Clarify/Refute/Agree with Recruiter: Quick Questions

[Bergeron37]

Repost: I am applying for the NUPOC scholarship. I am a rising junior at an ABET accredited university and have completed 63 credits with a 3.217 in Mechanical Engineering. I think I have a pretty firm grasp on what the NUPOC entails and will continue to grow my knowledge between my recruiter and resources like this site.

Update: We should be formally sending in my application this week and I am really eager and nervous!!! I had a few questions from here so I decided to give my Chief a call and ask him as I have exhausted my searches online. I have found this site indispensable (already) in starting my journey. I would appreciate some help from some SWO(N)s that loved it (HeavyD) and those who hated it (GC for conventional tours, if my memory serves).

Keywords: SWO(N) vs. Subs, NUPOC Phone interview, SSN vs. SSBN vs. SSGN

• I have found online that SWO(N) will split time between conventional and nuclear tours; is this true?
• SSN vs. SSBN vs. SSGN -- I have read online a lot about the beginning of the SSGN's in the Navy. That their deployment cycles are similar to SSBN (blue and gold) and that the missions are more like SSN. I want the missions of the SSN but a deployment cycle of the SSBN doesn't seem too bad either. Question: Only thing, isn't the deployment cycle so to accommodate the mission? If I don't decide until after OCS do I really need to look into it this deeply
• About the phone interview, if we were to complete the application, sealed and sent, by the end of this week, when would I hear about the phone interview? What is the basis for pass/fail? How many questions?

His answers were reassuring to what I thought already, except question 1. His answers:

1. You will go on a conventional tour as your first for around 12-18 months. From then on you will only do nuclear tours. They won't have a nuclear trained SWO do conventional tours. When I repeated what I have encountered from first hand accounts, he said maybe if you were a CO or head of the boat you may go conventional from a nuclear but he didn't seem too convinced.

2. SSGN has a blue and gold team. Deployment similar to SSBN, but can pull into foreign ports like the SSN. Can see more and travel more. Touched on, and laughed, at how I was seeming to look for the best of both worlds (and why wouldn't I? At least ask!) He said he talked to someone that was just on a SSGN and that he was in forward deployment and that they normally are such. For part ii) he said that the ships may very well be changing ports by the time I am deciding.

3. Should hear about it within a few weeks (his answer for everything) ! Pass/Fail is mainly subjective. Amount of questions subjective as well. Depending on how you fare with the first couple will determine if you need to be asked more questions. Content based on NUPOC study guide that he had sent me. This answer worried me as I want to ace it! And from what I have found (although mostly more for DC interviews) that they can be from anything from simple integration to 5 seemingly impossible questions.


Thanks again for taking the time, and for reading what you may have read once before.

[spekkio]

1) You do both. You maintain proficiency as a SWO as well as a nuke.

2) Your chief laughed because a) you might not have a choice and b) 'foreign ports' mostly means that they do crew turnover overseas, taking away part of the advantage of being on an SSBN.

As for part a, you fill out a wish list in prototype and get assigned according to some magic formula only detailers know. You could get your 1st choice or your last. Since there are only 4 SSGNs, the odds are you will end up on an SSBN or SSN.

As for b, the SSBN (and now SSGNs) does two crews to maintain nearly continuous at-sea presence. The main difference is that an SSGN can fire its TLAMs without causing an international crisis and can play bus-driver for SEAL teams. An SSN will only be at-sea about 33% of its life whereas an SSBN gets close to 50% (with the other 50% comprising of crew turnover and refit periods). That doesn't mean that you, specifically, will spend 2/3 your time in-port if you are assigned to an SSN. You could spend 80% of your time at-sea depending on where the boat is in its schedule and whether another asset has issues making its underway.

If you are looking to see liberty ports, SSNs are the way to do that. However, with the shortened sub JO tours you are likely to only see only one deployment in your 32 month tour. The rest of the time spent at-sea will be training underways for deployment or inspections where you might see another US port from topside while the DH OOD does a "touch and go" unassisted landing for his command quals. That's a lot of work compared to SSBN guys to spend a few days in foreign countries, and word is that if you do a CENTCOM deployment you're not missing anything. Personally, I got to see a few cool ports doing a northern run, but it was such a small portion of my time spent on the boat that I wouldn't rank it in my top 3 reasons on why to choose one platform over the other.

Ships change homeports for a variety of reasons which mostly depend on things that O-7+ worry about. It's not common, though, outside of boats that change homeports for overhaul.

