find useful. It contains data about how much time each carrier spent out at sea in 2011. I compiled the data below using this website found here http://www.gonavy.jp/CVLocation.html


How many Days did each Carrier spend at Sea in 2011?

CVN-65 USS Enterprise
Gone Jan 13th - Jul 15th = 184 days
Gone Dec 5th – Dec 17th = 13 days = 197 days at sea and 168 days on shore

CVN-68 USS Nimitz
None Stuck in Dry Dock for DPIA

CVN-69 USS Eisonhower
Jun 13th – Jun 15th = 3 days
Jun 27th – Aug 4th = 39 days
Aug 15th – Aug 20th = 6 days
Aug 25th – Aug 31st = 7 days
Sep 12th – Sep 29th = 18 days
Oct 5th – Oct 22nd = 18 days = 91 Days at Sea 274 days on shore

CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson
Jan 1st – Jun 15th = 166 days
Sep 6th – Oct 13th = 38 days = 204 days at Sea 161 days on shore

CVN-71 USS Theodore Roosevelt
None Has been stuck in RCOH since August 2009

CVN-72 USS Abraham Lincoln
Jan 1st – Mar 24th = 83 days
Jun 27th – Aug 12th = 47 days
Sep 15th – Oct 18th = 34 days
Dec 7th – Dec 31st = 25 days = 189 days at sea 176 days on shore

CVN-73 George Washington
Mar 21st – Apr 20th = 31 days
Jun 5th – Jun 8th = 4 days
Jun 12th – August 25th = 75 days
August 27th = 1 day
Sep 19th – Nov 22nd = 65 days = 176 days at sea 189 days on shore

CVN -74 USS John C. Stennis
Jan 14th – Mar 8th = 54 days
Mar 24th – Apr 8th = 16 days
Apr 29th – Jun 13th = 46 days
Jul 25th – Dec 31st = 160 days = 276 days at sea 89 days on land

CVN 75 USS Harry S. Truman
Jan 27th – Feb 18th = 23 days <--(discluded in years discluding RCOH and DPIA)
Has Been DPIA since Mar 25th 2011

CVN 76 USS Ronald Reagan
Jan 4th – Jan 21st = 22 days
Feb 2nd – Sep 9th = 200 days
Oct 14th – Nov 3rd = 21 days
Nov 4th – Nov 9th = 6 days
Nov 10th – Nov 16th = 7 days = 256 days at sea 109 days on shore

CVN 77 USS George HW Bush
Jan 19th – Feb 23rd = 36 days
Mar 21st – Apr 5th = 16 days
May 11th – Dec 10th = 214 days = 266 days at sea 99 days on shore

Average number of days at sea per carrier (including RCOH and DPIA) = 1678/11 = 152.45
Average Number of days on shore (including RCOH and DPIA) = 1972/11 = 179.27
Average number of days at sea per carrier (discluding RCOH and DPIA) = 1655/9 = 183.9
Average Number of days on shore (discluding RCOH and DPIA) = 1265/9 = 140.5

[Fermi2]

Really? I have real doubts about the ability of the Navy to provide internet access to potentially hundreds or even thousands of people at a time on an aircraft carrier and I know for a fact they couldn't do it while at sea on a submarine because any signal can give away a subs position in the water. I should research that more though, because I don't think i will be able to finish my a bachelors degree unless what you are saying is true.

In the meantime, I compiled a list that any potential future sailors might find useful. It contains data about how much time each carrier spent out at sea in 2011. I compiled the data below using this website found here http://www.gonavy.jp/CVLocation.html


How many Days did each Carrier spend at Sea in 2011?

CVN-65 USS Enterprise

You are in no position to know anything for a fact or doubt anything child.
Gone Jan 13th - Jul 15th = 184 days
Gone Dec 5th – Dec 17th = 13 days = 197 days at sea and 168 days on shore

CVN-68 USS Nimitz
None Stuck in Dry Dock for DPIA

CVN-69 USS Eisonhower
Jun 13th – Jun 15th = 3 days
Jun 27th – Aug 4th = 39 days
Aug 15th – Aug 20th = 6 days
Aug 25th – Aug 31st = 7 days
Sep 12th – Sep 29th = 18 days
Oct 5th – Oct 22nd = 18 days = 91 Days at Sea 274 days on shore

CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson
Jan 1st – Jun 15th = 166 days
Sep 6th – Oct 13th = 38 days = 204 days at Sea 161 days on shore

CVN-71 USS Theodore Roosevelt
None Has been stuck in RCOH since August 2009

CVN-72 USS Abraham Lincoln
Jan 1st – Mar 24th = 83 days
Jun 27th – Aug 12th = 47 days
Sep 15th – Oct 18th = 34 days
Dec 7th – Dec 31st = 25 days = 189 days at sea 176 days on shore

CVN-73 George Washington
Mar 21st – Apr 20th = 31 days
Jun 5th – Jun 8th = 4 days
Jun 12th – August 25th = 75 days
August 27th = 1 day
Sep 19th – Nov 22nd = 65 days = 176 days at sea 189 days on shore

CVN -74 USS John C. Stennis
Jan 14th – Mar 8th = 54 days
Mar 24th – Apr 8th = 16 days
Apr 29th – Jun 13th = 46 days
Jul 25th – Dec 31st = 160 days = 276 days at sea 89 days on land

CVN 75 USS Harry S. Truman
Jan 27th – Feb 18th = 23 days <--(discluded in years discluding RCOH and DPIA)
Has Been DPIA since Mar 25th 2011

