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Questions about being a SWO after OCS
- Thread starter banjosquirrel
- Start date
I am actually a member of Sailor Bob. @KMC1020, just message the moderator and explain to him that you have been selected for OCS, and he will approve it.
As for the site itself, I am non prior, and so I find the information incredibly hard to wade through because of all the acronyms and terms that are being used among men who have been SWOs their entire lives, lol. Very hard to follow and to find information you're looking for on there, compared to this website.
As for the site itself, I am non prior, and so I find the information incredibly hard to wade through because of all the acronyms and terms that are being used among men who have been SWOs their entire lives, lol. Very hard to follow and to find information you're looking for on there, compared to this website.
Don't be afraid to pm members on SB. Also don't be afraid to post and ask. There are a lot of threads on there that are very helpful and in those threads, find people who seem to be especially knowledgeable and/or using acronyms and terminology that you don't understand and PM them. With very few exceptions you will get a positive response.
A couple of good threads to check out:
Wardroom>JOPA>More Ship/Port Selection Questions
Wardroom>JOPA>So uh, I realize this isn't a big deal around here, but...
Wardroom>JOPA>blogging
That is just a couple off the top of my head that I know have good gouge in them. I am also a Bobber and do get bogged down in SWO speak at times but have found that by simply asking, things get explained.
Let me know if I can help.
Good post.
Feel free to PM me with any specific questions. Otherwise, post in the open here.
Keep in mind - I'm a pretty pro-CRUDES/AEGIS guy, but happy to answer Amphib/PC/MCM questions as best as I can.
Currently in the pipeline for LCS. This is going to be my first tour. They now have opened it up to fresh ensigns. Yes, the pipeline is somewhat long, but majority of it is in SD. Can't beat that!
Yes, and the LCS is likely to play a critical role in the future of the surface Navy. Look at the Naval Institute article co-authored earlier this year by the three senior SWOs in the Navy (SURFOR, SURFLANT, N96) re: "Distributed Lethality." Point being, CVNs and their protective layer of AEGIS and Air Wing units are a scarce, expensive resource; we would be smart to make the enemy at least get a little nervous when he sees ANY grey hulled USN ship sail over the horizon.
Yes, MCMs are an improvement over people shooting you, in peacetime (keep in mind they are a seaborne EOD force when they are really doing their job). I guess you just have to take my word for it...MCM is a bad choice for a SWO JO. Sure, bloom where you're planted and all that, but set yourself up for success and pick a DDG/CG for goodness' sake.
Slower paced in a bad way? I mean, is the difference in the day to days comings and goings that different?
I am actively looking for information on all the different platforms, so any and all elaboration on them would be invaluable. (Yes, I am actively using the search function as well
Yes, I meant "slower paced" in a bad way. Literally, on an amphib, your job is to drive a bunch of guys from point A to point B. There are some tactics involved, but not many- this is universally accepted. Some SWOs would rather just chill and drive the ship; if I were them, I'd just go work for Maersk.
Not all Navy Line Officers train to kill people for a living -- Amphib SWOs and E-2/C-2 aviators are the only ones that come to mind. Only as a CRUDES SWO do you train to kill Air, Surface, and Sub-Surface enemies.
To all you future rockin' SWOs and SWOdettes, I'm on my second tour on a PC right now. If you have questions regarding the PC lifestyle, just holla at me. I think that's how the kids are saying it these days. Also, if you have Amphib questions, I may not be able to answer them but I have plenty of friends who went the Amphib route who could answer them. My PM inbox is always open and I'll get back to you as quick as I can. Also, don't believe the hype about the CRUDES lifestyle. Do what makes you happy and makes sense for you and your family. If that means taking that terrible, non-career-enhancing, have-to-rub-shoulders-with-flag-officers-all-day tour on board the USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC 20) out of Gaeta, Italy, then so be it.
P.S. I have a friend who was OPS on board the MOUNT WHITNEY, so I can get answers about her as well.
I don't think Amphibs are that bad, I've never served on one but did an exchange program for a few days. There's usually a rivalry between amphib and CRUDES, and everyone seems to have their preferences. My second tour was staff duty and I worked with two guys who were on amphibs and they both loved the slower lifestyle. Really it's just a matter of preference.
Minesweepers are pretty much universally hated. Yes, you'll probably pin faster, but if you're not a dirtbag you're going to pin anyway. You're probably asking yourself why nobody likes minesweepers, and the answer is that it is a difficult lifestyle, long hours, lots of work, lots of duty (in San Diego they were in 4-section duty. Think about that for a second. 25% of your in-port time is going to be spent on duty, not at home, not at the beach, not with your significant other, etc.). Plus, it's pretty much a thankless job. The minesweep force is almost always overlooked, probably because it isn't "sexy" enough. My friend did his first tour on a sweep and he said the movie "The Caine Mutiny" was the most accurate description of life aboard a sweep. That's not a good thing.
Minesweepers are pretty much universally hated. Yes, you'll probably pin faster, but if you're not a dirtbag you're going to pin anyway. You're probably asking yourself why nobody likes minesweepers, and the answer is that it is a difficult lifestyle, long hours, lots of work, lots of duty (in San Diego they were in 4-section duty. Think about that for a second. 25% of your in-port time is going to be spent on duty, not at home, not at the beach, not with your significant other, etc.). Plus, it's pretty much a thankless job. The minesweep force is almost always overlooked, probably because it isn't "sexy" enough. My friend did his first tour on a sweep and he said the movie "The Caine Mutiny" was the most accurate description of life aboard a sweep. That's not a good thing.
Also keep in mind that all of the platforms aren't in all of the ports. For example, there are no minesweepers in Mayport. So if you go that route, your options are going to be either San Diego, Sasebo (Japan), or Bahrain. For amphibs you really only have 3 options: Norfolk area (Little Creek or the big base aka "NOB"), San Diego, or Sasebo. Three amphibs moved to Mayport (Florida), so it's possible but unlikely you'd get one of them. CRUDES is everywhere: Yokosuka (Japan), Pearl Harbor, Everett (Washington), San Diego, Mayport, Norfolk, and now Rota (Spain).
Any ship class that starts with an "L" is an amphib. They are further broken down into "Big Deck" amphibs (LHA/LHD), these are baby aircraft carriers for the Marine air wing, and the smaller LPDs/LSDs. The new San Antonio-class LPDs are actually pretty sexy (for an amphib) and brings some CRUDES-lite attributes to the ARG, or ESG, or whatever the hell they call it now.
If you don't mind me asking, why are you, with an admittedly limited background, so blindly interested in amphibs?
KMC1020
Well-Known Member
I'm interested in the aviation capabilities of the Amphibs and not so much interested in the warfare capabilities of the destroyers and cruisers. I went to the Navy site and looked through each type of ship. The amphibs are what caught my attention. I also spent a week on an amphib in high school, which I know is not a full picture of what working on what would be like, but I enjoyed it.