What was your biggest hurdle going back to sea duty from shore duty?

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 07:43:20 -0500

Response by PO1 John Johnson made Dec 13 at 2016 8:00 AM

PO1 John Johnson — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 08:00:48 -0500

Knowing that my job afloat (QuarterMaster - Bridge navigation) was for the most part strictly limited to my rate. Ashore, I had three 3-year tours at an "Aids to Navigation" (ANT) Team, where I fixed lighthouses, other lighted structures, and worked buoys. I also was the coxswain of the CG's 45' and 46' buoy boats. It was comparable to being 1/2 QuarterMaster, 1/2 BosunMate; therefore when I was asked what my rate was I would reply "BosunMaster" which annoyed a few of the other Senior BosunMates but never bothered my chain of command E-7's & 8's. Nope; nothing had changed and there were no hurdles, but when I was at the ANT Teams, my fun-meter was pegged on a daily basis! I enjoyed being underway on a Cutter, but I had less of an opportunity to perform jobs beyond my rating.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 13 at 2016 11:06 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 11:06:53 -0500

Two things always struck me. First was the work in the CIC and EW Shed was so different from what you did ashore and it was real work vs. busy work. Second was you have to force yourself not to bring crap with you that you don't need. Amazing how you get by fine with a Walkman, cribbage board, and darts. Guess people need their iStuff now. So when I got commissioned, had a wife, and deployed to Antarctica, I upped the ante to letter writing stuff.

Always had to go with the Two Seabag Rule.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Dec 13 at 2016 12:58 PM

SN Greg Wright — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 12:58:43 -0500

For me it was the shock of going from a cushy 2-man AF suite to a berthing compartment, lol.

Response by CPO Michael Callegri made Dec 13 at 2016 3:57 PM

CPO Michael Callegri — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 15:57:34 -0500

Getting used to duty days, knowing you would be onboard overnight. Other than that, the work didn't really change, so it was good. I actually got more and better sleep on sea duty than I even do now.

Response by PO2 Peter Klein made Dec 13 at 2016 9:57 PM

PO2 Peter Klein — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 21:57:19 -0500

Wouldn't know. Never had shore duty.

Response by SCPO Stephen Ibanez made Dec 14 at 2016 6:08 AM

SCPO Stephen Ibanez — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 06:08:32 -0500

Getting there fast enough! Seriously, shore duty was just someplace I had to go to reset the detailer's clock. After my 1st shore tour (recruiting) I was ready to stay at sea for the rest of my life.

Response by PO1 H Palmer made Dec 14 at 2016 7:24 AM

PO1 H Palmer — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 07:24:18 -0500

As a Machinist Mate PO1 you have to spend on sea duty to qualify for shore duty. Spent all my time on sea duty..........hated it.

Response by PO2 Robert Moore made Dec 14 at 2016 7:35 AM

PO2 Robert Moore — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 07:35:09 -0500

Keeping the wife's panties on. That's why she's an ex. LMAO

Response by SCPO Don Baker made Dec 14 at 2016 8:07 AM

SCPO Don Baker — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 08:07:22 -0500

None.

Response by CPO Charles Helms made Dec 14 at 2016 8:20 AM

CPO Charles Helms — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 08:20:29 -0500

Outside of not being around the wife and kids, was the getting used to the 14-16 hour days again on the flight deck!! Whole different ball game for an ABH on shore duty 8 hr. days and duty Chief once a month!! But I loved being at sea!!!

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 8:39 AM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 08:39:23 -0500

The biggest challenge was going to a new platform and learning all the systems. My first 2 ships were pretty standard. The first ship was built in the 50's and I decom'd her in 1990. The second ship was only slightly newer, so it was not a huge leap. The third ship was a new DDG in the mid-90's. It was a good year to learn how everything played together and standing new watches

Response by PO2 Robert Cuminale made Dec 14 at 2016 8:59 AM

PO2 Robert Cuminale — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 08:59:13 -0500

I was a SEABEE. Sea duty either meant assignment to a battalion or some suck station like Ponce Puerto Rico.

