Well they DO hurt.
When you ACTUALLY have them anyway 😂
1
KP_Wrath3 days ago
+20
Yeah, the reactors may be fine with it, but apparently the laundry room had a fire that wiped out six hundred bunks.
20
Sayhei2mylittlefrnd3 days ago
+9
That was after the sewage system broke down. Overflowing toilets 💩
9
Evocatorum3 days ago
+2
That's ALWAYS an issue; pick a large flat top, CV or Gator, and they'll show you shitters flowing in to the heads and water sloshing on the decks.
2
drewbaccaAWD3 days ago
+15
Especially for its FIRST deployment... lots of bugs that need worked out.
Deployments suck, but being on the Ford right now is a special kind of hell.
15
marqjone7063 days ago
+11
But think of all the beer days and steak and lobster days….who doesn’t enjoy Steel Beach Picnics?
11
drewbaccaAWD3 days ago
+7
I will say this, that was the best Guinness I ever had. Too bad it was only one.
7
A_non_y_must3 days ago
+10
295 days at sea!! 70 days short of a year! Damn!
Hope the crew are getting a couple of beers at a steel beach party every now and then.
10
BabyMFBear4 days ago
+610
Spent nearly half my career on carriers. I would not be celebrating that record. I would definitely have a sense of pride about, but I would not be celebrating. Isn’t the ship in port because of plumbing and fire? Yes, still deployed, but sitting pier side on deployment would not be terrible.
610
[deleted]4 days ago
+321
[deleted]
321
BabyMFBear4 days ago
+103
Reactor is generally much happier underway for sure.
103
[deleted]4 days ago
+145
[deleted]
145
Imaginary_Hamster8474 days ago
+45
The crazy thing about stuff like that, is I've never heard of any topside divisions doing that shit. I'm sure it happened, but I never heard of it. Every single nuke I know has multiple stories about leadership that was just flat out insane.
I did six and out, but I really think that most nukes who do 20 are just the *worst*. Not all of them. I knew some good ones. But, the majority seemed to stay in because they liked the power they had. Or they were lazy and you can generally just do nothing after your first sea tour.
Edit - I'm saying this about nukes specifically because it's so easy for us to get work out of the Navy. I had a job making $110k/yr before I even separated, and that was ten years ago.
45
[deleted]4 days ago
+49
[deleted]
49
chainsawgeoff3 days ago
+16
That’s actually insane. How long did it last? It’s gotta affect his job performance if the people under him are falling asleep on watch.
16
[deleted]3 days ago
+13
[deleted]
13
chainsawgeoff3 days ago
+7
It’s wild how power structures in the military can be abused like that. As a civilian I can’t image anybody telling me when I can and can’t sleep. That’s absolutely laughable and yet those dudes had to figure out how to sleep in storage rooms.
Anybody try going over his head to point out how f****** stupid it was or does the potential for retaliation make it not worth it?
7
drewbaccaAWD3 days ago
+4
"I'll be in the RM-02 space, port side near the aft galley line... someone wake me up if there's a man overboard because there's no 1MC in there."
4
[deleted]3 days ago
+3
[deleted]
3
Imaginary_Hamster8473 days ago
+3
That's nuts. I was on the ORSE drill team as a nub (due to an annoying confluence of events), and we were only drilling at night. Since I was a nub, I couldn't be in birthing, but since I was on drill team, I was working all night. For that ORSE cycle I was working 22-23 hour days six days a week.
You slowly go insane
3
Imaginary_Hamster8473 days ago
+2
That's shocking from an RO. In my experience, Reactor Officers mostly just neglect to take action when people under them do terrible stuff.
2
Kolby_Jack333 days ago
+9
I did good on my ASVAB and was told I could go nuke by my recruiter, but the way he kept mentioning the ridiculous bonuses attached to it kinda skeeved me out, so I went with a different rate. Finding out later that nuke is one of the most grueling posts on a ship was gratifying. Good job, past me!
There were I think a dozen or so prospective nukes in my boot camp division including our division yeoman. He's the only one I still hear from on Facebook, but it doesn't sound like he stuck with nuke after boot camp. At least as far as I can tell.
