Last minute question for prototyoe graduation. My son says he has a pass for usbor we can ride with him sonwe assume that os for parking. Does anyone know if we need to get tickets to actually get on the Yorktown? He has the third ceremony today so bonus not getting up at the crack of dawn but may be crowded. Thanks for any help!
4kidsforfun - Sorry, I wasn't on earlier! No, you should be able to go up at the window and tell them, or your sailor should be with you. They took photos before going on the ship.
Thanks Chipmunk and B'sNukeMoM - we got onto the Yorktown just fine. There was a guy that let us go around the regular path (which had us skip the souvenir photo but since our son wasn't with us at that point that was ok!)
The graduation was great and it was fun to be on the carrier for it. The sailors were all smiles and we got to meet another "navyformoms" family, Maggie. Her son was roommates with mine and they are headed to the same ship which I love.
Now enjoying having him home for a bit before they head to Virginia. I'm trying not to get too used to having him here!
Now that he is all the way through Nuke school I can say it without jinxing him - he somehow managed to go to bootcamp during covid and made it all the way through with no quarantines! His entire bootcamp class was gone (mostly quarantine set backs) by the time he got to power school.
4kidsforfun - so glad you had a nice time and yes, enjoy his time at home! That is amazing that he never got caught in the ring of fire and had any covid setbacks.....
Checking in...
Just survived our first deployment; less than a year after finishing prototype.
So excited to have boots in the house again.
This was the first time I have ever watched a Navy ship return, even though I have lived here most of my life. It is super special when your precious child is on board.
The Blue Angels did a fly-over, their winter training base is in the desert about 100 miles from here.
My best Valentines Day gift!
Canuka - How awesome!! Are you able to get on base when your sailor is coming home, or do you have to watch from elsewhere? Just curious, as deployment comes closer and closer for my son.
Chipmunk -- there is no standard answer to your questions. Homecoming varies by ship, base, geography, etc.
For today, the base command dictated the pierside Homecoming structure...due to covid it was "drive-thru" with sailors going directly to their families waiting, in vehicles, in a designated parking area (what did we do before cell phones). There was minimal ceremony -- just the CO addressing the media & a few special people on the pier (parents of babies born during deployment and first hug/first kiss winners).
Yes, we did get base access, just for today...our sailor provided our names to the ship command who gave it to the base command for the gates
We chose not to watch the arrival from the pier...it is not the best place to see around the bay. Also, our son didn't disembark for many hours after the ship docked (he had watch and he wasn't in a hurry anyway) so there was no point to sitting in the car on base.
Thanks to personal connections, I was able to see it all from the bridge of the USS Midway Museum which sits up high and faces directly down the ship channel. Ask around for the best viewing locations.
On issue I am aware of is families relying on Uber which could only get them to the gate but not onto the base. The general advise was to rent a car.
Lastly, my boy arranged for his best friend, who works on base, to bring him home. That was more convenient for us but I used my Momma prerogative and opted to go back to pick him up ourselves.
The bottom line is Semper Gumby, each situation is somewhat different. Good luck.
4kidsforfun - I am glad you had such a wonderful time at graduation. I am so happy that they have opened things back up for the ceremony to take place there. We were warmly welcomed by the staff, which was nice.
Enjoy your time with your sailor, when you get a chance check your profile, I left you a message.
Canuka - Beautiful picture - you did have a great vantage point! Thank you for sharing. I know that every command is going to be different, but I also thought you had to have gate access, so it is nice to know that occasionally they will give passes as they did at NNPTC graduations, depending on the circumstances.
We live halfway across the country from my son's port so down the road when the time will come for his ship to have a homecoming, I don't know if we will be able to travel to see him or not. I do know that a lot of the families would go to one of the beaches and watch when they were coming back from their shorter underways.
For our newer members - Nukes are usually one of the last ones off the ship when they come back into port. Mine was generally able to call me but did not leave until after most of the rest of the crew. His ship was not on a long deployment but was still out to sea for a large portion of 2020 - 2021 on multiple shorter underways, in and out of port. No fancy fan fair or fly overs, but most of the parents really appreciated the pictures posted on our private FB page by the wives who would take their children to the beach to see the ship coming home.
