USS Enterprise

[joncashk]

Hey all.  Class 0405 here.  ET, getting ready to qualify in 4 days (that is if I pass my oral board).  I got orders to the Enterprise and I was wondering if anyone has ever served on the 'prise and their opinions on it.  I've heard nothing but good things from the people on my crew, but sarcasm runs wild so I don't know whether or not to take what they're saying seriously. 

[taterhead]

I have never served on the big E, but I have many friends who have, and despite all the awful rumors I had heard about it, they always spoke fondly of her.

I think it's a little fraternity of sorts.

[STPRISE]

Congratulations on your getting to your oral board. best of luck. I am an MM1 on board the USS ENTERPRISE in Reactor Mechanical division. You are about to become one of the crew of the most challenging and unique ship in the US Navy. I have been onboard three years and have seen some of the most interesting and amazing things being a member of this crew. We are currently in the shipyard, which is a challenge, but hopefully short lived. My only suggestion to you is qualify early. You are going to hit road blocks when you qualify, especially RO/SRO, and being dink is not acceptable here, no matter what division you are in. Also, being a part of your division is better than standing in the sidelines. Get involved in maintenance and take on a collatoral duty. Congratulations again on being given the opportunity of serving on board the USS ENTERPRISE

[ramdog_1]

 Is the USS Enterprise  the Flag ship of the navy?

[Marlin]

No,... Star Fleet...

[Austria]

Good luck on your oral boards and congratulations on your assignment to the Big E !

STPRISE got it right by saying the Enterprise is challenging and unique. I was in RL division (1982-1986) and learned more, did more, and received more experience than I could have hoped for. Sometimes it sucked, sometimes it was a blast. But in the end it was certainly challenging, unique, and the best assignment I could have hoped for out of prototype.

Again...GOOD LUCK and CONGRATULATIONS.

[Fermi2]

Run by a  Nuke School classmate of mine.


http://www.mooj.com/rxdept.htm


Mike

[Yogi2006]

I spent 5 years on the Enterprise from '88 to '93.  Went through a good portion of the refueling and made it out just fine.  It wasn't until much later that I realized how much I learned and enjoyed my time on the Enterprise.  Good luck and remember that it is always better to qualify early.

[davidneisner]

I am an ET 2 on the Enterprise now.( RC-23) I get out here in a few months.  Well,  good luck.  Don't re-enlist untill you see how bad things are at sea.  And it won't get better after orse.  It doesn't get better until your eaos.  Things have changed since I was in quals, so I don't have much advice.  Enjoy the time that you are inport.  It really sucks when you deploy.  The food is the worst.  And you will be going to a very hot place.  Enjoy the sandbox and drink alot of beer to get some sea stories.  Try to occupy your time so you don't have to think about that place so much.  Gosh I can't wait to get out.  128 days left till eaos. 

[deltarho]

   Gee, don't mince your words...tell us how you really feel.  No need to hold back here.

Big theme from most of these comments prior to yours is that one day you will grow up and realize that you actually did something.  I akin it to looking at it as if you were a block of steel--forged into something useful.  As Yoda would say, "Your potential, you know not." 

[Fermi2]

I am an ET 2 on the Enterprise now.( RC-23) I get out here in a few months.  Well,  good luck.  Don't re-enlist untill you see how bad things are at sea.  And it won't get better after orse.  It doesn't get better until your eaos.  Things have changed since I was in quals, so I don't have much advice.  Enjoy the time that you are inport.  It really sucks when you deploy.  The food is the worst.  And you will be going to a very hot place.  Enjoy the sandbox and drink alot of beer to get some sea stories.  Try to occupy your time so you don't have to think about that place so much.  Gosh I can't wait to get out.  128 days left till eaos. 

Want some cheese with that Whine?

Mike

[aabrams]

While I was never on the Enterprise, I did spend a few years on the Bainbridge (the mini mobile Chernobyl).  Take advantage of going to an older ship with older ship problems.  You are going to learn more about maintenance than your Nimitz class counterparts, be more marketable to the Navy, and have a better appreciation for doing things right when the consequences of doing them wrong won't be seen for years to come.  Hopefully there are plenty of people like davidneiser on board Enterprise.  As long as you don't follow their lead, you will have an easier time standing out amongst the slackers.

[davidneisner]

I don't think I was trying to give the impression that I was complaining. I did recieve a lot of expeirience and education from the navy and enterprise.  It was worth it but i'm glad i'm getting out.  I don't think it is a good idea to lead someone to believe that the enterprise is a pretty place to be.  The quals and work will probably be like any other ship.  ( not sure because I haven't been to any other ship ).  I said don't re-enlist right away because i've seen many do so right when they are eligible at the 2 year point.  That would be before they even get asigned to a plant and or go to sea.  Then they regret it a few years down the road.  Re-enlisting isn't a bad thing,  just wait untill a deployment and do it tax free.  Then you will have enough experience to know that its what you really want and you will save some money from a tax free zone.  We are almost out of the yards and back to NOB.  At that time you will probably have more free time then you ever did in school.  Just don't go dink.  Right now we are on 3 section duty, so you will have to be on the ship every 3rd day.  At NOB, it will be 4 or 5 section.  I would recomend getting some roomates and finding a place to live.  even without bah.  Its not hard to make e5 for et's.  Good luck and don't believe the roomers about a reactor filled with sement, or extremely high radiation. 

[kwicslvr]

You guys are really pathetic some times.  Every ones opinion here is great as long as it says good things about there time somewhere but as soon as someone states an opinion on how they feel about it that contradictes others those people call him out and make fun of him.   That is one of the biggest reasons I left the navy, all the frickin' children.  Every one has a right to there opinion and it should be respected and not bashed on.  You people really need to grow up.

