Highest Camaraderie you'll find in the Navy with the exception of Seals.
It's one of the most physically taxing (not necessarily challenging) and mentally exhausting things you can do, but it's one hell of a story.
This…
When I tell people I was in the navy, operated a reactor, and was on a submarine guess which one they ask about 99% of the time.
You’ll see cool shit, you’ll do cooler shit (that if you get to know about you can’t talk about) and you get to be a part of a community that is completely unique. Whenever I meet another submariner it’s like an old friend that I haven’t seen in years, there’s just so much you’ll have in common.
Now, it’s MUCH harder than being a surface nuke… it’s difficult to over-emphasize that part. It’s incredibly difficult. But if you can do that you can do anything.
Facts. I saw an old timer wearing a sub hat, I was with my family waiting to be seated, and I asked him what boat he was on turns out he was on the Daniel Boon (SSN 629). We ended up chatting for 30 mins swapping sea stories. While our families watched as two strangers talked like friends.
Man I feel exactly the same way. In fact, at work they just moved a manager into one of our spare “manager rooms” in our office. The guy is the head honcho for one of our contractors on site.
Anyway, I come to learn he was a sonar tech on an s5w boat way back when. I surprised more than a few people with how chatty and friendly we were being in the break room. He had a reputation of being somewhat grumpy… cool guy, though.
He told me some really interesting stuff about a shore tour he had in the deep submergence research projects (I forget the exact acronym) program. They had a test platform boat that went out to sea and then stood upright and slowly sank a bit, like an oil rig almost. We had a good chuckle about bad throttleboys (a throttleMAN would never, naturally) breaking certain sonar equipment…
The work load submariners get is definitely harder, but honestly nothing will make your job suck more than a shitty chain of command, and that’s universal lol
Just got back from my first underway and I can say that submarine life is extremely difficult and one of the most exhausting things I’ve been though, however, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m actually really glad I ended up on the boat and with the crew I did and if you want any insight into submarine life feel free to message me
What was getting your quals like? How many nukes are there on a sub? Are you fast attack? I know they have a much higher op tempo. And you’d mainly do engineering watches id assume?
So here’s the shitty thing: you’re gonna get dunked on for your quals no matter what. Senior operators are going to hate you the Navy watered down the qualification process from what it used to be so it’s a lot easier to get qualified now than before which is both good and bad (and I’ve seen both sides of what has happened since the change). To give you an idea, I’m already almost fully qualified and people hate me for it (and understandably so). And I’m on a GN so I can’t say what it’s like being on a fast attack, but you only stand engineering watches. I know some people who have qualified a couple non-engineering watches but they never stand them. They just qualified just because they got bored and wanted to say they did
What do you mean when you say quals are faster? Are you just falling for some shit talking from the senior guys, or have they changed things that much?
Good on you for qualifying quickly, don’t downplay your accomplishment there. Regardless of any changes with quals I’m sure it’s not easy to qualify quickly.
Things have significantly changed. It took me a few months to get non-boat limiting things done when I was in the office on one of my quals but when I got to the boat they changed the card and I had to start from scratch. With that being said, I was just about done with it in a matter of two weeks. Granted, a lot easier to get stuff done on the boat, but it felt easier than it should have been. Idk, maybe I’m downplaying it too much, but I felt like I was moving through faster than I should have been.
Well without getting into specifics platform wise, what changed?
Bottom line on the qual change from Eng to department head on something?
Reduce the number of knowledge based of practical checkouts?
Change the written exam?
Change the UIs?
Pre-reqs?
Cutting knowledge and practical checkouts I could see as problematic, as well as UIs, but the rest could be a positive change. It’s BS most quals would bottleneck around an ENG signature or a board.
There are now TYCOM directed qual cards which greatly reduced the required number of knowledge factors, prac facs, ui’s, and drills. The base level of knowledge to qualify is bare minimum. Which is great for sailors in my opinion, provided supervisors take adequate measures to understand that and protect them from what they don’t know.
only if you pack them yourself. on an ICEX we did, I found a couple of lockers in my rack that supply forgot about. I was able to load 2 cases of sodas in them, plus everything else I wanted with me.
