Navy Dads2024-03-28T20:36:14ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzwshttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1927225899?profile=original&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://navydads.com/group/nukes/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=2gyj0900msjwg&feed=yes&xn_auth=noNavy Nukes getting picked up for College/ROTC in the pipelinetag:navydads.com,2021-06-19:2150375:Topic:6143802021-06-19T15:59:16.361ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>Good weekend! Our son is going through RTC now and will be headed to the Nuke pipeline afterward. We have been told by several people that he could be chosen to go to college during the pipeline and be in an ROTC program rather than being sent to his first deployment after Prototype school. Has anyone experienced this process? It seems that it is a pretty rare occurance.</p>
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<p>Thanks, Eric P</p>
<p>Good weekend! Our son is going through RTC now and will be headed to the Nuke pipeline afterward. We have been told by several people that he could be chosen to go to college during the pipeline and be in an ROTC program rather than being sent to his first deployment after Prototype school. Has anyone experienced this process? It seems that it is a pretty rare occurance.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Thanks, Eric P</p> Nukes: How They Got Theretag:navydads.com,2018-03-29:2150375:Topic:5062592018-03-29T02:12:23.234ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>There have been two recent publications of biographies of an important figure in the history of nuclear physics. I offer them as suggested reading material for both nukes, and parents of nukes. They're excellent if you've got some background in the field; they're colorful and informative (if somewhat mysterious) if you don't have a science or engineering background. Both books do a great job of painting a…</p>
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<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>There have been two recent publications of biographies of an important figure in the history of nuclear physics. I offer them as suggested reading material for both nukes, and parents of nukes. They're excellent if you've got some background in the field; they're colorful and informative (if somewhat mysterious) if you don't have a science or engineering background. Both books do a great job of painting a picture of the people involved, and the historical environment in which the science emerged.</p>
<p>"The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi" by David N Schwartz (2017)</p>
<p>"The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age" by Gino Segre and Bettina Hoerlin (2016)</p>
<p></p>
<p>Of course, anything by Richard Feynman, too. But that's older material.</p>
<p>I welcome suggestions of other books.</p>
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</div> Cliff's Notes on Prototype Trainingtag:navydads.com,2017-11-21:2150375:Topic:5021752017-11-21T16:29:05.269ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<div id="post_message_60230">The final phase of the Nuke Pipeline is Prototype. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. This is where all of the stuff you crammed in your brain at NPS is going to start to make sense because you get to see it in action. <br></br>Prototype consists of two phases. The first phase is referred to as "Out-Hull." This phase is much like Power School. You will have classroom lectures on the various systems specific to the plant that you are on. These lectures…</div>
<div id="post_message_60230">The final phase of the Nuke Pipeline is Prototype. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. This is where all of the stuff you crammed in your brain at NPS is going to start to make sense because you get to see it in action. <br/>Prototype consists of two phases. The first phase is referred to as "Out-Hull." This phase is much like Power School. You will have classroom lectures on the various systems specific to the plant that you are on. These lectures will go into excruciating detail as you will be required to know some very specific information about each system when you start getting your system "checkouts." A checkout is basically an oral exam on a system or other topic. You will be quizzed by an instructor on the various aspects of the system and if they feel your knowledge level is sufficient, they will sign you off. Checkouts will pretty much be your job when you are in Prototype. The out-hull phase lasts approximately 6 weeks, at which time you will move to the "In-Hull" phase of training. This is sometime also referred to as going "On-Crew."<br/>During the In-Hull phase, you will be assigned to one of five crews that keep the Prototype going 24/7. You will be working on a rotating shift schedule. The schedule is 7 days of swing shift (3PM-11PM), a couple days off, 7 days of mid-shift (11PM-7AM), a couple days off, 7 days of day shift (7AM-3PM), a normal weekend, then a regular M-F work week followed by a 4 day weekend. Then the cycle starts all over again. Also, students are required to come in 4 hours prior to their shift (swings/mids) or stay 4 hours after their shift (days) until they are qualified. Once qualified, they go on the regular 8 hour shift. That is a HUGE incentive to get qualified quickly.<br/>The real meat of the In-Hull phase is watch standing. You will be required to stand several training watches on each watch station you will be qualifying as well as some evaluated watches. This is what Prototype is all about, teaching you how to get qualified and stand a good watch. Each training day is broken up into two halves. Each half, they will do something different with the plant. Startup, shut down, down and up in the same half, normal steaming operation, or casualty drills are some of the things that will happen. Just about everything you do while you are on watch will have a sign off for it.