Women in the Nuclear field

[Megz89]

Hello!
   I am currently enlisted in the Navy and have to take the NAPT as soon as possible. I was just wondering if there was any females in the nuclear field on this forum or if anyone knew of any. You see, my recruiter has never put a female in as a nuke and he hasn't known any other recruiter to put one in. Not to say there hasn't been any...I would like to talk to someone who has already gone through everything and can give me some tips.
Thanks!!

Meg

[bethlehemstarr]

Hi Meg,
Do you have any questions in specific?  Or do you just want a general overview on Nuclear Navy life from a woman's perspective?
Just message me, and I'd love to help you out.  I was a Navy Nuke, am now working in a civilian plant, and still am a woman:)

[dks860]

I was a Navy Nuke also (and still a female).  I've been out since 1989 though, so not sure how much help I could be.

[Fermi2]

sarahm86  Is currently at nuke or A School. Try asking her.

Mike

[bethlehemstarr]

Just wanted to mention that I was in the Navy from 2000-2005.  And I do still talk to quite a few people that are still in- so if I don't know something, I do have some resources to ask.

Good Luck!

It was a really good life for me.

[redimsok]

Howdy meg,

i'm not female but i AM at "A" school right now, there are females here of course and there are more than there used to be, but the ratio is still about 24-1 male-female. however on that note, the command stresses very hard equal-opportunity and in fact despite being such a high ratio, about 1/3 of the classes have female class leaders.

The only real big difference is that as of now women are still not allowed on subs, however, there are a couple admirals who are trying to get it approved and everyone here is pretty much in agreement that its going to happen in the next 5-10 years. Well, good luck in the navy and as a nuke. The training is intense but its worth it.

[Marlin]

The only real big difference is that as of now women are still not allowed on subs, however, there are a couple admirals who are trying to get it approved and everyone here is pretty much in agreement that its going to happen in the next 5-10 years.

The effort to assign women to subs is a very controversial subject and has been hotly debated over the last thirty years. Even the Russians who were far in advance of the US in integrating their military never placed women on subs. The Danes, Swedes, and Australians all have women assigned to their boats, but their subs are primarily brown water, meaning coastal defense. There are still obstacles to be overcome to place women on our boats. Capability is not one of the issues except for a few old dinosaurs. Limited facilities, long isolated patrols, and crew stress levels are the most commonly discussed problems. On a sub when something new is added something has to go, in addition to that there will be logistical problems not encountered on surface ships such as the need for "Hot Racking" (2 or 3 sailors sharing one bed). We had spare portable beds that were placed on the torpedo handling racks for junior personell making the torpedo room a berthing space and a work space. I don't see this happening on the Attack boats, perhaps the new SSGN's with different commitments and much more room may be a different story, we shall see. There was a military advisory panel that was actively trying to integrate women into all parts of the military, their efforts to staff women on subs was not effective.

[jmtedrick]

I was a machinist mate in the nuclear field. I have been out of the navy for three years. When I was enlisting, there were two females including myself who enlisted around the same time in my area. When I went to boot camp, I was the only female nuke in my division and sister division. At A school, I was in a class with three females including me. At power school, the section I was in had three including me as well. There were about 12 sections in my power school class and each section had atleast 1 or two females. The guy that mentioned the number of females in his A school now sounds about right. I guess what I am saying is you will more than likely have several women in your current stage in training. When I was in Charleston we had one building for all the females, shortly before I left they were trying to integrate the barracks. I never was without female companionship. As for your recruiter I would think he would be thrilled to help enlist a female in the nuclear field. Hope this helps.

[Beta_effect]

I would think this is a great opportunity for women in the field. I got out in 1984, and generally women nukes went to tenders, shipyards, or were prototype pickups. I also vaguely recall some being assigned to aircraft carriers. In either case the Navy nuclear field is a great launch point for a career in the commercial industry with or without college, but most important, if you do choose to get a degree, the future is wide open. You can stick with the commercial end, go into research at a national lab, or go premed and enter the medical field. Woman are still under represented in the engineering fields and it is still wide open-lots of opportunity out there...so go for it. It might be an interesting time wading through the male BS, but that is not tolerated much anymore, so hopefully you won't have to put up with it. In the engineering field, I have found that a person's sex or sexual orientation does not even come up-you are judged on whether or not you know what you are doing. Some of the best engineers I have known have been women...sort of deflating on the ego, but the truth is the truth...so go for it! I would do as suggested and talk with some of the females associated with this site, and get their input. I am sure none of them would be sorry for sticking with the nuke field.

[Sejik]

I talked my sister into joining the Navy... then into becoming a Nuke. Erm, yea... She's going to kill me. Heh.

She's in boot camp right now and should be arriving at A school soon enough.