Northwoodsmom - Do you have any update on your sailor and his time in DTP? Be sure to add a comment or so to our discussion above for future reference.
Canuka - I had forgotten that our sons are on the same ship. It was very awesome to watch it come in on the San Diego web cam yesterday but not quite as exciting as our son actually was not on the ship at the time (he was on the dock though). Our son (along with a few others) was actually flown off the ship about a month ago and back to San Diego to be part of an ATP (Advance Planning Team). He also had his leave time and was home a couple weeks ago. So it was a little different watching his ship come in - but it’s still his ship so it was still cool and I could imagine how exciting it was for everyone - sailors and family alike. our son did say it was a very cool experience flying off the ship. And it was oh so nice to have him home. So Canuka I know you will very much be enjoying having your son close by after the long months that they have been out to sea. I will tell you the first month was the worst for us because for some reason our sons account was messed up which meant he couldn’t access his email and his was about a month before he had it straightened out - it almost felt like he was on a sub. But after that we had emails fairly regularly.
Welcome home to the USS Vinson! So happy for you to have your sailors home after this long deployment.
Canuka - the Blue Angel flyover was amazing! I saw video posted in some other groups on FB and it gave me chills. Watching from the USS Midway would be pretty cool!
Question - For those of you who have gone through surface deployments - Any information on how long it usually takes for a letter to get to your sailor. Did you send letters as often or as much as you did when they were in bootcamp? Was it better to communicate with them via their ship email? Did your sailors receive mail packages that you might have sent?
Thank you for any thoughts, I am curious across the fleet how well communication works, at least getting encouraging messages to our sailors.
I don't think NNPTC will be affected much by the winter weather coming but for those of you that will, may you ride this one out smoothly.
Chipmunk we had one package take over two months to get there and another package get there in about three weeks so who knows we actually thought the first package was lost. Letters did seem to get there a little quicker, but once he had his account set up email actually worked pretty well to communicate. They actually had Wi-Fi on the ship and some people had luck in calling, our son only was able to call us once using that, that happened to be on Thanksgiving day so it was pretty cool. Hope that helps.
Hello Ladies, well after 4+ months at DTP my son has been told what his new rate will be. He will now be a Aviation Electronic Technician. They still haven't told him where he will be headed but did say he wouldn't have to go to AET school because he had already learnt the electronic part during A and Power School. They did mention he would be a part of a squadron ( whatever that means). I am just so happy to hear he got his first choice out of the five he had chose and he is ready to be moving on. Still waiting to hear where he will be going. He said that DTP is really full right now so I am sure they will want to start moving them quickly to make more room.
I am not that familiar with his new job but he told me he would be working on the guidance systems, and other electronic devices on jets and helicopters to keep them operational. He could be in a hanger, on a carrier or even doing work in flight.
Sometimes I think the less I know the less I worry. It all sounds nerve wracking to me. He originally put in for a sub but planes and helicopters can't land on them so I will count it as a Blessing for now.
Thank you for all your patience with me as I was going through this transition, God Bless all of you!
Northwoodsmom ...congratulations to you and your son for getting some direction from DTP.
I am a below decks Mom but I do have a bit of knowledge from volunteering on an aircraft carrier museum.
As you know, squadrons are part of the aircraft side, i.e. "airwing". They include more than just pilots...such as their own crews that are responsible for taking care of most aspects of their babies. I believe that each squadron consists of only one specific type of aircraft.
Northwoodsmom...continued.
On my son's recently completed deployment, there were nine squadrons from F35s, F18s, early warning and helicopters. They came from several different bases where certain types seem to be centralized.
So where he will be based certainly depends on what aircraft he is assigned to. They will deploy on the carriers but the squadrons is responsible for pretty much everything involving the aircraft, both inside the hangar deck and during flight operations. Between deployments the will go back to their home base, likely an NAS- Naval Air Station, which may or may not be near the coastal ports.
I am most familiar with Miramar. It used to be an NAS, as in Top Gun, but was moved
In land. It is now a Marine Helicopter base. Most of the jets on the recent deployment came from Lemoore up in Central California but the helos were from North Island where the carrier is stationed. There are other NAS supplying aircraft for the East Coast ship's.
Hope the helps. Good luck.