<br/>Just like Power School, there will be exams, some written, some oral. When you are 50% complete, you will complete a 50 percent "check board." This allows the staff to assess you knowledge level to date and remediate any weak areas. You will also have a written Comprehensive exam just like at NPS. The Coup de Gras for Prototype exams, though, is the Final Oral Board. This is what certifies you as a Nuclear Operator. You will be examined in all aspects of your training by 2 instructors and a civilian engineer. Once you pass this board, you are qualified and allowed to stand watch in the plant by yourself. And you probably will at some point before you graduate if you qualify early enough.<br/>On qualifying, it is pretty much up to you how fast you qualify. Other than scheduling your training watches, the rest is up to you. All you have to do is get all of the signatures in your qualification standard signed. Most people who have trouble getting checkouts and/or making progress are either 1) socially inept or 2) studying too much for checkouts. You can't be afraid to talk to people. An instructor is not going to ask you if you want a checkout. You have to seek them out. Also, you can go to instructors on other crews too. Your crew won't be there during the extra 4 hours you have to be there so it's wise to get familiar with the other crews. On studying too much, while you have to know a lot, it's OK to not know everything. On the boat we used to say "Don't let knowledge get in the way of qualification." What that means is study the major things about whatever you're trying to get a checkout on and then go try to get it. If the instructor asks you something you don't know, just say that you don't know and you'll look it up. They will move on and ask you more questions. At the end, go look up the stuff you didn't know and take your answers back to the instructor and they will sign you off. Even if you have to look some stuff up, you will spend less time getting your signature than you would if you studied every little detail before you went and tried it. Remember, the sooner you qualify, the easier your life gets.</div>
<p></p> when will my son need to volenteer for subs.tag:navydads.com,2017-09-20:2150375:Topic:5001022017-09-20T15:28:22.199ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>My son is currently half way thru ET A school and is seriously considering subs. When will he need to volunteer? If he dose get excepted dose he get to choose which class of sub he works on? Is prototype different for class of subs and carriers?</p>
<p>My son is currently half way thru ET A school and is seriously considering subs. When will he need to volunteer? If he dose get excepted dose he get to choose which class of sub he works on? Is prototype different for class of subs and carriers?</p> The "other" Nuke Ratingtag:navydads.com,2017-07-12:2150375:Topic:4973602017-07-12T01:41:53.659ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>There is a good bit of information on this forum about the 3 Nuke ratings and what they do, but there is actually a 4th. The job title is Engineering Laboratory Technician (ELT). It is a branch off of the MM rating. <br></br><br></br>One of the main functions of ELT's is chemistry control in the reactor and steam plants. Anywhere there is water in the propulsion plant (reactor, steam generators, auxiliary support systems, makeup water systems), the ELT's will take samples of said water at the…</p>
<p>There is a good bit of information on this forum about the 3 Nuke ratings and what they do, but there is actually a 4th. The job title is Engineering Laboratory Technician (ELT). It is a branch off of the MM rating. <br/><br/>One of the main functions of ELT's is chemistry control in the reactor and steam plants. Anywhere there is water in the propulsion plant (reactor, steam generators, auxiliary support systems, makeup water systems), the ELT's will take samples of said water at the required frequencies and analyze it for various chemical parameters (and radioactivity if it is a reactor coolant sample) and adjust them as necessary to maintain them within the required specifications. You're basically a glorified pool boy/girl.<br/><br/>The other main function of ELT's is radiological controls (RADCON) on board the ship/sub. This part of the job involves performing routine radiation and contamination surveys throughout the propulsion plant and certain parts of the ship, covering work on any system where radioactive liquid is (or may be) present to prevent the spread of contamination outside of the designated areas, and responding to any casualties that may occur.<br/><br/>On submarines there are usually only 4 or 5 ELT's, including the Leading ELT. Carriers have a few more and, from what I understand, are sort of "unionized" where some ELT"s only do chemistry and some only do RADCON. Sub ELT's do everything.<br/><br/>To become an ELT, they say you have to volunteer, but I never did. I was "volun-told" to go to ELT school. There is an application process that will happen toward the end of Prototype. A good GPA throughout the pipeline is a good start to being accepted, but the real trick is to get to know the ELT's on your crew at Prototype as they have a good bit of influence on who gets picked up.<br/><br/>Since ELT's are MM's, they will qualify and stand all of the mechanical watches. On subs, most of the ELT's get stuck standing watch on the watch station where the steam generator analysis cabinet is and never really stand the other watches on a regular basis. I encourage anyone who becomes an ELT to buck that trend. I refused to let it happen to me because I liked being a mechanic too much and you still have to have the mechanic knowledge to be competitive on advancement exams.