9
fatal3rr0r843 days ago
+2
It is what it is. Idk about grueling. I was in controls division which definitely has the lowest workload between ETs MMs and EMs. Qualifying was a lot of work but afterwards I had it relatively easy.
2
BabyMFBear3 days ago
+2
I had a friend who turned down SCPO in like 9 years and got out because of how bad R Dept was.
2
WISavant4 days ago
+57
We had an M-div chief like that once. Really into throwing his weight around and abusing the lower guys. Then one of the nuke MMs threatened to beat him to death with a 3' wrench. Went to mast for it but the chief stopped his asshattery.
57
schpreck4 days ago
+16
Were you on the George Washington, too??😂
16
Wermp3 days ago
+8
Out of that ship for over ten years at this point and it sounds like it still sucks. My personal memory is the CO Captain Laussman holding an all call with the Reactor department to tell us how much he didn't like us and how he wished he could get the ship underway without us.
8
BigPickleKAM3 days ago
+3
Good Captains understand the ship belongs to the Chief Engineer/engine gang we just let them play with it.
Bad Captains only ever see us as between them and their need to be the center of the world at all times.
3
1022whore4 days ago
+27
Buy that guy a beer (once he’s done with his 45/45)
27
ClayeySilt3 days ago
+11
What is s "going to mast" and "45/45" referenced in the other comment?
Not military so I have to ask those who are.
11
WISavant3 days ago
+9
Captain's Mast is what happens is incidents need to be resolved without going all the way up to the level of a court martial. It's how they take care of things you need to be officially punished for but aren't necessarily illegal.
45/45 refers to punishment. 45 days of restriction (usually on base) and 45 days of extra duty. It's basically an entry point for punishment.
9
JohnnyTheWeed3 days ago
+4
"Captains Mast". A legal hearing. Basically he got in trouble. So-called because it used to be held near the mast of the ship.
4
ClayeySilt3 days ago
+2
Thanks man. I'm just a dude with a regular non-military job so sometimes I gotta ask the experts lol
Same to you u/WISavant
Hope you both take care!
2
Tacomouse4 days ago
+5
Unless your a dinq nub
5
Chuckwood24 days ago
+3
Depends on how many qualified watch standers there are
3
controlroomoperator3 days ago
+3
How f****** dare you assume we have the ability to be happy under any conditions.
3
pyroboy1014 days ago
+1
That’s a hard no.
1
drewbaccaAWD3 days ago
+1
Yep.. I can honestly say I'd rather be on deployment than ever in DPIA again as a nuke. F*** that shit.
1
Imaginary_Hamster8474 days ago
+16
We lost our up reactor pier side on one of my deployments. God was that a shit show. We were doing sobriety checks on people as they came into the plant.
16
Klarser4 days ago
+11
What's the term for crew who aren't topsiders? Beneathers? Underdarkers? Trogs?
11
Icedanielization4 days ago
+10
Lower Decks?
10
SXOSXO4 days ago
+15
Morlocks
15
IamMrBucknasty4 days ago
+2
Dwarves?
2
Imaginary_Hamster8474 days ago
+6
I think nukes think of anyone who isn't a nuke as a topsider, though that's not technically accurate.
6
tdotgoat4 days ago
+2
CHUDs?
2
BigPickleKAM3 days ago
+2
It used to be black gang because of all the coal dust in the coal fired boiler days.
Stokers, Oilers, Fitters, Motor Gang now for the general catchall for the engine room crew.
2
PerilousFun4 days ago
+1
They Who Dwell Below.
1
csgfc14 days ago
+1
Engineers are Snipes
1
fleebleganger4 days ago
+1
Historically: Irish
1
Dienekes2893 days ago
+3
(Sub guy here) every time we were in port, I'd be lucky to have 3 section duty for longer than a couple of days. We were ALWAYS port and starboard in port, on top of coners waltzing off the boat while we were shutting down the reactor, prepping arrival inspections, etc... Gods I don't miss being in lol
3
SXOSXO4 days ago
+5
Can you unpack that a bit for us civvies?
