Sub Moms

Sunshine-Yes, our sailor likes being a submariner. He sounded really good in his last e-mail, said he's working on his dolphins & crows on this deployment & plans to get both. What is GC? I'm forever learning these acronyms-lol. P.S. Our sailor is also an MM/AGanger.

Linda-I saw a video of the higher ups bunks & thought oh my gosh, those are really short! Thought maybe they got a bigger bunk-lol.

Crows? What is that? more to learn.

My sailor is on an underway, but I am getting emails.

I have visions of legs hanging out lol. My son said this was one time when he was glad he was "short"!

My day is complete, I learned something new. Thanks

tysmom-"legs hanging out" I love it! :)

And I wasn't even sure what crow was myself-lol! Thanks, Dee!

Seahorse-A guy my son graduated high school with is in SC for Nuke school right now. I graduated with his stepmom & his grandpa is my big boss-small world. :)

Hi everyone. My son is a Sub CTT assigned to Augusta,Georgia. Does anyone else in the group have a loved one in the same situation?

Hi moms! Passing this on for a Navy couple selling their sweet Gale's Ferry home - it's literally right outside the back gate to NAVSUBASE  :)  (They'll also rent it.)  Here's the link - http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/285-Whalehead-Rd-Gales-Ferry-CT-0...   Thanks!

We got our 2nd e-mail since our sailor deployed last month! Yes, I'm counting-lol! Didn't say much but that he's doing well & working on those fish & birds. Just makes your day to hear anything! :)

Just so you know, Popeye's Mom - I went through the twenty or so posts shown on your 'latest activity', and all of them are fine, regarding OPSEC.  Glad to hear you get to hear from your son frequently :).  Enjoy it while you can - it's likely there will be a long silent period at some point of his deployment.

Seahorse, "Less is More" is simply a reminder to be cautious.  I know that won't make sense to all but one or two here; sorry about that.

Mark-Thank you. Glad I'm not screwing up! :)

If you had, your son would have told you :)

I'm posting this again because I would be thrilled to find someone. My son is a CTT on SUBS.He got his orders 2 wks ago for Augusta GA. He will be flown to his SUB assignments from there. Does anyone else have a loved one, who is stationed there? Hopeful I'll connect!

Short on time, but would like to connect with y'all.  My Sailor also got his orders.  He will be on the USS Cheyenne --floating out of Pearl.  Does anyone have someone doing the same?  Could anyone help me with graduation details?  Thanks so much!

Casper64, What kind of graduation delails are you looking for?? And graduation from where??

My SR is finally all done with his schooling and is at home right now before he has to report to his home port in Hawaii.

Navyboy2012 - Wondering if I will need to be on a list for graduation, could graduation be delayed for some reason and with that said should I get a refundable plane ticket?  Could I stay on base - in special housing or should I book a hotel?  Is there a special number I can call to get more details on the do's and dont's?

Oh... most important part; my sailor is graduating A-school in Groton CT.

Try to get a reservation in the Groton Navy Lodge.  The rooms are very clean, affordable, and have a kitchenette so you can do basic home-cookin'.  You can google it to contact them for help in setting it up.  Your son will have to contact the Lodge as well, but the staff will tell you what to do, even if your son has other things on his mind ;).

 https://www.navy-lodge.com/lodge_page.html?p_lodge_number=13

you really can't go wrong there - the graduation will happen as scheduled; the only way it won't is if your son has a serious illness that causes him to miss a LOT of training.  I really wouldn't sweat that.

Oh, and if you're current or retired military or federal employee, you can make all the arrangements yourself.

Just ducking in here again to see if anyone's son has been assigned to the USS Bremerton?  My son was, and has been in Hawaii for 4 weeks now.  He's currently waiting to be flown to meet his  boat.  Would love to connect with other Moms on the "same boat"!

Hi muldo319!  I'm also a member of a Facebook group called Loved Ones of Hawaii Submariners.  Would love to see you there too.  Does your son like being stationed in Hawaii?  Have you been able to vacation there yet, and where are you from?  Also how old is your son and what is his rate?  Mine is 22 and an ET Nav.  We are from upstate New York.  My son is so excited to get to his boat to begin qualifying!  And...we are saving our pennies.  Can't wait to vacation in Hawaii and see him!

My son is a Nuke EM & is assigned to the USS Jacksonville. He & my DIL love Hawaii. We're planning on going out to visit them next fall. A lot will depend on her due date which could change since she's expecting twins.

My son is a Nuke MM on the USS Jacksonville.  My husband and I live on the island of Kauai.  It is only a 30 minute flight to Honolulu.  You must try to visit Kauai when you come out as it is called the Garden Island and it is truly beautiful.

My son A-School is in Goose Creek and he said the other day something broke on the protype boat and now graduation has been delayed, has anyone heard if a new date been set yet?

Mark, thank you for the advice!  I will get on things ASAP.  This is great news!  Have a great one.

@Casper - glad that works for you!  The kitchen has a two burner stove and microwave (no regular oven).  They supply pots and pans, plates and utensils, with basic implements.  Hope that gives you an idea what you can pull off there.  There are nice laundry facilities, also.  I was impressed with the quality of the rooms.

Son got back from an underway. Always busy when they get back. Nice to hear from him again.

This is something I suspected would happen with all the budget cuts that they would halt or delay the repair of the USS Miami

http://blogs.defensenews.com/intercepts/2013/03/u-s-navy-sets-budge...

My grandson is assigned to the USS Miami but is currently out as a rider on the USS Albuquerque

Sheila, my son just received his orders and he will be on the Santa Fe. Graduates from "A" school early April. Is your son still on the Santa Fe?