<br/><br/>Being an ELT is not necessarily better than being a regular Nuke MM, but it does give you another skill set that may make you more marketable to a potential employer. I got hired as a Chemistry Technician at a commercial nuke plant when I retired. I currently work as a Radiation Protection Supervisor for a company that is decommissioning a Cold War era Uranium processing facility. I have never really quit being an ELT since I left the Navy.<br/><br/>If you like chemistry or RADCON sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to give it a shot.</p> Sailor having trouble with grades.tag:navydads.com,2017-06-14:2150375:Topic:4955902017-06-14T00:13:56.722ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>My sailor is in phase 2 of nuke school (Prototype is next). He has done well with his grades up until recently. Usually a 3.2 average. The last few weeks he has been struggling with the tests and has been around 2.51-2.8 grades. He doesn't spend time playing and is totally dedicated to succeed. He volunteers many hours to studying above his required hours. But he just cant get the answers "Exactly" the way the tests are graded using some kind of "Key". From what he's telling me answers need…</p>
<p>My sailor is in phase 2 of nuke school (Prototype is next). He has done well with his grades up until recently. Usually a 3.2 average. The last few weeks he has been struggling with the tests and has been around 2.51-2.8 grades. He doesn't spend time playing and is totally dedicated to succeed. He volunteers many hours to studying above his required hours. But he just cant get the answers "Exactly" the way the tests are graded using some kind of "Key". From what he's telling me answers need to be per <span class="st">verbatim</span> from whats on this grading key. He knows the material but misses a word or two and it's graded as wrong. So he's really beating himself up on this as he feels he cant memorize it all. He's a older mature sailor and has graduated college for mechanical engineering before enlisting. His test today was a 2.51 and he is mad as hell with himself. Doesn't want to talk about it or discuss it. Said he needs to figure out how to study this material cause everything he's tried has failed. I've mentioned study groups and talking to a instructor for advice about his issue. I believe he has <span class="st">psyched</span> himself out it's hurting him.</p>
<p>So any advice from you all would be appreciated. Can anyone tell me how they grade tests and what they expect as answers. Any tips to help his studying technique?</p>
<p>Thanks to all who reply.</p>
<p></p> Helpful Hints on Preparation for Nuke School and Making it Through to Graduationtag:navydads.com,2017-06-08:2150375:Topic:4955572017-06-08T05:06:54.732ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>I originally posted this in an older thread related to preparation for NPS. I have done some minor editing and added a couple additional observations.</p>
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<li>On preparation for Nuke School, taking advanced math/chemistry/physics classes is great, however, the curriculum is taught assuming the student is starting from square one. All you really need is a good baseline. In my experience the more education a student had, the more they struggled because of the way the courses are…</li>
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<p>I originally posted this in an older thread related to preparation for NPS. I have done some minor editing and added a couple additional observations.</p>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>On preparation for Nuke School, taking advanced math/chemistry/physics classes is great, however, the curriculum is taught assuming the student is starting from square one. All you really need is a good baseline. In my experience the more education a student had, the more they struggled because of the way the courses are taught. Not only do we assume the students are starting with no knowledge of a subject, the courses are taught from a different perspective. Those students are being trained to be operators and the curriculum is approached from that perspective. Especially with chemistry. I always told my students to take everything they learned about chemistry in high school/college and completely disregard it. Approach the courses as if you are learning the material for the first time, even if you have a PhD in chemistry. Again, all of the courses, especially the second half courses in Power School, are approached from an operational perspective instead of a theoretical one. We teach just enough theory to make them dangerous. The instructors will strive (at least I did) to apply every lesson to an operational situation that they will likely encounter.</li>
<li>A lot of students tended to struggle with the math problems in the course that I taught. The math is actually the easy part of the whole problem. Some of the more complex math problems in the Radiological Fundamentals course really boil down to just simple unit conversions. Where students run into trouble is basic problem solving. Just being able to analyze the data that they are given and figure out how to get from point A to point B. The key here is that the student has to understand the concepts that are being taught to be able to do the math. The math will come naturally if the concepts are understood.</li>
<li>An underlying objective of the entire training pipeline is to teach the students the importance of procedural compliance. The classes are going to be taught a certain way and the students will be expected to solve problems in certain ways (even though there may be more than one "correct" way") and/or answer questions in a specific format. This is intentional and often a source of frustration among students. The Naval Nuclear Power Program is a very procedure driven organization. Procedural compliance is a way of life in this program. If the student goes into the training with this in mind, this should help to ease the frustration.</li>