5
Mysterious-Tie70394 days ago
+67
Yeah, I spent 4 years on a carrier and did 2 deployments.
People who haven’t done it have no clue how much being deployed for a year would suck ass.
67
Caucajun3614 days ago
+19
Was with VAQ-139 in the Regan when Fukushima hit. Not only did we go through a radioactive plume heading there for the relief efforts but a lot of the ports we usually go to wouldn’t take us. The longest deployment which resulted in 2 beer days while underway, good thing I got out after that
19
Mysterious-Tie70394 days ago
+10
2 beer days is rough.
We had one when I was in the Gulf since we kept having port calls canceled due to the insurgency in 2008.
10
veloxiry3 days ago
+10
Hey I was on the Reagan at that time too! I worked in reactor department though so I got double fucked
10
Wermp3 days ago
+3
It still was a likely improvement over what GW was dealing with during all that mess. Because of the circumstances, we were doing things with the Reactor and propulsion plants that had no basis in procedure. Considering how big those manuals are, it was kind of fascinating to be a part of something like that.
3
CheezyBeanBurrito4 days ago
+26
My time was army. I’d go crazy being stuck on a boat for 12 months. My feet like land
26
bageltheperson3 days ago
+3
I did three months on a slightly smaller ship as a soldier. I don’t think I’ve ever made suicide jokes at a higher rate in my life. F*** being on a ship that long.
3
TheEverydayDad4 days ago
+32
I broke a couple records for SSBN deployments while I was in. Both "the longest deployment" and then "longest submarine patrol without going to any ports."
It was the worst experience. We were running out of food, entertainment, and moral. The press met us during the refit period afterwards and people kept saying how impressive it was.
It was horrible. Never doing that again.
32
BigPickleKAM3 days ago
+9
My record as a merchant sailor is 185 days on a single ship. Where I went 121 days between touching land.
I went more than a little insane but at least I got to see the sun every so often when I can up from below decks.
But you submariners I have no idea how you do it!
9
TheEverydayDad3 days ago
+10
Yeah, you can look up record breaking SSBN patrol. This was my introduction to being deployed on a submarine.
During this patrol I wasn't allowed to use my phone (it was locked away with all other cell phones), I didnt bring a laptop, and I had my Zune touch for music. I luckily brought my kindle with me.
Between qualifying my Dolphins and watch standing I read as many books as possible.
Since I was a Nub, I wasn't allowed to use crews lounge to burn flicks with my shipmates.
Got back from patrol 15lbs lighter than when I left, and I was already a pretty scrawny-skinny kid.
Coffee, lack of sleep, mission events, damage control training, quality training, and the worst possible groundhog's day you can imagine. Extension after extension the moral of the crew drained to the point of near insanity lmao. Loved the people I sailed with, hated everything else.
10
Yardsale4204 days ago
+26
The fire burned all the bunks and all the sailors personal stuff. They are sleeping on tables in the mess and I doubt moral is very high right now.
26
cantgetthistowork3 days ago
+2
The fire was definitely arson
2
seconddayboxers4 days ago
+7
I went 3.5 months without seeing land... In the Marine Corps. F*** that record!
7
Tundraspin3 days ago
+3
Is world war z comment true that everything tastes like jet fuel it gets into everything ?
3
BabyMFBear3 days ago
+5
The water in the showers and out of the scuttlebutts do sometimes smell and taste like JP-5, yes.
5
bitchcoin50001 day ago
+1
officially Iranian missiles did not hit the USS *Gerald R. Ford* or US aircraft, despite claims and high tensions. While reports in March 2026 suggested a severe onboard fire forced the *Ford* out of the Middle East, Pentagon officials and reports denied it was combat-related, clarifying that no missiles hit US assets
But you have to ask yourself if you believe anything this administration tells you
1
homer_lives4 days ago
Isn't this a brand new ship with "teething" issues still. Sounds horrible.
0
Doot24 days ago
-34
Laundry fire??! Shit. That beast was hit by a drone or a missile and DoD just won't admit to it.