Canuka, wow, tons of information, thank you. My husband is a industrial electrician and my son worked with him for a summer so he did have a little knowledge about electrical but electronics is very different.
I have alot of respect for you Moms with Sailors below. I spent 2 years trying to psych myself up for it, such a tough deployment with limited communication. Takes a very strong woman to partake in it, I've meant quite a few on here.
Thank you so much for all the information, very appreciated!
Norhwoodsmom -- to clarify... the term "squadron" is not exclusive to aircraft...the carrier was accompanied by a Destroyer Squadron of several ships. There are probably other uses for the word in other areas of the military.
Also, several squadrons (from different NAS) make up a Carrier Air Wing (CVW).
To see who is with the now deployed carriers check out the weekly fleet tracker on news.usni.org
Northwoodsmom -- funny you mentioned the difference between electrical & electronics...I just overheard a discussion between my husband, an auto partsman by trade, and my ETN on the proper way to connect jumper cables.
My poor boy came home to a very dead battery, probably because Dad left the headlights on the last time he started the car. So we are at the auto parts store getting a replacement before he has to muster early tomorrow.
FYI: the whole ship got special liberty from Monday through today with muster tomorrow. Then they start staggered two week leave.
Chipmunk - I only sent packages. I sent them out about once a month. It seems like the first part of the deployment it took quite awhile for packages to get there (3 or 4 weeks). After that, he received them within 2 weeks. I emailed diary type letters about every 2 weeks. My son rarely emailed back. It was easier to read his email than send out. Also there were multiple times when there were communications black outs so no phone calls or WiFi available. We did have quite a few phone calls whenever he was “in” a port (I use that term loosely because both deployments were during covid). They were usually in the middle of the night with jets launching in the background.
Chipmunk -- I too sent monthly packages. Early on, he got them in 3 weeks, then it was more like 5 weeks. But he got them all. I didn't mail any letters and he didn't seem to mind, it was old news because we had usually spoken in the interim.
Mail is not a priority when it comes to deliveries. It seemed like there was alot of inconsistency. There were a couple of huge drops (several thousand packages at once). The first was because mail is sent to the nearest base to where they are going. Our ship was headed to the middle east then turned around mid-way so the mail was a mess, both systems and physically.
Make sure you get the correct mailing address directly from the ship via you sailor. I think that made some of the difference between timely and lost or very delayed packages.
Chipmunk -- adding to the communications discussion.
Since BC, I have gotten used to phone calls every 2-3 weeks; sometimes I have to nudge him for a check-in. I always let him make the calla unless I had something reasonably important to pass along. .then I sent both an email and a text.
Like Anti M says, the email can be difficult...finding one of the few capable computers that is open. Back & forth conversations are almost impossible because there is always someone waiting behind you.
As ProudofK said, our ship had WiFi which enabled the sailors to use their personal phones to text and call from the ship. The coverage was spotty and sometimes disabled for operational or technical reasons. The spouses I knew were thrilled because it allowed for frequent contacts. I believe that the WiFi was turned off for a few days on the return as a ship wide punishment for the leaked plane video. Having WiFi was month to month pending approval of the DOD spending bill. I don't know if and when it is being rolled out to other ships.
Big advice...make sure to let your sailor know that you will welcome and answer phone calls at any time of day. With 24/7 work and time zone differences, they don't always realize what time it is where you are.
More Communication info...
The standard line is "ask your sailor" for specific details.
I also joined the two official FB pages for our ship...the ombudsman and the Family Readiness group. I made some contacts and got a lot of useful information along with a lot of cool ship swag.
The ombudsman is primarily a liasion to the ship's command when other lines of communication fail (see standard line above). Ours put out a monthly newsletter -- I had to submit a request that my sailor had to approve-to get on the distribution list. The FRG is mostly a support group for spouses...I joined because I am local; I participated in some activities and monthly on-line meetings which gave me heads up when talking with my son. On the other hand, my Momma concerns were very different than most of the FRG. That is why I appreciate these N4M friendships.
The FRG was especially useful with homecoming preparation so I recommend checking it out. Each of the 3 top officers (CO, XO, CMC) did live Q&As through the FRG.
Best of luck as you prepare.
It is interesting that I am now the experienced one when you have always been the go-to mom. Such is the Navy.