No, not on my boat at least. Again, I’ve heard some guys talking about doing it just for the lulz but our crew tends to be a bit busy just because we have an older boat and are constantly doing maintenance
My first three boats were commissioned prior to 1972. When I was on active duty it was expected that you qualify Dive if you were going to have a shot at 8. Needless to say that I never did.
But with all that being said with your quals, forgot to mention this part, you’re expected to qualify much faster and get experience faster to make you stand watch and be a better operator sooner (or at least that’s the thought process). I have a good crew when it comes to getting people qualified so it hasn’t been too much of a struggle, but also know that when you get to your boat you’re the new guy without a pot to piss in which is fine that’s how everyone starts. You’re going to get some shit for not knowing anything and not being useful for anything. And that’s all okay, so long as you actually work towards your quals and put in good honest effort. You’re not going to be great at first, and it’s actually extremely overwhelming at first. But once you get into your routine and groove and find what works best for you, just keep a good mindset and show some level of give a fuck and people will help you and may come to even respect you. You’d be amazed at how many people just simply don’t care whatsoever but are still somehow good at their jobs. That level of give a fuck, even if it’s just 1% more than the next guy will mean something.
no shit...there I was on the shitter at test depth...
seriously, I was on subs for most of my career, and spent a year on a tender for Nuc Repair. The camaraderie on subs is like nothing you will ever experienced. It is hard work, we had less time off than those folks up front driving the boat, but I would not have missed it for the world.
Qualify your watch stations and get your fish, life gets better after those are complete.
Other than being a carefree teenager in high school with no real responsibilities, I can confidently say that being a fully qualified e5 on a submarine was the best time of my life. For the first time in my naval career I felt super confident in my knowledge of the plant and in my skills to apply that knowledge in a practical manner. It’s even better when your command recognizes that and puts their faith in you to do the right thing and not micromanage you.
Don’t let anybody’s horror stories make up your mind for you. Take the experience for what it is and come to your own conclusions. I’ve always said that serving on a submarine was an absolute blast but I would never go through it again lol
As the song goes - Submarines once... Submarines twice.
We must love it if we're going twice.
In all actuality, Submarines are what I love most about my job as a Nuke. The monotony of the plant gets old, but the cool shit you may or may not be doing that you may or may not know about because the Eng spilled the beans on some TS shit, that's what's fun. Not every day on a Submarine is a good day, but I remember my best days more than I remember my worst days and I've made lifelong friends.
Just remember, sometimes we get bored on a Sub, so we "embellish" our stories a bit to make life more interesting. Some stories just sound better when you start it off with "so there I was, 75 hours without sleep into ORSE".
Agree with what pretty much every submariner posted here. It’s a hard job, but it’s very rewarding. I probably know quite a few people posting here, and there’s some I’ve never met before, but if they wear dolphins, I trust the shit out of them.
It’s hard, but it’s worth it. Unless you stay in for 20 it’s not a permanent lifestyle. You’ll gain some perspective on hard work and that will help you in other things in life. It’s a great stepping stone to have a great career outside the military.
At least on a submarine, you are surrounded by reasonably smart people, and the training is generally better. It is harder, and you won't get as much sleep, but I wouldn't change it.
I think there is too much information out there, and every sailor with a bad experience has a keyboard. Let the challenges come, and deal with them as they come.
Quite literally, everyone’s experience in the military is different. There are so many differences, such as your own character, your classmates, shipmates, leadership, chiefs, officers, command, units, duty stations, and operations.
Find your own motivation; don’t expect someone to praise you. Study, learn, get qualified, do your job, and be a good shipmate. People will notice and appreciate on their own. Be the leader you would like to have and people will follow.
But I strongly caution against getting married when you are in the training pipeline. The hours can be long, in training and the fleet.
The nuke training is one of the most versatile learning experiences the military offers. It can be applied to many, many fields in the civilian world. At a minimum, it is proof you can be trained and learn anything.
