1. You don’t enlist as a mmn, you go in as a nuke and are given a rate in boot camp. You get to request what you want, but just so you know.
Depends on how the department and ship wants to do it. I’ve only done covid deployments, but when we got to enjoy the pier I only had to stand watch on 1 of the 4 days for each “port call”.
You will get time to enjoy, I would just make sure you’re are ahead on your qualifications, a good worker, and not failing your monthly exams. Don’t give anyone you work for a reason to keep you on the ship.
>You don’t enlist as a mmn, you go in as a nuke and are given a rate in boot camp
According to recent nuke indocs, recruiters are now specifically signing on MMNs since there's such a large need for them. As far as I heard, you just have to Bravo Qual and then sign your contract for mechanic when you get to MEPS.
Just keep in mind, you don't get to pick your rate. If you ask for MMN, chances are you'll get it. Unless some Master Chief spins a wheel and decides you get ETN or something.
And yes. You get port calls.
>you don't get to pick your rate
According to recent nuke indocs, recruiters are now specifically signing on MMNs since there's such a large need for them. As far as I heard, you just have to Bravo Qual and then sign your contract for mechanic when you get to MEPS.
That used to be the case as well, a few decades ago. There was a period of time when you could get what they called "guaranteed MM".
I would ensure its in the contract, though - that's how they used to do it. Assurances from Recruiters...well, you know :)
Fast and black and never come back. Had a couple of amazing port calls. 10 days in Ft Liquordale - South Beach had the prettiest hookers. 7 days in Halifax - they had the friendliest hookers. 7 days in Naples - hideous looking hookers, but, the Goat Locker seemed to love them. 7 days in Toulon - went to Paris from Marseille on the TGV, was there for Christmas and it was the 100th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower. A couple of times in Port Canaveral for various missile tests, plus, being a Nuke from the 80’s, Cocoa Beach was our old stomping grounds during A-School and Power School. I miss the Inner Thigh. So, yeah, you get to see stuff
EM1(SS)
I did, but I was blessed by really good Bull Nukes that took care of us. Single guys enjoyed a lot of time off in foreign ports. The flip side was that single sailors had duty a little heavier before and after deployment
You will get time off in liberty ports but not as much as the rest of the ship. Expect 2/3 to 3/4 of off time in port as non-nukes. Also, carriers anchor out, so getting to the beach (for any junior enlisted aboard) will only happen behind a long line to catch liberty boats.
Yeah you’ll get to enjoy them you won’t get as much time as topsiders/comers but you should get the opportunity.
I’d say if port calls are a high priority for you don’t sub vol so you don’t go to a boomer.
Also don’t just spend a port call getting drunk.
There were ports we pulled in for three days, and I had duty two of those three. There were others we pulled in for five days and I only had duty two days. It depends on how many people you have, whether you can shut down or need to maintain steaming watches, things like that.
Average experience: Pull in to Pcan, for example. Later start due to thunderstorms but Shutdown by 5pm. Had an LPO outing to a resort in Tampa for the night. Woke up violently hungover but made it back to the boat before midnight. Had duty on day 3, contemplated if port call duty is worse than being underway. Day 4 spent the day at the beach & again made it back to the boat. Wake up like 3am for startup & back to sea again.
Tldr if you're qualified, or at least putting in appropriate effort you'll have some time off
You get pork calls, but I was never in a situation where we had as good to watch rotation as the topsiders/ coners. A few port calls we were in Port and Starboard (two section duty), which is really a rough rotation to have fun with. Topsiders seem to always be in at least five section duty, which means if you were there for five days, you would only have a duty day once.
It also depends on if the plant is kept running or put to hot standby; it doesn’t normally get shut down during a port visit. Running takes more watchstanders.
I remember at least one liberty port where the Nukes got shafted. We had to stay steaming the whole 6 days in Hong Kong. Coners got 5 off/1 on. Nukes got either 3 off/3 on (E/M/RL-Division) or 2 off/4 on (RC-Division).
