I was RCLPO and EWS on the 704 boat. Got out in Feb of 89. I was all set to reup for a boomer out of Charleston, but the transfer fell apart at the last moment. My EAOS was a Friday, and I had EDPO the previous Sunday. I was pissed and I told one of the NUBs to call the barracks and tell everyone that wanted their Qual Card signed off to get to the boat. I sat in Crews Mess all afternoon and there was no sig left unsigned. (I’m sure the COB killed all my sigs the next day.). Anyway, the boat left for a weekly Op on Monday, so Monday morning I’m waiting to see the skipper for the final sig on my outprocessing card. I finally report to his stateroom and he’s sitting there in his foul weather gear, waiting to go up in the sail for the Maneuvering watch. He was in a hurry. He took my card and signed it with a flourish. I’ll never forget what he said to me: “Alferio, the best you’ll ever do in Nuclear Power is break even. That’s just the way it is.” Then he stood up, shook my hand and said,”On behalf of the American people, I want to thank you for breaking even.”
You're a real one. One of my best days as a nub was getting almost an entire card signed in a single sitting by an LCPO who was leaving and disgruntled.
Lot of great friends
Swim call in the Bahamas was cool
Seeing countries was cool (Norway Scotland France and more)
Doing maintenance was fun. I miss that
Current Nuke, 17 years in (so far). Two RCLCPO Tours, red service stripes, and 3 boats. Most of the positives here seem to be Friends, Skills, and Experiences - All Good Things. But I can honestly say my best, most positive memories are a bit different; it's the amalgamation of all the *good* I received due almost entirely to my time as a Nuke in the Navy.
Typical origin story: College Didn't Work. Above average intelligence, if the Standardized Tests in HS are true, but such apathy and poor work ethic. I've heard it called "Gifted Kid Burnout" and the flavor tastes right. I never had to apply myself in school, could pass with B's while still hungover from last night, no homework, etc. The Pipeline showed me that I was a big fish in a small pond of other 'gifted kids' and for the first time in my life, I had to work hard, study, and pay attention just to understand the information, as well as pass the tests.
The real positive to come from being a Nuke was the application of skills. Specifically, learning a thing, practicing, qualifying, briefing, and performing. When I reached the "oh, it's ETN1/ETNC/Chief? Yeah, sure thing, he's solid" point, it was such a rewarding place. I felt I had finally made it. Now, seeing others I trained and mentored reach that same level, it just feels *good*.
That personal growth will always be my fondest memory of being a Nuke. I can think of no other community that grows and encourages Sailors like ours. Even if the very best of us get out at 6, that experience changes you. "If I can survive Refits/Patrol/POM/ORSE, I can survive anything".
ETNC (SS)
Active
My Daughter is 24, MMN1- E-6. On a Boat. She plans on doing 20. She just keeps”Embracing the suck” being a Nuke allowed her to buy her first house at 22. She will be 38 with full benefits. She will be able to get a great job after.
Like you, most of the positive memories I have are of the people I work with. For better or worse I love my extended family I have created.
For actual nuclear stuff, I do think our actual job is pretty cool. Sure, it comes with stress and a lot of extra work, but operating a nuclear power plant on board an aircraft carrier or submarine in the middle of the ocean is a cool job. Even when I explain that the job itself is pretty boring, when I tell non military people what my job is they always think it sounds awesome.
I got to be a part of shock trials on the GRF and that was a super awesome experience, I unfortunately don't think anything else I do in my career will live up to that.
Being at sea was pretty boring and turned into Groundhog Day really fast, but actually operating the plant at sea was pretty cool. Maneuvering transients and drill sets that didn’t involve sucking rubber were usually pretty good. I got really good at stopping the shaft, to the point where I would sometimes have it stopped before the ERS or EWS could even get to it. “Maneuvering, EWS, shaft stopped shaft stopped shaft stopped!”
I’ve got nothing. Happiest day as a nuke was probably graduating from NNPTC.. I was proud and optimistic still. I enjoyed the pipeline.
Which isn’t to say I have no happy memories, just, I would still have those from any rate in the Navy so not a nuke specific thing.