3) The phone interview is just to see where you're at and if you're ready to be sent down to DC. It's not a pass or go home thing. Your recruiter should've given you a packet with study questions. Memorize the answers to the sections that apply to you.

[HalfHazzard]

1. You will go on a conventional tour as your first for around 12-18 months. From then on you will only do nuclear tours. They won't have a nuclear trained SWO do conventional tours. When I repeated what I have encountered from first hand accounts, he said maybe if you were a CO or head of the boat you may go conventional from a nuclear but he didn't seem too convinced.

He's wrong on this account.  You should expect a one for one conventional to nuclear through your department head tours.

Number two is a matter of opinion and experience.  I would tell you go SSN/SSGN, but that's just me  .  Ship's changing homeport, shipyard time, etc. is far away out of your control when you pick.  Pick the platform you want for the reasons you want and hope that all of your wildest hopes and dreams come true.

[Bergeron37]

As for b, the SSBN (and now SSGNs) does two crews to maintain nearly continuous at-sea presence. The main difference is that an SSGN can fire its TLAMs without causing an international crisis and can play bus-driver for SEAL teams. An SSN will only be at-sea about 33% of its life whereas an SSBN gets close to 50% (with the other 50% comprising of crew turnover and refit periods). That doesn't mean that you, specifically, will spend 2/3 your time in-port if you are assigned to an SSN. You could spend 80% of your time at-sea depending on where the boat is in its schedule and whether another asset has issues making its underway.

I think I mentioned it, but aren't the deployment schedules designed to accommodate the missions? If a SSGN sole difference from SSBN is they aren't on a short leash, then that makes more sense. But if they do all of the same warfare missions as the SSNs (minus SSN specifics like reconnaissance etc) how does the 50/50 deployment cater to that?

If you are looking to see liberty ports, SSNs are the way to do that. However, with the shortened sub JO tours you are likely to only see only one deployment in your 32 month tour. The rest of the time spent at-sea will be training underways for deployment or inspections where you might see another US port from topside while the DH OOD does a "touch and go" unassisted landing for his command quals. That's a lot of work compared to SSBN guys to spend a few days in foreign countries, and word is that if you do a CENTCOM deployment you're not missing anything. Personally, I got to see a few cool ports doing a northern run, but it was such a small portion of my time spent on the boat that I wouldn't rank it in my top 3 reasons on why to choose one platform over the other.

What were you on? You may have mentioned it and I apologize if so for brushing it over. Whatever you chose, what were your top 3? That being asked, if you were SSN how disappointing were the things fore mentioned in the quote?

Number two is a matter of opinion and experience.  I would tell you go SSN/SSGN, but that's just me 

Humor me for your personal opinion?

Pick the platform you want for the reasons you want and hope that all of your wildest hopes and dreams come true.

:Giddyexcitement:

[GLW]

............  Pick the platform you want for the reasons you want and hope that all of your wildest hopes and dreams come true.

careful what you ask for, you just might get it,...

I asked for a 637 Class SSN out of Pearl and got it,...

followed by an SSBN out of Holy Loch and then got that too,...

also got 1237 days underway on nuclear power in a 5 year sea tour,...

I compared notes with a nuke school contemporary of mine later on out in CIVLANT, he had all of 222 days underway on nuclear power, after getting stuck on a boat he did not want in a port he did not want, he figured it was because he was single and the detailers of the day always jerked around the single guys first, he was a 6 & out so his 5 year was only 50 months,...

It was an easy number to remember because if you can picture Karen Valentine, you can remember 222,...

So, when you get what you want remember you asked for it!!!!

Keep in mind this was all 30 years ago (literally), it's a different Navy, YMMV (literally),....

Plus the Navy never makes O-gangers pulldown longer sea tours than enlisted, right spekkio?!?!

Or, do I stand corrected?!?!,....

[Bergeron37]

careful what you ask for, you just might get it,...

I asked for a 637 Class SSN out of Pearl and got it,...

followed by an SSBN out of Holy Loch and then got that too,...
also got 1237 days underway on nuclear power in a 5 year sea tour,...

I detect the sarcasm and am understanding it as bragging more than actually a warning, correct?

He figured it was because he was single and the detailers of the day always jerked around the single guys first, he was a 6 & out so his 5 year was only 50 months,...

is Craigslist a good place to start to find a wife?

[spekkio]

I think I mentioned it, but aren't the deployment schedules designed to accommodate the missions? If a SSGN sole difference from SSBN is they aren't on a short leash, then that makes more sense. But if they do all of the same warfare missions as the SSNs (minus SSN specifics like reconnaissance etc) how does the 50/50 deployment cater to that?