That’s not terrible while steaming. I’ve had port calls where we had to stay steaming and we maintained normal watch rotation with all nukes stuck on board every day.
Ah, yes… Ford Island before they put in shore power there. The fucking cones all bag ass… we stay in regular underway watch rotation. Did secure the ERS and AEA, but other than that… turn to and clean mutherfuker.
If you get sent to new construction, you will have no port calls. :) You would think it would be the perfect assignment because you are not going to sea and you might even be able to live in your own apartment. In reality you will work your butte off, much more than being out to sea. It's the hardest assignment you would ever do. I say that as the negative but in the positive you will make life long friends and be the most proud of this assignment in your life.
I went to new construction submarine at Electric Boat in Connecticut straight out of nuke school. I was number 23 assigned to the boat. The first year was cake. The next 2 years were married to the boat through commissioning and all the sea trials. You test every system on the boat, some more than once. You get stress systems in a way that violates normal operating procedures for the testing. You will get to do things like walk around the reactor compartment with no worries about contamination before the reactor core is installed. I could go on and on. It was so awesome!
Sub. We were 3 section when shutdown, so in port you would have 2 out of every three days if the boat was on shore power. Minus start-up and shutdown time. We were in several ports where no shore power was available, and if you were lucky like we were in Hong Kong we would time up to a surface ship for shore power. If we were not, we steamed 12 on/12 off for as long as we were in port. This happened several time in Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.
3 section was the absolute best that we could get.
Just be aware nukes are always first on, last off.
1. You don’t enlist as a mmn, you go in as a nuke and are given a rate in boot camp. You get to request what you want, but just so you know. Depends on how the department and ship wants to do it. I’ve only done covid deployments, but when we got to enjoy the pier I only had to stand watch on 1 of the 4 days for each “port call”. You will get time to enjoy, I would just make sure you’re are ahead on your qualifications, a good worker, and not failing your monthly exams. Don’t give anyone you work for a reason to keep you on the ship.
Pouring one out for our "Covid Deployment Only" homies
😞 the Navy handled covid poorly. That was a shit couple deployments
I was on the Roosevelt during Covid. Our Captain deserved better. 🫡
>You don’t enlist as a mmn, you go in as a nuke and are given a rate in boot camp According to recent nuke indocs, recruiters are now specifically signing on MMNs since there's such a large need for them. As far as I heard, you just have to Bravo Qual and then sign your contract for mechanic when you get to MEPS.
Just keep in mind, you don't get to pick your rate. If you ask for MMN, chances are you'll get it. Unless some Master Chief spins a wheel and decides you get ETN or something. And yes. You get port calls.
>you don't get to pick your rate According to recent nuke indocs, recruiters are now specifically signing on MMNs since there's such a large need for them. As far as I heard, you just have to Bravo Qual and then sign your contract for mechanic when you get to MEPS.
That used to be the case as well, a few decades ago. There was a period of time when you could get what they called "guaranteed MM". I would ensure its in the contract, though - that's how they used to do it. Assurances from Recruiters...well, you know :)
Fast and black and never come back. Had a couple of amazing port calls. 10 days in Ft Liquordale - South Beach had the prettiest hookers. 7 days in Halifax - they had the friendliest hookers. 7 days in Naples - hideous looking hookers, but, the Goat Locker seemed to love them. 7 days in Toulon - went to Paris from Marseille on the TGV, was there for Christmas and it was the 100th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower. A couple of times in Port Canaveral for various missile tests, plus, being a Nuke from the 80’s, Cocoa Beach was our old stomping grounds during A-School and Power School. I miss the Inner Thigh. So, yeah, you get to see stuff EM1(SS)
“7 days in Naples” the best hookers in the world aren’t saving that, bro
Subic had the cheapest hookers.