<li>This is probably THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING you can do to be successful at Nuke School, and throughout the entire pipeline for that matter. <strong>USE THE INSTRUCTORS!!!!</strong> The typical daily class schedule at Power School has 6 hours of instruction (2 hours per subject) and 2 hours of study time. During these "study halls" students are encouraged (some are required) to visit the instructor offices to ask questions or get "run time." Run time is basically quiz session with the instructor where he/she will quiz the student on the various concepts that are being taught and fill in any gaps in knowledge/understanding that are uncovered. I can not stress this enough. I saw too many students fall into the trap of just sitting at their desk staring at their notes essentially trying to memorize the material when they could be interacting one on one or in small groups with an instructor and actually gaining conceptual understanding of the material. Their exam scores reflected it. There is a ton of information presented in NPS is a relatively short amount of time. It's kind of like drinking from a fire hose. If you are trying to get by just memorizing the material, you will, more than likely, not be successful. There is also an instructor (or two) from each subject assigned to be available every night before an academic day from 6 to 9 PM (1800-2100 for you military types). IT IS THE INSTRUCTORS' JOB to help the students succeed. That doesn't mean they will hold their hand and feed them answers, but if a student seeks help, every instructor I taught with would bend over backwards to help a student succeed and I'm certain that is still the case. Make them earn their pay. If, for some reason you don't like your assigned instructor for the course, talk to a different one. All of the instructors in the office are there to help you succeed. Also, some instructors are better at teaching certain concepts than others. Most will freely admit that and send students to an instructor that can best help them with their particular question/problem.</li>
<li>For some of the courses, the students will be required to learn and reproduce definitions of certain terms encountered in the curriculum. This may seem trivial, but I put it to my students like this. Particularly for the Radiological Fundamentals course, they are going to be exposed to a ton of terms that they have never seen before. We are essentially teaching them a new language. What is one of the first things you do when you learn a new language? Learn the vocabulary. It's no different here. Learning and understanding these key terms will pay huge dividends in learning the overlaying concepts.</li>
<li>This is another very important point. Every course in Nuke School is cumulative. The concept you learn tomorrow will be built on the one you learn today. Review is key. REVIEW EVERY DAY. You don't have to review the entire course to date, but pick at one topic from a previous lesson to review each day. Pay particular attention to concepts that you struggled with. Most courses are divided into several grading periods with an exam at the end of each one. The exams, just like the material, are cumulative. Any material that was covered during a previous grading period can be tested on the current GP exam. Again, review is key to keeping concepts from previous GPs fresh. You can't just take an exam and then brain dump the material to get ready for the next exam.</li>
<li>Another thing on exams, don't blow off your other courses because you have an exam in one. Study every course every day. Concentrate on the one with the exam coming up, but don't ignore the other subjects. DON'T CRAM FOR EXAMS!! </li>
<li>I could go on and on, but I will leave with one final thought unless specific questions come up in replies. Just like anything else in life, you will get out of this what you put in. If you're making an honest effort, your instructors will notice and will go out of their way to help you. On the flip side of that, if you are just going through the motions they will notice that too. Attitude plays a big role in success at Nuke School. Some of my most memorable students were the ones who were constantly one exam failure away from being academically dropped from the program, but they never gave up and they did what they had to do to get through.</li>
</ul> Career Advice For First Term Nukestag:navydads.com,2017-05-17:2150375:Topic:4940262017-05-17T05:58:19.719ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>I originally posted this in a discussion on STAR re-enlistment. It was one of the best pieces of career advice that I received as a young Sailor in the Nuke Program. Here is the original post. (with some minor editing)</p>
<p>[When I was a baby Nuke considering re-enlisting for the first time (I was fresh out of Prototype and brand new on my first boat), I mentioned it to a crusty old First Class in my division (MM1(SS) Jerry Rogers was his name.) and he looked me right in the eye and said…</p>
<p>I originally posted this in a discussion on STAR re-enlistment. It was one of the best pieces of career advice that I received as a young Sailor in the Nuke Program. Here is the original post. (with some minor editing)</p>