-34
Artistic_Concern_334 days ago
+37
Your aware the ship docked in Crete and Croatia and there was literally no visible damage on the ship with all the videos posted and reporters there, except you believe Iran found away to fly a drone inside the carrier or that the 5000 sailors on board won’t leak that they were hit, the problem with spending too much time on Listnook is that you start getting high on your own supply of propaganda.
37
Doot24 days ago
-16
Yet it burned for nearly 30 hours and it's going to be out of action for 14 months.
-16
WISavant4 days ago
+9
Aircraft carrier big. Many people. Many clothes and lint. Can make big fire.
9
IndependenceShort7684 days ago
+5
Read up on the USS Bonhomme Richard and USS Miami. Fires onboard happen for x reasons.
5
ImjustANewSneaker3 days ago
+1
…. It’s in action again, it left port more than a week ago
1
Accurate_Type48634 days ago
+6
Would take way more than 2 weeks to repair missile damage. Not to mention leaks from crew and photos.
6
BabyMFBear4 days ago
+1
I didn’t say what kind of fire.
1
Ecstatic_Wasabi_51664 days ago
+163
Longest deployment since Vietnam, that's a hell of a strain on those sailors and their families.
163
ahorrribledrummer4 days ago
+31
Not being familiar with military staffing, couldn't they just rotate sailors in when it's docked in Rota or Croatia?
Expensive proposition obviously, but so is a lack of morale.
31
Available-Goat-69384 days ago
+49
You can't rotate ships company as 90% of the enlisted rated sailors are subject matter experts on a specific piece of shipboard equipment and have qualified on the equipment. The reactor department which has around 600-800 sailors is a completely different reactor than the Nimitz class, the replacements would have to be fully qualified.
The air wing is a different story, the Navy could rotate the air wing out but it would be a lot of work as all of the spare parts and supply for the airplanes would need to be swapped out.
49
grackychan4 days ago
+3
Do naval aviators also have to stay on the entire deployment? Or are pilots swapped in and out routinely?
3
Available-Goat-69383 days ago
+3
No, they stay for the entire deployment or unless the air wing swaps out.
3
Burnsy20233 days ago
+3
What would the air wing be doing whilst in port?
3
Available-Goat-69383 days ago
+2
Party! except for the duty section.
On duty day you have to stay on the ship and are expected to work 8-10 hours plus stand a watch. The watch may be security or roving depending on what the sailor is qualified on.
2
fuckedaroundandgota4 days ago
+5
If the ship had been able to sail home, is there a 2nd crew that would have swapped out with current crew? Or is that not how it works?
5
Available-Goat-69384 days ago
+23
No, because the crew wouldn't be qualified on this ships equipment, even though a ship is the same class there are still equipment differences between each ship. Also the Navy doesn't have an extra 2500 sailors sitting around, it's short about 10k sailors currently.
23
fuckedaroundandgota4 days ago
+7
Thanks. If you dont mind I have another question.
New guys get trained-in when at home port? What percent of the ship turns over after a deployment?
Will this fiasco affect the normal training and turnover process?
7
Available-Goat-69383 days ago
+14
No you start in the Navy at bootcamp, followed by A school which is your initial training, I was a ET and had a 45 week long A school, followed by a C school which can be another year long, some of the FC schools are that long. Then it's off to the boat or your duty station, where you then have to qualify on the equipment and different watches. You train during workups, the ships will go out for a few days at a time working up to where the ship is qualified for deployment.
Personal get turned over all the time even during deployment, the Ford might have lost a 100 people who where changing duty stations or getting out of the Navy.
The biggest effect from the fiasco will be maintenance and getting the boat ready for the next deployment in 18 months. The Navy normally operates on a 18 month schedule for the ships, 6 months of deployment, 6 months of maintenance, and then 6 months of workups.
14
fuckedaroundandgota3 days ago
+4
Interesting, thanks again for the detailed info.
4
iRegretsEverything4 days ago
+2
I’m sure the people that don’t have to maintain that ship while underway don’t mind at all.
