Were you a nuke?
- Thread starter JAFARR
- Start date
Border Reiver
SOC-14 1K
I will add that I served on HMS Triumph, in a non nuclear capacity but my op team were assigned to damage control for engineering, Army types are considered disposable that way. 
Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
I was a Nuke, then I wasn't, then I almost was again.
I got busted out during the end of my time on the S8G prototype (Trident) (class 8901) for insubordination. Assigned to a Knox-class frigate (FF-1091, USS Miller) for two years. Then when that one was decommissioned, I got transferred to the USS Nimitz - where they saw that I was almost a nuke and qualled me just enough to stand in-port watches so that the real nukes got some liberty.
I'd say I was a nuke since I stood TG watches and Feed Pump watches along with making it through 98% of the training. Just no bonus or any other perks. I was a pseudo-nuke...
I got busted out during the end of my time on the S8G prototype (Trident) (class 8901) for insubordination. Assigned to a Knox-class frigate (FF-1091, USS Miller) for two years. Then when that one was decommissioned, I got transferred to the USS Nimitz - where they saw that I was almost a nuke and qualled me just enough to stand in-port watches so that the real nukes got some liberty.
I'd say I was a nuke since I stood TG watches and Feed Pump watches along with making it through 98% of the training. Just no bonus or any other perks. I was a pseudo-nuke...
Plankowner
SOC-13
I did 6 patrols on the USS Alabama SSBN-731.
I also spent three months on the USS Dale CG-19, a non-nuclear cruiser waiting for my Nuke School slot. I was assigned to the Boiler Room (even though I was a Machinist Mate, they put me with Boiler Techs!). I qualified as Boiler Watch while I was there.
I also qualified as a Sonar Tech while on the 'Bama. I think I was the only Nuke to do so. I also have my Sub Drivers License for qualifying Helmsman. Our CO insisted that we keep qualifying on watches, so after qualifying EWS, I looked outside of engineering for a change of pace.
I also spent three months on the USS Dale CG-19, a non-nuclear cruiser waiting for my Nuke School slot. I was assigned to the Boiler Room (even though I was a Machinist Mate, they put me with Boiler Techs!). I qualified as Boiler Watch while I was there.
I also qualified as a Sonar Tech while on the 'Bama. I think I was the only Nuke to do so. I also have my Sub Drivers License for qualifying Helmsman. Our CO insisted that we keep qualifying on watches, so after qualifying EWS, I looked outside of engineering for a change of pace.
Plankowner,
Okay, this is getting downright frightening. First, you're on staff at S5G while I'm qualifying at S1W and now I learn you served aboard the Lean Mean Fighting Machine.
Me too.
I was aboard her for most of '81 immediately after boot camp and 'A' school. Myself and about 30 other prospective nuc MMs and EMs were aboard waiting for our school billets. They parceled us out among 'A', 'B', 'E', and 'M' divisions. I was in 'M', still have the hat. Do the names Capt. Rodgers and MMCS Middleton ring any bells?
'Dale' was in the yards at Charleston. During a slow period, they put us all through the Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine school there; ~3 weeks of buttercup and 'ho-ho' tower training plus a little class room work. Little good it did me, the S1W outage overrun killed any chances of me serving aboard the boats.
Bill
Posting my nuc resume: After two years of muddling through college I walked into a recruiters...
- Boot camp at Orlando, FL in Jan. of '81. The base is closed now. At the recruiters, I'd scored well enough on the ASVABs to choose any sort of training. USAF and USMC declined to make any promises. I flipped a coin between Army helo school and USN nuc propulsion. If the Army recruiter had remembered to tell me I'd be a WO at least after finishing school, I'd have chosen the helo path. As it was, I chose Orlando over Grteat Lakes or San Diego for boot camp as the Nuc Propulsion School was there.
- MM 'A' School in Great Lakes, IL. It was still winter outside of Chicago no matter what the calendar said. The school was self paced so I graduated in less than four weeks.
- USS 'Dale' CG-19 at Charleston, SC and Jacksonville, FL. Picked her up in the yards ~May of '81 and served aboard until late '81 when my school billet opened.
