Navy nuke life.

[firefox]

Hello guys. Would anyone be able to guide me as to what a typical work day on a carrier after 'A' school is like for an ET (assuming that I get picked in that rate). Does they work an lot in a hot engine room? How much time do you get to have off on board for taking distance learning classes. Is the access to the internet for coursework and keeping in touch with family while on deployments. And more importantly, is there a high risk of being stationed overseas and would having a family be of some consideration when it comes to duty stations. If anyone could share their experiences as to what their first duty assignment was.
I was told by the recruiter that the ships go out on test runs for a few weeks and then come back to base. Other times ships are deployed. Could anyone tell me how often in a year can one expect to be away from home. And what happens when the ships are docked and not out at sea. What is the work day like then and what are the nukes expected to do during that time.

[taterhead]

Well, there are several answers to this relatively simple question.  In port is different from at sea.  Shipyard is different from not in shipyard.  ORSE workups are different from non workups.  It all depends.  Generally, you show up at 0700 and work until 1500 or 1600.  Sometimes, it's shorter.  Rarely is it longer.  In my experience, I have seen submariners work longer hours.  Hats off to them.

Contrary to what you may think, workdays in the shipyard periods are generally the most strenuous, due to having to facilitate shipyard work with extra watchstanders, tagout hangers, etc.  You take your operator hat off and put your maintenance hat on.

In addition to "working hours" underway, you will stand watch.  Junior sailors will have no better than 5 on/15 off rotation.  Senior qualified sailors are much more likely to see augments and better rotations.

Speaking for carrier life, you CAN take classes after you qualify Senior in Rate.  There won't be time for you to sit at a computer for hours due to limited computers in offices.  Generally, you will be allowed to check email...that's it.  there are other methods by which you can take classes after you are SIR qualified.

At this time, there is *NO* risk of being stationed overseas on a carrier.  Perhaps in a few years you could get Japan, but for now, no.

Carrier underway time is variable.  There used to be a time when they were at least predictable, but its hard to say anymore.  I would say that you can expect to be underway roughly 60-75% of the time.  Of course, every ship makes deployments, but every ship also makes planned availabilities in the shipyard, where you may spend 4-9 months in port at a time. 

[_ELT_]

As an ET you would spend a lot of time in a small air conditioned box in the plant.  A school, however, is not your last stop prior to getting to the fleet.  You will have another year or so of Power school and then Prototype - where you'll learn a lot more about what it's like to be in the fleet.  Not exactly, but closer.

Once you report to the carrier (or submarine, if that's the route you go - and yep, those are your only two choices) you will go through more basic qualifications that every nuclear rate goes through - which covers basic knowledge of all 3 rates (ET, EM, MM).  After that, you will begin working on your senior in rate quals - that would be Reactor Operator or Reactor Technician for an ET.  That will take you a while - somewhere from 6 or 8 months to over a year (I've seen some ET's take up to 2 years - but by taking so long you are only buying yourself more time at work - as you are required to put in "extra hours" - yep, mandatory)...

No overseas duty unless you choose to transfer after 5 years on the carrier (sub)...you WILL, however, go on at least one 6 month deployment...it's the navy - there's really no way out of that....you won't be "stationed" overseas, though.  The deployment will mean that you spend the entire 6 months away from your family and underway.

As far as college...PACE courses are not real popular in the nuke world, as there's limited time you DON'T spend at work - and you'll probably end up getting college courses either at the local university or online...all paid for by the navy - except books.

I would only go ET if you're VERY electrically and physics inclined...there is no real advantage to any of the rates...as they tell you in A School - or even what the recruiter told you...

I remember wanting to be an ET when I first thought about joining...I got MM and then put in for ELT and got that...I thank God I didn't get ET.  ELT is definitely the way to go.

Hope this helps...

[firefox]

Thank you so much guys. Your input has really helped me get a better understanding of nuke life. I am not sure however what an ELT is. What does an ELT do that is diferent from an MM. And what are PACE classes, how are they different from online classes taken at say Old dominion.
I have heard that people have obtained degrees while being in the program. Do nukes work a lot more hours compared to most other fields in general. WHat is a typical work day for a nuke (any rating). How much time do they have underway to pursue other things. The 6 month deployment is fine. I have no problems with it. I would be concered though if there were like 3-4 of those in my 4 years on the fleet. So what do the shipts do when not on 6 month deployments. Test runs of 2 or more weeks and then back to shore?
I want to thank you personally again for the information and advice so far guys. I am still trying to decide if I should go nuke or AECF and your answers make it a lot easier to do so.