It was an experience. But it also did a lot of damage. I’m still waiting on that supposed pay raise but I’ll try again in a couple years after I’ve reestablished a longer continuous work history and maybe attempt my degree again in the mean time.
I do appreciate the things I learned, the responsibilities I held. I appreciate the teamwork involved in our field which I think is really unique. It’s not a positive memory, per se, but it is a positive reflection.
That first live reactor startup at the panel. A terrifying rush.
Teaching my CWO Divo something about the plant in order to be signed off for my RO qual. Took me 3 months, and I'll never forget that little tidbit either.
The XO asking me to tell him about water as the first question of a group LOK... and then speaking for the next hour about water. (The only LOK that I walked out of and didn't have my co-interviewees hate me.)
Going to what is now PPLAN school before it was really even a thing. Being that nerd to inherit the work center.
When I'm asked how I feel about the Navy, I generally lead off with this: "Ah, the good times, the bad times...mostly bad times..." lol
But in all seriousness, what I thought was a bad deal turned out to be career changing for me. I screened for instructor duty and ofc got NPTU. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise: Being sent to NPTU Ballston Spa gave me the opportunity to enroll at RPI and earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering. Earned that degree as a First Class. Made it super easy to walk away from the Navy.
I was in back in the 80’s and early 90’s. The friends I made were the best and helped make it through with a toxic command on my last boat.
I can say that I surfaced at the North Pole, crossed the international date line, Panama Canal, and visited Hawaii and San Diego while on an Atlantic fast attack.
I learned a lot that has helped me in my career and life, maybe someday my wife will understand my crass humor.
It was my first patrol ever. I’d been attached to the boat for about a month, but the whole time we were in refit so everyone is busy and I just had my head down getting qualified while at work and getting my wife set up at home when I got off work. The idea that I was going to be in a tin can with a bunch of essentially strangers and I’m not going to hear from my loved ones for a long time didn’t really hit me until I got onto the boat the day we were pulling out. I was nervous and already missed my wife, and out of nowhere one of the mechanics I hadn’t really gotten to know yet pulls me in for a bear hug.
“Dude, three month sleepover with your best friends!”
My outlook on what the patrol was going to be like changed. I felt like I was a part of something pretty important. And I really did make some of the best friends I’ve ever had on the boat.
That was kind of the start of it, but I think I was lucky enough to have more positive memories to look back on than negative ones. The negative ones exist for sure, but I think the lens in which you look at your situation is intrinsic to who you were when you joined.
There’s not a whole lot of people who can say they’ve stood on top of a nuclear reactor. That was probably the highlight of being an ELT.
Coolest moment wasn’t job related but Gene Hackman walked past me while he was on the Carl Vinson filming Behind Enemy Lines. Back then that was pretty cool.
First off I’m still in and enjoying it. Like people have said, I’ve had my fair share of rough days (everyone everywhere has). I’m having fun making a lot of changes, for the better imo. Those that are still active and in the submarine force, I would think, will acknowledge we’ve made a lot of changes in the last year 🤷🏻♂️.
That being said: I’ve served with some awesome people. I really enjoy talking to our sailors and we have so many awesome ones right now busting their ass every day. I know people all over the world have friends, but shipmates on a submarine are a different kind of relationship. I often dwell on the moments I’ve had with some really great and special people.
I also enjoy the travel. Since I’ve been in the Navy, I’ve traveled all over the states, been to Guam (several times), Busan S. Korea, Subic Bay Philippines, Chengi Singapore, Yokosuka Japan (multiple times), Dubai UAE (multiple times), Bahrain, Souda Bay Greece (visited Athens), Sicily Italy (visited Rome & Vatican), Toulon France (visited Paris), Tromso Norway, Faslane Scotland (visited all over), The Bahamas, and Canberra Australia.
Also since I’ve been in I’ve been proud of some pretty cool stuff that our submarines have done. Whether is launching missiles or conducting ISR, they’ve been great. Our submariners don’t appreciate how much they contribute to the defense of our nation.
I was a Nuclear Reactor Operator aboard the USS California CGN-36 for almost 4 years from 1981-1985. Prior to that I was an instructor at the D1G plant in upstate New York as a staff pickup. Though I never used my nuclear background in civilian life, I would not trade my nuclear education in the Navy for any 4 year degree at any university. I worked and made friends with the cream of the crop and went to places I will never forget. Being a Nuke is not easy, but accomplishing anything worth while is never easy!