2
drewbaccaAWD3 days ago
+2
What people are those? There's a ton of maintenance to do underway.
2
iRegretsEverything3 days ago
+1
I didn’t know maintenance was an all hands on deck thing.
1
ThatgirlwhoplaysAC4 days ago
+27
my brother is on this ship :(
27
Available-Ad-18654 days ago
+35
As someone who was on the Nimitz during the covid deployment my heart goes out to them. Hope these guys get home soon.
35
Formal-Revolution424 days ago
+6
Wonder if they still do two beers after 30 days at sea
6
Available-Ad-18653 days ago
+4
Man I hope so, those 2 beers would hit like a truck after not eating the whole morning.
4
NoonDread3 days ago
+1
My memories is that it had to be 45 days. Is it 30?
1
Formal-Revolution423 days ago
+2
Its been a long time. I'm willing to take 45 lol.
2
WasteBinStuff4 days ago
+109
That's a really "shitty" record to make them break, Petey.
There's not a single sailor aboard that ship who is happy about that record. I'm sure that there are plenty of gung-ho boys and girls aboard who got to the point where they figured, "F*** it. We're close, might as well be proud to break it if we're close anyway."
....but not one of them is happy about it.
109
MarcusSwedishGameDev4 days ago
+27
Did you put shitty in quotes because of this? ['Sewage crisis' hits USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier: report](https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/sewage-crisis-hits-uss-gerald-ford-aircraft-carrier-report-1.500452069)
27
WasteBinStuff4 days ago
+13
Bingo
13
untoldmillions3 days ago
+1
yes he did, and his user name checks out
1
WISavant4 days ago
+22
I did 9.5 months on a fast attack when Iraqi freedom kicked off. It almost broke us. There's a reason deployments aren't scheduled 10 months long
22
WeakCelery50004 days ago
+19
This reminds me of the news articles gloating how highway 401 in Ontario Canada is the busiest highway in North America (was the world's at some point).
This isn't a metric of grit or progress, it's an example of terrible planning and execution.
19
abbzug4 days ago
+50
Just another indication that points to how little planning and forethought was put into this farce. Put it in the bin with not alerting allies, not filling the petroleum reserve and not evacuating embassies.
50
HoneyBadger5524 days ago
+17
thats not a good thing. youre wearing out equipment and people faster this way
17
DeviousDenial4 days ago
+4
And not all that great for the personnel
4
AppearanceDizzy70064 days ago
+37
Jeez those boys and girls must be weary. Hope they get a break soon.
37
Kurt8054 days ago
-55
Meh. That's what happens when you sign up for the blood machine to try to get a leg up in society.
-55
Formal-Revolution424 days ago
+19
When you're 18 and told you can see the world and get paid, you dont think about the machine. You think about getting out of poverty and a chance for something other than factory work.
19
hunguu4 days ago
+12
To save you a click, 295 days of continuous deployment at sea.
12
KnightsOfREM4 days ago
+23
It's true, when you give these sociopath oligarch fuckers some toys, they're gonna wanna play
23
Rizzy_B_3174 days ago
+8
This is a very bad thing, fyi
8
Atrocity_unknown4 days ago
+11
The Ford has been getting negative press since back when it was called "CVN21". I spent most of my career on this ship and it makes me sad to see her still get negative headlines.
11
SuperThomaja4 days ago
+9
I'm going to guess reenlistment for everybody on that boat is going to be really really low. What a waste.
9
Bishopjones21124 days ago
+17
Well this is pure insanity. Not the way to run the “world’s greatest military” putting sailors at sea for a year with multiple extensions and no relief in sight. Shit going to be bad onboard her.
17
WISavant4 days ago
+1
I seem to remember another administration pushing deployment extensions and stop losses and running the military on fumes to fight unnecessary, poorly planned wars.
1
brownsfan7604 days ago
+9
Those poor sailors.
9
MercantileReptile4 days ago
+4
>295 days of continuous deployment at sea.
Even knowing little about Carrier conditions other than short YouTube documentaries (especially the ones about Water/Food were interesting to me), that does not sound fun.