Hi, I have a random question. Are women allowed on subs? haha

As an answer to the question of women on subs, the answer is yes, but it depends on the sub.  Women are stationed on Boomers, but not on the Attack subs at the moment. Though I think they have decided to put women on attacks, but it has not been started yet.

Here's the "4-1-1" re: females on subs:

Submarines were the last military area to exclude females from serving, because women must have separate toilet/bathing facilities and submarines (with their acute space constraints) could not provide those.

Amidst great protest (mostly from submariners), the Navy comitted about three years ago to integrate the service, beginning with officers, and the first 5-6 females chosen entered power school - and upon graduation, would be part of a "trial study" of the process.

Boomers were chosen to host the study because (unlike attacks) presently have a separate bathing area for officers.  This could easily be designated for the female(s).  The first women submariners in history were assigned to 5 boomers last year, with plans for all boomers to include women officers by the end of this year.

The "facility problem" is still being discussed (and cussed) re: attack subs and enlisted women on all subs (where do they berth?) - with some feeling that full integration must occur as new subs are designed and constructed.

In the meantime, male submariners no longer brag to other services that they "don't take no girls," and the the disasters predicted with integration will likely be no more severe than the ones with integrating surface vessels... e.g. inappropriate relationships and the occasional pregnancy.

Although I personally wouldn't want to live in a cramped steel locker with 100 post-teen men, but subs are an elite, exciting serve - so I think it's no stranger than a girl wanting to be an astronaut :-D  k.

The reason they can ensure a steady supply of female officers on subs is that the Navy can force officers to serve on submarines whether they want to or not. Enlisted sailors on the other hand must volunteer for submarine duty they do not get assigned to it. That is a huge difference once the novelty of the idea wears off. If you a going to set aside an 18 bed berthing area for enlisted females better make sure you have 18 female sub volunteers year after year.

Son's orders changed, 9 days leave after welding school cancelled. Oh, rats. Hoping to see him before he deploys. Told him he has to come home to pick up a litter box ... I'm gonna  sneak a kitty into his halfway box, haha. Ombudsman, if you see a box with air holes, it's from me! Hmmm..... 2 1/2 years in the Navy has made my son a bit less tolerant of my sense of humor.

My son has finally finished BESS and as of yesterday landed in his home port. His boat is in drydock and will be there for the better of a year. Can anyone tell me how it works with new sailors having there boat in drydock?? I know he'll have to work on quals, but how?

 heebsmom, Did your son have to go out on another sub before he could get his dolphins? Or did he have to wait so he could that on his own sub?

This was the information I was able to dig up off the web from Navy and other internet sites regarding the housing situation for Married and Single Sailors at Bangor.

Single and Married Active Duty Bangor Housing Information:   Bangor Housing Information

Is anyone able to comment on the wait time information and also how many actual PPV houses there are on Bangor ?

 heebsmom, Thanks as any info is useful!

heebsmom my son is also a nuke who reported to Groton in January while the boat was already underway without him then the boat returned and mid February the brand new submarine went into drydock. According to the press release the work is scheduled for completion December, 2013. That means he will be 3 years in the Navy before spending a day at sea. I suppose it takes another 12 months before getting his dolphins. Lol.

Mark and William, no laughing at this question! Do sailors get to celebrate their birthdays while underway? Son will turn 21 in May, under the ocean who knows where. Birthdays are a big to-do in this family, already missed his 19th and 20th 'cause in nuke school, 21st is a milestone ... jeez, will the guy get a cupcake at least?! (I think I am fixating on this so as not to be bummed overall about deployment ... lol).

Connie I don't know the answer to that.  My son is a bit older he turned 21 in boot camp and turned 23 on his submarine but the sub was in port at the time.  He is so busy he still has not picked up the birthday card I mailed him even though one of the nuke chiefs brought him some of his mail aboard the boat. Lol.  As far as I know he still doesn't know where to pick up his mail yet or has not had time to do it yet.   So even in port when he "can" get mail he is to busy to pick up mail from the mail room during the hours they are open. 

susank, how small of a b'day gift? Would a book be ok? And do the guys even have time to read? I have gathered stuff for halfway boxes for him and any other sailor who may need one (I'll leave it up to the ombudsman to select) that includes a bunch of car/truck magazines... would they be appreciated or unread?

Also, if while underway they are on 18 hr days (3 shifts of 6 hrs), how do they know what day it really is? I mean, do they set their (wrist)watches to submarine time somehow? 

A book would be fine, Connie - and yes, they have time to read, though it can be a question of priority sometimes.  I still managed a book a week underway, even before I was qualified - it does help to stay off of the dink list, though.  Your time question will seem kind of funny to your son, but I realize reading it that it's not surprising that it's hard for you to relate to.  They ARE on watch (if they're lucky) for six hours on, and off-watch for twelve hours, so it is effectively an eighteen hour day.  But (and it's a big but) they still keep regular time.  Meals are on a regular 24 hour clock - breakfast at 0500, lunch at 1100, dinner at 1700 (or 5PM), midrats at 2300 (or 11PM).  Also, pretty much everybody keeps logs, which are maintained on a regular 24 hour day.  Generally, the way clocks on board are set is whatever their local time zone is, if they're operating near their homeport.  If they are "on the move", or more properly, "in transit, or transiting", they will usually shift clocks to "time zone Zulu", which is GMT on standard time (time in Greenwich, England).  Then, when they reach an area they intend to operate for a while, especially if a port call might be made - they will shift clocks to the local time zone.  So, it's just their sleep cycles that are on eighteen hour days - they still keep regular time on board.