Sort of. There are macro presence requirements that we can't discuss here and you don't need to worry about as a JO. There are always missions to be done. When a boat is ready to deploy, it deploys and relieves a boat on station. On and on it goes.

An SSGN's primary job is to be on station to perform a strike op or support SOF with strike capability. 24/7.

I'll answer the rest later when I have time.

Plus the Navy never makes O-gangers pulldown longer sea tours than enlisted, right spekkio?!?!

You're being sarcastic, but that's pretty true in today's submarine force. The first enlisted sea tour is what, 48 months, extendable to 60? The first JO tour is 32 months and there is very little play room in order to send him to SOAC by July of 7th YCS.

Never say never, but the chances are very very small that OP has to worry about doing a JO tour in excess of 3.5 years. My old CO did a DH tour for 48 months, but that is one of dozens and occurred because of a mishap. There are DHs today rotating after 24-30 months if they have a deployment and are command qualified to make room for the excess of JOs that stayed in thanks to a tanked economy.

An XO tour is nominal 18 mo and CO is 24, both shorter than the 36 month tours E7 and above do.

[GLW]

careful what you ask for, you just might get it,...

I asked for a 637 Class SSN out of Pearl and got it,...

followed by an SSBN out of Holy Loch and then got that too,...

also got 1237 days underway on nuclear power in a 5 year sea tour,...

I detect the sarcasm and am understanding it as bragging more than actually a warning, correct?

Not hardly bragging, the USN gave me exactly what I asked for, the 1237 days was all needs of the Navy bonus,...

Nope, not bragging, not bitching, just one Reagan Era sailor's synopsis on dreamsheets and getting what you asked for,...

he figured it was because he was single and the detailers of the day always jerked around the single guys first, he was a 6 & out so his 5 year was only 50 months,...

is Craigslist a good place to start to find a wife?

well, there too, you get what you asked for,.....

Plus the Navy never makes O-gangers pulldown longer sea tours than enlisted, right spekkio?!?!

....You're being sarcastic, but that's pretty true in today's submarine force. The first enlisted sea tour is what, 48 months, extendable to 60? The first JO tour is 32 months and there is very little play room in order to send him to SOAC by July of 7th YCS.

that one was not sarcastic, back 30 years ago officers came in, qualified in a whirlwind, got to know everything sorta well but not very well, focused on becoming a good boat driver, and then were sent packing off to schools and what not that would prep them for Engineer and Navigator and other rungs on the ladder to eventual command....or,....

they didn't perform very well, relatively that is ('cause some guys may be college grads and smart 'nough for nuke school but just don't have their heart in the whole USN wardroom thing) and seemed to get shipped off to some sorta instructor billet for the most part,...

in either extreme and a few oddball cases in between;

first sea command officers were rarely on the boat longer than three years,...

but my experience was a long time ago, and things do change, but it seems that paradigm did not, and has been consistent since the modern USN of steel and steam evolved,...

thanks for answering, and thanks for keeping it short,....

[HalfHazzard]

Not hardly bragging, the USN gave me exactly what I asked for, the 1237 days was all needs of the Navy bonus,...

Nope, not bragging, not bitching, just one Reagan Era sailor's synopsis on dreamsheets and getting what you asked for,...

well, there too, you get what you asked for,.....


that one was not sarcastic, back 30 years ago officers came in, qualified in a whirlwind, got to know everything sorta well but not very well, focused on becoming a good boat driver, and then were sent packing off to schools and what not that would prep them for Engineer and Navigator and other rungs on the ladder to eventual command....or,....

they didn't perform very well, relatively that is ('cause some guys may be college grads and smart 'nough for nuke school but just don't have their heart in the whole USN wardroom thing) and seemed to get shipped off to some sorta instructor billet for the most part,...

in either extreme and a few oddball cases in between;

first sea command officers were rarely on the boat longer than three years,...

but my experience was a long time ago, and things do change, but it seems that paradigm did not, and has been consistent since the modern USN of steel and steam evolved,...

thanks for answering, and thanks for keeping it short,....

GLW, the more things change, the more they stay the same...

[Bergeron37]

first sea command officers were rarely on the boat longer than three years,...

GLW, the more things change, the more they stay the same...

Not from a lack of possibility, but rather lack of desire/motivation?