The Navy is not all rosey and awesome.  Especially as a nuke.  The training and experience you get is great.  The port calls when you get them can be fun.  Outside of that is long hours, little pay, almost no respect for your dedication besides a little ribbon or piece of paper every now and then and a long time away from family and loved ones.

On the subject of reenlisting.  Do not do it until after your first deployment.  Determine then if that way of life is for you or not.   Some people like some don't but definately wait to renelist.   They will try to flash money in front of your face to get you to do it but don't let that tempt you.  You can make that much times 5 on the outside in the same amount of time.  Never reenlist for the money. 

Set goals for yourself and stick to them.  Don't let anyone tell you whats best for you.  Do your own research and you determine what is best for you.   They kept trying to force me to qualify EWS and that it would look really good on my resume 1) how the heck would they know when they have never been out of the navy, 2) a degree looks a hell of a lot better than being qualified EWS.  That and it will take you farther faster.


Good Luck in the future and with the choices you make.  Don't sweat your board you have procedures in there with you, use them.  Give confident answers.  If you don't know an answer tell them,  put it up in the corner of the board and come back to it later.  Something else during your board might help you remember the ansewr to it.   Another thing is to work with them and listen to how they word the questions.   A lot of times they are trying to help you figure an answer out if you are stuck.

[roadhp]

Been there, done that, got the hat to prove it (1990 - 93, Crew A ELT PPWS).  The Enterprise is almost like any other vessel in the Navy, complicated at first, but you will get the hang of it after a while.  The Enterprise is alot more complicated than the Nimitz class (Carl Vinson, 1985 - 88), and a hellofalot bigger than the submarine fleet (Dixon, AS-37, 1988 - 90).  I agree, do NOT go dinq there or anywhere you find yourself.  The extra hours suck and the morale you feel from others will be bad because you are not available to help them with the watchbill.  Just one more person on the watchbill could mean the difference between 5 and dimes and 4 section rotation, not to mention the in-port watchbill, which could mean an extra night off for your shipmates.
    My time on the Enterprise was entirely in the yards with the exception of 2 weeks at sea before starting the refuel, so I do not know about the underway time on her, but on the Carl Vinson it was mostly work, what with the ORSE or MTT preps, the regular watches, the maintenance, and the GQ drills, not to mention fighting with the airdales over the chow line.  Good luck.

[20 Years Gone]

   There was once a young man who worked for me on the Big E.  He was a typical nub, qualifying mostly on time, and being where he was supposed to be on time, doing what was asked of him.  After I left the ship, he continued to grow in experience, until at his 3 year point on board, he was an old hand, and one of those who were sought out for answers and to get things done. 
   Towards the end of a particular ship yard period, when NRRO was constantly present, and delays were more painful than at other times, a precritical check-off had to be performed.  For whatever reason, the ship had recently had issues with pre-crits, where various administrative errors were committed in their performance, and the Command was not happy.  So, the Reactor Officer personally briefed our young hero and another likeminded young sailor, that the pre-crit must be done right, and must be done correctly.  They began.
   As soon as they were finished witht the last step, but before they or the reactor technician could review their paperwork, the pre-crit was taken for review by higher authority, and a mistake was found.  Now, while we all know that human performance tools are critical in the civilian (sorry, commercial) world, and that humans do make mistakes... The Navy in many instances dosen't acknowledge this fact.  Mistakes are simply not tolerated. (This may be understandable, given that it is indeed a vessel of war which is trying to return to the fight)     
   Anyway, the two young men were sent to Captains Mast, and though their LPO, CPO, DO, and RCA went to bat for them, the RO demanded an example be set.  One of the young men has re-enlisted, and was under orders to prototype.  He lost those orders.  The other young man hadn't re-enlisted, and his time left in the Navy was bitter.
   Moral:  It is true that there are those in the Navy who whine, and didn't do their job from day one.  These are to be avoided.  But sometimes bad things happen to good people, and they simply want to leave the nest of Navy Nuclear Power for greener pastures.

[kwicslvr]

Oh, so in your "real world" you can just go around stating your opinion and not having to worry about reaction to it?

What reality is that?  What ALT world do you exist in?

If you make a statement, you have to be ready to stand by it.  Such is life.

Remember, alot comes across in the delivery.

No, it's fine for others to react to it, but say something valid and not something like  " "  and the other stupid pissy comments.  That just shows immaturity.  Last time I looked we are all grown ups here and not children, so let's act like grown up and not verbally attack people for their opinions like what happened above.   You being a moderator should understand this above all......and especially not take sides.  You should remain neutral to put and end to it, not continue it.

[taterhead]

I reacted to his original post, and he clarified his position.  It sounded like whining.  Reread it and dispute that.

You jumped in on it WEEKS later.

[joncashk]

Okay, well I've been on board for about 6 months now and I've pretty much drawn my conclusions about Big E.  She is a VERY old ship, and a very annoying one at that.  I've learned that you can't compare your life to your friend's lives on other ships because you will go crazy if you do.  I've experienced 3 section duty, port and starboards, lock shift work, spent a month out at sea, went dead in the water, and I'm preparing to go to sea from now until pretty much next Thanksgiving.  It is very hard sometimes, especially now that I'm married. It is very hard to deal with the upper COC here, especially the RO.  I rarely dispise people, but I haven't found a good quality about that man yet.  But, I have made quite a few friends and I believe that it will be a rewarding experience in the end.  I know way more about my stuff onboard Big E than my counterparts from my class on other ships.  Hopefully it will turn out fine...

[HydroDave63]

Find something about the ship and your duties to enjoy and get proficient at doing it....makes the time go by easier, and you might just make yourself more valuable when you reach EAOS...