- Navy Nuc Propulsion School at Orlando, FL. Not as much fun as you'd think. They cram what they claim to be 4 years of college into in ~6 months. Weekly tests with academic wash-outs announced afterwards. Mandatory study hours in which you logged in and were monitored. We didn't run around shagging tourists all the time. Is was study, study, study, and study some more.
- S1W prototype 'Nautilus' at INEL, Idaho summer of '82 to Jan '83. Story is already known here, planning screw up killed my chances of serving aboard subs. I pulled my OCS paperwork the day I received orders to a cruiser.
- Jan '83 to Jan '87 aboard USS 'California' CGN-36, the infamous Pigboat. Worst cruiser in the fleet, snakebit from the day they laid her keel. A great change from 'Dale' which was a great, award winning ship. Did what was left on my enlistment. Qualified as high as enlisted EOOW, but never stood EOOW. (The E-EOOW program was being phased out. It only existed on multi-reactor vessels. A few of us qualified because we were used to continually qualifying.) I also qualified for my surface warfare 'cutlasses' which is a cheap knock-off of a submariner's 'dolphins'.
I got out as an E6. The surface nuc ranks were so paltry that promotion requirements consisted of doing your course work, having time in grade, and having a pulse.
The command turned down my terminal leave request and instead discahrged my honorably 18 days early on 2 Jan 87 one day before the ship left on a WestPac.
Have fun,
Bill
- Boot camp at Orlando, FL in Jan. of '81. The base is closed now. At the recruiters, I'd scored well enough on the ASVABs to choose any sort of training. USAF and USMC declined to make any promises. I flipped a coin between Army helo school and USN nuc propulsion. If the Army recruiter had remembered to tell me I'd be a WO at least after finishing school, I'd have chosen the helo path. As it was, I chose Orlando over Grteat Lakes or San Diego for boot camp as the Nuc Propulsion School was there.
- MM 'A' School in Great Lakes, IL. It was still winter outside of Chicago no matter what the calendar said. The school was self paced so I graduated in less than four weeks.
- USS 'Dale' CG-19 at Charleston, SC and Jacksonville, FL. Picked her up in the yards ~May of '81 and served aboard until late '81 when my school billet opened.
- Navy Nuc Propulsion School at Orlando, FL. Not as much fun as you'd think. They cram what they claim to be 4 years of college into in ~6 months. Weekly tests with academic wash-outs announced afterwards. Mandatory study hours in which you logged in and were monitored. We didn't run around shagging tourists all the time. Is was study, study, study, and study some more.
- S1W prototype 'Nautilus' at INEL, Idaho summer of '82 to Jan '83. Story is already known here, planning screw up killed my chances of serving aboard subs. I pulled my OCS paperwork the day I received orders to a cruiser.
- Jan '83 to Jan '87 aboard USS 'California' CGN-36, the infamous Pigboat. Worst cruiser in the fleet, snakebit from the day they laid her keel. A great change from 'Dale' which was a great, award winning ship. Did what was left on my enlistment. Qualified as high as enlisted EOOW, but never stood EOOW. (The E-EOOW program was being phased out. It only existed on multi-reactor vessels. A few of us qualified because we were used to continually qualifying.) I also qualified for my surface warfare 'cutlasses' which is a cheap knock-off of a submariner's 'dolphins'.
I got out as an E6. The surface nuc ranks were so paltry that promotion requirements consisted of doing your course work, having time in grade, and having a pulse.
The command turned down my terminal leave request and instead discahrged my honorably 18 days early on 2 Jan 87 one day before the ship left on a WestPac.
Have fun,
Bill
Plankowner
SOC-13
Plankowner,
Okay, this is getting downright frightening. First, you're on staff at S5G while I'm qualifying at S1W and now I learn you served aboard the Lean Mean Fighting Machine.
Me too.
I was aboard her for most of '81 immediately after boot camp and 'A' school. Myself and about 30 other prospective nuc MMs and EMs were aboard waiting for our school billets. They parceled us out among 'A', 'B', 'E', and 'M' divisions. I was in 'M', still have the hat. Do the names Capt. Rodgers and MMCS Middleton ring any bells?
'Dale' was in the yards at Charleston. During a slow period, they put us all through the Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine school there; ~3 weeks of buttercup and 'ho-ho' tower training plus a little class room work. Little good it did me, the S1W outage overrun killed any chances of me serving aboard the boats.