[_ELT_]

To answer your q's:

~An ELT is a Chemist/Radiological specialist
~An MM is a mechanic (valve repair, pump repair, machinery operating)
~An ET works with reactor controls (the control panel)
~An EM is an electrician (circuits, switchboards)
~PACE stands for Program for Afloat College Education - taking classes in classrooms onboard - difference b/w these and online courses at ODU is that you don't have a lot of online time underway - maybe five minutes a day to check your email - tops.
~Yes, a lot of people earn degrees.  The nuke program provides you with about 70-80 college credits.  It's up to you to finish them and get a degree.  Not hard, not easy.  This takes commitment and the willingness to work on your off time.
~Typical work day (in port) is 0700-1500 working on maintenance, quals, watch...with duty every 3-5 days (depends on the status of your ship)
~Typical work day (underway) is 0700-1500 for miscellaneous work - plus watch rotation of about 5 and 15's (on watch 5 hours, off watch 15 hours - this goes on for the whole underway.  You have a 20-hour day...until it starts all over again)  You lose track of time...sleep when you can, work on quals and whathaveyou on your 15 hours off watch.
~There's typically one six month deployment, then a year and a half in port, another 6 month deployment...etc.
~Yes, test runs of 1-2 weeks while in port, if not in a maintenance shipyard...

[firefox]

Thanks a lot _ELT_. Think Ive gotten a better understanding of what it is like. Except for the schedule when underway. I didnt quite figure out how exactly the watches fit into the 7:00-15:00 work schedules. In simpler words would you be able to tell me how many nights in a week are sailors on the 5 and 15  supposed to spend on watches. Because I didnt understand where the 15 hrs off are counted from.
Also you said typical work day in port is 07:00-15:00 with duty every 3-5 days. If it requires 3 days of duty does that really mean the navy will just let u chill out for the other 4 days of the week while in port. Or i guess it kind of evens out for working 7 days a week while underway. Is that how it works?
You also did mention that many sailors get their degrees from a local university or online. When exactly are these courses taken if there is limited time underway.
Thanks again for the info.

[_ELT_]

When speaking of the underway schedule, you have to imagine that 24 hour days no longer exist.  You have to forget that the sun and the clock are on 24 hour rotations...imagine this...

You are a qualified watchstander (this will take you about three months as ELT, a lot longer for ET...you WANT to be a qualified watchstander).  You will be on 5 and 15 rotation on (let's say you go ELT - as that's what I know most about) watch in the plant. 

"Day one of any random week underway"
0600 - wake up (reveille)
0700 - muster with division for quarters - here you will get the day's plan and work list from your LPO (your boss)
0700-1100 - work on day's work list for division (differs from ET to ELT to MM to EM....)
1100-1130 - eat lunch
1130-1500 - work on day or week's work list (follow directions from your LPO)
1500-1700 - work on other quals, eat dinner (this time is yours most of the time)
1700-2200 - you are on watch in the plant.  You do not leave the plant.  You take logs.
2200-0600 - this time is yours.  Eat again, shower, sleep...
(going, now, into day 2...)
0600- wake up
0700 - muster
0700-1100 - work
1100-1200 - lunch, work
1200-1700 - you are on watch again.  You see - you stand watch for five hours, you get fifteen hours off.  When you're on watch, the rest of the work day goes on without you - just as the day before, the work day went on without the watchstander you relieved at 1700....

This goes on and on and on and on while underway.  You live in 20 hour work days on a 5 and 15 rotation.  There are other rotations as well - 4 and 8's (4 hrs on watch, 8 hrs off watch, 4 hrs back on watch......etc.) and 6 and 6's - you get it?  with 4 & 8's your day is 12 hours long until it repeats itself, same with 6 & 6's.  There's also "Five and dimes" - five hours on, ten hours off...

You can only eat and sleep, etc. when you are off watch (be it 6, 8, 10, or 15 hours...)  The normal work day (0700-1500) goes on whether you're there or not - in the background of the watches being stood....

