Navy nuke thread

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

16 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

 

Username 1000% checks out. 

[Junior Bonner 6250]

I never served in the military, much less on a nuclear submarine, but I have watched several documentaries, including Crimson Tide and The Hunt for Red October. Based on that considerable expertise, I think I can say with some authority that Marko Ramius was perhaps the greatest nuclear sub captain ever.

That’ll be $9.95. 
 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Junior Bonner

[ClubWhatever 12144]

I told Air Force recruiter I was considering Navy and he advised me to avoid picking up the soap

[BurntOrange&White 39934]

16 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

I told Air Force recruiter I was considering Navy and he advised me to avoid picking up the soap

So instead of bending over you chose to sit on it?

[GhostOfTomJoad 9324]

I never served in the military, much less on a nuclear submarine, but I have watched several documentaries, including Crimson Tide and The Hunt for Red October. Based on that considerable expertise, I think I can say with some authority that Marko Ramius was perhaps the greatest nuclear sub captain ever.
That’ll be $9.95. 
 

Reading this thread while watching this is

[MisterP 127]

My roommate at Texas was in the engineering school, navy approached him to join the Nuke program after school. Bunch of benefits in the meantime like having his school paid for, stipend, etc etc in return for 6 or 7 year commitment. Can remember all the details super specifically. He decided to join, wasn't from a wealthy family so it was kind of a no brainer. Continued school as normal and had to maintain certain grades. He was brilliant, able to join a frat, party, and maintain above a 3.8 GPA.

Went to schooling in Charleston, Upstate New York wherever that horse race is, then went out to Bangor and lived on Bainbridge. Visited him in all locations. He would do 6 months on 6 months off on what I believe was a FAST attack sub. He did a ton of school, only went out 2 times I believe, then they moved him to Naples for some sort of MED command center. Bought a 2nd house in the central mountains that he still has. 

I forgot to mention, he became fluent in Russian while he was in school. Thought it would help him get into some state department shit. Of course, the Navy decides....hmmm we don't need more Russian speakers let's send him to Middle East. So now he is in Monterrey, CA getting paid and a housing allowance to learn Arabic. He is becoming the Navy Attache to the embassy in Abu Dhabi. 

Dude is fucking brilliant and awesome, married to another fellow Longhorn, and has 2 daughters under 3 years old. This is there last Christmas in the US for the foreseeable future and I look forward to once again seeing him over there.

Edited December 26, 2023 by MisterP

[Junior Bonner 6250]

10 minutes ago, MisterP said:

My roommate at Texas was in the engineering school, navy approached him to join the Nuke program after school. Bunch of benefits in the meantime like having his school paid for, stipend, etc etc in return for 6 or 7 year commitment. Can remember all the details super specifically. He decided to join, wasn't from a wealthy family so it was kind of a no brainer. Continued school as normal and had to maintain certain grades. He was brilliant, able to join a frat, party, and maintain above a 3.8 GPA.

Went to schooling in Charleston, Upstate New York wherever that horse race is, then went out to Bangor and lived on Bainbridge. Visited him in all locations. He would do 6 months on 6 months off on what I believe was a FAST attack sub. He did a ton of school, only went out 2 times I believe, then they moved him to Naples for some sort of MED command center. Bought a 2nd house in the central mountains that he still has. 

I forgot to mention, he became fluent in Russian while he was in school. Thought it would help him get into some state department shit. Of course, the Navy decides....hmmm we don't need more Russian speakers let's send him to Middle East. So now he is in Monterrey, CA getting paid and a housing allowance to learn Arabic. He is becoming the Navy Attache to the embassy in Abu Dhabi. 

Dude is fucking brilliant and awesome, married to another fellow Longhorn, and has 2 daughters under 3 years old. This is there last Christmas in the US for the foreseeable future and I look forward to once again seeing him over there.

And his name is Jack Ryan, amirite? 