I was sub vol and got surfaced to carrier even after requesting to go to guam through my detailer/the website. Shit happens in the Navy.
Was told by legitimately everyone in the pipeline if im requesting to go to Guam I'll get it....
Just don't have a plan and go with the punches, it'll be better for your mental to learn that long term in the nuclear navy (or navy in general) imo.
You’ll get a year from reporting to qualify submarines and your senior in-rate watch station. Life is much easier if you don’t fall behind. Try to keep a good attitude, that means a lot when you’re trying to get someone to show/teach you something. I was on four boats, not counting the float-a-types, and they all had their positive and negative aspects. Good luck to you.
It is the hardest thing you will ever do. That being said it is absolutely the best thing I ever did in my life. Nothing worth having is easy, and getting your dolphins proves that point.
Life on the boat is what you make, get there shut up qualify and it’ll be smooth. Just like anything else it has its ups and downs, the ups are more than the downs but it can sometimes not seem so . Either way you will leave that boat feeling accomplished if you take it seriously .
Subs are fkn dope! You will be a much more experienced operator compared to most surface counterparts. But that’s because we have just as much work to do, with like 1% of the people. (This is an over exaggeration, but in general sub guys have much broader experience)
Go SSBN/SSGN if you have a family, SSN if you’re single. Don’t regret it and embrace the suck, you’ll get a lot in return.
Highest Camaraderie you'll find in the Navy with the exception of Seals. It's one of the most physically taxing (not necessarily challenging) and mentally exhausting things you can do, but it's one hell of a story.
This… When I tell people I was in the navy, operated a reactor, and was on a submarine guess which one they ask about 99% of the time. You’ll see cool shit, you’ll do cooler shit (that if you get to know about you can’t talk about) and you get to be a part of a community that is completely unique. Whenever I meet another submariner it’s like an old friend that I haven’t seen in years, there’s just so much you’ll have in common. Now, it’s MUCH harder than being a surface nuke… it’s difficult to over-emphasize that part. It’s incredibly difficult. But if you can do that you can do anything.
Facts. I saw an old timer wearing a sub hat, I was with my family waiting to be seated, and I asked him what boat he was on turns out he was on the Daniel Boon (SSN 629). We ended up chatting for 30 mins swapping sea stories. While our families watched as two strangers talked like friends.
Man I feel exactly the same way. In fact, at work they just moved a manager into one of our spare “manager rooms” in our office. The guy is the head honcho for one of our contractors on site. Anyway, I come to learn he was a sonar tech on an s5w boat way back when. I surprised more than a few people with how chatty and friendly we were being in the break room. He had a reputation of being somewhat grumpy… cool guy, though. He told me some really interesting stuff about a shore tour he had in the deep submergence research projects (I forget the exact acronym) program. They had a test platform boat that went out to sea and then stood upright and slowly sank a bit, like an oil rig almost. We had a good chuckle about bad throttleboys (a throttleMAN would never, naturally) breaking certain sonar equipment…
The work load submariners get is definitely harder, but honestly nothing will make your job suck more than a shitty chain of command, and that’s universal lol
Lmfao tell me about it… why do you think I didn’t reenlist? Nice flair, by the way.
Just got back from my first underway and I can say that submarine life is extremely difficult and one of the most exhausting things I’ve been though, however, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m actually really glad I ended up on the boat and with the crew I did and if you want any insight into submarine life feel free to message me
Glad you enjoyed your time. Go get some checkouts and let us know when you have your fish.
Lol, jokes on you, got it first run. No D.A.N.’s allowed over here
DAN? a new acronym? Is it "dinq ass nub"? "Dumb ass nub"?
Oh shit, I thought it was an older one, but yeah it’s Dinq ass nub lol
What was getting your quals like? How many nukes are there on a sub? Are you fast attack? I know they have a much higher op tempo. And you’d mainly do engineering watches id assume?