CVN 76 USS Ronald Reagan
Jan 4th – Jan 21st = 22 days
Feb 2nd – Sep 9th = 200 days
Oct 14th – Nov 3rd = 21 days
Nov 4th – Nov 9th = 6 days
Nov 10th – Nov 16th = 7 days = 256 days at sea 109 days on shore

CVN 77 USS George HW Bush
Jan 19th – Feb 23rd = 36 days
Mar 21st – Apr 5th = 16 days
May 11th – Dec 10th = 214 days = 266 days at sea 99 days on shore

Average number of days at sea per carrier (including RCOH and DPIA) = 1678/11 = 152.45
Average Number of days on shore (including RCOH and DPIA) = 1972/11 = 179.27
Average number of days at sea per carrier (discluding RCOH and DPIA) = 1655/9 = 183.9
Average Number of days on shore (discluding RCOH and DPIA) = 1265/9 = 140.5

[HeavyD]

Retired from the TR in December of 2011.  We left Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the middle of December 2007.  From the middle of January 2008 until we got back from deployment in April of 2009, we spent around 70 days in port.  The longest stretch was about 3 weeks, right before deployment, which we left a week early for so the pilots could do some extra carrier quals

The college course thing worked like this.  There were two separate types of classes; instructor led and CD delivered.  The first was just like it sounds, there were actual college instructors on-board the carrier.  Each class was limited to around 30 people or so, so it was a first come first serve sort of thing.  The second batch was textbook and CDs with pre-taped lessons from the instructor.  You worked from these and a structured student handbook.  Tests were sent with the textbook/student book.  These were administered by the ESO (Educational Services Officer).  Only cost for either type of class was the cost of textbooks.

Now, absolutely no provision was made at all, from a command level directive, to shift someone's work schedule around to allow a sailor to attend class.  The watch rotation is tight enough most of the time as it is.  Plus, and this will sound harsh, the Navy isn't paying you to attend college classes.  The Navy is paying sailors to be sailors.  As a first term sailor on their first ship, your job is to get qualified and stand watch/perform maintenance.  That's why you get a paycheck the 1st and 15th of each month.

This statement is NOT meant to discourage you from pursuing your college education.  There are several tools available to you.  I simply want you to understand a little thing called priorities.  You are a sailor, sailors go to sea.  Period.  That's what we do.  It used to drive me nuts when my students at prototype (over a decade ago) would get their orders and say things like "I'm going on deployment in a month?!?".  Yes, that's what the military, and specific to our case the Navy, does.  We go to sea, we deploy.  We blow up the bad guy's $hit and kill them before they can do the same to us.  We "do solemnly swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.".

Sit down and set some priorities.  Plan out what you want to accomplish on your first ship, then prioritize them as to most important.  If getting qualified senior-in-rate isn't number 1, your chain of command will help you set that as #1 

Best of luck!

[Hilariousity]

Retired from the TR in December of 2011.  We left Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the middle of December 2007.  From the middle of January 2008 until we got back from deployment in April of 2009, we spent around 70 days in port.  The longest stretch was about 3 weeks, right before deployment, which we left a week early for so the pilots could do some extra carrier quals

The college course thing worked like this.  There were two separate types of classes; instructor led and CD delivered.  The first was just like it sounds, there were actual college instructors on-board the carrier.  Each class was limited to around 30 people or so, so it was a first come first serve sort of thing.  The second batch was textbook and CDs with pre-taped lessons from the instructor.  You worked from these and a structured student handbook.  Tests were sent with the textbook/student book.  These were administered by the ESO (Educational Services Officer).  Only cost for either type of class was the cost of textbooks.

Now, absolutely no provision was made at all, from a command level directive, to shift someone's work schedule around to allow a sailor to attend class.  The watch rotation is tight enough most of the time as it is.  Plus, and this will sound harsh, the Navy isn't paying you to attend college classes.  The Navy is paying sailors to be sailors.  As a first term sailor on their first ship, your job is to get qualified and stand watch/perform maintenance.  That's why you get a paycheck the 1st and 15th of each month.

This statement is NOT meant to discourage you from pursuing your college education.  There are several tools available to you.  I simply want you to understand a little thing called priorities.  You are a sailor, sailors go to sea.  Period.  That's what we do.  It used to drive me nuts when my students at prototype (over a decade ago) would get their orders and say things like "I'm going on deployment in a month?!?".  Yes, that's what the military, and specific to our case the Navy, does.  We go to sea, we deploy.  We blow up the bad guy's $hit and kill them before they can do the same to us.  We "do solemnly swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.".

Sit down and set some priorities.  Plan out what you want to accomplish on your first ship, then prioritize them as to most important.  If getting qualified senior-in-rate isn't number 1, your chain of command will help you set that as #1 

Best of luck!

I don't know to much about qualifying, but I do know that when a sailor gets to their ship/boat that they will have to qualify and after that, be able to maintain proficiency in which ever stations they have qualified. Now I think I read somewhere that qualifications should take about six months after I get to wherever I am stationed. Can someone confirm or deny that last statement? Also, when someone says maintain proficiency does that mean staying after hours? I would imagine proficiency could be maintained simply by standing the required watches over and over again, but I'm sure about that so I thought I'd ask.

[Fermi2]

I believe 6 months is reasonable. On my boat once you qualified a watch you stood it, so you're doing quals around your watches. Do not even DREAM of holding off qualifying anything simply so you can do a mass burst of watchstations. Your buddies will skin you.

Proficiency is simply standing your scheduled watch.

[gogamecocks]

They do have internet on carriers but it is not reliable and classes are as described above. Heck, on carriers they even have facebook! I communicated with my husband daily on facebook and email on his last med. cruise. This is a great improvement from the early days when you could only send letters. My husband got his Bachelor's degree when he was on shore duty. This is the easiest time to do it.