Chipmunk-- just noticed your musings about being there for homecoming. That is a family choice. Remember he should get leave soon after returning so it's up to you and him to decide whether to go homecoming or wait for him to come home to you.
Seeing the ship come in is always inspiring but it goes quickly. I sort of regret not being on the pier, mostly for the socialization but I opted for the view over a long, long wait.
As ProudofK said, some sailors return a week to a month ahead for various reasons. They go back on board when the ship returns to hold down the fort while the others are on special liberty and leave.
Several crew members flew back last week, the FRG and airport USO did a great job greeting them. After seeing the photos, I feel like I should have gone down to welcome the singles. Next time.
3B'sMom, ProudofK & Canuka, Thanks! This has been helpful for me, and I hope any others that are following along will reap from your knowledge as well.
Canuka - my sailor has actually been out to sea for longer than a month, due to COVID keeping them at sea, but not for months at a time. Some things I am familiar with but going through an extended time at sea is a different story. I appreciate everyone's insights and your thoughts on homecomings.
I am glad to glean from your knowledge, just as I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge with everyone else.
Northwoodsmom - I am so happy to hear that your sailor has finally received a new rating!! We appreciate you sharing here. You have been an integral part of this Navy family here, especially with your experience of going through your journey during the height of Covid shut down.
Your encouraging posts are helpful, so please stick around.
Northwoodsmom - good to hear from you and that your son got his first choice to continue his Navy journey. Must be a relief to you to have something to focus on and figure out. I know that always keeps me busy! Sounds like a fun choice too and maybe he will end up seeing some of he old Nuke buddies along the way if he ends up on a carrier.
Canuka - my son also came home to a dead battery. I suspect that is quite common for the sailors when coming back from deployment to find a dead battery if there car has not been driven for months. Especially if the battery is a bit older to begin with. I’m not sure if that is something that they warn them about or not but probably a good heads up to have.
ProudofK-- my son has decided that he will disconnect the battery next time. He didn't because the car was sitting in our driveway and Dad said he would start it once in a while. We'll that only happened about 3 times in six months so no wonder. The battery was about 4 1/2 years old but hadn't been run much consistently for most of the last three years. We drove it back to him during A School then he drove it back last year. There were 2 long underways before they left for good.
But good lesson learned.
Are there any restrictions on the weight and size of the package to send to Abraham Lincoln ship? Please let me know if anyone knows about the rule. Are we allowed to send a package bigger than USPS large white box?
DOREMI - There aren't really any restrictions except for the fact that they don't have a lot of storage room so keep that in mind. Is his ship deployed? And you can send boxes other than the USPS boxes.
DOREMI - I wasn't able to reply earlier and I would have told you to check with your sailor's ombudsman. So, I am glad that B'sNukeMom could give you better information about mailing a package.
I will say that my son's ship did an organized drop when they were out on an underway during the height of COVID. Due to the logistics of that specific drop, there were size restrictions on the boxes. Unfortunately, most of us who lived at a distance were not able to participate since it was a local drop off and we did not have enough time to mail anything. Some of the local moms did offer to make up boxes and deliver for us, if we wished.
In another group we have also talked about the length of time that packages can get to the ships and that once they are turned over to the military from the USPS, you are no longer able to track them.
Chipmunk
Good Morning Everyone!!
B'sNukeMom - I like our Snoopy post today, I am going to share it with others.
For those of you headed to graduations - May you have safe travels, may you get lots of pictures, and lots of hugs!!
TAX INFO - My son shared with me that his Master Chief told him to check out Military One source. This is what I found online! MilTax Tax Services & Benefits • Military OneSource
Feb 10, 2022
4kidsforfun
Last minute question for prototyoe graduation. My son says he has a pass for usbor we can ride with him sonwe assume that os for parking. Does anyone know if we need to get tickets to actually get on the Yorktown? He has the third ceremony today so bonus not getting up at the crack of dawn but may be crowded. Thanks for any help!
Feb 11, 2022
4kidsforfun
Nevermind - nothing needed!
Feb 11, 2022
Chipmunk
4kidsforfun - Sorry, I wasn't on earlier! No, you should be able to go up at the window and tell them, or your sailor should be with you. They took photos before going on the ship.
Enjoy your time!!
