Rate your fleet Experience!

[withroaj]

Rate yer fleet experience!  You can change your vote if you change your mind. 

[Gamecock]

I actually aspire to be NAVSEA 08, not CNO   

[withroaj]

I actually aspire to be NAVSEA 08, not CNO   

Poll options corrected, sir.

[Marlin]

For some of the us with a little more history behind us "It was better than Vietnam" would be the choice.

[dagiffy]

Life on a carrier: the most miserable experience of my entire life. Bar none. Then again, I never got sea sick.

[withroaj]

Life on a carrier: the most miserable experience of my entire life. Bar none. Then again, I never got sea sick.

I really hope you're not talking about an A4W carrier...  If you are, I envy you.  Other than some boredom and frustration, the misery index on A4W's seems pretty negligible to me.  I guess that 10-month marathon deployment that LINCOLN went on would have sucked.  A bunch.

[93-383]

I really hope you're not talking about an A4W carrier...  If you are, I envy you.  Other than some boredom and frustration, the misery index on A4W's seems pretty negligible to me.  I guess that 10-month marathon deployment that LINCOLN went on would have sucked.  A bunch.

I will have to agree that some of the worst times in my life where onboard CVN-71 however some of the best times where onboard CVN-71. Having never been underway on a SSN or SSBN I won't try to guess at the quality of life differances, that being said every ex-sub guy on the carrier hated it and said they wanted to go back to subs. The reason most often given was the quality of leadership and people.

[withroaj]

I will have to agree that some of the worst times in my life where onboard CVN-71 however some of the best times where onboard CVN-71. Having never been underway on a SSN or SSBN I won't try to guess at the quality of life differences, that being said every ex-sub guy on the carrier hated it and said they wanted to go back to subs. The reason most often given was the quality of leadership and people.

Quality of life CVN vs. SSN:  Think of something that seems inadequate on a CVN.  It's most likely non-existent on a SSN. 

In port working hours are better on CVN, except for the fact that CVN's like to start up days in advance, putting Rx in port/stbd. SSN nukes come in early on the day they go underway, start up and go.  I've noticed some military differences as well, but they seem to even out. 

As far as hating the carrier and wanting to go back to a boat...  Not really.  Sure I miss the guys from the boat, and I keep in touch with quite a few.  I work with great people on the ship right now (though a submarine's crew is a lot tighter group), and I'll work with great people on shore duty (or civilian life -- haven't decided yet); so there's no reason to hate the carrier just because these new people aren't the same as my old people.  Leadership works the same way.  I've been lucky my entire time in the Navy.  I had probably the best CPO quarters and wardroom that ever lived when I was on the boat, and I work with some kick-ass chiefs and officers on the carrier.

[Harley Rider]

I could go on and on here in this thread about my experiences on sea duty however the bottom line is I loved it. On November 8th 1989 I flew onto the USS Enterprise in the South China sea and I did not leave a sea duty billet until I retired last month. Being at sea on any vessel is a rare privilege a fortunate few will experience. I for one will miss it greatly.

[DSO]

Whats good about indentured servitude floating compared to on land?  Hmmm--let me think--not much room or privacy on the three SSN's I was on and working out with dumbells on rubber mats was not my idea of Ballys. 90-100 work weeks--- but you never had to worry about fixing your own food. 17.5% oxygen made you fell tired, but min--thins and coffee were the drugs of choice.  Haircuts and uniform were not made to be a big standard on a SSN like on them diggity surface ships were I hear the MAA's write you up for that stupid crap

[Preciousblue1965]

In port working hours are better on CVN, except for the fact that CVN's like to start up days in advance, putting Rx in port/stbd. SSN nukes come in early on the day they go underway, start up and go.  I've noticed some military differences as well, but they seem to even out. 

