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SWO Competitiveness

AllAmerican75

AllAmerican75

FUBIJAR
None
Contributor
Aluroon said:
You got fuel?
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Sooooo many times. The worst was in Senegal when they over-filled the tanks so badly that there was a geyser of fuel coming out of every sounding tube in OPS berthing, JO Jungle (the converted OPS berthing lounge), and a bit after, just above AUX 2. The worst part was that it created standing fuel about 2 inches deep in OPS berthing that then seeped through the escape scuttle (that had long ago become non-watertight) into Combat Systems berthing one deck below, raining fuel from the overhead and damaging all of the racks in the after section of the berthing. There were a lot of guys (including my Sonar Techs) who had their coffin racks full to the brim with this nasty diesel fuel (the fuel quality in Africa is horrendous) which ruined thousands of dollars of uniforms, linens, mattresses, and personal items.

The good news: The Navy has a program to reimburse Sailors in just this type of occasion.

The bad news: In order for SUPPO to request that money, you have to report the incident. Guess what the CO, XO, CHENG, and MPA all decided not to do. . . . :mad:

And that's just reason #42 of 540+ why I am no longer a SWO.
 
AllAmerican75

AllAmerican75

FUBIJAR
None
Contributor
HAL Pilot said:
That would be the U.S. Merchant Marine not the U.S. Navy. Much better pay and QOL in the U.S. Merchant Marine. I know a few that have done both.
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This is the truth right here. If you find yourself loving being out to sea but hate the stifling SWO culture and low pay of the US Navy, happily resign your commission and apply to join the Military Sealift Command. This will entitle to wonderful benefits such as continued employment as a federal employee, federal retirement benefits, federal healthcare benefits, a six figure salary for about 8 months of work a year, and multiple bonuses for everything you can imagine. Have to work a 24 duty day? Well here's $200 bucks for your trouble. Is it on the weekend? Well, make that $250. Have to work over your 8 hour work day? Can you spell "overtime?" Wanna go screw around on the flight deck with helicopters? Here's flight deck pay and special bonuses for hard-to-get qualifications.

The merchant marine has got it made.
 
Jim123

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
AllAmerican75 said:
The good news: The Navy created a program to reimburse Sailors in just this type of occasion.

The bad news: In order for SUPPO to request that money, you have to report the incident. Guess what the CO, XO, CHENG, and MPA all decided not to do. . . . :mad:
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The good news: the Navy has a program for just this type of occasion: the IG Hotline.
 
P

Pags

N/A
pilot
AllAmerican75 said:
This is the truth right here. If you find yourself loving being out to sea but hate the stifling SWO culture and low pay of the US Navy, happily resign your commission and apply to join the Military Sealift Command. This will entitle to wonderful benefits such as continued employment as a federal employee, federal retirement benefits, federal healthcare benefits, a six figure salary for about 8 months of work a year, and multiple bonuses for everything you can imagine. Have to work a 24 duty day? Well here's $200 bucks for your trouble. Is it on the weekend? Well, make that $250. Have to work over your 8 hour work day? Can you spell "overtime?" Wanna go screw around on the flight deck with helicopters? Here's flight deck pay and special bonuses for hard-to-get qualifications.

The merchant marine has got it made.
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At some point I found myself as a pax on a USNS tanker hitching a ride in to Singapore. The CIVMARs gave me the full USNS recruitment pitch. If you want to be underway for most of each year with no shore tour it sure seemed like a good gig.
 
Jim123

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
Pags said:
At some point I found myself as a pax on a USNS tanker hitching a ride in to Singapore. The CIVMARs gave me the full USNS recruitment pitch.
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You're just going to leave us hanging, aren't you?
 
P

Pags

N/A
pilot
Jim123 said:
HAHAHA! Well played.

View attachment 20211
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I meant the "roll tide" shennanigans at some Pcola strip clubs that they got in trouble over several years ago, but that works too.

We were still underway so it was just a bunch of the CIVMAR Os in the wardroom telling me how great their lives were (we pull in to the PI ALL the time!), how much they got paid based on how little work they had to do, and how I'd be sure to be a master of my own ship someday if I wanted it. I had zero desire to spend that much time at sea so I politely smiled and got seconds of dessert.
 
BigRed389

BigRed389

Registered User
None
Pags said:
I meant the "roll tide" shennanigans at some Pcola strip clubs that they got in trouble over several years ago, but that works too.

We were still underway so it was just a bunch of the CIVMAR Os in the wardroom telling me how great their lives were (we pull in to the PI ALL the time!), how much they got paid based on how little work they had to do, and how I'd be sure to be a master of my own ship someday if I wanted it. I had zero desire to spend that much time at sea so I politely smiled and got seconds of dessert.
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Yeah...that's why the SWO Show isn't much of a show. It takes a real odd duck to want to be underway all the time. Granted, it's probably nicer when you get well compensated for your time and there's less Navy induced stress, QOL onboard certainly better, but you're still away from home and family as a career. The few guys I know who went that route were looking to make bank for <10 years then transition to something else entirely.
 
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
BigRed389 said:
...The few guys I know who went that route were looking to make bank for <10 years then transition to something else entirely.
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The few guys I know who did the Merchant Marine gig did just that straight out of school, made bank for a few years while getting to see a bit of the world then getting real jobs and lives.
 
AllAmerican75

AllAmerican75

FUBIJAR
None
Contributor
Aluroon said:
Shit on your department heads for ignoring that shit and letting it fly.
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I agree, but they were complicit in it all. I hate to be the typical burnt-out, bitter, former-SWO, but my first ship was literally home to all the negative stereotypes of the SWO community.
 
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