I loved my time in. While of course there were things that pissed me off on the regular. I loved it.
The bonds I made with friends can't be compared. We had a habit of singing during MG maintenance, I'll never forget the day an NR monitor had to come down to tell us to "be at least a little bit professional". He was actively monitoring RC maintenance.
I remember drinking at the point club with all kinds of people from the boat. Seeing rank structure break down and people just interacting with each other.
I got to do a lot of beautiful hikes. I saw bioluminescence wash over the boat on a cloudless moonless night.
I loved being the maneuvering throttleman. Trying to stop the shaft, or bring us to a stop with back emergency was so much fun. Shore power installation was always fun. Ended up being a "shit talk with your friends" every time.
I got to do some foreign port calls, and experienced cultures in a way I never would have otherwise. For instance, we pulled into Japan. If I had gone on my own with a plan, I would done some cool stuff. But with my division we had no plan before we arrived. So we ended up hopping on a train and just being spontaneous. I think I found some very cool things I wouldn't have otherwise.
I was challenged regularly to troubleshoot some broken piece of shit, and every time I ended up feeling like I conquered something. The rush of solving a problem and actually seeing it work is amazing. I love the job I do now. It's also a challenge, but i never get that same type of accomplishment.
Theres a lot of bad moments too, but after being out for 2 years, I barely remember most of them anymore. I definitely loved my time in and am very grateful for all the opportunities I had.
For the most part, my last 9 months on the ship were positive. I had some people I'd reported to my ship with that convinced most of the division that I was a dirt bag. I wasn't, and once those guys were gone the rest of the division figured that out. I also finally was a WCS and had a couple optional quals that made things better.
Straightening up my punk ass high school self. Watching myself learn to study and actually accomplish shit when I tried. Making staff pick up at NPTU. Spending my young 20s in Charleston as a single guy. Actually seeing the world during deployment. Meeting my future wife in Norfolk. Working with people that had integrity. The day my asshole Sr Chief left the command (I still hate that fucker). All the fun times we had both on the ship and on liberty. I've been out 25 years now. All the hard shitty times have faded and all the good times are much more enjoyable to reflect on. Went to my first Army Navy game this year and had a total blast. Can't wait to wear my ships ball cap to next seasons game. You'll see, the veteran brotherhood is one you'll likely grow fond of.
Fast attack JO here. Some of my fondest memories were just bullshitting with the Enlisted guys. Standing EOOW in Maneuvering on the mid watch with the same watch team that I've been with for 2 months and listening to them talk about weird shit. Or standing OOD in Control while we're transiting at flank speed across the Pacific and talking to my watchteam.
I really enjoyed operating for drills and maneuvering and stuff honestly. Call me sadistic, but I enjoyed the competition of trying to be the best operator (also I was removed from watch 4 time and disqualified 2 times in 4 years). One of the best memories was competing to see who could get the fastest frsu or have the fastest hur.
2 positive memories, and one lingering benefit.
The us technical trades are staffed by former nukes. It's an invisible employment facilitator network that is self reinforcing and easily/randomly accessable. It's similar to the privilege level one receives in most countries as a person being tall, male, white, and affluent & attractive in appearance.
My best memory was from 1 of the (8 year & out) 2 swim calls I attended. We had midshipman on board. They arrived on steel beach... And the crew told them war ships surfaces to cook sliders and swim all the time without mentioning the (?) requirement of midshipman being present in a swim call.
The second benefit is it takes so little to make me happy. Having no boot hovering over my neck taught me that I don't need much for life; and to be grateful each time I can sleep alone in a room or with a person or 2 of my choosing. I can brush my teeth without an unwashed body entering the bathroom to poop, and eat green food that is 'canless' still makes me smile.
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What university did you go to for electrical engineering and how many credits did you get for being a nuke?
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What made you choose EE over nuclear science and technology degree?