NOW - for in-port explanation...

In port, you work regular work days - come to work at 0700, leave for home at 1500 (assuming you don't live onboard - in which case, you go wherever you want...)
On top of the normal work days, you still need watchstanders...hence, the Duty Section.  You will be in a Duty section rotation.  If you are in 3 section duty you will have a schedule that looks like this:
Monday - 0700-1500
Tues - 0700-1500
Weds - 0700 until 1500 on Thursday (on this overnighter, you stand watch on whatever rotation the plant needs)
Thursday at 1500 - go home
Friday - 0700-1500
Saturday - off
Sunday - 0700 until 1500 on Monday
Monday at 1500 - go home

On five section duty, you will do the overnighter once every five days...keep in mind, you still have every weekday as a normal work day ON TOP of duty.  You will never just chill out for the other days.  Ever.

You can take online courses while in port providing you have an internet connection AT HOME.  As I said earlier - internet time underway is EXTREMELY limited.  You can take these courses at your convenience - at home....

PACE classes are offered at scheduled times underway - the whole ship utilizes them, not just Reactor Dept.  If you're on watch at the time of the class that day, however, you will miss that class...

[firefox]

Thanks again for the in depth explanation _ELT_. Based on what you have told me, the first two days of the week while underway are clear. But after that it starts to get confusing again. I guess i have to get used to the 20 hr works days. But it seems like while underway you are constantly working 13 hrs a day on an average, 7 days a week. Is there a day off in a week or somethin?
Based on the hours you gave me its seems like it is 5 hrs on watch, 14 hrs off. It pretty late at night so pardon any dumb mistakes i might have overlooked. 22:00-12:00 between watches for the first time. Based on what you told me I tried figuring out the rest of the days. on a 5 and 15 rotation tell me if this is accurate,

starting the first day

7:00 - 15:00 (work)  17:00-22:00 (watch)   22:00 - 7:00 (off)

7:00 - 12:00 (work)  12:00 -17:00 (watch)  17:00 - 7:00 (off)

7:00 - 12:00 (watch)  12:00 - 15:00 (work)  15:00 - 2:00 (off)

2:00 - 7:00 (watch)   7:00-15:00 (work)   15:00 - 22:00 (off)

22:00 - 3:00 (watch)   3:00 - 7:00 (off)  ...back to the start of the cycle  and over and over again.

6 months of that continuous let alone 2 weeks makes me wonder how the nukes manage to keep their sanity. workin 13 hrs a day seven days a week is fine, but add  constantly changing work timings like that and a person could go crazy.
How do people find the time for classes or anything else for that matter.

[HydroDave63]

6 months of that continuous let alone 2 weeks makes me wonder how the nukes manage to keep their sanity. workin 13 hrs a day seven days a week is fine, but add  constantly changing work timings like that and a person could go crazy.


How do people find the time for classes or anything else for that matter.

The nuclear power propulsion program should NOT be confused with "Semester at Sea" from the University of Pittsburgh, etc. It is not about 'esoteric encounters with fellow 20-somethings exploring life's possibilities in a relaxed academic setting.....yada yada'  If it was easy, anyone could do it, and they wouldnt be throwing good pay and bonuses at nukes. One part of life aboard ship, especially for the nukes, is that things are always subject to change at a moment's notice, and you have to able AND willing to perform 100%. You will be part of a crew of a vessel that goes in harm's way, to make war if needed. That's not just some hokey recruiting phrase. There are Nukeworkers here who have been depth charged in bodies of water most of us can't pronounce or find on a map. Or been overflown by a Tu-95 Bear-D with missiles. Or pulled shore power cables in a foreign port while the government that was in power last week has just been toppled in a coup, and half your crew is still trapped in Olongapo. That's the beauty of the nuke program, you're signed up for the full Monty.

Having said all that, _ELT_ has done an excellent and through job of outlining a typical schedule when there isnt any adventure or serious work going on. Or REFTRA, ORSE and general quarters, which do also pop up when you least expect it. It's all part of the package deal.

It's not just a job (or a subsidized degree program), it's an adventure!   

