CVN-65 Decom

[joncashk]

I'm currently finishing out my tour in Kings Bay, GA and I'm getting orders back to CVN-65 here soon.  Has anyone ever done a decom?  I know the carrier is going to be a totally different world, but I'm curious as to how these things basically work.  Also, the biggest thing I'm worried about is that it's only a 24 month obliserv and I'll be reenlisting for 60 months.  Does this mean that I'll be sent to another carrier after 2 years? 

[DontGoToNPTU]

If the carrier is done with its decomm and you have 3 years left on your enlistment then yes you're going to another carrier. After two years you will not have filled your prescribed sea tour even if you go to NPTU which requires a 3 year sea tour.

[eaton1981]

It's at this point that'd I'd chime in and say "It's a trap!"

But I'm not going to. Because it's self-evident.

[HeavyD]

- First, the 24 month OBLISERV is merely the minimum amount of time remaining, on active duty, that you must have in order to fill the billet offered.  This does not mean you will have a 24 month PRD (Projected Rotation Date).

- Second, your sea counter will still be running while you are decommissioning the ship.  There will be a date when the ship is officially taken off the list of duty station's eligible for sea-duty service.  That is when your sea counter stops.  At that time, if you have time remaining to meet your 60 month sea tour, you will be transfered to another carrier or, if you have completed 36 months, you could be eligible to transfer to either prototype site.

- Third, as a sea-returnee you have a 60 month sea tour.  That changes to 48 months if you are a Chief, or if you are selected for Chief while on sea-duty.  See second item above for more.

- Next, when are you leaving King's Bay?  6 months, 9 months, 12 months?  There is a time gap between when the ENTERPRISE gets back and when she enters the yard for her decom period.

- When are you reenlisting?  Your new 5 year contract starts then, so depending on when you raise your hand and when you report you will burn up some time.

- As to some insight into the decom process, I attended a brief before I retired last year about the ENTERPRISE decommissioning.  It will be a lengthy process, longer than any sub decoms.  The nuke component on-board will be there long after the rest of the crew is gone.  There is currently a plan in place to have the RO relieve the CO at one point, as the nukes remain to complete all the plant associated work with the process. 

Last comment, and you probably wont like this one.  Your initial post sounds like you are unsure about how the reenlistment process and OBLISERV work.  Now, if I drew that conclusion based on a poorly worded post, then my bad.  If not, I am left wondering this; "How can a sailor make it to a point where they will be starting there second (or more) sea tour without understanding some basic ideas associated with career level decisions and milestones?".

[Fermi2]

Last comment, and you probably wont like this one.  Your initial post sounds like you are unsure about how the reenlistment process and OBLISERV work.  Now, if I drew that conclusion based on a poorly worded post, then my bad.  If not, I am left wondering this; "How can a sailor make it to a point where they will be starting there second (or more) sea tour without understanding some basic ideas associated with career level decisions and milestones?".

Excellent observation.

[joncashk]

Thanks for the hefty response!  I do understand that I did have a poorly worded post.  I was more or less just trying to get the subject open for discussion about the decommissioning process and what people had heard.

I understand that my sea counter starts as soon as I step foot on the ship and that it's 60 months for E-6.  I've been in for 9 years in September and I have a general idea of how reenlistments work.  However, I've only reenlisted once, and that was at my 2 year point. I extended for 14 months to come to King's Bay.  Up until two weeks ago I had planned to get out so I honestly never put much thought process in my Navy career as I thought it was over.  My CCC has been on leave and my detailer isn't the easiest to get in touch with, so I've been picking up knowledge about potential career paths from where I can.  Here being one of those.  Thank you for explaining that.

My PRD is in November and my orders are supposed to show up either this week or next week.  Hopefully they have me reporting around that timeframe as I am currently a geo bachelor and I'm ready to get back to my wife in Norfolk.

You have given me more insight about this decom process than anyone else that I've talked to.  From what I have read on the internet, the ship wasn't even going into the decom process at NGNN until next summer.  My biggest question in my poorly worded post I guess was how long the nukes were supposed to be on board.  You definitely provided some insight on that question.  Also, if things go like they did in the two SRA's that I did with the Enterprise, there might be a couple delays 

I am left wondering this; "How can a sailor make it to a point where they will be starting there second (or more) sea tour without understanding some basic ideas associated with career level decisions and milestones?".

By the way......it's THEIR 

[roadhp]

Also, if things go like they did in the two SRA's that I did with the Enterprise, there might be a couple delays 

The difference here is they don't care if they break things this time so long as the plant is maintained in safe shutdown.  They aren't putting it back together.  If it happens like the last time (I was there, '90 - '93) they will do the resin discharge first, then get to work on the rest.

[joncashk]

Oh boy, resin discharge.  I've done 3 of those on SSBN's here in Kings Bay.  I can't imagine how awesome it's going to be on a carrier with 8 reactors 

[withroaj]

You sure you want to stay active duty for the decom?  You could cash in your NRMD experience for a pretty good starting paycheck at NNSY (who will probably be sending teams of RCTs across the mighty James River to Newport News for the decom), and make some sweet overtime money for the hours you'll spend there.  I'd imagine you'll recoup your "lost" reenlistment money and then some within the time period you'd spend on your dreaded follow-on sea tour.  Food for thought, I guess.