[MisterP 127]

Just now, Junior Bonner said:

And his name is Jack Ryan, amirite? 

I wish. He is pretty much a badass but not sure what his comabt skills are like. I know he wants to go state department if he doesnt go corporate someday. He is set for life at this point. Proud of him.

[Reese Bennett 3614]

I drove through Los Alamos once, so this thread hits close to home.

[John Coctostan 591]

31 minutes ago, MisterP said:

I forgot to mention, he became fluent in Russian while he was in school. Thought it would help him get into some state department shit. Of course, the Navy decides....hmmm we don't need more Russian speakers let's send him to Middle East. So now he is in Monterrey, CA getting paid and a housing allowance to learn Arabic. He is becoming the Navy Attache to the embassy in Abu Dhabi. 

I hate to say it, but your friend is a Russian spy.

[blacklab 11939]

45 minutes ago, MisterP said:

My roommate at Texas was in the engineering school, navy approached him to join the Nuke program after school. Bunch of benefits in the meantime like having his school paid for, stipend, etc etc in return for 6 or 7 year commitment. Can remember all the details super specifically. He decided to join, wasn't from a wealthy family so it was kind of a no brainer. Continued school as normal and had to maintain certain grades. He was brilliant, able to join a frat, party, and maintain above a 3.8 GPA.

Went to schooling in Charleston, Upstate New York wherever that horse race is, then went out to Bangor and lived on Bainbridge. Visited him in all locations. He would do 6 months on 6 months off on what I believe was a FAST attack sub. He did a ton of school, only went out 2 times I believe, then they moved him to Naples for some sort of MED command center. Bought a 2nd house in the central mountains that he still has. 

I forgot to mention, he became fluent in Russian while he was in school. Thought it would help him get into some state department shit. Of course, the Navy decides....hmmm we don't need more Russian speakers let's send him to Middle East. So now he is in Monterrey, CA getting paid and a housing allowance to learn Arabic. He is becoming the Navy Attache to the embassy in Abu Dhabi. 

Dude is fucking brilliant and awesome, married to another fellow Longhorn, and has 2 daughters under 3 years old. This is there last Christmas in the US for the foreseeable future and I look forward to once again seeing him over there.

The New York place is Ballston Spa which is right next to Saratoga. I spent 6 months there as well.

Bangor is a boomer base. They do 3 months on/3 month off rotations.

Hats off to the dude, was hoping to get a scholarship of some sort, go back to UT and go back in as an officer. Ended up getting an NROTC scholarship but my eyesight was so bad they wouldn't let me go saying it was so close to not allowing me in the Navy they were afraid it would get worse and prevent me from coming back in.

[InkaUtexas 25951]

2 hours ago, blacklab said:

The New York place is Ballston Spa which is right next to Saratoga. I spent 6 months there as well.

Bangor is a boomer base. They do 3 months on/3 month off rotations.

Hats off to the dude, was hoping to get a scholarship of some sort, go back to UT and go back in as an officer. Ended up getting an NROTC scholarship but my eyesight was so bad they wouldn't let me go saying it was so close to not allowing me in the Navy they were afraid it would get worse and prevent me from coming back in.

And yet here you are, running Surly and getting sued over our comments.

Sir, you are doing the nation a service. Now please feed the Hamster before the 1st.

(I kid, sub dudes kick ass sorts of ass when at sea.)

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

On 12/25/2023 at 1:41 PM, Butch Had Not said:

It was optional at my high school and I did it to get out of algebra that morning. Big mistake as I had recruiters bugging me for the next few months.

My Algebra II teacher was an Army vet and offered 5 points added to your final grade to anyone who took it. Pescado needed those 5 points desperately, so I took it. Same thing happened to me. Recruiters stalked me forever. 