[GLW]

Not from a lack of possibility, but rather lack of desire/motivation?

no, I think they have shorter first sea tours than enlisted because the USN has different plans for them and a long first sea tour is counter productive to those plans,...

or just absorb what this poster took the time to share;

....The first enlisted sea tour is what, 48 months, extendable to 60? The first JO tour is 32 months and there is very little play room in order to send him to SOAC by July of 7th YCS.

Never say never, but the chances are very very small that OP has to worry about doing a JO tour in excess of 3.5 years. My old CO did a DH tour for 48 months, but that is one of dozens and occurred because of a mishap. There are DHs today rotating after 24-30 months if they have a deployment and are command qualified to make room for the excess of JOs that stayed in thanks to a tanked economy.

An XO tour is nominal 18 mo and CO is 24, both shorter than the 36 month tours E7 and above do.

[Bergeron37]

no, I think they have shorter first sea tours than enlisted because the USN has different plans for them and a long first sea tour is counter productive to those plans,...

or just absorb what this poster took the time to share;

Read it wrong to begin with. Thought officers didn't normally do a lot of time on boats in general. I realize the first tour will be shorter than enlisted. If I didn't before, I do now..     

[GLW]

Read it wrong to begin with. Thought officers didn't normally do a lot of time on boats in general. I realize the first tour will be shorter than enlisted. If I didn't before, I do now..     

well, I'll give you this from my observations from 30 years ago which may no longer apply,...

if you go to a boat as a JO by the time you are done with 32 months, it will probably feel like 60 months,...

[spekkio]

no, I think they have shorter first sea tours than enlisted because the USN has different plans for them and a long first sea tour is counter productive to those plans,...

or just absorb what this poster took the time to share;

From what I was told (always famous last words), once upon a time, it was really hard for submarine officers to join the flag officer club with all the SWOs and aviators. So they restructured the 'first half of your career' to be shorter so you can have more space for joint tours, staff tours, major command, and all that 'fun' stuff waiting for O-6+ if you choose to stay past eligible retirement. A sizeable portion of those shore duties are spent in training schools, too.

Unfortunately, it's so quick you tend to move on just as you finally get good enough at a job that you can get consistent sleep. But it's necessary because officers need to have a broad range of experience to be ready for any task, or so 'they' say.

[Bergeron37]

• About the phone interview, if we were to complete the application, sealed and sent, by the end of this week, when would I hear about the phone interview? What is the basis for pass/fail? How many questions?

Regarding this, have there been general trends on a timeline? Do these times affect whether you are likely accepted or rejected? Thanks

[spekkio]

What were you on? You may have mentioned it and I apologize if so for brushing it over. Whatever you chose, what were your top 3? That being asked, if you were SSN how disappointing were the things fore mentioned in the quote?

I was on an SSN. I chose it because I liked the mission better and didn't joint the Navy to stay in one spot. Also, if I decided to stay in, I wanted my 2nd tour to be on an SSBN so that it's more conducive to family (you cannot do two SSBN tours for JO/DH, but you can do two consecutive SSN tours although they try to get you to alternate).

I happened to get very lucky, so I enjoyed my tour very much. By that I mean I hit the boat at a point where the most junior JO had been aboard for something like 18 months; the rapid turnover of every dolphin-qualified JO leaving in the first 12 months I was on board led me to be put into positions quicker than I normally would've otherwise. I stood JOOD on deployment and we made some good port calls. Even got a bonus one thanks to NR's mandated RC div stand-down.

I also spent time in the yard after deployment and was the third to rotate off the boat (this is the 'good' time to be there because you have a fat, fully qualified wardroom and thus a really good duty rotation. The "bad" time is for the guys left behind when the DHs are standing 3-section SDO, you have 3 section EDO, and everyone else is riding another sub to get qualified).

HOWEVER, I also had a CO who would stick with something once it 'worked.' So guys who showed up about 6-8 months after me never got to stand an underway OOD while qualified because they didn't fill that billet during pre-deployment training. The fact that we went into drydock right after deployment meant that those guys' careers will start and end in the ER unless they raised their hands to ride another boat. The thing is, with JO tours so short and manning relatively fat, no one wants a fully qualified JO for a deployment to stand JOOD/surfaced OOD; they have a hard enough time getting their own guys that experience. It's not a coincidence that I and the other JOs who stood a forward watch on deployment are staying in and most of the guys stuck in the ER for deployment are getting out. We got to participate in the cool stuff; they got to watch gages that never moved.

