San Diego or Norfolk?

[EmilyNicole98]

Hey ladies,

I'm being super pro-active about this because my boyfriend is only in Basic right now, but where do you prefer to live, Norfolk or San Diego? He put in a request for Norfolk but he wants to stay in the Navy for a long time so we'll probably end up living both places. Any comparisons would be extremely helpful!!! Especially comparisons for colleges because I'll have to attend grad school for social work in a couple of years. 

Thanks! :D

[meagan5220]

Yea it sucks. but its the life of the Navy. Well not the whole time. You can google the sea duty/shore duty rotation for his rate. That will be the biggest thing. Like my husband I think has a 5 year sea duty to 3 year shore duty rotation. so that means he is with a ship or squadron for 5 years and then would get 3 years shore duty if he stayed in. Most contracts are for 4 years. for 6 years for the nukes I think. My husband according to his orders would stay with his current ship until his sea duty is up. But I know people that havent.

 

Communication depends on the ship. My husband has email and phone calls. Some ships have facebook or other social media sites allowed. In ports they can usually skype as well. Subs though have less communication than ships do.

[Anti M]

Most orders are for three years, even if they have a longer sea duty rotation.  Sometimes they stay with the same ship (extend their orders)  and sometimes they go to a different ship or sea duty billet.  Yes, there are sea duty tours which are not on a ship... just has to be a deployable unit.   It is pretty simple to look up the sea/shore rotation, more difficult to know what the Navy will do with them for sea duty!

Isolated duty tours tend to be for two years (Diego Garcia is one example) and count as sea duty.  

Yes, it is complicated.  

[cheylovesasailor]

The Vinson did have a short one but they also deployed for 6.5 months only 4 months before their 5.5 month one then did months work up before so it really sucked, and yes I agree most carriers are getting extend most likely 10 months or longer is what our command is saying it cost so much to get out to sea and port again. The Navy is always changing so like all have mentioned before, be ready for anything and for tons of plans to change all of the time.

[meagan5220]

I wasnt trying to hate on any single ship, or say that the Vinson isnt pulling their weight. Our ship had also just gotten back from a deployment and had lots of workups. I was just saying sometimes one ship will have a shorter one for that deployment while another ship will have a longer one. I was trying to point out it doesnt always make sense and we might not get it from the outside.

[cheylovesasailor]

Sorry if I came across rude its just the Vinson has had 3 deployments in three years with tons of work ups too and I got a little defensive, but I agree with you its crazy how much one ship is different from another even if their at the same home port. I wish their was a "normal" so we could at least know what to compair our ship too lol. or at least we could plan a little bit better. Once again sorry if that was rude.

[meagan5220]

Yeah the Lincoln has too. Everyone refers to the Lincoln as USS NEVERPORTs lol.

But I wasnt trying to imply one ship was being crappy (lol like any of the sailors have anything to do with it lol!) but I was just trying to sort of demonstrate how its sooo different. and there isnt really and rhyme or reason! Its ok. I wasnt trying to be like the Vinson is horrible! lol I mean yea it sort of bummed me out for a sec mostly bc they were telling us there was another extension after the first 2 months got added and they said oh dont worry the Vinson is getting it then the 4 days after the announced the first one we got the second! We were all so confused! lol I try not to be down on other people about their navy experience because someday somewhere that person who got lucky is going to get the short end of the stick! So we all have bad days we all have good days. And it never makes sense why anything is done lol

[newnavywife2012 Ship 09 Div 283]

My husband was also told that we would most likely get San Diego or Norfolk as well. I think it is just a generalization b/c of how big those ports are? His is AVE (I think it's written AVE--aviation electronics) E2. His A school is right over 6 months according to what we've been told. From what I've read you can go with them to A school if it is over 6 months....meaning they have to live at school but you can live in the same area and see them when they have free time, someone please correct me if I'm wrong? 

This next part comes from someone who grew up in the San Diego area :)

We are in the Los Angeles area now and hate being here more than anything lol luckily there really are no ports near by! San Diego is nice but it is becoming more and more overcrowded and expensive. We will of course take things as they come and will most likely (according to everyone we've talked to) get San Diego. But, that is fine b/c we can at least get out of LA! I believe hubby is putting down all East Coast on his wish list b/c at some point we'd like to try and get on the other side!

[Anti M]

Norfolk and SD are the biggest, so the odds are for those.  But we have many bases, WA, FL, and so on.  Sailors have to go to those places too!  With aviation, he could be assigned to a squadron, and those bases are not always on the water. Fallon, NV is one such place.  We have plenty of inland naval air bases.  Or he could end up at a joint forces base, although that would be a long shot.  

If his A school is over 20 weeks (about, I can't find the instruction offhand), you can go AND he can request permission to live offbase with his spouse.  It is only the ones with shorter schools who must live on base and visit the spouse when they can.  Of course, initially they have to get through their liberty phases.  

[newnavywife2012 Ship 09 Div 283]

That's great news, thank you! For financial reasons it would be great for me to just stay here and continue at my current job. But for my heart I will go anywhere I can with him, bc I know that there will be times in the future where I can't go and I never want to regret not going when I could! 

[Navymomfriend]

I am only speaking as someone who has a relative in the Air Force, and know a few in the Navy.  Navy by far has been the most unpredictable and the one that changes orders at the last minute.  The best thing to do is to never assume anything is "set in stone".  Someone I know in the Navy was told the first day after winter break when he returned to A school at Great Lakes, where he would be going for his first duty station, and that he would be leaving the next day.  He packed everything and hurried making arrangements to get things shipped back home and his paperwork in order, and the next thing he knew they were telling him he wouldn't be leaving for another three days.  He is in Norfolk and has put his chit in twice in the past three months for leave, only to have it canceled.  I don't know if the Navy is always like that, but that is why you shouldn't assume anything until it actually happens.