[FartingMonk 3607]

3 hours ago, MisterP said:

My roommate at Texas was in the engineering school, navy approached him to join the Nuke program after school. Bunch of benefits in the meantime like having his school paid for, stipend, etc etc in return for 6 or 7 year commitment. Can remember all the details super specifically. He decided to join, wasn't from a wealthy family so it was kind of a no brainer. Continued school as normal and had to maintain certain grades. He was brilliant, able to join a frat, party, and maintain above a 3.8 GPA.

Went to schooling in Charleston, Upstate New York wherever that horse race is, then went out to Bangor and lived on Bainbridge. Visited him in all locations. He would do 6 months on 6 months off on what I believe was a FAST attack sub. He did a ton of school, only went out 2 times I believe, then they moved him to Naples for some sort of MED command center. Bought a 2nd house in the central mountains that he still has. 

I forgot to mention, he became fluent in Russian while he was in school. Thought it would help him get into some state department shit. Of course, the Navy decides....hmmm we don't need more Russian speakers let's send him to Middle East. So now he is in Monterrey, CA getting paid and a housing allowance to learn Arabic. He is becoming the Navy Attache to the embassy in Abu Dhabi. 

Dude is fucking brilliant and awesome, married to another fellow Longhorn, and has 2 daughters under 3 years old. This is there last Christmas in the US for the foreseeable future and I look forward to once again seeing him over there.

he must've signed up for the NUPOC program.  That and STA-21 are probably the two best officer programs to get into. 

[Gatorubet 30242]

On 12/25/2023 at 3:26 PM, Schulz2.0 said:

Nah, nukes get fucked in unique ways that the majority of other sailors don't. The work load is always high the entire time you're in. You work 3 or 4 section duty while others work 6 or 8. A critique and mast is just one mistake away, etc. @FartingMonk is another nuke here IIRC.

I worked at the Hanford number two nuclear project in Washington state and at the Waterford three nuclear power plant in Taft Louisiana. I was surrounded by ex-Navy nuke people.

I have to say that they were all crazy sum bitches. But as crazy as they were, they were nowhere near as crazy as the damn reactor fuel pool divers.   Partying with those guys was a blast.   They got paid really really well, and rightfully so.    I don’t even wanna think about their increased risk of cancer as they were in the fuel pool being thrown lead blocks to make a wall to keep the radiation away. Holy shit I’d be crazy too.

 

Also, wearing that shit in a 120 degree containment building for a shift is a very good weight reducer. A silent dosemeter alarm is also a good thing. 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Gatorubet

[HRSchenker 2268]

On 12/25/2023 at 1:11 PM, WBT said:

We all had to take the ASVAB in HS for some reason

Yep they made me take it in 2007. I had zero interest in the military so I answered C on fucking everything. Big mistake. Every recruiter in the state from El Paso to Tyler, from Amarillo to Austin called my phone and my parents phone trying to get me enlisted lol

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

5 hours ago, HRSchenker said:

Yep they made me take it in 2007. I had zero interest in the military so I answered C on fucking everything. Big mistake. Every recruiter in the state from El Paso to Tyler, from Amarillo to Austin called my phone and my parents phone trying to get me enlisted lol

"When in doubt, Charlie Out". 

That is pretty much SOP for almost EVERY military test or exam 😜 when not knowing the answer ( no wonder they were all contacting you)

CSB/???

I guess I took the ASVAB sometime in my Senior yr or maybe freshman yr of college. My Dad (Tin Can Officer) had my older brother take it also. We both laughed when we got our results back as both the Army and Marines kept wanting us both because "our mechanical section scores were great" !!! Yeah right we thought, ...we both knew at that time we were the most un-mechanical brothers around when we were growing up. We spent most of our time dodging thrown wrenches from Dad when working on the family cars...😂

Wasn't all bad though as I finally did decide to join and Dad talked me out of the Marines, telling me first to look into the Navy or Air Force (pay is all the same but better standard of living  & food with both of them). He was of course right, and even though I joined the Air Force, I worked closely with ALL of the services (especially the Army and Marines). I also got a slot to the Navy SCUBA school in Panama City where a majority of my class were sub dudes (some more stranger than others, but ALL smart as hell). Instructors damn near drowned me (and others) more than once during the course but that school was pretty damn cool and not too much then (or now) compares to it. The Sharks (instructors) had a speaker that they dropped into the pool during water confidence (harassment) that played the main musical theme from JAWS and then they proceeded to definitely go after the fishes (weak students/swimmers) and weed them out. They could never get away with that now, but back then.....Good times.