<p>[When I was a baby Nuke considering re-enlisting for the first time (I was fresh out of Prototype and brand new on my first boat), I mentioned it to a crusty old First Class in my division (MM1(SS) Jerry Rogers was his name.) and he looked me right in the eye and said "<strong>Son, get some time on the pond!</strong>" That right there was some of the best career advice I received in my 20 years and 23 days as a Nuke. I was just like almost every other baby Nuke out there. I saw the dollar signs sparkling in my eyes and hadn't yet REALLY experienced what it was like to be a Nuke. So, I waited and re-enlisted right before I hit 4 years. By that time I had a deployment under my belt, had gotten my Dolphins, been through an ORSE, and was pretty sure I could handle being a Nuke for a few more years. When I rose through the ranks and became a Leading Petty Officer and then a Chief, I preached that advice to my young Sailors like the Gospel. Trust me, the money will ALWAYS be there. As long as there are Navy ships and submarines powered by reactors, there will be insanely large re-enlistment bonuses for the people that operate them. Get some time on the pond and make sure you can handle being away from any semblance of a normal life for 3-6 months at a time, especially if you're married and/or have children. Make sure you can handle the 3 section in-port duty rotation where you never really get a weekend. Make sure you can handle being the first one on the boat the day of an underway (usually the day before) and the last one off when you pull in to port. Being a Sailor is hard. Being a nuclear trained Sailor is harder. People will say there is no double standard, but I'm here to tell you they're wrong. Nukes are held to incredibly high standards compared to the rest of the divisions/departments of a ship/submarine and there is a ton of stress that accompanies that. You need to make sure you can handle that. All of that being said, I would do it again in a heartbeat.]</p>
<p>One other sound piece of advice I got as a young Sailor came from the COB on my second boat (ETCS(SS) Brett Prince). It is one that I took to heart and, to this day, live by this credo. "Be fluid. Flexible is entirely too rigid."</p> Academic Boards at NPStag:navydads.com,2017-05-02:2150375:Topic:4935812017-05-02T07:57:55.232ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>Students that are struggling academically through the Nuke Pipeline, at some point, may go in front of an academic board. For NPS this will typically happen during week 12 following the completion of all first half courses and again in week 24 after the comprehensive exam has been taken, although an academic board may be convened at any time. There are several criteria that are used to determine if a student will be given an academic board, but the common ones are 2 first half course…</p>
<p>Students that are struggling academically through the Nuke Pipeline, at some point, may go in front of an academic board. For NPS this will typically happen during week 12 following the completion of all first half courses and again in week 24 after the comprehensive exam has been taken, although an academic board may be convened at any time. There are several criteria that are used to determine if a student will be given an academic board, but the common ones are 2 first half course failures (for week 12 boards) or failure of the comprehensive exam (for week 24 boards).</p>
<p>An academic board, although typically seen in a negative light, is actually a positive thing. It gives the student an avenue other than a written exam to display their knowledge. An academic board consists of a chairman and an instructor from each subject. The student will be asked questions from each subject and will be graded on their answers. In this setting the student has a chance to display his or her thought process to the evaluators, unlike a written exam. This is why I say an academic board is a positive thing. Not only are the students getting evaluated on correctly answering the questions, but the board is also assessing their potential to complete training. If they can demonstrate a solid thought process and arrive at a mostly correct answer, the board will, most likely, pass a favorable recommendation to retain them in the program. I would argue that the thought process is more important than getting a correct answer. Some students will completely bomb a written exam, but given the chance to talk through a problem, will pass with flying colors.</p>
<p>Just like every other exam in NPS, the minimum passing score is 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. When I sat on an AC Board, my philosophy was "Able to recognize correct answer when prompted = 2.5 knowledge." Most of the other instructors shared that philosophy as well. Most of the time, it only took a pointed question to spark a thought and the student would fill up the board with information.</p>
<p>If your sailor is struggling and tells you they have to go to an AC Board, tell them that it's not a bad thing. Even if they go to a week 12 and a week 24 AC Board, they will be better for it. By the time they get to their oral boards at Prototype, they'll be pros at standing in front of instructors and answering questions.</p> What will new arrival nukes need?tag:navydads.com,2017-04-27:2150375:Topic:4934322017-04-27T17:40:04.879ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p>Wife had mentioned while on Navy moms that newly arriving nukes will need a long list of living supplies. Examples given were sheets, can openers and lap tops. Is it best to wait and hear from him when he finds out what he needs or is their a list provided by the Navy that we can purchase and ship some of these items so he has them ASAP? We shipped him out to basic with the clothes on his back per the recruiter but have no info of what he will need for A school. If anything would he be able…</p>
<p>Wife had mentioned while on Navy moms that newly arriving nukes will need a long list of living supplies. Examples given were sheets, can openers and lap tops. Is it best to wait and hear from him when he finds out what he needs or is their a list provided by the Navy that we can purchase and ship some of these items so he has them ASAP? We shipped him out to basic with the clothes on his back per the recruiter but have no info of what he will need for A school. If anything would he be able to get gift cards to purchase his goods? Have a lot of family wanting to send him gifts. he spent his 21st B-day in basic </p>