[Finalman]

I talked my sister into joining the Navy... then into becoming a Nuke. Erm, yea... She's going to kill me. Heh.

She's in boot camp right now and should be arriving at A school soon enough.

I'm talking my sister into the same trip right now too, but if I get her to join as a nuke then all I need is one more and I get a NAM (that's what i've heard)

[Wirebiter]

I'm talking my sister into the same trip right now too, but if I get her to join as a nuke then all I need is one more and I get a NAM (that's what i've heard)

.........wow........just ......wow.

[LaFeet]

.........wow........just ......wow.

Thats almost as good as the FT2 getting a NAM for selling hotdogs while the nukes were inhull (NEWCON) on the Maryland.....theres nothing merry about MARYLAND

[Navnu]

I believe the USS Florida, SSGN, is currently being retrofitted to take 10 females...6 coners, 3 nukes, and a JO, as well as the other retrofits that are being done.

[mlslstephens]

Thats almost as good as the FT2 getting a NAM for selling hotdogs while the nukes were inhull (NEWCON) on the Maryland.....theres nothing merry about MARYLAND

Timete deum solum et icnominiam   

[deltarho]

I cannot imagine women on submarines.  I really have a hard time believing with all the problems on the surface ships, that they are still in play there.  I am not a sexist, but I am a red-blooded American male.  So were the others on my last ship, which had one female officer...

For those that remember Great Lakes and the male to female ratio of the late 70s and early 80's (1:80), any girl (WAV, at the time) had at least 4 or 5 active suitors--even without beer goggles (if you get my drift).

That being said, this particular officer was party to three marriage break ups, and was finally removed when she was found with--the horror of it all--an enlisted man.  At least in that situation she waited to hit port and get a hotel room.

So, if males cannot be professional enough military men to wait for a liberty port--and females are guilty,too.  Then imagine a more finite space, with infinite amount of time on your hands, as found on a submarine.

Personally, I liked getting the sodas off the tenders when they were around.  The mess cranks were particularly friendly...and I found the anchor w/ star a strong "chick magnet" that could have easily gotten me in trouble if I wasn't just "passing through."   I actually used an emote?

[mlslstephens]

I cannot imagine women on submarines.  I really have a hard time believing with all the problems on the surface ships, that they are still in play there.  I am not a sexist, but I am a red-blooded American male.  So were the others on my last ship, which had one female officer...

For those that remember Great Lakes and the male to female ratio of the late 70s and early 80's (1:80), any girl (WAV, at the time) had at least 4 or 5 active suitors--even without beer goggles (if you get my drift).

That being said, this particular officer was party to three marriage break ups, and was finally removed when she was found with--the horror of it all--an enlisted man.  At least in that situation she waited to hit port and get a hotel room.

So, if males cannot be professional enough military men to wait for a liberty port--and females are guilty,too.  Then imagine a more finite space, with infinite amount of time on your hands, as found on a submarine.

Personally, I liked getting the sodas off the tenders when they were around.  The mess cranks were particularly friendly...and I found the anchor w/ star a strong "chick magnet" that could have easily gotten me in trouble if I wasn't just "passing through."   I actually used an emote?

I know this is going to anger some of the "guys" especially in my state, but I must offer the other side here.  Being an active duty submariner who is happily married and the father of three, I think the submarine force is ready for females. 

As a country, we have proven that where we previously thought women shouldn't be/do, once done, they proved worthy.  A few cases in point:  We once believed women shouldn't vote (some still believe that way  ),
there was a time that women didn't belong in the workplace (stay at home and have my dinner ready when I come home),  a time when women didn't serve in the military and especially not in combat situations and places where women couldn't study (Citadel, service academies) etc.  There will definately be a transitional period once females begin to serve on submarines but so what, we will get through that as well. 

We can't say that marriages will fail if ladies start working on subs because in case you haven't notices, marriages are failing now, and have failed in the past.  I'm sure there will be a few cases of some extra curricular activities, but we have had those forever...just go back to David and Basheba.

I've come full circle on this argument.  I once was totally against the idea.  We need to get over it, and figure out how to move on.  Here is the real question.   What do we do when we have our first female submariner retire from the service?  Do we give her husband dolphins and call him "man of the sea" and is he entitled to all courtesies and privledges of a submariner?

[navytwinmom]

Very interesting subject...both women in the nuke field and women on Subs.

NaVLI4 is right there have been a lot of things women were not allowed to do and now we do them. If it had been the 1800's when i got pregnant out of wedlock gosh only knows what would have happened. things have changed....i am not endorsing having children as a single parent but at least i did not get stoned to death for it...LOL

I personally think women should be allowed to do what they want and if they want to go sub then let them go. I find it funny sometimes the reasons men give for women not being allowed on a sub. Hot racking, sexual tenstion ect. You're all shipmates and should treat each other with the same respect regardless of gender.