Always Try to not meet The Wizard. 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by BillyGoatHill

[FartingMonk 3607]

5 hours ago, BillyGoatHill said:

"When in doubt, Charlie Out". 

That is pretty much SOP for almost EVERY military test or exam 😜 when not knowing the answer ( no wonder they were all contacting you)

CSB/???

I guess I took the ASVAB sometime in my Senior yr or maybe freshman yr of college. My Dad (Tin Can Officer) had my older brother take it also. We both laughed when we got our results back as both the Army and Marines kept wanting us both because "our mechanical section scores were great" !!! Yeah right we thought, ...we both knew at that time we were the most un-mechanical brothers around when we were growing up. We spent most of our time dodging thrown wrenches from Dad when working on the family cars...😂

Wasn't all bad though as I finally did decide to join and Dad talked me out of the Marines, telling me first to look into the Navy or Air Force (pay is all the same but better standard of living  & food with both of them). He was of course right, and even though I joined the Air Force, I worked closely with ALL of the services (especially the Army and Marines). I also got a slot to the Navy SCUBA school in Panama City where a majority of my class were sub dudes (some more stranger than others, but ALL smart as hell). Instructors damn near drowned me (and others) more than once during the course but that school was pretty damn cool and not too much then (or now) compares to it. The Sharks (instructors) had a speaker that they dropped into the pool during water confidence (harassment) that played the main musical theme from JAWS and then they proceeded to definitely go after the fishes (weak students/swimmers) and weed them out. They could never get away with that now, but back then.....Good times.

Always Try to not meet The Wizard. 

 

I never went to dive school.  I can't swim.  But I knew probably 10 people that went.  3 came back with their dive pins.  The others were back within the first week.  The school may have changed and how crazy they can be may have changed, but the water will weed you out really fast.  The ones that didn't make it were strong ass swimmers, they just panicked when shit hit the fan.  I guess the first week they call it confidence week where they throw you under water blindfolded and they start spinning you around under water and punching you to see your reaction.  A lot of the dudes didn't make it through that phase. 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

On 12/25/2023 at 2:14 PM, Not a Sock said:

The nukes are untouchable so it does have its perks, they avoid the majority of the navy’s bullshit.

I hear Nuke school is a bitch though and then as a newb on the ship, you are still working shitty watches with the rest of the snipes

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

4 hours ago, FartingMonk said:

I never went to dive school.  I can't swim.  But I knew probably 10 people that went.  3 came back with their dive pins.  The others were back within the first week.  The school may have changed and how crazy they can be may have changed, but the water will weed you out really fast.  The ones that didn't make it were strong ass swimmers, they just panicked when shit hit the fan.  I guess the first week they call it confidence week where they throw you under water blindfolded and they start spinning you around under water and punching you to see your reaction.  A lot of the dudes didn't make it through that phase. 

Yep. They pair you off the first day. Usually with someone you don't even know or have even met.

That person is your dive buddy both in and out of the water. If an instructor gets between you and him on deck or in the water at any time, it could mean being dropped from the course or at the very least, extra flutter kicks with your rocket fins on at the edge of the pool. Not a very pleasant experience.