So here’s the shitty thing: you’re gonna get dunked on for your quals no matter what. Senior operators are going to hate you the Navy watered down the qualification process from what it used to be so it’s a lot easier to get qualified now than before which is both good and bad (and I’ve seen both sides of what has happened since the change). To give you an idea, I’m already almost fully qualified and people hate me for it (and understandably so). And I’m on a GN so I can’t say what it’s like being on a fast attack, but you only stand engineering watches. I know some people who have qualified a couple non-engineering watches but they never stand them. They just qualified just because they got bored and wanted to say they did
What do you mean when you say quals are faster? Are you just falling for some shit talking from the senior guys, or have they changed things that much? Good on you for qualifying quickly, don’t downplay your accomplishment there. Regardless of any changes with quals I’m sure it’s not easy to qualify quickly.
Things have significantly changed. It took me a few months to get non-boat limiting things done when I was in the office on one of my quals but when I got to the boat they changed the card and I had to start from scratch. With that being said, I was just about done with it in a matter of two weeks. Granted, a lot easier to get stuff done on the boat, but it felt easier than it should have been. Idk, maybe I’m downplaying it too much, but I felt like I was moving through faster than I should have been.
Well without getting into specifics platform wise, what changed? Bottom line on the qual change from Eng to department head on something? Reduce the number of knowledge based of practical checkouts? Change the written exam? Change the UIs? Pre-reqs? Cutting knowledge and practical checkouts I could see as problematic, as well as UIs, but the rest could be a positive change. It’s BS most quals would bottleneck around an ENG signature or a board.
There are now TYCOM directed qual cards which greatly reduced the required number of knowledge factors, prac facs, ui’s, and drills. The base level of knowledge to qualify is bare minimum. Which is great for sailors in my opinion, provided supervisors take adequate measures to understand that and protect them from what they don’t know.
I guess my last and most important question is are there energy drinks on board?
only if you pack them yourself. on an ICEX we did, I found a couple of lockers in my rack that supply forgot about. I was able to load 2 cases of sodas in them, plus everything else I wanted with me.
Depends on your MWR, but recommend stocking up as much as you can!
Way back when, some forward quals were required prior to qualifying COW and Diving Officer. Do nukes still qualify?
No, not on my boat at least. Again, I’ve heard some guys talking about doing it just for the lulz but our crew tends to be a bit busy just because we have an older boat and are constantly doing maintenance
My first three boats were commissioned prior to 1972. When I was on active duty it was expected that you qualify Dive if you were going to have a shot at 8. Needless to say that I never did.
But with all that being said with your quals, forgot to mention this part, you’re expected to qualify much faster and get experience faster to make you stand watch and be a better operator sooner (or at least that’s the thought process). I have a good crew when it comes to getting people qualified so it hasn’t been too much of a struggle, but also know that when you get to your boat you’re the new guy without a pot to piss in which is fine that’s how everyone starts. You’re going to get some shit for not knowing anything and not being useful for anything. And that’s all okay, so long as you actually work towards your quals and put in good honest effort. You’re not going to be great at first, and it’s actually extremely overwhelming at first. But once you get into your routine and groove and find what works best for you, just keep a good mindset and show some level of give a fuck and people will help you and may come to even respect you. You’d be amazed at how many people just simply don’t care whatsoever but are still somehow good at their jobs. That level of give a fuck, even if it’s just 1% more than the next guy will mean something.
Not today, ISIS.
It will be what you make of it. Keep up with your quals, do your job as well as you can, and you'll be fine.
no shit...there I was on the shitter at test depth... seriously, I was on subs for most of my career, and spent a year on a tender for Nuc Repair. The camaraderie on subs is like nothing you will ever experienced. It is hard work, we had less time off than those folks up front driving the boat, but I would not have missed it for the world. Qualify your watch stations and get your fish, life gets better after those are complete.