Feb 11, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 11, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
4kidsforfun - hopefully you are at your graduation now. And yes, be sure to get your picture when you first walk up! BZ to your son!
Feb 11, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 14, 2022
4kidsforfun
Thanks Chipmunk and B'sNukeMoM - we got onto the Yorktown just fine. There was a guy that let us go around the regular path (which had us skip the souvenir photo but since our son wasn't with us at that point that was ok!)
The graduation was great and it was fun to be on the carrier for it. The sailors were all smiles and we got to meet another "navyformoms" family, Maggie. Her son was roommates with mine and they are headed to the same ship which I love.
Now enjoying having him home for a bit before they head to Virginia. I'm trying not to get too used to having him here!
Now that he is all the way through Nuke school I can say it without jinxing him - he somehow managed to go to bootcamp during covid and made it all the way through with no quarantines! His entire bootcamp class was gone (mostly quarantine set backs) by the time he got to power school.
Feb 14, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
4kidsforfun - so glad you had a nice time and yes, enjoy his time at home! That is amazing that he never got caught in the ring of fire and had any covid setbacks.....
Feb 14, 2022
CanukaVet
Just survived our first deployment; less than a year after finishing prototype.
So excited to have boots in the house again.
This was the first time I have ever watched a Navy ship return, even though I have lived here most of my life. It is super special when your precious child is on board.
The Blue Angels did a fly-over, their winter training base is in the desert about 100 miles from here.
My best Valentines Day gift!
Feb 14, 2022
Chipmunk
Canuka - How awesome!! Are you able to get on base when your sailor is coming home, or do you have to watch from elsewhere? Just curious, as deployment comes closer and closer for my son.
Feb 15, 2022
CanukaVet
For today, the base command dictated the pierside Homecoming structure...due to covid it was "drive-thru" with sailors going directly to their families waiting, in vehicles, in a designated parking area (what did we do before cell phones). There was minimal ceremony -- just the CO addressing the media & a few special people on the pier (parents of babies born during deployment and first hug/first kiss winners).
Yes, we did get base access, just for today...our sailor provided our names to the ship command who gave it to the base command for the gates
We chose not to watch the arrival from the pier...it is not the best place to see around the bay. Also, our son didn't disembark for many hours after the ship docked (he had watch and he wasn't in a hurry anyway) so there was no point to sitting in the car on base.
Thanks to personal connections, I was able to see it all from the bridge of the USS Midway Museum which sits up high and faces directly down the ship channel. Ask around for the best viewing locations.
On issue I am aware of is families relying on Uber which could only get them to the gate but not onto the base. The general advise was to rent a car.
Lastly, my boy arranged for his best friend, who works on base, to bring him home. That was more convenient for us but I used my Momma prerogative and opted to go back to pick him up ourselves.
The bottom line is Semper Gumby, each situation is somewhat different. Good luck.
Feb 15, 2022
CanukaVet
Feb 15, 2022
Chipmunk
4kidsforfun - I am glad you had such a wonderful time at graduation. I am so happy that they have opened things back up for the ceremony to take place there. We were warmly welcomed by the staff, which was nice.
Enjoy your time with your sailor, when you get a chance check your profile, I left you a message.
Canuka - Beautiful picture - you did have a great vantage point! Thank you for sharing. I know that every command is going to be different, but I also thought you had to have gate access, so it is nice to know that occasionally they will give passes as they did at NNPTC graduations, depending on the circumstances.
We live halfway across the country from my son's port so down the road when the time will come for his ship to have a homecoming, I don't know if we will be able to travel to see him or not. I do know that a lot of the families would go to one of the beaches and watch when they were coming back from their shorter underways.
For our newer members - Nukes are usually one of the last ones off the ship when they come back into port. Mine was generally able to call me but did not leave until after most of the rest of the crew. His ship was not on a long deployment but was still out to sea for a large portion of 2020 - 2021 on multiple shorter underways, in and out of port. No fancy fan fair or fly overs, but most of the parents really appreciated the pictures posted on our private FB page by the wives who would take their children to the beach to see the ship coming home.
Feb 15, 2022
Chipmunk
Northwoodsmom - Do you have any update on your sailor and his time in DTP? Be sure to add a comment or so to our discussion above for future reference.
