My first Indoc (or indoctrination - an introduction to a command) was a formal class at Naval Station Great Lakes, and it appears as a week-long class on my CTARS (don't ask me what that stands for - its a confidential list of all the schools I've attended in the Navy). That one started my very first day... but that's a huge training command, and they've got to get people through it. The less formal one I had at the Fleet ASW Training Center occurred within one month of checking in. Here on the destroyer, I just finished Indoc this week, after being here for over two months. Life in the fleet is much more busy and complicated than at shore commands!
But as my brother said, some things in the military never change. I was skeptical that I would learn anything new, since I've been here so much already. Goodness, I'm already a quarter done with Cranking! But it turned out to be helpful, being introduced to certain people's jobs, where I knew people's faces, but not their rates.
Indoc started Monday the 10th, with... what other than a muster sheet? Then the CO came in ("Attention on DECK!") and gave us the same brief some of us had before on the "commander's intent"... that we're going to be ready for the country any time, any place to PURSUE, ATTACK and VANQUISH any enemy (it's our ship's motto - taken from a phrase used on Commodore Thomas Truxtun's gold medal that Congress struck on March 29, 1800 to award him for the defeat of the French ship of war L'Insurgente in the Quasi-War.) He also talked about how he wants the command to operate with rigor, transparency and I think the last was accountability. And then he touched on our ship's schedule again, which I had practically forgotten about since I've been cranking.
The XO came in after him and touched on things like berthing rules and the fact that all the administrative runnings of the ship are under his domain. We then had the command fitness leader (CFL) talk about the upcoming PFA... always fun to remember that I need to lose weight. :) CSC then came in and asked us a lot about ourselves, then went over the suicide prevention power-point... page by page. (My husband thinks it's funny that a month into cranking and suddenly I get a suicide prevention talk... the timing is odd that way, but no matter what a person's doing they're going to talk about that - since Big Navy has a big issue with it, we have to do it... all the time.) Lastly, CMC came in and talked to us about standards for work and for liberty. There have been some issues lately with people wearing "inappropriate" clothes off the barge.
The next day we talked a little about watch standing and force protection (with MA1), but I've already been through Between the Life-Lines... which is all about that. Next, SIGWO (signal warfare officer - boy, did that one take me a while to de-code while I was working the wardroom) came in and talked to us about OPSEC (operations security) and had us sign a "page 13" (acknowledgement form) - who knows where that term came from - about social media posts... and how we should be careful about how much we say where. CS2, who was also in the class, commented that he knew of a half-dozen guys at the Navy prison he was last working at who were spending 25 years to life for giving out too much information. Whoa. The rest of the day was with HM3... smoking secession, STDs (thank the Lord the projector was broken... no nasty pictures to look at this time), and finally CPR.
Wednesday was a succession of topics covering Tag-Out procedures, electrical safety, oil spills, entering void spaces, HAZMAT, fraud+waste+abuse, safety, ORM, awareness, MAN OVERBOARD procedures, and then finally a little tidbit on schools and doing PQS.
On Thursday the 13th, there was a little interruption to our Indoc schedule... namely, the Petty Officer 2nd Class Examination (mandatory test for 3rd's aspiring to the next pay-grade) held everywhere in the Navy that morning for three hours. It was awful! Hardly any Oceanography questions (which I can do better at) and lots on random equipment from all the fields of Sonar. Pretty hard to study for mine, since the test is classified Secret. That and we've been a little busy coming down to Mayport... and cranking on top of that. Won't find out the results for another couple months.
In the afternoon, we finished up Indoc with talks about (you guessed it!) Sexual Assault/SAPR, 3M (our maintenance procedures), PQS info and financial counseling. A whirlwind for sure. And indeed, before and after these trainings, CS2 and I had to be working on the mess decks. There was no skating off for us, even though we had this class. I even worked in the scullery during our lunch break.
It was my weekend to work right before this too... Friday the 7th I kept myself busy all day, trying to get the wardroom silver untarnished... worked it over with steel wool and cut my hand in the process. Saturday I saw a sea turtle for the first time (lots hereafter) and worked through a power outage during dinner with a flashlight. Sunday, the 9th, I got up to clean up the night's remaining dishes even though I was told to sleep in. Did go back to sleep for a couple hours before the extra-long lunch.
Wednesday the 12, during Indoc, the sewer tanks overflowed onto the mess decks before breakfast and the water was secured through lunch... and we had to use the heads (bathrooms) on a trailer parked next to the barge. The tanks flooded again the next Wednesday the 19, my first day back after my 96 hour liberty.
And that Wednesday the 19th, I caught up on the Damage Control Indoc that I had missed the first two days of due to my anniversary trip with my husband. Turns out all I missed was power-points about the same stuff we went over in boot camp. I copied someone's notes and studied them while we were waiting for DC2 Vigilant (awesome name for a DC man!) to take us on a walk-through of the ship's DC spaces... to show us the fire-fighting gear, the repair lockers, shoring and hoses and the like. Later on, after we were let go, we had a Dress Blues inspection (on the hanger, thankfully!) for the upcoming uniform shift on October 1st.