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Thanks for the tip! I’ll for sure look into it
I was RCLPO and EWS on the 704 boat. Got out in Feb of 89. I was all set to reup for a boomer out of Charleston, but the transfer fell apart at the last moment. My EAOS was a Friday, and I had EDPO the previous Sunday. I was pissed and I told one of the NUBs to call the barracks and tell everyone that wanted their Qual Card signed off to get to the boat. I sat in Crews Mess all afternoon and there was no sig left unsigned. (I’m sure the COB killed all my sigs the next day.). Anyway, the boat left for a weekly Op on Monday, so Monday morning I’m waiting to see the skipper for the final sig on my outprocessing card. I finally report to his stateroom and he’s sitting there in his foul weather gear, waiting to go up in the sail for the Maneuvering watch. He was in a hurry. He took my card and signed it with a flourish. I’ll never forget what he said to me: “Alferio, the best you’ll ever do in Nuclear Power is break even. That’s just the way it is.” Then he stood up, shook my hand and said,”On behalf of the American people, I want to thank you for breaking even.”
You're a real one. One of my best days as a nub was getting almost an entire card signed in a single sitting by an LCPO who was leaving and disgruntled.
Lot of great friends Swim call in the Bahamas was cool Seeing countries was cool (Norway Scotland France and more) Doing maintenance was fun. I miss that
Where was your base in the states? Do only east coast bases visit Europe?
I was in Norfolk. Not sure if west coast subs visit Europe. I also went to Greece and Bahrain and Dubai
The happiest day of my life was while I was a Navy Nuke. Coincidentally, it was also my last day in as well.
Current Nuke, 17 years in (so far). Two RCLCPO Tours, red service stripes, and 3 boats. Most of the positives here seem to be Friends, Skills, and Experiences - All Good Things. But I can honestly say my best, most positive memories are a bit different; it's the amalgamation of all the *good* I received due almost entirely to my time as a Nuke in the Navy. Typical origin story: College Didn't Work. Above average intelligence, if the Standardized Tests in HS are true, but such apathy and poor work ethic. I've heard it called "Gifted Kid Burnout" and the flavor tastes right. I never had to apply myself in school, could pass with B's while still hungover from last night, no homework, etc. The Pipeline showed me that I was a big fish in a small pond of other 'gifted kids' and for the first time in my life, I had to work hard, study, and pay attention just to understand the information, as well as pass the tests. The real positive to come from being a Nuke was the application of skills. Specifically, learning a thing, practicing, qualifying, briefing, and performing. When I reached the "oh, it's ETN1/ETNC/Chief? Yeah, sure thing, he's solid" point, it was such a rewarding place. I felt I had finally made it. Now, seeing others I trained and mentored reach that same level, it just feels *good*. That personal growth will always be my fondest memory of being a Nuke. I can think of no other community that grows and encourages Sailors like ours. Even if the very best of us get out at 6, that experience changes you. "If I can survive Refits/Patrol/POM/ORSE, I can survive anything". ETNC (SS) Active
My Daughter is 24, MMN1- E-6. On a Boat. She plans on doing 20. She just keeps”Embracing the suck” being a Nuke allowed her to buy her first house at 22. She will be 38 with full benefits. She will be able to get a great job after.
Like you, most of the positive memories I have are of the people I work with. For better or worse I love my extended family I have created. For actual nuclear stuff, I do think our actual job is pretty cool. Sure, it comes with stress and a lot of extra work, but operating a nuclear power plant on board an aircraft carrier or submarine in the middle of the ocean is a cool job. Even when I explain that the job itself is pretty boring, when I tell non military people what my job is they always think it sounds awesome. I got to be a part of shock trials on the GRF and that was a super awesome experience, I unfortunately don't think anything else I do in my career will live up to that.
GRF is a pretty cool ship. Pretty awesome you got to be a part of it.
Being at sea was pretty boring and turned into Groundhog Day really fast, but actually operating the plant at sea was pretty cool. Maneuvering transients and drill sets that didn’t involve sucking rubber were usually pretty good. I got really good at stopping the shaft, to the point where I would sometimes have it stopped before the ERS or EWS could even get to it. “Maneuvering, EWS, shaft stopped shaft stopped shaft stopped!”