Feb 15, 2022
ProudOfK
Canuka - I had forgotten that our sons are on the same ship. It was very awesome to watch it come in on the San Diego web cam yesterday but not quite as exciting as our son actually was not on the ship at the time (he was on the dock though). Our son (along with a few others) was actually flown off the ship about a month ago and back to San Diego to be part of an ATP (Advance Planning Team). He also had his leave time and was home a couple weeks ago. So it was a little different watching his ship come in - but it’s still his ship so it was still cool and I could imagine how exciting it was for everyone - sailors and family alike.
our son did say it was a very cool experience flying off the ship. And it was oh so nice to have him home. So Canuka I know you will very much be enjoying having your son close by after the long months that they have been out to sea. I will tell you the first month was the worst for us because for some reason our sons account was messed up which meant he couldn’t access his email and his was about a month before he had it straightened out - it almost felt like he was on a sub. But after that we had emails fairly regularly.
Feb 15, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 15, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Welcome home to the USS Vinson! So happy for you to have your sailors home after this long deployment.
Canuka - the Blue Angel flyover was amazing! I saw video posted in some other groups on FB and it gave me chills. Watching from the USS Midway would be pretty cool!
Feb 15, 2022
Chipmunk
Good Morning Everyone!
Welcome to any new members that we have!!
Question - For those of you who have gone through surface deployments - Any information on how long it usually takes for a letter to get to your sailor. Did you send letters as often or as much as you did when they were in bootcamp? Was it better to communicate with them via their ship email? Did your sailors receive mail packages that you might have sent?
Thank you for any thoughts, I am curious across the fleet how well communication works, at least getting encouraging messages to our sailors.
I don't think NNPTC will be affected much by the winter weather coming but for those of you that will, may you ride this one out smoothly.
Feb 16, 2022
ProudOfK
Chipmunk we had one package take over two months to get there and another package get there in about three weeks so who knows we actually thought the first package was lost. Letters did seem to get there a little quicker, but once he had his account set up email actually worked pretty well to communicate. They actually had Wi-Fi on the ship and some people had luck in calling, our son only was able to call us once using that, that happened to be on Thanksgiving day so it was pretty cool. Hope that helps.
Feb 16, 2022
Northwoodsmom
Hello Ladies, well after 4+ months at DTP my son has been told what his new rate will be. He will now be a Aviation Electronic Technician. They still haven't told him where he will be headed but did say he wouldn't have to go to AET school because he had already learnt the electronic part during A and Power School. They did mention he would be a part of a squadron ( whatever that means). I am just so happy to hear he got his first choice out of the five he had chose and he is ready to be moving on. Still waiting to hear where he will be going. He said that DTP is really full right now so I am sure they will want to start moving them quickly to make more room.
I am not that familiar with his new job but he told me he would be working on the guidance systems, and other electronic devices on jets and helicopters to keep them operational. He could be in a hanger, on a carrier or even doing work in flight.
Sometimes I think the less I know the less I worry. It all sounds nerve wracking to me. He originally put in for a sub but planes and helicopters can't land on them so I will count it as a Blessing for now.
Thank you for all your patience with me as I was going through this transition, God Bless all of you!
Feb 16, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Northwoodsmom - well I don't know anything about that rate but here's the link to the group:
Aviation Electronics Tech - AE
Hopefully you can glean some info from there.
And I'm glad that he got his first choice - I'm sure he'll do great things there! His patience has paid off.....good luck to him in this new endeavor.
And of course, please stick around as you are a wealth of info for others ;-D
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
I am a below decks Mom but I do have a bit of knowledge from volunteering on an aircraft carrier museum.
As you know, squadrons are part of the aircraft side, i.e. "airwing". They include more than just pilots...such as their own crews that are responsible for taking care of most aspects of their babies. I believe that each squadron consists of only one specific type of aircraft.
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
On my son's recently completed deployment, there were nine squadrons from F35s, F18s, early warning and helicopters. They came from several different bases where certain types seem to be centralized.
So where he will be based certainly depends on what aircraft he is assigned to. They will deploy on the carriers but the squadrons is responsible for pretty much everything involving the aircraft, both inside the hangar deck and during flight operations. Between deployments the will go back to their home base, likely an NAS- Naval Air Station, which may or may not be near the coastal ports.