Thursday the 20th was the DC Indoc test... 100 multiple choice questions. Apart from that, it was my day off from cranking, so after the test I changed into civies and read my Peter Wimsey book for a long time before getting the first bus to the Mayport Naval Station (around 1500).
Friday the 21st was my TWO YEAR anniversary of joining the Navy. Goodness, it has gone fast, and slow. Seems like only yesterday, and it seems like forever ago. As for the day itself, I figured out a secret to keeping the dish-washing machine working better, and we had to hold Quarters on the rooftop due to yet more flooding on the mess decks. Someone was late again that morning, so as our MA promised, the next two early days were cancelled. That affected me on Monday... after working through the weekend. Yay.
Saturday was crazy. They secured the water ALL DAY LONG on the barge. That meant a continental breakfast, and hamburgers grilled on the roof for lunch. We had to carry lots of stuff up there... tables, chairs, food, ice... but it was a very good meal. For some reason, Chief thought after lunch would be a good time to field day (clean/scrub) the galley. That put us all in a very lousy mood. Dinner was pizza and wings... and I hated life until I woke up from my long nap afterwords. Went to bed at 1815 and woke up at 0100... went outside to talk to my husband, and while I did that I saw a manatee nibbling algae off the barge! I had very much wanted to see one, so it all worked out alright! I had done a good bit of fishing earlier in the day and caught a good sized Jack on my cheap pole. I do love that about this place! All the sea life I get to see!
Sunday the 23rd, all of note was I got my shins very mosquito-bitten while I cleaned my fish in the evening. Bad decision!
This week it was hard to keep going after the weekend. Monday I was running a little late, but thankfully no one noticed. The ventilation in the scullery wasn't on in the morning, so I was working in a sauna... FC1 said it was 100 degrees in there. I was really tired, my shins itched like the dickens, and for some odd reason, my left wrist hurt just that day. I wanted to hit something after work, so I consoled myself with crumpling up the 3x5 comment card we were given at our divisional training that morning. I didn't have anything to say that they wanted to hear. Life was better after taking a shower and reading while I did my laundry. I suppose I'll have to un-crumple the card.
I survived Tuesday with the knowledge that it was the only day to get through before my day off today. It was cloudy and cool too... and that helped. Caught and released a couple smaller Jacks in the break times and caught the bus to Mayport to spend the evening and next day far, far away. :)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Hello From the Barge
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Life in Dry Dock
----post updated 11 SEP 12---- (it was first attempted from my phone because I was stuck on the barge and had lots of time) :)
August 27, the Monday after my first break, was a wild first day back. It started with a command urinalysis sweep, since somebody popped on a test, I heard. The skewed schedule allowed me time to go to my parent division to print up a request chit and submit it before lunch. Interestingly, it just got approved today.
The rest of that first Monday was taken up with going over to the ship and bagging up all the food that had been left behind by accident and spoiled. My, was that a hot, disgusting mess. I made six trips carrying bags of trash and left-behind dishes. You could say that I got an intense stair-stepper workout while at work.
It's been nearly another two weeks since I've last posted. I worked the ward room a couple times, but I've since switched myself over to working the scullery as my main job. I'm good at it and I like watching all the dishes get clean as I spray them off before sending them through the washer. Just today I got a compliment from a Chief for working so hard every day.
It's been interesting in there too... There were a couple power outages last week, and today we had a hot water issue for breakfast and lunch. Had to stack everything up and use paper plates for a while. There are three gauges to pay attention to for temps: two wash tanks and a final rinse. Along with that, the tanks below should be filled with water, and sometimes they drain out and the machine works on steam. The problem is, to fill the tanks, cold water is fed in, which will cause the washers to go under the temp requirement if not watched closely. A duty officer even comes in every meal to make sure we're operating in the standards.
In a way, it's good that I'm cranking now... the duty sections have a lot of watches to cover, so everyone else is working hard too, usually standing 10 hours of watch on duty days (two different watches, thankfully!). Just yesterday, the mess decks MA came up with a new schedule, so that we get more days off. Things have definitely quieted down from when we first got here, and we're finally getting into a groove.
As for regular day-to-day stuff, we have Quarters every morning on the mess decks with all of Supply... CS (culinary specialists - or cooks), LS (logistics specialists), and SH (ship's servicemen). The First Classes rotate leading it, starting with the Sailor's Creed, then read the POD (plan of the day) to us, put out anything that needs to be put out, and call us to attention when the Chiefs and DIVO (division officer) arrive. Supply is so complex that there is a SUPPO and ASUPPO (supply and assistant supply officers). The Khaki, as officers and chiefs are known as, put out whatever was put out at the Officer's Call beforehand.
Sometimes Quarters drives me nuts because we have to drop everything and wait, and sometimes they come down hard on people for shaving and haircuts (and you wonder why people can't just get it together)but then I remember that it comes from a very long military tradition of mustering... and it's important for the dissemination of information... and it really doesn't take too long after all.
