 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
I served in the US Navy from 1989-1996 as a Nuclear Propulsion Officer.
I actually turned down a NROTC scholarship out of high school because I wanted to attend ASU (which didn't have Navy ROTC, and the Navy didn't interest me enough at that time. But things changed...
I joined the Navy while a Senior at ASU. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a career, and the Nuclear Propulsion program seemed like a good career starter. I would learn some good skills for use in later jobs. I had to bust my but to graduate in the allotted time, but I made it!
Here's the schooling I attended on my way to my submarine:
I served on board the fast attack sumbarine USS Houston (SSN-713) out of San Diego, CA.
So what did I do while in the navy?
Next job was qualifying as Engineering Officer of the Watch. (EOOW) The EOOW is the Officer in charge of the engine room. His job is to keep the reactor running, and supply propulsion and
electricity for the ship.
Once qualified EOOW, you get a real job. You also start your qualifications for your dolphins. My first job was the Reactor Controls Officer. We owned all of the systems dealing with the control and operation of the reactor. My next job was the Electrical Division Officer. That division was responsible for the generation and distribution of electrical power and monitoring the ship for sound shorts (which can give your position away), and monitoring motors for signs of failure. My third and final job on the ship was the Communications Officer. We handled all of the radio traffic on the ship, sorting out the important messages and getting them to the correct people. As Commo, I also got the job of Crypto and SAS. They are both a pain in the ass, since everything has to be signed for by two people. (Crypto is the tapes and codes for encrypting and decrypting messages and communications, SAS (Sealed Authenticator System)is the authentication codes.
While doing your job as a division officer you also stand watch as an EOOW, or work on your qualifications in the front of the ship. You first qualify as a contact coordinator, then work your way up to Officer of the Deck. The OOD is the officer in charge of the ship. He gets the ship where it needs to be, and is in charge of everyone's safety. (Actually technically two jobs - the deck (safety of the ship and crew), and the Con (control of the ship) which are almost always done by the OOD. Unless the Captain of the ship wants to drive. At that point the Captain takes control of the Con, and the OOD is responsible for the ship (covering the Captain's ass, keeping him out of trouble.)
The final thing you earn is your Submarine Warfare qualification. (The gold dolphins pin). That involves observation my a post command officer not attached to your unit. (A former captain of another ship). He comes aboard, observes you run the ship, asks you questions and has you do some tasks. If he agrees you are ready and qualified, you are awarded your dolphins.
Then there is the ceremony of tacking on the dolphins. It is not approved, and wasn't approved when I got mine, but I did it anyway. The dolphin pins are held onto the uniform by two pins that go through the shirt, and are held on by clamps in the back. (kind of like earrings.) In the old hazing tradition (which I promised my enlisted guys I would do), I allowed them to tack my dolphins on. This means that you put the pin on your shirt (just above the left breast pocket) without the backings on it. Then everyone who already has their dolphin gets to tack your on you - with a pat or a punch. It hurt for a few days afterwards, but it was a neat thing to do. I got into it, and was taunting my guys a few days before, just to make sure they wouldn't go easy on me. As soon as I got my fish (the pin) I went straight to the engine room, then the auxiliary machinery room. We made sure there wasn't anyone around who would have a problem with it, and then tacked those puppies on proper!
As I was getting out of the Navy I had a few other jobs. Shore duty as I was waiting for my time to end. I worked With the Squadron 11 at Harbor Operations, directing Navy Traffic into and out of Point Loma. This also involved overseeing docking and departures of ships. Then I worked for the COMSUBPAC Rep West Coast Public Affairs Officer before I left. Spent a lot of time arranging tours of submarines for people, and some other things to help out to PAO.
While onboard the USS Houston I made 1 1/2 Westpac deployments. I got to visit Guam for about a month (and learned to scuba dive there), spent a week in Darwin (Northern Territories) Australia, spent a little time in Yakouska Japan, and visited Esquimalt, Victoria, And Nanaimo Canada.
After going through all of the training, you are shipped to your submarine. The first thing you do is try to become useful. You qualify to become the battery charging lineup officer. (Basically, the officer they wake up to do a check prior to charging the ships batteries.) Easy to do, but a pain in the rear crawling around in the battery well. But it justifies feeding you, since you're not totally useless, and the officer before you no longer has to do it :-)
return to main page