I am most familiar with Miramar. It used to be an NAS, as in Top Gun, but was moved
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
Hope the helps. Good luck.
Feb 16, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Canuka - great info! Thanks for sharing ;-D
Feb 16, 2022
Northwoodsmom
Canuka, wow, tons of information, thank you. My husband is a industrial electrician and my son worked with him for a summer so he did have a little knowledge about electrical but electronics is very different.
I have alot of respect for you Moms with Sailors below. I spent 2 years trying to psych myself up for it, such a tough deployment with limited communication. Takes a very strong woman to partake in it, I've meant quite a few on here.
Thank you so much for all the information, very appreciated!
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
Norhwoodsmom -- to clarify... the term "squadron" is not exclusive to aircraft...the carrier was accompanied by a Destroyer Squadron of several ships. There are probably other uses for the word in other areas of the military.
Also, several squadrons (from different NAS) make up a Carrier Air Wing (CVW).
To see who is with the now deployed carriers check out the weekly fleet tracker on news.usni.org
OK, enough lesson for today.
Feb 16, 2022
Pizanche
Northwoodsmom. Congrats to your son!!! Exciting new adventure for him and for you!!!
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
Northwoodsmom -- funny you mentioned the difference between electrical & electronics...I just overheard a discussion between my husband, an auto partsman by trade, and my ETN on the proper way to connect jumper cables.
My poor boy came home to a very dead battery, probably because Dad left the headlights on the last time he started the car. So we are at the auto parts store getting a replacement before he has to muster early tomorrow.
FYI: the whole ship got special liberty from Monday through today with muster tomorrow. Then they start staggered two week leave.
Feb 16, 2022
3B'smom
Chipmunk - I only sent packages. I sent them out about once a month. It seems like the first part of the deployment it took quite awhile for packages to get there (3 or 4 weeks). After that, he received them within 2 weeks. I emailed diary type letters about every 2 weeks. My son rarely emailed back. It was easier to read his email than send out. Also there were multiple times when there were communications black outs so no phone calls or WiFi available. We did have quite a few phone calls whenever he was “in” a port (I use that term loosely because both deployments were during covid). They were usually in the middle of the night with jets launching in the background.
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
Chipmunk -- I too sent monthly packages. Early on, he got them in 3 weeks, then it was more like 5 weeks. But he got them all. I didn't mail any letters and he didn't seem to mind, it was old news because we had usually spoken in the interim.
Mail is not a priority when it comes to deliveries. It seemed like there was alot of inconsistency. There were a couple of huge drops (several thousand packages at once). The first was because mail is sent to the nearest base to where they are going. Our ship was headed to the middle east then turned around mid-way so the mail was a mess, both systems and physically.
Make sure you get the correct mailing address directly from the ship via you sailor. I think that made some of the difference between timely and lost or very delayed packages.
Feb 16, 2022
CanukaVet
Since BC, I have gotten used to phone calls every 2-3 weeks; sometimes I have to nudge him for a check-in. I always let him make the calla unless I had something reasonably important to pass along. .then I sent both an email and a text.
Like Anti M says, the email can be difficult...finding one of the few capable computers that is open. Back & forth conversations are almost impossible because there is always someone waiting behind you.
As ProudofK said, our ship had WiFi which enabled the sailors to use their personal phones to text and call from the ship. The coverage was spotty and sometimes disabled for operational or technical reasons. The spouses I knew were thrilled because it allowed for frequent contacts. I believe that the WiFi was turned off for a few days on the return as a ship wide punishment for the leaked plane video. Having WiFi was month to month pending approval of the DOD spending bill. I don't know if and when it is being rolled out to other ships.
Big advice...make sure to let your sailor know that you will welcome and answer phone calls at any time of day. With 24/7 work and time zone differences, they don't always realize what time it is where you are.
Feb 17, 2022
CanukaVet
The standard line is "ask your sailor" for specific details.
I also joined the two official FB pages for our ship...the ombudsman and the Family Readiness group. I made some contacts and got a lot of useful information along with a lot of cool ship swag.