As far as the harassment, you're paired up and only so many pairs can fit in the deep end of the pool while the others watch from the shallow end. Swim in a circle as the instructors (on a snorkel only) dive down the 18' and proceed to steal one or both of y'all's gear. Masks are pulled off first. At least one pair of tanks are taken and they try their best to separate you and ALL of your gear, fins, masks, snorkels, dive harnesses fouled along with regulators wrapped between tanks. You lock legs with your dive partner and breathe off the twins passing them back and forth while buddy breathing. It's an eye opener at first as to how the instructors can take so much shit off of you and your buddy while doing it on one breath. Sharks were used as the term for them cuz that is what it looks like. Getting hit, mass spinning, lots of bubbles, and equipment strewn across the bottom of the pool. Keep calm and recover, or be dropped.

Many guys panic first off and jet to the surface (which can get you a trip to the decompression chamber. Saw that right off from another class) and possibly a swift exit from the course. My first two dive buddies were gone in day one and two. Both panicked and went to the surface, then refused to go back down. They were dropped immediately. BOTH were Navy RESCUE SWIMMERS and had already completed a pretty hard course prior to dive school. On the first, I went up with him and received a pretty good mouthful of obscenities from the instructor as to why I was up by the deck with him. Luckily an answer of " you told me to stay with my dive buddy" sufficed.... My third swim buddy in three days was the answer. He was a independent duty Corpsman that was assigned to a Marine Recon team. There were five Recon in the class (two of them became pretty good friends) and they had just come off rotation from Beirut. The Corpsman's name was Gus and we immediately were thrown into the deep end after being paired off. It was a great pairing and we didn't  have any trouble from then on out. At one point, due to dropouts and failures, we landed up with an extra person and he was paired with us due to us not having any difficulty with the harassment, we were now a 3 person dive team.  During our next  time in the deep end, the tanks we were sharing were this 3rd person's, and buddy breathing with 3 is a little bit harder and longer than with two. He took his breath and then proceeded to go up to the surface,...with his tanks! Gus and I sat there on the bottom of the pool staring at each other. The safety diver (instructor) was there watching and waiting for us to see what we would do. Neither of us was going to surface. Just when things were getting fuzzy and about to turn black (meeting The Wizard) a pair of tanks came down (dude that had taken them with him apparently jettisoned them once getting to the surface), we were able to start buddy breathing again and never had to worry about harassment after that. We still had weeks to go before getting our dive bubble but getting through that first week was huge.

About a year or two later back at my team, we had a scuba PT at the pool  and at the very end you are to do an underwater for distance. Slick, no fins and just mask or swim goggles. The pool was 33 meters and most just do the one length. Challenged by a teammate and feeling froggy at the end of the first length, I felt good about completing back to the starting wall. Things are going well and I get  back to the deep end, come off the bottom just a bit, and next thing I know, I'm up on the pool deck looking up at 5-6 guys standing above me, asking me how I feel.

Yep,... met The Wizard at around 60 meters, shallow water blackout. Buddy that challenged me was one of two that pulled me out of the pool. Just another reason why you don't swim alone. 

 

Edit: Our class graduated mid November '83. Weekends were free as classes were M-F, so those days were used for recovery and partying.

But Sunday morning, October 23, everyone was glued to to the TV in the dorm's dayroom. The Marine barracks in Beirut had been blown up earlier that day with 241 dead. Having just coming off of rotation from there, Gus and the Marines in our class knew many of those killed. Sad day. RIP bros  🇺🇸

 

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by BillyGoatHill

[Teamdirtyleg 1060]

22 hours ago, Reese Bennett said:

I drove through Los Alamos once, so this thread hits close to home.

My uncle worked at the labs his whole career.  

[FartingMonk 3607]

1 hour ago, BillyGoatHill said:

Yep. They pair you off the first day. Usually with someone you don't even know or have even met.

That person is your dive buddy both in and out of the water. If an instructor gets between you and him on deck or in the water at any time, it could mean being dropped from the course or at the very least, extra flutter kicks with your rocket fins on at the edge of the pool. Not a very pleasant experience.