I really love our location on the river! There are dolphins breaking water almost every day, and the fishing isn't bad either. I saw a pair of sea turtles feeding on the algae growing on the dock, and it seems as if there are always herons, egrets, seagulls and pelicans to watch along with a beautiful sunset.
Between meals there are certain things that have to be done every day. Sweepers around the mess decks is one, but then also taking the trash out to the dumpster... there are four street-size trash cans in the galley, then the one outside the scullery too. It seems as if I empty them at least three or four times a day. :) Then there's the bread to be wrapped in two-slice packets (so people can easily make sandwiches for themselves), and then the cookies or brownies or cake to be plated up as well. The days usually pass by pretty quickly... it seems like I am always busy.
On Labor Day weekend I got myself a fishing pole and a cheap bicycle from Walmart in order to help me use the time I do get off constructively. I have caught a few little fish (catch and release) and I've made a couple trips across the river on my bike (using the ferry, of course). There is also Cable TV in the lounge below the mess decks, so sometimes I catch a football game with the guys. Otherwise, I have a few movies to watch on my laptop, and a few books to read too.
It is a little difficult not having my car, because the ship's shuttles only go to the base at Mayport and then one place for shopping, so the choices are a little limited. I've enjoyed rental cars on the weekends though, as well as a few nights at hotels to get away for a while. :)
August 27, the Monday after my first break, was a wild first day back. It started with a command urinalysis sweep, since somebody popped on a test, I heard. The skewed schedule allowed me time to go to my parent division to print up a request chit and submit it before lunch. Interestingly, it just got approved today.
The rest of that first Monday was taken up with going over to the ship and bagging up all the food that had been left behind by accident and spoiled. My, was that a hot, disgusting mess. I made six trips carrying bags of trash and left-behind dishes. You could say that I got an intense stair-stepper workout while at work.
It's been nearly another two weeks since I've last posted. I worked the ward room a couple times, but I've since switched myself over to working the scullery as my main job. I'm good at it and I like watching all the dishes get clean as I spray them off before sending them through the washer. Just today I got a compliment from a Chief for working so hard every day.
It's been interesting in there too... There were a couple power outages last week, and today we had a hot water issue for breakfast and lunch. Had to stack everything up and use paper plates for a while. There are three gauges to pay attention to for temps: two wash tanks and a final rinse. Along with that, the tanks below should be filled with water, and sometimes they drain out and the machine works on steam. The problem is, to fill the tanks, cold water is fed in, which will cause the washers to go under the temp requirement if not watched closely. A duty officer even comes in every meal to make sure we're operating in the standards.
In a way, it's good that I'm cranking now... the duty sections have a lot of watches to cover, so everyone else is working hard too, usually standing 10 hours of watch on duty days (two different watches, thankfully!). Just yesterday, the mess decks MA came up with a new schedule, so that we get more days off. Things have definitely quieted down from when we first got here, and we're finally getting into a groove.
As for regular day-to-day stuff, we have Quarters every morning on the mess decks with all of Supply... CS (culinary specialists - or cooks), LS (logistics specialists), and SH (ship's servicemen). The First Classes rotate leading it, starting with the Sailor's Creed, then read the POD (plan of the day) to us, put out anything that needs to be put out, and call us to attention when the Chiefs and DIVO (division officer) arrive. Supply is so complex that there is a SUPPO and ASUPPO (supply and assistant supply officers). The Khaki, as officers and chiefs are known as, put out whatever was put out at the Officer's Call beforehand.
Sometimes Quarters drives me nuts because we have to drop everything and wait, and sometimes they come down hard on people for shaving and haircuts (and you wonder why people can't just get it together)but then I remember that it comes from a very long military tradition of mustering... and it's important for the dissemination of information... and it really doesn't take too long after all.
I really love our location on the river! There are dolphins breaking water almost every day, and the fishing isn't bad either. I saw a pair of sea turtles feeding on the algae growing on the dock, and it seems as if there are always herons, egrets, seagulls and pelicans to watch along with a beautiful sunset.
Between meals there are certain things that have to be done every day. Sweepers around the mess decks is one, but then also taking the trash out to the dumpster... there are four street-size trash cans in the galley, then the one outside the scullery too. It seems as if I empty them at least three or four times a day. :) Then there's the bread to be wrapped in two-slice packets (so people can easily make sandwiches for themselves), and then the cookies or brownies or cake to be plated up as well. The days usually pass by pretty quickly... it seems like I am always busy.
On Labor Day weekend I got myself a fishing pole and a cheap bicycle from Walmart in order to help me use the time I do get off constructively. I have caught a few little fish (catch and release) and I've made a couple trips across the river on my bike (using the ferry, of course). There is also Cable TV in the lounge below the mess decks, so sometimes I catch a football game with the guys. Otherwise, I have a few movies to watch on my laptop, and a few books to read too.
It is a little difficult not having my car, because the ship's shuttles only go to the base at Mayport and then one place for shopping, so the choices are a little limited. I've enjoyed rental cars on the weekends though, as well as a few nights at hotels to get away for a while. :)
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