Author Topic: Troubling US Navy review finds widespread shortfalls in basic seamanship  (Read 2787 times)

230RN

  • It's like swimming to shore in an ebb tide.
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 18,826
  • Pushing back. Help me out, here...
Ah!   :facepalm:  Of course!  I never thought about actual HTG  (Honest-To-Gawd, French G. :)) engraving tasks like those.  Also interesting to hear about the non-commercial "commerce" that went on re favors.

So thanks.


RoadKingLarry

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 21,841
Never Again Volunteer Yourself.

I still had the vestigial remnants of my soul and still had a few tentative hopes and dreams left and was trying to make a good impression with the command and be a valuable member of the crew.

whata dumbass that guy was.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams

RoadKingLarry

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 21,841
Ah!   :facepalm:  Of course!  I never thought about actual HTG  (Honest-To-Gawd, French G. :)) engraving tasks like those.  Also interesting to hear about the non-commercial "commerce" that went on re favors.

So thanks.

I probably engraved at least 1000 Zippo lighters, They had the ships crest on the front. They were popular Christmas presents.

Here, 230RN a fairly good list of proper Navy slang with a strong submarine influence.

http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2013/06/submarine-slang.html
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams

French G.

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10,184
  • ohhh sparkles!
I was also a snipe: rarely saw the outside of the ship, let alone played with lines. Dweeb

I also saw a tendancy to keep the dregs, but bounce the capable. Had one kid in A school, AWESOME tech. Got in trouble because his roomies brought beer into the barracks, was bounced. But one of the E4s in my shop, couldn't do anything (my list of duties read "PMS, Andy's PMS, trouble log, double check any trouble calls Andy signed off on"). E5 exam for IC, the fail point was like 8 points off: closest Andy ever came was 30 off. He was reenlisted shortly after

You should have seen Perform to Serve, or the Navy attempts to fix overmanned ratings by screwing updated all ratings. I was a career counselor when it came out. Approval to reenlist as a first termer, based on navywide manning. So, I ran lots of mini selection boards with set in stone criteria. Number one was evals which we have seen can be inflated for the worthless. Nowhere on the list was NECs. If your rate was severely overmanned chances are you would be offered a conversion. I had an E-3 with three good NECs get converted to damage controlman. I met a machinist mate going to the boiler gang who had three NECs as an Aviation Electrician, one of them a six month near impossible to get school that oh yeah, our department manning said we needed and never had. The list goes on...
AKA Navy Joe   

I'm so contrarian that I didn't respond to the thread.

just Warren

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,234
  • My DJ name is Heavy Cream.
How is it this country actually wins wars?
Member in Good Standing of the Spontaneous Order of the Invisible Hand.

Scout26

  • I'm a leaf on the wind.
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,997
  • I spent a week in that town one night....
How is it this country actually wins wars?

Because other countries are more screwed up then we are, try as we might.

I see a lot of XO hate here.  Maybe it's different in the Navy, but in the Army the XO is the CO's Hitman.  He's also the eXtra duty Officer, so he's always going around and annoying NCO's about why vehicles are still on deadline, why are we still missing items that supply allegedly ordered months ago, How many radios are still in third shop and do we know when we can get them back, along with training, safety, Classified Material Custodian, Crypto Key Custodian, morale, pay, etc.  Then going and "correcting" the more junior LT's who had stepped on their crank yet again, usually in front of some senior officer.

I tried very much to stay out of the NCO's way, and coach the 2LT's about being seen and not heard.  My Company CO didn't trust the NCO's and enjoyed telling LT's (me included) how worthless we were and constantly threatening us with our "Report Card".   Yes, there are times when you need to jump in someone's *expletive deleted*it, but not everyday and when they are doing their best and only screw up due to lack of experience (Asking the CO for guidance or help was a guaranteed asschewing about being stupid and worthless).  I also recognized that we had very good and very competent NCO's, who really didn't need me to to be all in their business.  If they said "X", then I took their word for it.  My CO want to me to waste everyone's time by making them "prove it" by digging out paperwork, etc.   Yes, even the 1st Sergeant.  Nothing like being in company where the highly competent 1SG is mistrusted by the CO.

"Commander send you for this Sir ?"
"Yes, 1SG.  I'm sorry to bother you, but you know."
"Yes sir.  Happy to oblige..."

I got relieved because I went to the Provost Marshal's Office (on post) to get an Vehicle Accident Report on one of our soldiers (remember I was Safety Officer, so I needed that to due my Safety Officer Report on the accident), because I didn't tell him I would be out of the Company Area.  (the fact that he wasn't in his office when I called there, notwithstanding, 1SG knew where I was and even told the CO where I had gone).   Shortly after that I asked for, and received a transfer to the PMO as Deputy and Operations Officer.     
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


Bring me my Broadsword and a clear understanding.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bless with a hard heart those that stand with me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind.
Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on,
for the motherland.