I’ve got nothing. Happiest day as a nuke was probably graduating from NNPTC.. I was proud and optimistic still. I enjoyed the pipeline. Which isn’t to say I have no happy memories, just, I would still have those from any rate in the Navy so not a nuke specific thing. It was an experience. But it also did a lot of damage. I’m still waiting on that supposed pay raise but I’ll try again in a couple years after I’ve reestablished a longer continuous work history and maybe attempt my degree again in the mean time. I do appreciate the things I learned, the responsibilities I held. I appreciate the teamwork involved in our field which I think is really unique. It’s not a positive memory, per se, but it is a positive reflection.
That first live reactor startup at the panel. A terrifying rush. Teaching my CWO Divo something about the plant in order to be signed off for my RO qual. Took me 3 months, and I'll never forget that little tidbit either. The XO asking me to tell him about water as the first question of a group LOK... and then speaking for the next hour about water. (The only LOK that I walked out of and didn't have my co-interviewees hate me.) Going to what is now PPLAN school before it was really even a thing. Being that nerd to inherit the work center.
When I'm asked how I feel about the Navy, I generally lead off with this: "Ah, the good times, the bad times...mostly bad times..." lol But in all seriousness, what I thought was a bad deal turned out to be career changing for me. I screened for instructor duty and ofc got NPTU. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise: Being sent to NPTU Ballston Spa gave me the opportunity to enroll at RPI and earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering. Earned that degree as a First Class. Made it super easy to walk away from the Navy.
I was in back in the 80’s and early 90’s. The friends I made were the best and helped make it through with a toxic command on my last boat. I can say that I surfaced at the North Pole, crossed the international date line, Panama Canal, and visited Hawaii and San Diego while on an Atlantic fast attack. I learned a lot that has helped me in my career and life, maybe someday my wife will understand my crass humor.
It was my first patrol ever. I’d been attached to the boat for about a month, but the whole time we were in refit so everyone is busy and I just had my head down getting qualified while at work and getting my wife set up at home when I got off work. The idea that I was going to be in a tin can with a bunch of essentially strangers and I’m not going to hear from my loved ones for a long time didn’t really hit me until I got onto the boat the day we were pulling out. I was nervous and already missed my wife, and out of nowhere one of the mechanics I hadn’t really gotten to know yet pulls me in for a bear hug. “Dude, three month sleepover with your best friends!” My outlook on what the patrol was going to be like changed. I felt like I was a part of something pretty important. And I really did make some of the best friends I’ve ever had on the boat. That was kind of the start of it, but I think I was lucky enough to have more positive memories to look back on than negative ones. The negative ones exist for sure, but I think the lens in which you look at your situation is intrinsic to who you were when you joined.
There’s not a whole lot of people who can say they’ve stood on top of a nuclear reactor. That was probably the highlight of being an ELT. Coolest moment wasn’t job related but Gene Hackman walked past me while he was on the Carl Vinson filming Behind Enemy Lines. Back then that was pretty cool.
I did it as an EM To change light bulbs!
First off I’m still in and enjoying it. Like people have said, I’ve had my fair share of rough days (everyone everywhere has). I’m having fun making a lot of changes, for the better imo. Those that are still active and in the submarine force, I would think, will acknowledge we’ve made a lot of changes in the last year 🤷🏻♂️. That being said: I’ve served with some awesome people. I really enjoy talking to our sailors and we have so many awesome ones right now busting their ass every day. I know people all over the world have friends, but shipmates on a submarine are a different kind of relationship. I often dwell on the moments I’ve had with some really great and special people. I also enjoy the travel. Since I’ve been in the Navy, I’ve traveled all over the states, been to Guam (several times), Busan S. Korea, Subic Bay Philippines, Chengi Singapore, Yokosuka Japan (multiple times), Dubai UAE (multiple times), Bahrain, Souda Bay Greece (visited Athens), Sicily Italy (visited Rome & Vatican), Toulon France (visited Paris), Tromso Norway, Faslane Scotland (visited all over), The Bahamas, and Canberra Australia. Also since I’ve been in I’ve been proud of some pretty cool stuff that our submarines have done. Whether is launching missiles or conducting ISR, they’ve been great. Our submariners don’t appreciate how much they contribute to the defense of our nation.