Having said that, some people were nonplussed at the 'cool stuff' and standing watch on station dancing with the one-eyed lady so a team of crypto guys taking up everyone's racks can record stuff on hard drives can get old. You don't even know what they're downloading.

I suppose that's the long way of telling you that you can't really predict what your experience is going to be like. It depends a lot on the boat's schedule, where you go on deployment, how good your CO is at training JOs and his tolerance for pain in doing so, and your Eng's ability to schedule critical events while you are a nuke divo.

But if you go SSBN, you can probably guarantee that you'll go underway to 'hide with pride' and do 'drilling and killing' for 3 months with a TRE at the end, turnover, stay behind to train for 3 months, turnover, go underway for 3 months and do engineering drills ad nauseum with an ORSE at the end, turnover, etc., etc. for ad nauseum. Still, a lot can depend on your CO and command climate. It's just the nature of the Navy -- there is a lot of latitude given to COs and a good/bad CO can make or break your experience. The upside is that once the boat is gone with the other crew, you don't stand any duty while in-port and essentially just have a day job.

My biggest complaint (and this is not unique to SSNs) was that you don't really get to make many decisions as a sub JO, both on watch and in terms of your division. On watch, almost everything you do has to be approved by the CO (forward and some aft) or Eng (aft). As a nuke divo, the training framework is dictated by NR and planned by the Eng. Forward it's done by the XO. And despite the way the boat trains for ORSE drills, the CO/ENG don't want to talk to a JO when something important in the plant breaks, even when he has the right answer. A lot of people sign up to be officers to make decisions, but you won't get many opportunities to do that in your first tour -- at least not decisions that matter. Almost universally when I talked to guys from other boats at PNEO, JOs felt heavily micro-managed. Your job on-watch/on-duty is to execute a plan you probably had little input, if any, into making while ensuring everyone follows proper safety protocols. You'll spend most of your time off-watch keeping up admin programs and monitoring maintenance. But that is also a common complaint in the SWO world. The only way to get away from this in the unrestricted line world is to go pilot or SEAL where there's not an O-4/O-5 standing over your shoulder while you do your job. Really, you're there to learn the basics of standing watch in the plant, ship driving, and get a sampling of how all the departments work. That's about it.

My second biggest complaint is COs like to reinvent the wheel, so when XO/CO (or Commodore sometimes) turnover you can expect to re-do standing plans and training plans not because it's wrong, but so it is in a format he desires.

[Bergeron37]

Thanks again spekkio you have been a real help. Not just me, from your posts I can see you take a great deal of time to try to help others.

I was on an SSN. I chose it because I liked the mission better and didn't joint the Navy to stay in one spot. Also, if I decided to stay in, I wanted my 2nd tour to be on an SSBN so that it's more conducive to family (you cannot do two SSBN tours for JO/DH, but you can do two consecutive SSN tours although they try to get you to alternate).

It seems my early thoughts on deciding are similar to what yours were. Hopefully that translates into timing! Lol  

It's not a coincidence that I and the other JOs who stood a forward watch on deployment are staying in and most of the guys stuck in the ER for deployment are getting out. We got to participate in the cool stuff; they got to watch gages that never moved.

I certainly wouldn't want one bad tour to affect a potentially rewarding second tour, third, and so on, God Willing. Were you on a regular speaking basis with anyone that had the boring experience and stayed in because they were aware that there was more interesting things (via interactions with you)?

Having said that, some people were nonplussed at the 'cool stuff' and standing watch on station dancing with the one-eyed lady so a team of crypto guys taking up everyone's racks can record stuff on hard drives can get old. You don't even know what they're downloading.

I'm trying my best to keep up with the acronyms and navy lingo through the navy nukes terms thread. This one has me stumped. But regarding the content, I would assume a lot of preparation and hard work may be for things that you don't know; what's best for country, right? But I guess this is more in your face .

I suppose that's the long way of telling you that you can't really predict what your experience is going to be like. It depends a lot on the boat's schedule, where you go on deployment, how good your CO is at training JOs and his tolerance for pain in doing so, and your Eng's ability to schedule critical events while you are a nuke divo.

There seems to be a lot of variables at work here. Deployment location may be the only one that you have a sliver of say it seems.

The upside is that once the boat [SSBN] is gone with the other crew, you don't stand any duty while in-port and essentially just have a day job.

This may be a frustrating question to see, because it may be silly. But I understand while on the boat you are (or should) be trying to qualify in any free time. Is it possible that when first stationed you are the off crew, and if so, can you try to qualify while doing on shore simulations? Or at any time for that matter.