Response by CPO Zack Lindsey made Dec 14 at 2016 10:53 AM

CPO Zack Lindsey — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 10:53:54 -0500

You mean to tell me there there was such a thing has shore duty what is this thing you speak of you must tell me more of it,,, you mean where the ground is not wet and there is no color of gray all around or the shrill of pipe every 4 or 8 hours nay nay I say you jest off with your head and I cast you to the depths of the deep for a sailor belongs at sea,,,, there is no such place has shore duty for my detaler would have told me of such places

Response by PO1 Gery Bastiani made Dec 14 at 2016 10:55 AM

PO1 Gery Bastiani — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 10:55:10 -0500

Having to deploy for sevens months and being away from the family

Response by PO1 Gery Bastiani made Dec 14 at 2016 10:55 AM

PO1 Gery Bastiani — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 10:55:59 -0500

Having to go on deployment for 7 months and being away from the family

Response by PO1 James Friedman made Dec 14 at 2016 11:51 AM

PO1 James Friedman — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:51:56 -0500

Getting back up to speed in my rate after two years working outside of it.

Response by CPO Greg Frazho made Dec 14 at 2016 3:52 PM

CPO Greg Frazho — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 15:52:47 -0500

I terminated CONUS shore duty twice in a 20-year career and I'm glad I did it. For whatever reason, Type I duty never agreed with me. I got away from recruiting and the Bore College, so there were no hurdles to overcome. All the rest of my tours were Type 2 and overseas shore following sea duty. If anything, I looked forward to the regimentation, camaraderie and the extra pays of the deploying units.

Response by PO1 Kevin Arnold made Dec 14 at 2016 11:10 PM

PO1 Kevin Arnold — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 23:10:20 -0500

Getting my sea legs back was one. Even being on submarines we rocked and rolled transiting into or out of a port. Second is the smell, no matter what I did it smelled bad and therefore I did after a deployment. Have to get used to not seeing your loved ones i.e. family or spouse for long periods of time.

Response by PO2 Jerri Jackson made Dec 15 at 2016 1:21 AM

PO2 Jerri Jackson — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 01:21:17 -0500

Being a mother it was leaving my children , but I knew I was doing to improve their lives. But it is hard. I had to leave them for a year whn my squadron re-homeported. I didn't want to take them to the new homeport and I only had a year left, so I left them with my parents. THAT was hard, but I knew that where I was stationed wasn't a good place to live, so made the decision to leave them behind.
When I was attached to the ships. I was married, but didn't like leaving kids with their dad, but no choice. Called as often as I could. I loved going to sea, but hated having to leave my babies.

Response by PO1 Dallas Shewmaker made Dec 15 at 2016 2:23 PM

PO1 Dallas Shewmaker — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:23:58 -0500

Aside from the obvious (getting my sea legs back, less time with the family, switching up the daily routine), I think the hardest part for me was going back to the core of my rating. While on shore duty, I filled an array of roles. I was able to diversify my work load. Rather, to keep myself busy, I was required to diversify my work load. In this, I actually gained a much greater perspective of what the purpose of the Navy was about and how it operated. Going back to sea duty meant repetition and working the same job at the same place at the same time over and over again. Type 2 Sea Duty was awesome, though! It was seriously the best of both worlds. You only deployed when the unit deployed. No work-ups or anything like that. For training exercises, I ended up on Beach Det so it was like shore duty... just someplace else.

Response by PO1 Sean Gawne-Mark made Dec 17 at 2016 12:23 PM

PO1 Sean Gawne-Mark — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 12:23:20 -0500

Finding my place in a new crew. Not that big a hurdle, though... going back to sea duty was like putting on a well-worn pair of jeans. Jeans that smelled of amine and made you field day.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 19 at 2016 11:53 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 23:53:14 -0500

Trying to manage the details of everyday life such as finance, license plate renewals, taxes, etc while you're 2,000 miles and seven time zones away.

Response by LCpl James Robertson made Dec 20 at 2016 5:53 PM

LCpl James Robertson — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 17:53:06 -0500

For Marines during the Vietnam War they just went through again who you wanted to be your beneficiary or next of kin, threw your sea bag in a cargo hole and stated get aboard.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2017 11:22 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 23:22:01 -0500

Adjusting from regular food back to ship food, leaving behind family, being tired all the time, oh the list is endless. I will say there is nothing better than being out to sea and having your division coming together and being your family. That is the best part of being on a ship. The friendships you build. It's like an adopted family. You learn to be supportive and their success becomes your success. Nothing better than that. Only a fellow shipmate can truly share the good times and bad times with you