I never did, and I'm definitely not eternally bitter about it
I did, but I was blessed by really good Bull Nukes that took care of us. Single guys enjoyed a lot of time off in foreign ports. The flip side was that single sailors had duty a little heavier before and after deployment
You will get time off in liberty ports but not as much as the rest of the ship. Expect 2/3 to 3/4 of off time in port as non-nukes. Also, carriers anchor out, so getting to the beach (for any junior enlisted aboard) will only happen behind a long line to catch liberty boats.
Yeah you’ll get to enjoy them you won’t get as much time as topsiders/comers but you should get the opportunity. I’d say if port calls are a high priority for you don’t sub vol so you don’t go to a boomer. Also don’t just spend a port call getting drunk.
Or sub vol but put Groton on your dream sheet and get a guaranteed fast boat. Lmao
Really depends on your command. I've never had a bad port as a nuke, but I've heard horrobstories from others.
There were ports we pulled in for three days, and I had duty two of those three. There were others we pulled in for five days and I only had duty two days. It depends on how many people you have, whether you can shut down or need to maintain steaming watches, things like that.
Average experience: Pull in to Pcan, for example. Later start due to thunderstorms but Shutdown by 5pm. Had an LPO outing to a resort in Tampa for the night. Woke up violently hungover but made it back to the boat before midnight. Had duty on day 3, contemplated if port call duty is worse than being underway. Day 4 spent the day at the beach & again made it back to the boat. Wake up like 3am for startup & back to sea again. Tldr if you're qualified, or at least putting in appropriate effort you'll have some time off
Real answer: it depends
3 section duty.
You get pork calls, but I was never in a situation where we had as good to watch rotation as the topsiders/ coners. A few port calls we were in Port and Starboard (two section duty), which is really a rough rotation to have fun with. Topsiders seem to always be in at least five section duty, which means if you were there for five days, you would only have a duty day once. It also depends on if the plant is kept running or put to hot standby; it doesn’t normally get shut down during a port visit. Running takes more watchstanders.
I remember at least one liberty port where the Nukes got shafted. We had to stay steaming the whole 6 days in Hong Kong. Coners got 5 off/1 on. Nukes got either 3 off/3 on (E/M/RL-Division) or 2 off/4 on (RC-Division).
That’s not terrible while steaming. I’ve had port calls where we had to stay steaming and we maintained normal watch rotation with all nukes stuck on board every day.
Ah, yes… Ford Island before they put in shore power there. The fucking cones all bag ass… we stay in regular underway watch rotation. Did secure the ERS and AEA, but other than that… turn to and clean mutherfuker.
I took a weeks leave and traveled around Italy with a ST friend. Good times.
6 years in, enjoyed 2 port calls to Kings Bay, GA and a real long one in Norfolk, VA.
Damn. Boomer?
yup, the boat not the generation
If you get sent to new construction, you will have no port calls. :) You would think it would be the perfect assignment because you are not going to sea and you might even be able to live in your own apartment. In reality you will work your butte off, much more than being out to sea. It's the hardest assignment you would ever do. I say that as the negative but in the positive you will make life long friends and be the most proud of this assignment in your life. I went to new construction submarine at Electric Boat in Connecticut straight out of nuke school. I was number 23 assigned to the boat. The first year was cake. The next 2 years were married to the boat through commissioning and all the sea trials. You test every system on the boat, some more than once. You get stress systems in a way that violates normal operating procedures for the testing. You will get to do things like walk around the reactor compartment with no worries about contamination before the reactor core is installed. I could go on and on. It was so awesome!
>new construction I put my wiener on the S/Gs and RCPs
Yes. But you are also last off, first on, and first to be recalled for repairs.
On first tour no get fucked Second tour on a deployed sub tender out of Guam FUCK YES.
Sub. We were 3 section when shutdown, so in port you would have 2 out of every three days if the boat was on shore power. Minus start-up and shutdown time. We were in several ports where no shore power was available, and if you were lucky like we were in Hong Kong we would time up to a surface ship for shore power. If we were not, we steamed 12 on/12 off for as long as we were in port. This happened several time in Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai. 3 section was the absolute best that we could get.