It wasn't until I talked to a guy I work with and trained(Ex-BT that went LDO and became an MPA on a Gator or something that still had boilers) that I learned how much of the conventional carrier wisdom has carried over to the nuclear.  My co-worker informed me that it is normal procedure for conventionals to come in several days early to start up the boilers and let them steam in port.  When he changed the night orders to start up the night before, the Chief Engineer threw a fit.  Another wonderful carry over was that in the surface fleet we "light off" equipment rather than "start it up" which is another carryover. 

[withroaj]

I could go on and on here in this thread about my experiences on sea duty however the bottom line is I loved it. On November 8th 1989 I flew onto the USS Enterprise in the South China sea and I did not leave a sea duty billet until I retired last month. Being at sea on any vessel is a rare privilege a fortunate few will experience. I for one will miss it greatly.

Just reading this caused my computer to develop salt deposits.    It is always good, though, to hear from senior enlisted leadership who actually like their jobs.  We don't always get to see that.

Thank you for staying in for the love of the profession.  We need more like you.

[AFT21]

Some of the worst times I've ever had were on the boat, and some of the best times I've ever had were with the guys from boat.  Having shared the bad times is what made the good times so good. 

MM1/SS

[HydroDave63]

Just reading this caused my computer to develop salt deposits. 

" And there we were, in the Straits of Malacca...." 

Speaking of the Big E, nothing to shake up your day to see her DIW with a 15^o list. Been there, done that.

[Preciousblue1965]

How about locking down a shaft due to abnormal noises, getting told to be in Sector A by XYZ date which will require a minimum sustained speed of ###, fixing said problem on the main engine, and being to told to unlock the shaft USING STEAM and local throttle control since we can't slow down.  Increase pucker factor due to the fact that no one on the entire ship has ever done said evolution and you get to be the "guinea-saruas-rex"(Southpark reference) Chief Machinery Operator that gets to see if it really works.

Now that was indeed rather interesting, fun, and hair raising at the same time.  After we somehow managed to safely do it, the RO decided that every watch team should do it at least once.

[withroaj]

Wow.  11-5 negative to positive on the fleet experience.  I guess I sort of expected that, but maybe this doesn't belong in the public section of the forum...  I don't intend to turn any newcomers away from the program.

[withroaj]

striking for nuclear recruiter duty?!?!?! 

Oh, I'm more of the instructor type.  I'm just working in an undermanned community.

[rlbinc]

Served aboard USS Long Beach, USS Carl Vinson, and USS Enterprise.
Triple confirmation. Didn't like, in order of detestation:
1) Brown Trout on the floor in the head
2) Lines for everything
3) Food quality
4) The Entire Deck or Supply Department of any of these surface ships
5) "It will get better after ORSE / WestPac / Gitmo / Shakedown / Commissioning..."
6)"We only need you guys to do this just once..."
7) That giant cockroach on the Long Beach that had nearly ingested my left pinky toe before I smashed him on the berthing compartment floor. I believe it had previously ingested a Vietnam Service ribbon, from the guts color.
Asbestos lagging replacement circa 1970's.
9) IX resin blow circa 1970's.
10) Puget Sound Naval Shipyard - or PeniSaNuS, we called it.

[NukeLDO]

At the time, I thought it sucked.  But in retrospect, it wasn't that bad.  Northern runs were great because there were no noise making field day evolutions, and we only drilled and killed on the way there or way back.  Certainly a feeling of job satisfaction from being able to troubleshoot and repair problems on-station.  Made some great friends, learned alot, saw alot.  And it certainly didn't hurt my career!

[Preciousblue1965]

I can say that in my short 3 years on board my carrier, I got to see things that most nukes spend 20 years and never see. 

I got to see the #4 Main Engine turbine casing lifted.  Found out we had some blades missing.

I got to unlock a shaft using steam

I had a "no pooper" GQ a week after 9/11 due to a training "mine" left in the channel at NASNI.

I got to see Main Engine bearings rolled out.

I got to see a maintenance evolution that was single cofferdam to sea.