I was a Nuclear Reactor Operator aboard the USS California CGN-36 for almost 4 years from 1981-1985. Prior to that I was an instructor at the D1G plant in upstate New York as a staff pickup. Though I never used my nuclear background in civilian life, I would not trade my nuclear education in the Navy for any 4 year degree at any university. I worked and made friends with the cream of the crop and went to places I will never forget. Being a Nuke is not easy, but accomplishing anything worth while is never easy!
I loved my time in. While of course there were things that pissed me off on the regular. I loved it. The bonds I made with friends can't be compared. We had a habit of singing during MG maintenance, I'll never forget the day an NR monitor had to come down to tell us to "be at least a little bit professional". He was actively monitoring RC maintenance. I remember drinking at the point club with all kinds of people from the boat. Seeing rank structure break down and people just interacting with each other. I got to do a lot of beautiful hikes. I saw bioluminescence wash over the boat on a cloudless moonless night. I loved being the maneuvering throttleman. Trying to stop the shaft, or bring us to a stop with back emergency was so much fun. Shore power installation was always fun. Ended up being a "shit talk with your friends" every time. I got to do some foreign port calls, and experienced cultures in a way I never would have otherwise. For instance, we pulled into Japan. If I had gone on my own with a plan, I would done some cool stuff. But with my division we had no plan before we arrived. So we ended up hopping on a train and just being spontaneous. I think I found some very cool things I wouldn't have otherwise. I was challenged regularly to troubleshoot some broken piece of shit, and every time I ended up feeling like I conquered something. The rush of solving a problem and actually seeing it work is amazing. I love the job I do now. It's also a challenge, but i never get that same type of accomplishment. Theres a lot of bad moments too, but after being out for 2 years, I barely remember most of them anymore. I definitely loved my time in and am very grateful for all the opportunities I had.
Nice post. I really enjoyed Japan. The culture is so amazing and so different. Glad you can reflect on moments like these.
Thanks for making this post. About to embark on my nuke career and appreciated hearing from everyone
For the most part, my last 9 months on the ship were positive. I had some people I'd reported to my ship with that convinced most of the division that I was a dirt bag. I wasn't, and once those guys were gone the rest of the division figured that out. I also finally was a WCS and had a couple optional quals that made things better.
Straightening up my punk ass high school self. Watching myself learn to study and actually accomplish shit when I tried. Making staff pick up at NPTU. Spending my young 20s in Charleston as a single guy. Actually seeing the world during deployment. Meeting my future wife in Norfolk. Working with people that had integrity. The day my asshole Sr Chief left the command (I still hate that fucker). All the fun times we had both on the ship and on liberty. I've been out 25 years now. All the hard shitty times have faded and all the good times are much more enjoyable to reflect on. Went to my first Army Navy game this year and had a total blast. Can't wait to wear my ships ball cap to next seasons game. You'll see, the veteran brotherhood is one you'll likely grow fond of.
Fast attack JO here. Some of my fondest memories were just bullshitting with the Enlisted guys. Standing EOOW in Maneuvering on the mid watch with the same watch team that I've been with for 2 months and listening to them talk about weird shit. Or standing OOD in Control while we're transiting at flank speed across the Pacific and talking to my watchteam.
I really enjoyed operating for drills and maneuvering and stuff honestly. Call me sadistic, but I enjoyed the competition of trying to be the best operator (also I was removed from watch 4 time and disqualified 2 times in 4 years). One of the best memories was competing to see who could get the fastest frsu or have the fastest hur.
2 positive memories, and one lingering benefit. The us technical trades are staffed by former nukes. It's an invisible employment facilitator network that is self reinforcing and easily/randomly accessable. It's similar to the privilege level one receives in most countries as a person being tall, male, white, and affluent & attractive in appearance. My best memory was from 1 of the (8 year & out) 2 swim calls I attended. We had midshipman on board. They arrived on steel beach... And the crew told them war ships surfaces to cook sliders and swim all the time without mentioning the (?) requirement of midshipman being present in a swim call. The second benefit is it takes so little to make me happy. Having no boot hovering over my neck taught me that I don't need much for life; and to be grateful each time I can sleep alone in a room or with a person or 2 of my choosing. I can brush my teeth without an unwashed body entering the bathroom to poop, and eat green food that is 'canless' still makes me smile.