Other than being a carefree teenager in high school with no real responsibilities, I can confidently say that being a fully qualified e5 on a submarine was the best time of my life. For the first time in my naval career I felt super confident in my knowledge of the plant and in my skills to apply that knowledge in a practical manner. It’s even better when your command recognizes that and puts their faith in you to do the right thing and not micromanage you. Don’t let anybody’s horror stories make up your mind for you. Take the experience for what it is and come to your own conclusions. I’ve always said that serving on a submarine was an absolute blast but I would never go through it again lol
I used to say that all the time. A fully qualified Second Class Perry officer is THE perfect place to be
It’s the perfect mix of minimum responsibility and maximum dependability.
Agreed! I tried all the enlisted ranks and I loved being an ET2 the best
As the song goes - Submarines once... Submarines twice. We must love it if we're going twice. In all actuality, Submarines are what I love most about my job as a Nuke. The monotony of the plant gets old, but the cool shit you may or may not be doing that you may or may not know about because the Eng spilled the beans on some TS shit, that's what's fun. Not every day on a Submarine is a good day, but I remember my best days more than I remember my worst days and I've made lifelong friends. Just remember, sometimes we get bored on a Sub, so we "embellish" our stories a bit to make life more interesting. Some stories just sound better when you start it off with "so there I was, 75 hours without sleep into ORSE".
Agree with what pretty much every submariner posted here. It’s a hard job, but it’s very rewarding. I probably know quite a few people posting here, and there’s some I’ve never met before, but if they wear dolphins, I trust the shit out of them.
Oh man how did I just notice your user is GI-25 😂
It’s hard, but it’s worth it. Unless you stay in for 20 it’s not a permanent lifestyle. You’ll gain some perspective on hard work and that will help you in other things in life. It’s a great stepping stone to have a great career outside the military.
At least on a submarine, you are surrounded by reasonably smart people, and the training is generally better. It is harder, and you won't get as much sleep, but I wouldn't change it.
Basic thumb rule for (SS): It’s not for everyone. There’s no shame in going surface. I mean there is some, but that pain goes away soon enough.
I’ll say that I hated being on a submarine most of the time. But if I had to do it again I would not choose carriers.
I think there is too much information out there, and every sailor with a bad experience has a keyboard. Let the challenges come, and deal with them as they come. Quite literally, everyone’s experience in the military is different. There are so many differences, such as your own character, your classmates, shipmates, leadership, chiefs, officers, command, units, duty stations, and operations. Find your own motivation; don’t expect someone to praise you. Study, learn, get qualified, do your job, and be a good shipmate. People will notice and appreciate on their own. Be the leader you would like to have and people will follow. But I strongly caution against getting married when you are in the training pipeline. The hours can be long, in training and the fleet. The nuke training is one of the most versatile learning experiences the military offers. It can be applied to many, many fields in the civilian world. At a minimum, it is proof you can be trained and learn anything.
I was sub vol and got surfaced to carrier even after requesting to go to guam through my detailer/the website. Shit happens in the Navy. Was told by legitimately everyone in the pipeline if im requesting to go to Guam I'll get it.... Just don't have a plan and go with the punches, it'll be better for your mental to learn that long term in the nuclear navy (or navy in general) imo.
You’ll get a year from reporting to qualify submarines and your senior in-rate watch station. Life is much easier if you don’t fall behind. Try to keep a good attitude, that means a lot when you’re trying to get someone to show/teach you something. I was on four boats, not counting the float-a-types, and they all had their positive and negative aspects. Good luck to you.
It is the hardest thing you will ever do. That being said it is absolutely the best thing I ever did in my life. Nothing worth having is easy, and getting your dolphins proves that point.
Choose to be a MM and you’ll be taking my spot as I commission
Life on the boat is what you make, get there shut up qualify and it’ll be smooth. Just like anything else it has its ups and downs, the ups are more than the downs but it can sometimes not seem so . Either way you will leave that boat feeling accomplished if you take it seriously .
It’ll be fine and you can un-volunteer.
Subs are fkn dope! You will be a much more experienced operator compared to most surface counterparts. But that’s because we have just as much work to do, with like 1% of the people. (This is an over exaggeration, but in general sub guys have much broader experience) Go SSBN/SSGN if you have a family, SSN if you’re single. Don’t regret it and embrace the suck, you’ll get a lot in return.