The ombudsman is primarily a liasion to the ship's command when other lines of communication fail (see standard line above). Ours put out a monthly newsletter -- I had to submit a request that my sailor had to approve-to get on the distribution list. The FRG is mostly a support group for spouses...I joined because I am local; I participated in some activities and monthly on-line meetings which gave me heads up when talking with my son. On the other hand, my Momma concerns were very different than most of the FRG. That is why I appreciate these N4M friendships.
The FRG was especially useful with homecoming preparation so I recommend checking it out. Each of the 3 top officers (CO, XO, CMC) did live Q&As through the FRG.
Best of luck as you prepare.
It is interesting that I am now the experienced one when you have always been the go-to mom. Such is the Navy.
Feb 17, 2022
CanukaVet
Chipmunk-- just noticed your musings about being there for homecoming. That is a family choice. Remember he should get leave soon after returning so it's up to you and him to decide whether to go homecoming or wait for him to come home to you.
Seeing the ship come in is always inspiring but it goes quickly. I sort of regret not being on the pier, mostly for the socialization but I opted for the view over a long, long wait.
As ProudofK said, some sailors return a week to a month ahead for various reasons. They go back on board when the ship returns to hold down the fort while the others are on special liberty and leave.
Several crew members flew back last week, the FRG and airport USO did a great job greeting them. After seeing the photos, I feel like I should have gone down to welcome the singles. Next time.
Feb 17, 2022
Chipmunk
3B'sMom, ProudofK & Canuka, Thanks! This has been helpful for me, and I hope any others that are following along will reap from your knowledge as well.
Canuka - my sailor has actually been out to sea for longer than a month, due to COVID keeping them at sea, but not for months at a time. Some things I am familiar with but going through an extended time at sea is a different story. I appreciate everyone's insights and your thoughts on homecomings.
I am glad to glean from your knowledge, just as I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge with everyone else.
Feb 17, 2022
Chipmunk
Northwoodsmom - I am so happy to hear that your sailor has finally received a new rating!! We appreciate you sharing here. You have been an integral part of this Navy family here, especially with your experience of going through your journey during the height of Covid shut down.
Your encouraging posts are helpful, so please stick around.
Feb 17, 2022
4kidsforfun
Northwoodsmom - good to hear from you and that your son got his first choice to continue his Navy journey. Must be a relief to you to have something to focus on and figure out. I know that always keeps me busy! Sounds like a fun choice too and maybe he will end up seeing some of he old Nuke buddies along the way if he ends up on a carrier.
Feb 17, 2022
ProudOfK
Canuka - my son also came home to a dead battery. I suspect that is quite common for the sailors when coming back from deployment to find a dead battery if there car has not been driven for months. Especially if the battery is a bit older to begin with. I’m not sure if that is something that they warn them about or not but probably a good heads up to have.
Feb 17, 2022
CanukaVet
But good lesson learned.
Feb 17, 2022
Chipmunk
Talking about the dead car batteries, is another thing to be thinking about and sharing with our sailors. Thanks!!
Feb 17, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 17, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 18, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 21, 2022
Chipmunk
Snoopy and Woodstock are off to the races!!
Feb 21, 2022
DOREMI
Are there any restrictions on the weight and size of the package to send to Abraham Lincoln ship? Please let me know if anyone knows about the rule. Are we allowed to send a package bigger than USPS large white box?
Feb 21, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 22, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
DOREMI - There aren't really any restrictions except for the fact that they don't have a lot of storage room so keep that in mind. Is his ship deployed? And you can send boxes other than the USPS boxes.
Feb 22, 2022
DOREMI
Thank you. B'snukeMoM.
Yes, the ship deployed on Jan.3, 2022.
Feb 22, 2022
Chipmunk
DOREMI - I wasn't able to reply earlier and I would have told you to check with your sailor's ombudsman. So, I am glad that B'sNukeMom could give you better information about mailing a package.
I will say that my son's ship did an organized drop when they were out on an underway during the height of COVID. Due to the logistics of that specific drop, there were size restrictions on the boxes. Unfortunately, most of us who lived at a distance were not able to participate since it was a local drop off and we did not have enough time to mail anything. Some of the local moms did offer to make up boxes and deliver for us, if we wished.
In another group we have also talked about the length of time that packages can get to the ships and that once they are turned over to the military from the USPS, you are no longer able to track them.
Feb 22, 2022