[joncashk]

I wasn't RCT qualified at NRMD.  I work for RMCO (RAMACT, whatever you guys at NNSY call it).  I enjoyed it but I really don't think I would like the RCT side of it.  I actually had a job lined up to work for RMCO up there after I did a month TDY and had the recommendation from Ed Harris.  At the moment the 90k would really come in handy and I'm almost halfway to retirement.  That's the big thing.  I definitely see myself working for NNSY in about 11 years though, and hopefully I can get NRMD Norfolk for my next shore duty. 

[HeavyD]

Speaking from recent experience, as far as getting orders to NRMD goes, the chances are not great.

Going along with the recent change in Selection Board eligibility, the trend has been that if a sailor is qualified to go to an instructor billet, that's where they are going.  The exception would be if the sailor wanted some special program that would also be "career enhancing".

NRMD is NOT "career enhancing".  Our individual wants will ALWYS be trumped by the "needs of the Navy".

I'm not saying you can't get what you want, I'm saying that it may prove very difficult.  For those who do not desire to make Chief, that is their personal choice and I would not begrudge them that (I was not one of those)   However, the Navy organization is setup to place the sailor in the best possible situation to succeed.  In this case, succeed means advance.  Again, this definition can be argued until the cows come home, but what we, the individuals, feel is irrelevant compared to what the Navy has decided is the best course of action for the sailors.

Set your goals, prioritize them and move towards them.  Have a backup plan and don't say "the Navy $crewed me" if they don't give you what you want. 

Best of luck and thank you for your service.

[joncashk]

Oh I know they're not easy to get.  Especially Norfolk since no one wants to move.  I did get a choice between Prototype and NRMD Kings Bay (Well actually it was TRF at the time).  I tried to get NRMD Norfolk, however, and they pretty much laughed at me.  It sucked because I was going through a separation and the last thing I needed was to leave the area.  But like they always say, your wife didn't come in your seabag. However, 3 months later there were 7 guys from Reactor Dept. that got orders to NRMD Norfolk.  It just comes in cycles.  I know when I came here that there was a huge influx of people at the time, and low and behold there are a ton of people leaving right now. 

I honestly think NRMD was more rewarding than prototype would've been had I went.  I actually get to see and do valve repairs and resin discharges and radioactive shipments, among quite a few other things you don't get to do on the boat.  I do think educating students would be rewarding too, but it just seems like unless they are complete failures they are going to pass regardless, so it doesn't seem like it's as rewarding.  Not saying that the guys at Prototype don't do anything, I know they probably put in more hours than I do most of the time, and I know they definitely are more stressed.  I just don't think it would be as rewarding of an experience, regardless of how much it would make me "succeed". 

[HeavyD]

Just to clarify one thing from my earlier post.  I would not call one assignment or another less "rewarding".  I absolutely had a blast as a prototype instructor (November 1996 - February 2000).  How rewarding an assignment is will depend largely on the individual and their goals going into a new place.

The "career enhancing" aspect, as seen by the Master Chiefs sitting the selection board, is what I was addressing.

I know several folks who went to NRMD and enjoyed it immensely.  Thoroughly enjoying what you do on a day-to-day basis is a huge reward in itself.

The simple truth is that the selection board has an expectation that a First Class looking to be advanced to Chief needs to be involved in some way, shape or form, with "sailorization"; the process of taking a civilian and crafting them into a valuable and contributing member of a ship or boat's crew.  Take that for what you like, those are the stated directions the board has been following since at least 2000, when I was fortunate enough to be selected.

Again, don't hesitate to ask.  The absolute worst thing that will happen is your detailer says "No" and sends you to prototype.  If that is the case, when the time comes, make the best of it

[joncashk]

I'm not saying "rewarding" as a concrete statement, I just mean personally more rewarding.  I know people who loved being an instructor.  It's just not for me.  I've never really dealt well with nubs or whatever we're supposed to call them.  Heck I can't even teach my wife to drive a manual transmission without losing my cool.  How am I supposed to be nice to an 18 year old while I teach them to stand Reactor Operator?  However, if the time comes and I'm forced to prototype, I will do it to the best of my ability because that's what the Navy needs me to do. 

[GLW]

.... Heck I can't even teach my wife to drive a manual transmission without losing my cool.....

My better half does not take instruction well, at least not from me,....

I was helping her get the whole clutch, off the gas, shift, clutch, on the gas dance combabulated and she was watching and asking me to go slower and I was soooo patiently demonstrating you cannot go that slow,...

I finally lost the battle of wills and told her "This is the emergency brake, I'm outta here!", opened the drivers door and I rolled out of the car at about 8 MPH in first gear,...

(It was a closed course, don't get all OMG!!! on me),...

She was so mad after stopping and stalling the car that she jumped in the drivers seat, started it up, shifted into gear, and took off, shifting perfectly as she went and leaving me to walk home* as she disappeared into the sunset (literally),...

I was probably never cut out to be an NPTU instructor either,....

* - Cell phones were large, expensive and a rarity in those days