communication on ship

[peat]

ok ive been hearing alot of different versions of what to expect. 

ive been hearing that my sailor will be able to communicate with me while deployed OTHER than snail mail. Captain(as well as other personel) has told him that he encourages facebook, email, phone calls etc.

 

but the families of sailors tell me i shouldnt expect much communication while they are deployed.  and im kinda sadden since it will be for a year.

 

are they atleast able to make a phone call here and there and would an international phone card be able to work or would that only work with a land line?

 

thanks for your help

[bikernavymom]

My son is currently deployed and I do get emails but they are usually two liners and one whole paragraph if Im lucky.
Phone calls are like diamonds so cherish them when you get them. Communicaiton from the ship is often choppy and then we lose connection. Remember they will be working long hours on the ship so they do not always have time to write or call. There is usually always a line and they have to choose between, eat, sleep, do laundry, write or call. Too much for them to worry about so I tell my sailor take care of yourself first and write and call when you can. If too much time goes by I will email and tilte it HELLO!?!?! and then he knows its time to write Mom. I write him almost everyday but so does everyone else so when time is limited he only reads and does not respond.
Keep the Faith and know your sailor will write and call when possible.
Oh about the phone card. They are ATT ship to shore cards they get on base so make sure you get the number of the card so you can reload it for more minutes.

[peat]

See everyone says the same thing as you so it must be true! I apprieate you getting back to me asap! It is defianly overwhelming to think about my sailor being gone for a year. with limited communication. but i will defianly keep the faith at knowing when possible they will send me a flare of hope. lol
also thanks for the ATT card i would have never known. that puts a smile on my face.
i dont mind sending email and having it sit until they have the time to write. anything is better then snail mail
but im sure ill have to settle sometime in their journey with just that.

[JC's Mama]

HI moms.

I cherish the few calls I get from my son. Unfortunately, I missed his call the other day -- could have kicked myself -- of all days to forget my cell. Any other time I'd have it with me - but it figures the one time . . . . husband says it's that A.G.E. thing catching up with me. Fortunately, he did contact his older sister. Thank goodness someone in the family heard from him. It's just so hard not hearing anything for long periods of time.

[ruth]

that awesome. I know I cherish my son phone calls. so far it not bad but I know it will be a time when they will be out to sea for 6 month at a time and I will really need lol and support then . I am so thankful for this web site navy for moms. because it is encouragement .

[Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom]

Peat, mine's currently on a ship, and calls and emails regularly. In fact, he called me this morning! Usually the call is as clear as if he's calling from down the street. My cell phone will display a Norfolk area code or say 'unidentified caller' when it comes in.
As I understand it, the only card they can use is the AT&T Ship to Shore card. You can purchase them at the NEX or online, and 'reload' them while underway in the ship store. My son bought his at the NEX in Norfolk.

Info about the cards here http://www.usa.att.com/military/action/services/detail?id=dos

Purchase online: https://shop.aafes.com/scs/product.aspx
Are you up to speed on how to send care packages? You can order the military priority rate boxes and have them delivered to your home here: http://tinyurl.com/MilitaryPriorityRateBoxes
Thinking about fun things to send really helps, too. This is a fun group - http://www.navyformoms.com/group/carepackageideas

[peat]

AWESOME!! i cant wait to tell all this info to my sailor it is a blessing to get an answer. we had no idea about the boxes either. im sure it is because we dont know the correct questions to ask. thank you so much im going to check out that site! if there is anything else..small or big pls share.

[Fur&FeathersDVM]

My fiance is the communications officer for his ship. So perhaps I can shine some light on how it works. :)
All sailors on all ships are HIGHLY encouraged by the Captain to keep in touch with their families- via snail mail, email, etc. Some ships do not permit facebook underway. And phone calls are encouraged!
Now the catch to that is- in order to use those things, the satellites need to be up! Communication can be choppy and bandwith can be spread low so it can be hard to use things like email, etc. Sometimes the internet lines go up and down especially as the ship is moving quickly. Also, computer access is very dependent on your sailor's job. Some people check their email five times a day. Some rarely do- although most ships function under the assumption that their sailors check email at least a couple of times a week. The ship can go into a blackout phase where communications are stopped. It does depend on where they are.
Phones are another tricky situation. It depends on the size of the ship and how many phone lines they are allowed. Many ships have a sign up sheet so that the sailors can sign up for a fifteen minute interval to call home during. Usually there is a phone line for the Captain, the XO, CMC and then a phone line for the officers and one for enlisted (larger ships have more). In port it is usually easier for them to get a phone line because everyone is out and about and they are connected to a pier so the phones are a little more reliable! Some sailors don't want to use the phones because they can cut out in the middle of conversation. You can use a regular phone card on most ships (just a regular national one- the number they are calling from is a norfolk number).
On my fiance's last deployment- before he was Commo- I got an email every day unless they were in blackout or he couldn't get to a computer. Since he's become Commo, when he goes to sea, I usually hear from him once or twice a day unless the internet is simply not working. And usually I get about one phone call a week (even though he technically owns the ship phone lines, haha :) ).
Something to look into- does your ship have a family newsletter/website? Ours does and when they were deployed they posted a wonderful weekly newsletter and pictures of what our sailors were doing!
Another thing- if your sailor took his laptop with him, many times when they port in a foreign country there are internet cafes to be found and a lot of them like to go and use real internet for awhile- it's a good way to chat or use Skype to even video chat!

[peat]

oh that is cool ill have to check into that. yeah my sailor will be on a aircraft carrrier. and AGAIN i didnt even think about internet cafes' . we are not in the city so that was the farthest from my mind. so far things are looking up!

[ruth]

thank you for the infor. it really nice to find out this stuff. we have to keep supporting each other. It make it easier.

[Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom]

NavyPrincess, thank you for such a thorough, interesting & informative response!

[Wendy (nuke mom)]

From what I understand calls made via a ship to shore card are 9 cents a minute but it's worth it when they need to hear your voice.
Carriers have 5,000 Sailors & the theft rate is high so most of them don't risk taking their laptops.
If they are having a crisis, their captain may let them use the ship phone if he/she thinks the situation calls for it.
Between a blackout, long work hours & computer lines I once went over a week without hearing from my son. I kept sending him short emails with important updates & just to let him know I was thinking of him.

[peat]

Only thing i know is that they have to tie down/secure things. Is theft due to laziness, as in not locking their stuff up.. or do they not have that option? that part is sad to hear though. *smh*