On the other hand if she wants to be on a sub then she needs to deal with it...not request exceptions because she is female. If she is tough enough to be on a sub then she needs to deal...not play the "girl card" when it suits her. This is what I think is the biggest hurdle to get over for women in combat or subs....women want to be equal but ask for things becuse they are women.

all hate mail regarding this post may be sent to www.itwasjustmyoption.org 

[mlslstephens]

Should women be drafted?,...Should they be compelled to sign up for selective service?,...

The penalty for not signing up can be a fine of up to $250,000 or a prison sentence of up to five years,...

This debate has been raging for over twenty years since Carter reinstated the Selective Service act in 1980.  The Supreme Court has upheld the decision to keep women from registering in the past and I don't think they would touch the topic again.  They have much bigger fish to fry (like should Britney keep her kids?  what constitutes a gay proposition in the restroom? etc.).
There is much more to this decision.  They can't just "turn on" female registration.  There would have to be money for expanding the registration program.  This would require legislative action and operational and budgetary changes.  Selective Service System could register women if its authorizing legislation, the Military Selective Service Act, is amended to allow registering women.

[Marlin]

I personally think women should be allowed to do what they want and if they want to go sub then let them go. I find it funny sometimes the reasons men give for women not being allowed on a sub. Hot racking, sexual tenstion ect. You're all shipmates and should treat each other with the same respect regardless of gender.

On the other hand if she wants to be on a sub then she needs to deal with it...not request exceptions because she is female. If she is tough enough to be on a sub then she needs to deal...not play the "girl card" when it suits her. This is what I think is the biggest hurdle to get over for women in combat or subs....women want to be equal but ask for things becuse they are women.

Problems of women on subs go well beyond "if a girl wants to" many Navy's have women on board now, but they are "brown water" Navies (coastal defense). Losing a crew member in a critical rate can degrade the operability of a ship with a small crew, especially one that may take a long time qualify a watch stander, you can't ask a women not to get pregnent. Extended isolated duty takes a toll on a crew as is, granted this alone is not a good reason. Hot racking with male crew members? Some of this hot racking is men sleeping on torpedo racks in the open with no privacy. Modifications on a sub usually requires something else must go, there is very little room to spare. If you make accommocations for women on board are you then locked into a percentage of women on board? This leads us right back to the availability of critical ratings. This is a subject that I have seen debated in length on Submarine Veterans web sites. Most believe that it will eventually happen but possibly not in the near future.

[mlslstephens]

Losing a crew member in a critical rate can degrade the operability of a ship with a small crew, especially one that may take a long time qualify a watch stander, you can't ask a women not to get pregnent. Extended isolated duty takes a toll on a crew as is, granted this alone is not a good reason. Hot racking with male crew members? Some of this hot racking is men sleeping on torpedo racks in the open with no privacy. Modifications on a sub usually requires something else must go, there is very little room to spare. If you make accommocations for women on board are you then locked into a percentage of women on board? This leads us right back to the availability of critical ratings.

You are absolutely right about losing a crew member in a critical rate.  I don't know your background, but we lose guys all the time to different situations.  As submariners, we deal with this all the time.

The hot racking issue...not an issue on tridents and SSGNs.  Think outside of the box.  You are clearly thinking of all the reasons why we shouldn't have women on subs as opposed to coming up with ways to overcome some obstacles both real and perceived.

[illegalsmile]

, you can't ask a women not to get pregnent. .

this has been a fairly serious problem with some Army units.....female sodiers getting pregnent when it's time to deploy and then aborting. I do beg to differ, though. You can ask a woman to take measures to ensure she doesn't become pregnent and enforce the agreement. The UCMJ does make 'malingering' a crime. It would just be a matter of making a clear-cut contractual agreement before the training starts and enforcing it.

[Marlin]

The hot racking issue...not an issue on tridents and SSGNs.  Think outside of the box.  You are clearly thinking of all the reasons why we shouldn't have women on subs as opposed to coming up with ways to overcome some obstacles both real and perceived.

Very true but then it is a very small community and personnel rotation would still be involved.

I don't know your background, but we lose guys all the time to different situations.  As submariners, we deal with this all the time.

I served on two Fast attacks in the 70's and am currently the Base Commander for the Smoky Mountain Submarine Veterans in Knoxville Tn.

[mlslstephens]

Very true but then it is a very small community and personnel rotation would still be involved.

I served on two Fast attacks in the 70's and am currently the Base Commander for the Smoky Mountain Submarine Veterans in Knoxville Tn.

Small world...do you sing rocky top in your sleep?  I grew up just south of K-town (WIMZ rockin it out in the 80s).

[Marlin]

I'm a transplant (Damn Yankee), and have not been assimilated to the Vols (Borg) yet. The enthusiasm for UT is very catching though. Pretty country and very nice people.