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Senior Crew
Posts: 183
| Subject: Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
I got out of the Navy in 1963, and know that a lot has changed over the past 40+ years. Maybe you guys can bring me up to date on a couple of issues. First of all, can someone tell me about the "18 hour" days I hear about. I assume that means 6 on/12 off, but what does it mean to the regular ships routine like meals etc. Secondly, we had seamen(E-3) aboard our boat who would then strike for some rating after some time doing mess cooking and deck painting...Does that still occur on todays boats or does everyone come aboard trained in some rating? And speaking of mess cooks, is that still a task done by NQPs or have the Culinary Spec. take care of all of that type of work? Finally, tonight I went to a grandkids school presentation and there was a young uniformed sailor there with a pin that looked like a boomer shooting a bird, but no dolphins...asked him about that but didn't understand the answer. Didn't recognize his rating and was told he was an Chaplins' assistant...that his job was to act as body guard for the clergy. Do we have clergy on boats now??? I walked away shaking my head, so maybe one of you can clear things up for me. He did have an Alaska patch on his right shoulder.
carl b. |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 557
| Subject: RE: Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
The pin was probably a "Boomer" pin and he hasn't earned his dolphinsa yet. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 14
| Subject: RE: Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
Carl,
I got out in '03 and served on a 688 class boat. To answer your questions from my experience:
1. The 18 hour at sea day is 6 on 12 off, meals ever 6 hours so you have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midrats. The Plan of the day still gets posted every day at 12:00 AM, training, movies, etc still go by the 24 hour clock (so flicks are usually watched after dinner).
2. Yes, there are still E-2 and E-3 Strikers, we had several during my time onboard, there is still a deck div, and NQPs still crank (I did 6 months off and on untill I got my fish)
3. As for the pin, I'm not sure. There are no clergy onboard submarines. But I would imagine he was a non qual boomer type, on some sort of shore assignment. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
Carl, sounds like there may be a bit of a "Wanna-be" in that lad. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 14
| Subject: RE: Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
He probably did one patrol on the Alaska, and either got booted out of sub service, or asked out, and then re-rated to some sort of chaplin assistant rating. |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 781
Location: Port Orchard WA | Subject: RE: Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
Bit older time I retired in 88 but spent most of my Navy career on 18 hour days it was 6 on 12 off as said. All of mine had movies after midrats as well as after dinner and most mornings were training, field day, drills or ships business of some sort |
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Questions from an old diesel boat sailor