My biggest complaint (and this is not unique to SSNs) was that you don't really get to make many decisions as a sub JO, both on watch and in terms of your division. Really, you're there to learn the basics of standing watch in the plant, ship driving, and get a sampling of how all the departments work. That's about it.
My second biggest complaint is COs like to reinvent the wheel, so when XO/CO (or Commodore sometimes) turnover you can expect to re-do standing plans and training plans not because it's wrong, but so it is in a format he desires.

How much of this are you hoping to see resolved for your next tour?

[Samabby]

" This one has me stumped "

Here is an old Airdale guess...............

pivoting around the periscope 

[Bergeron37]

pivoting around the periscope 

Makes sense hah

[spekkio]

I certainly wouldn't want one bad tour to affect a potentially rewarding second tour, third, and so on, God Willing. Were you on a regular speaking basis with anyone that had the boring experience and stayed in because they were aware that there was more interesting things (via interactions with you)?

You're on a regular speaking basis with everyone on the boat. Being a nuke DIVO and standing watch/duty in the ER is 100x more time intensive and 10x more boring than standing watch up forward. Plus, most people join the military to feel like they've done something to serve their country; you don't really get that job satisfaction in the ER. It's difficult to explain to someone who hasn't done the job before, but I have yet to meet a single person who says "man, standing watch in the nuclear power plant is friggin awesome! I'm so glad I joined the submarine force everytime I relieve as EOOW/EDO" or "I'm so glad I'm the battlestations EOOW!" It just doesn't really have that 'excitement factor,' although I would counter that if you were really looking for that in the midst of two ground wars, why didn't you join the USMC or USA and try for infantry?

Then there's the factor that they see what DHs have to do... it's a really time-intensive job, so if you don't like what you do you're not going to stay in to see if you like it with even less sleep and free time.

There seems to be a lot of variables at work here. Deployment location may be the only one that you have a sliver of say it seems.

No, you don't get to choose deployment location. That's planned at the O-7 and above level. You have no control over any of these variables. You could also get the kiss of death -- assigned to a ship already in drydock or newcon right out of prototype. You can't qualify on the ship you're assigned to because the boat is stuck inport for 6+ months, everyone hates you because you "replaced" a fully qualified JO who was standing in the duty rotation, no one wants to take time out of their days to give you checkouts because they have maintenance to do before going on liberty, and they'll treat the fact that you go on a ride and spend every second of the day trying to get all your watches and prac-facs done in a month as a 'good deal.'

Is it possible that when first stationed you are the off crew, and if so, can you try to qualify while doing on shore simulations? Or at any time for that matter.

You can do certain prac-facs in a trainer, but there are many where you cannot. The only way you will be able to get qualified is to spend time on an underway ship. If you hit an SSBN in off-crew, it would be beneficial to you because you can get a lot your knowledge stuff done before you go underway, instead of vice-versa.

How much of this are you hoping to see resolved for your next tour?

Some of it for department related stuff, but when standing OOD you still need to practically tell the CO that you intend to sneeze 2 hours into the watch, and he'll still be standing over your shoulder for anything that remotely requires an in-situ decision. Generally, if you gain his trust/confidence, you can usually just tell him what you want to do and he'll go along with it. If not, he'll micro-manage you. But don't let the recruiters tell you otherwise -- you have no real decision-making power over that ship until you're an O-5.

[Gamecock]

I'm so glad I joined the submarine force everytime I relieve as EOOW/EDO"

I was glad I joined the nuclear navy every time I relieved the watch as EOOW/PPWO/EDO/RDO.  I guess I was that one guy.

[GLW]

I was glad I joined the nuclear navy every time I relieved the watch as EOOW/PPWO/EDO/RDO.  I guess I was that one guy.

Probably because for every hundred Captain Kirk wannabees there's only one Mr. Scott,..

Hello Mr. Scott, proud to know ya,...

[HydroDave63]

Probably because for every hundred Captain Kirk wannabees there's only one Mr. Scott,..

Hello Mr. Scott, proud to know ya,...

Or is that "for every hundred redshirts there's only one Mr. Scott..." ??

[klj3827]

It just doesn't really have that 'excitement factor,'

That's a good thing.  "Excitement" in nuclear power often means it is a bad day.

[Bergeron37]

That's a good thing.  "Excitement" in nuclear power often means it is a bad day.

So I've heard    I'd assume some excitement wouldn't be so "exciting" while miles off coast, deep underwater..