As far as the harassment, you're paired up and only so many pairs can fit in the deep end of the pool while the others watch from the shallow end. Swim in a circle as the instructors (on a snorkel only) dive down the 18' and proceed to steal one or both of y'all's gear. Masks are pulled off first. At least one pair of tanks are taken and they try their best to separate you and ALL of your gear, fins, masks, snorkels, dive harnesses fouled along with regulators wrapped between tanks. You lock legs with your dive partner and breathe off the twins passing them back and forth while buddy breathing. It's an eye opener at first as to how the instructors can take so much shit off of you and your buddy while doing it on one breath. Sharks were used as the term for them cuz that is what it looks like. Getting hit, mass spinning, lots of bubbles, and equipment strewn across the bottom of the pool. Keep calm and recover, or be dropped.

Many guys panic first off and jet to the surface (which can get you a trip to the decompression chamber. Saw that right off from another class) and possibly a swift exit from the course. My first two dive buddies were gone in day one and two. Both panicked and went to the surface, then refused to go back down. They were dropped immediately. BOTH were Navy RESCUE SWIMMERS and had already completed a pretty hard course prior to dive school. On the first, I went up with him and received a pretty good mouthful of obscenities from the instructor as to why I was up by the deck with him. Luckily an answer of " you told me to stay with my dive buddy" sufficed.... My third swim buddy in three days was the answer. He was a independent duty Corpsman that was assigned to a Marine Recon team. There were five Recon in the class (two of them became pretty good friends) and they had just come off rotation from Beirut. The Corpsman's name was Gus and we immediately were thrown into the deep end after being paired off. It was a great pairing and we didn't  have any trouble from then on out. At one point, due to dropouts and failures, we landed up with an extra person and he was paired with us due to us not having any difficulty with the harassment, we were now a 3 person dive team.  During our next  time in the deep end, the tanks we were sharing were this 3rd person's, and buddy breathing with 3 is a little bit harder and longer than with two. He took his breath and then proceeded to go up to the surface,...with his tanks! Gus and I sat there on the bottom of the pool staring at each other. The safety diver (instructor) was there watching and waiting for us to see what we would do. Neither of us was going to surface. Just when things were getting fuzzy and about to turn black (meeting The Wizard) a pair of tanks came down (dude that had taken them with him apparently jettisoned them once getting to the surface), we were able to start buddy breathing again and never had to worry about harassment after that. We still had weeks to go before getting our dive bubble but getting through that first week was huge.

About a year or two later back at my team, we had a scuba PT at the pool  and at the very end you are to do an underwater for distance. Slick, no fins and just mask or swim goggles. The pool was 33 meters and most just do the one length. Challenged by a teammate and feeling froggy at the end of the first length, I felt good about completing back to the starting wall. Things are going well and I get  back to the deep end, come off the bottom just a bit, and next thing I know, I'm up on the pool deck looking up at 5-6 guys standing above me, asking me how I feel.

Yep,... met The Wizard at around 60 meters, shallow water blackout. Buddy that challenged me was one of two that pulled me out of the pool. Just another reason why you don't swim alone. 

 

Edit: Our class graduated mid November '83. Weekends were free as classes were M-F, so those days were used for recovery and partying.

But Sunday morning, October 23, everyone was glued to to the TV in the dorm's dayroom. The Marine barracks in Beirut had been blown up earlier that day with 241 dead. Having just coming off of rotation from there, Gus and the Marines in our class knew many of those killed. Sad day. RIP bros  🇺🇸

 

 

 

 

I wish I could find the picture.  There was one year we were top side for a swim call.  Butch our nuke mechanic was qualified diver.  He is standing in a picture with 4 other dudes and someone goes.  I bet in a million years.  You couldn't tell me who the nuke is 

[Neonmoon 38129]

19 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

I don’t even wanna think about their increased risk of cancer as they were in the fuel pool being thrown lead blocks to make a wall to keep the radiation away. Holy shit I’d be crazy too.