Bill </font>[/QUOTE]WOW! Both the Captain and the Senior Chief were still there when I arrived.
I came to the Dale right after you left. I was part of the second batch sent to them. I was there at the end of the refit and I was aboard when they moved the ship back to it's home port of Mayport Florida (just outside Jacksonville). I heard about you guys...
Life is REALLY scary some times.
Spinward Scout
SOC-14 5K
Almost went Nuke (got begged by the recruiter after he saw my ASVAB) but I wanted a better chance at shore duty, so I went aviation. My brother was an EM Nuke, tho. Top of his A School class.
Graduated HS in June '68. Turned 18 in Sept '68. Went into the cashe program designated HS nuclear 1 week later. Boot Camp in Orlando (original company 47) Jan '69. MM A school GLakes in time to catch the last snowfall of the year (coming from S.C. lowcountry that gets maybe 1" once in 10 to 15 years, that 3" was the most snow I had ever seen in my life.) Left 4th of July weekend for home then on to Norfolk and USS Tidewater AD31 to wait assignment to nuclear power school. The rest of those who reported with me got posted to NY in 6 months while I was delayed for another 3 months. They froze while I was enjoying Operation Springboard in San Juan. Made MM3 before reporting to Bambridge, MD for school. (We had lazy instructors who checked up on you within the first hour of assigned study time. Give it 15 minutes after they left the building and half of us were gone until a half hour before study period ended. Nobody ever got drunk or got in a ruckus at the club while they were supposed to be studying while I was there, but heard somebody really messed up that system shortly after I left. Most of us were on 20+ mandatory hours a week, but few of us did more than 8 to 10 most weeks.) Prototype Idaho Falls (I want to say A5W, but I just don't remember the designation). Half slept throught the test for MM2 after being on night shift rotation the night before) My increment from the test just beat the automatic crow for re-enlisting for another 6 years after the first 2 years. Posted to USS Enterprize just before deployment to Vietnam via Pearl Harbor for some sort of damage control training ( as an un-qualified nuke, my damage control station was the classroom so I missed most of that fun time.) After "Nam it was back to Alameda on the Oakland side of the bay. Then back to 'Nam. I was shipped out of the middle of that deployment to pre-comissioning duty for USS Nimitz. As I arrived back in the states via Travis AFB, they were announcing the US pull out of Vietnam. I was flown back to the US for seperation during the middle of Nimitz's first deployment to the Med. All told I did just short of 8 years and left as MM2 (E5). Only time I was stationed in Charleston (1-1/4 hours from home) was for 2 weeks while they were processing me out of service. About 8 months later I was back in Charleston working in the shipyard. Too bad I can't add that 13 years to my 8 active duty and qualify for retirement.
TheEngineer
SOC-14 1K
Hu, graduated june 68... I wasnt even born then.
A lot of ancients around here ....
A lot of ancients around here ....
bromdenlong
SOC-12
I went to Naval Nuclear Propulsion School in 1983. I passed all my classes and tests, and was ready to graduate and go to prototype. Then they booted me from the program because I missed my required 35 hours of logged study time one week, by all of 6 minutes.
I studied far more than that, mind you, but they didn't count any study time after midnight. Christ, I was living on coffee, cola and caffeine pills for a while there. It was standard practice to stay up all night studying 2 or 3 nights a week. Classes were about 45 hours a week, plus 35 hours mandatory logged study time for most of us.
I was told later that the Navy used the nuke program to recruit as many people with high test scores as they could get (far more than they needed for the nuke boats), and then force the excess bodies into the Regular fleet by flushing them out of the nuke program on any technicality they could find. Given the large number of nuke-school flushouts on my old boat (USS Okinawa LPH-3), I tend to believe it.
I studied far more than that, mind you, but they didn't count any study time after midnight. Christ, I was living on coffee, cola and caffeine pills for a while there. It was standard practice to stay up all night studying 2 or 3 nights a week. Classes were about 45 hours a week, plus 35 hours mandatory logged study time for most of us.
I was told later that the Navy used the nuke program to recruit as many people with high test scores as they could get (far more than they needed for the nuke boats), and then force the excess bodies into the Regular fleet by flushing them out of the nuke program on any technicality they could find. Given the large number of nuke-school flushouts on my old boat (USS Okinawa LPH-3), I tend to believe it.
