To go Nuke or not to go Nuke....do you have an option?

[adam28270]

Naval Reactors, isn't like selecting nuc. It is the Navy's version of the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Committee). They get nice cushy jobs in DC upon commissioning, and never go on deployment. Once their initial 4 years are up, some are offered jobs to stay in DC. If you don't want to go on a ship, or want to do more of a management thing, it's a good deal. I like the air though!

Naval Academy MIDN always get to select before NROTC. It's been the source of some frustration that the sub-par MIDN at the academy gets to select his command before the #1 NROTC MIDN. But I guess all the partying we get to do more than makes up for it.

 

[CommodoreMid]

You keep saying this. How do you know they weren't?

I don't know if they were or not, but if they were don't you think it's kind of odd that only 1 of them took the deal? Not making a value judgment on the USNA/NROTC thing here, though I'm just wondering the difference in numbers. I mean, hell, if I had been smart enough with the physics grades I totally would have gone for NR. You don't wear a uniform ever and get your masters degree for free. Sweet deal. When my compadres went to DC for their nuke interviews they were practically giving away these slots. 3 from my unit got it, and apparently around 20 other ROTC kids got it as well. This was back in October, so USNA service selection hadn't happened yet, so based on this I'm just wondering why there is such a huge difference.

The whole SWO list getting delayed thing is a completely separate issue, but I still think it's bullshit in general that all of these future SWOs are getting potentially less than a month to figure out how to get where they're going.

I don't think when the actual list comes out however ROTC kids get screwed. It seems like in the past they've divided all the ship billets fairly evenly.

 

[DanMa1156]

Can't speak on how billets are divided, but from day 1 of this year there was a huge push to get '08 to do some sort of Nuke. Just a thought.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Can't speak on how billets are divided, but from day 1 of this year there was a huge push to get '08 to do some sort of Nuke. Just a thought.

I seem to remember being a huge push towards nuke from day 1 of Plebe year...

 

[HH-60H]

I don't know if they were or not, but if they were don't you think it's kind of odd that only 1 of them took the deal? Not making a value judgment on the USNA/NROTC thing here, though I'm just wondering the difference in numbers. I mean, hell, if I had been smart enough with the physics grades I totally would have gone for NR. You don't wear a uniform ever and get your masters degree for free. Sweet deal. When my compadres went to DC for their nuke interviews they were practically giving away these slots. 3 from my unit got it, and apparently around 20 other ROTC kids got it as well. This was back in October, so USNA service selection hadn't happened yet, so based on this I'm just wondering why there is such a huge difference.

Oh wait, your not talking about selecting nuke power (subs/surface)? You're talking about the nerds at BNR?

 

[phrogpilot73]

Oh wait, your not talking about selecting nuke power (subs/surface)? You're talking about the nerds at BNR?

You mean the nukes in the fleet aren't nerds?!?

 

[DSL1990]

You mean the nukes in the fleet aren't nerds?!?

are nuke swo's like regular swos in that you get to spend time on the bridge, and you can still hope to aspire to XO/CO of a ship? or are nuke swo forever trapped deep under the deck in the engineering department?

 

[Spekkio]

are nuke swo's like regular swos in that you get to spend time on the bridge, and you can still hope to aspire to XO/CO of a ship? or are nuke swo forever trapped deep under the deck in the engineering department?

The former. The only difference between SWO and SWO(N) is that the nuke guys do a stint in the engine room of a CV every so often.

 

[DSL1990]

The former. The only difference between SWO and SWO(N) is that the nuke guys do a stint in the engine room of a CV every so often.

so does that mean that nuke school is similar to SWOS except for also covering nukes? or do nuke SWOs have to also go to SWOS in addition to nuke school?

can SWO(N) ever be assigned to something other than a CV? or is the non-nuke part of their training still very specific to CV?

are all the SWO on a CV SWO(N)? for example, are the XO/CO of a CV also SWO(N)?

 

[phrogpilot73]

are all the SWO on a CV SWO(N)? for example, are the XO/CO of a CV also SWO(N)?

CO of a CV/CVN is an aviator.

And there are regular SWOs on CV/CVN's... The SWO(N) are down in the engineering spaces...

 

[Spekkio]

so does that mean that nuke school is similar to SWOS except for also covering nukes? or do nuke SWOs have to also go to SWOS in addition to nuke school?

can SWO(N) ever be assigned to something other than a CV? or is the non-nuke part of their training still very specific to CV?

are all the SWO on a CV SWO(N)? for example, are the XO/CO of a CV also SWO(N)?

I'm not sure about when you would go to SWO school cuz I chose subs. What happens is this:

-1st DIVO tour: conventional smallboy (DDG, FFG, CG). Qualify for pin.
-Nuke School (1 year)
-2nd DIVO tour: engine room of CV
-Shore duty

Stick SWO school somewhere in there. Probably before the first DIVO tour.

If you stay on, you do a DH tour on a smallboy, then a DH tour in the engine room of a CV, etc, etc. So yes, SWO/N do conventional surface stuff. The annoying thing is that it's split, so by the time you make it to your DH tour on a smallboy, you haven't done a damn thing regarding SWO duties in a few years.

 

[whalepelt]

Stick SWO school somewhere in there. Probably before the first DIVO tour.

SWOs don't generally go to SWOS (or whatever its called) before reporting. I think they normally go to the current shortened version partway through their 1st DIVO tour after they've already had some on the job training.

I do have a friend who went to Legal Officer school before reporting for her 1st tour though.

 

[Bugsmasher]

The latest story I got from a recently commissioned SWO is that, immediately following OCS, all SWO and SWO(N)s go to SWOS for some sort of crash course for 3 weeks before going to their first assignment. When they are almost ready for their pin, they go back to SWOS again for a few weeks.

I have no idea what SWOS is like, but its only a few weeks as opposed to 6 MONTHS of classroom work at nuke school, plus another six months training on a land based reactor (prototype). I assume they will be quite different.

Looks like Phrog and Spekkio got your other questions.

 

[HighDimension]

Alright, I've been selected for a free vacation in Hawaii from March 26-30; During that time they're going to try to make me switch over to the dark side (subs). Any recommendations for having some fun on the island?

 

[sickboy]

when I first went to meps I got a 97 on the ASVAB and missed the nuke program by 10 points and signed up for hospital corpsman. About a month later my recruiter came to my highschool out of the blue and said I got nuke. It was crazy but now i understand why. doesn't matter cause I got the NROTC scholarship like i said earlier. but it just shows how bad they want nuke.

That's exactly what happened to me, only I stayed enlisted for almost a year before getting my scholarship. If I had to do it again, I would just go straight to NROTC, even if I had to do college program. They tried to get me to go nuke, but I stayed HM.