Dave,
I can only respond to your questions about carrier life. I was stationed onboard the USS Kitty Hawk. Yes the sat phones are 1$ a min, but they are not always working, keep in mind that the CO has the power to have them turned off for security reasons. There is also e-mail on board ships as well. On a typical 6 month deployment (I am speaking from a Westpac deployment, or ships from the west cost.) Any ship will make around 2 or three port stops before it makes it to the Persian Gulf. It takes around one to one and half months to get there. Then the ship will spend any where from 3 to 4 months in the gulf. Keep in mind that any time a ship enters the gulf your pay is tax free for that entire month, (also you get hazard pay as well). Say that you get to the Gulf on Oct 31, the whole month of Oct is tax free. Speaking from the enlisting side if you get a reinlisting bonus in the gulf that whole bonus is tax free, PAY DAY. I had friends get 20,000 tax free, half up front and the other half in payments. I don't know how officer bouns work, but I think you can work it out the same way. Well after the ship leaves the gulf it takes around another one to one and half months to get back home. Along the way you stop at at least 3 ports. Oh, I almost forgot, while in the gulf the ship will most of the time pull into port aleast twice. Keep in mind that any of the information can change, in regards to ports of call. A ship may not see port for a long time. My last ship I was on (USS Oldendorf) we where out to sea for 74 days with out hitting land. After 45 days out everyone gets two beers. We also had a beard growing contest, and many steel beach cookouts. So you can find things to do while you are out at sea for a long time. I hope this helps.
GM2(SW) Hosehead