[s_Phoenix]

6 months of that continuous let alone 2 weeks makes me wonder how the nukes manage to keep their sanity. workin 13 hrs a day seven days a week is fine, but add  constantly changing work timings like that and a person could go crazy.
How do people find the time for classes or anything else for that matter.

Your missing a key item.  The simple moto of being a six month is that you make it seem like 3 months by sleeping hlf of it.   Just because you work day last's to 1500 doesnt mean that have that much work.  Work comes and goes while underway there may be a few days in a month of underway that you are realy bizzy with work then the rest of the time its slow.

[rumrunner]

I loved the duty on the Nimitz as opposed to my time on the now-gone nuke cruisers (USS Texas in my case - what a POS).  When we set ORSE watches in preparation for the inspection, we always had the ORSE watchstanders locked in on 5 and dimes and they were exempt from the regular ship's workday.  All they did was stand watch, get drilled to death, eat and sleep.  When I was on the Nimitz we had so many ELTs (this was in the early 80's) that on our way back to NORVA from a Med cruise we were standing 5 and 30's for the ELT watches.  PPWS was on 5 and 45.  At the time the Nimitz did not have a routine work day and we were off for most of the days at sea because we did our PMs and such on watch.  Our quarters was at 1600 hours every day and all we had to do was come to the division office and sign a roster and then leave.  All of that and the RL Division office was three steps from the aft mess deck.  Not bad duty!

 

[shovelheadred]

RUMRUNNER....SHIPMATE.....all I ever heard about a carrier was it is a target.we had some good duty on that TARGET....3-1 duty in the yard,,,,no workdays.......and on the duty day you may not even have a watch to stand,,,,,,,,,man we had it good.....I dont miss those daze,,,nor do I remember much about them..what time we werent home partying we were at JEFFSON's at NNS....having a beer for lunch

[tonynuke]

I loved the duty on the Nimitz as opposed to my time on the now-gone nuke cruisers (USS Texas in my case - what a POS).  When we set ORSE watches in preparation for the inspection, we always had the ORSE watchstanders locked in on 5 and dimes and they were exempt from the regular ship's workday.  All they did was stand watch, get drilled to death, eat and sleep.  When I was on the Nimitz we had so many ELTs (this was in the early 80's) that on our way back to NORVA from a Med cruise we were standing 5 and 30's for the ELT watches.  PPWS was on 5 and 45.  At the time the Nimitz did not have a routine work day and we were off for most of the days at sea because we did our PMs and such on watch.  Our quarters was at 1600 hours every day and all we had to do was come to the division office and sign a roster and then leave.  All of that and the RL Division office was three steps from the aft mess deck.  Not bad duty!

Wow...you those must have been much better days than the ones i spent on the Nimitz (98-2003).  Mine were not near as cheery.  The commericial biz is a cakewalk in comparison to life in that place!   
 

[rumrunner]

RUMRUNNER....SHIPMATE.....all I ever heard about a carrier was it is a target.we had some good duty on that TARGET....3-1 duty in the yard,,,,no workdays.......and on the duty day you may not even have a watch to stand,,,,,,,,,man we had it good.....I dont miss those daze,,,nor do I remember much about them..what time we werent home partying we were at JEFFSON's at NNS....having a beer for lunch

Ahh, yes.  Jeffson's.  We'd get a couple bottles of Miller Low Life for the drive home to Hampton.  Mitch would get a six pack! 

Compared to nuke cruiser life, the Nimitz was paradise.....relatively speaking.  BTW, we have a new contractor at BFN who knows Hoodwink.  He is still at Waterford.

[rumrunner]

Wow...you those must have been much better days than the ones i spent on the Nimitz (98-2003).  Mine were not near as cheery.  The commericial biz is a cakewalk in comparison to life in that place!   
 

Oh, it wasn't all peaches and cream!  I remember the haircut nazis (master at arms) used to camp out in a cranny next to the RL Div office and write us up for haircuts, sloppy uniforms, etc.  They loved to mess with us.  One even told shovelheadred that he was going to "<bleep> him over".  We also had a new Reactor Officer show up in my last few months who was a real PITA - total opposite of the really great RO he replaced.  He was working hard on punching his ticket onward and upward in his illustrious naval career.  All he did was guarantee that a lot of talented sailors would not re-enlist - me included, and I had 10 years active duty.