So I got to see a lot of neato things out on the ship.  However, no amount of "neat stuff" will ever make up for the 108 days continuous underway, the port and starboard duty days at the end of the yard periods, the missed holidays, the "hurry up and wait" days, the "just in case something comes up" times, and all the other wonders of being a nuke.

[mlslstephens]

I think my name speaks for itself...so of course I loved my time in the Navy.  Being on Trident Submarines my entire career didn't allow me to see the world and do all the fun things that fast boats do.  However, there were some cool times.

The most exciting day was on March 21, 1989 for the first submarine launch of the new D-5 trident missile.

The USS TENNESSEE went on to launch many successful trident missiles but the first was exciting.

The most interesting part of the whole day was for the dependents who were watching nearby on the Range Sentinel.  The submarine had communications with the RS.  When we launched, the depth control system did not keep us on depth so we sank out and lost comms with the RS.  The 1MC on the RS went something like this...

3...2...1...missile away...missile broach...1st stage ignition...catastrophic failure...TENNESSEE make best speed down range...we've lost the TENNESSEE (speaking of comms but after a horrific explosion).

On the video, you can hear all the wives screaming...priceless!

Good times.

[HydroDave63]

no sound on vid

[mlslstephens]

no sound on vid

Yes, there is no sound on this video.  I cannot find my copy of the video where you can actually hear the countdown and the wives screaming...sorry.

[rumrunner]

I tried to make it a positive experience.  Got to see a lot of foreign liberty ports on surface ships, especially on the Nimitz, although the best quality port was on the Texas(CGN39) when we spent Christmas and New Years in La Spezia, Italy.  Nice place and great food.  Being on the Nimitz made us almost honorary citizens of Napoli. 

But it could be exciting, such as when I earned my Navy Expeditionary Medal on CVN-68 while heroically doing generator samples and the occasional primary while on Bagel Station, Lebanon.   Then there was the time the ERS on the Texas was playing drums with a screwdriver on the lower level of #1 Engine Room.  He tapped on an inlet pipe (I forget which system) and it was like Jed Clampett shooting for some food, but instead of discovering crude we had seawater start pouring in as the rusted out (but well painted) pipe busted open.  Never saw a real live DC patch installed so quickly (the leak was on the wrong side of the inlet valve).  But it gave us an unexpected week back at Norfolk in what was supposed to be an 8 week sea period.   

Carrier duty was a lot better than many think. 

[DLGN25]

Well, I will jump in on this one.  Seems things never change.  Sea duty is a function of your job and the Capitan.  The job seldom changes, but a good Capitan is a world of difference over a bad one.

Anyway, my first fleet experience was reporting aboard the USS Bainbridge in May of 1968, as she sat in dry dock in Vallejo finishing up the first refueling.  The deck watch, an ET was elated to see me as his division was expecting a new body.  When he said, "Oh no, another Nuke" I should have taken pause.

Anyway, life as a RO was three section duty in port, and 4-8's underway.  Add to that qualifications, and maintenance, there was little time to yourself.  My favorite watch was the 4-8's .  After the 16-2000 I got to watch the movie, then came the 0400-0800, a great watch, never had to go to quarters.  I did this for two years, and it was one of the most memorable experiences I had.  The ship was not a happy ship, but we did get good ports of call.  (nukes then did not get special pay, other then re-up pay)

After two years, I got orders for Idaho Falls, which I turned down, taking instead a billet on the USS Decatur DDG-31.  Life in the conventional Navy as an E-6, in Operations, was worlds apart from Nukes.  The only time I stood port and starboard watches was during condition 2 steaming during the Indian/Pakistani war.

Oh, an aside.  When I first enlisted, I wanted Submarine services, but because I wore glasses, I was not accepted.  I do remember at quarters on the Bainbridge, the Division Officer announced that the Submarine Services were looking of RO's, even with poor eye sight, and asked for volunteers.  No one step forward then or later...

After a total of six years in the Navy, I was faced with orders to the USS Enterprise or leave the Navy.  I requested dropping the nuke designator as a condition to re-enlistment.  Did not happen, so I left.