4
heleuma4 days ago
+5
It's not bad, you get used to it. Probably the worst thing is thinking you're going home, then being told you're not. When deployed you also have port calls, which are a lot of fun, so it's not just out to sea the whole time.
5
LowLessSodium4 days ago
+5
Any reason why they can't sub in a different carrier for the job?
5
Unhappy_Plankton_6713 days ago
+1
USS George HW Bush strike group is considered likely to replace them. It deployed at the end of March from Norfolk.
1
ghostfacekhilla3 days ago
+1
This is the biggest and newest one. It can launch many more planes daily than the older 10. The other two of this size are still under construction
1
scrubjays4 days ago
+6
And for having to obey the stupidest president since the Vietnam War too.
6
ThisIsNotWorkingOut4 days ago
+3
The title could easily be shortened to "USS Gerald R Ford breaks"
3
ioncat1444 days ago
+3
Betcha that is doing wonders for moral.
3
sheogor3 days ago
+3
But USA is at war, a war for Orange mans ego
3
electriclux4 days ago
+2
Is it capable of getting back to an american port
2
Seaweedminer4 days ago
+2
That is not good. That carrier needs to head to home port. This lazy management of the Navy by Trump needs to stop
2
houyx12344 days ago
+2
I bet it smells great in the living quarters.
2
Glad_Lychee_1804 days ago
+2
Longer than Ford's presidency.
2
Squirrelherder_24-73 days ago
+2
*WINNING*
2
cagetheMike3 days ago
+2
I wounder how many Trump voters still exist on that ship? I spent 8 months on an LHD one time.
2
Hairy_Photograph13843 days ago
+2
That sounds expensive. Good thing the US has unlimited money and is taking care of all it's residents
2
owen__wilsons__nose3 days ago
+4
I find if kind of funny we refer to male president named carriers as "she"
4
AA-ron423 days ago
+3
I’m sure the sailors aboard are thrilled.
3
wwarnout4 days ago
+2
...and we all know what a spectacular success that war was - **NOT**.
2
SuperVaderMinion4 days ago
+1
The Lemonade Stand Podcast is going to have a field day with this
1
Orwick4 days ago
+1
I feel for those sailors, super long ass deployment on a boat where the toilets don't work.
1
E400wagon4 days ago
+1
Is that … good?
1
trashcannecromancer4 days ago
+1
Bring it home!
1
zapdoszaperson4 days ago
+1
Isn't that the one with the broken toilets?
1
blueeyedkittens4 days ago
+1
Longest deployment since an even longer deployment but it was a long time ago so it doesn't count? What kind of record is that?
1
Mokmo3 days ago
+1
Didn't read article, is that the one with the undersized sewage system and that fire that took out a bunch of crew quarters?
They're headed home, right?
1
untoldmillions3 days ago
+2
no. in Crete port for the repairs
2
OperationWide66553 days ago
+1
Did they get a beer day?
1
747WakeTurbulance3 days ago
+1
These are going to be a lot of divorces when this ship returns to port.
1
Important_Fruit3 days ago
+1
Shitter's full!!
1
Patarokun3 days ago
+1
Sounds expensive. 😞
1
Numerous_Money42763 days ago
+1
Well the commander in chief thinks these guys are a bunch of suckers and losers and is probably acting in russias best interest to weaken our institutions by making it a miserable post but hey gas prices am I right?
1
Evocatorum3 days ago
+1
I wonder how many beer days they've managed to get. We got pretty close on our way to the PG (missed it by 1 day).
1
epi_glowworm3 days ago
+1
Congrats to the sailors and devil dogs on that milestone. And thank you to the family members at home anxiously supporting them. That said, I agree with what others have said here. It's not a statistic to be proud of. We should acknowledge it, work towards understanding the circumstances which resulted in this, and plan to ensure those similar circumstances do not repeat itself in our future. I'd rather have my devil dogs eating crayons back in San Diego.
1
totally_anomalous2 days ago
+1
Where's a Trump "I did that" sticker?
1
Certain_Librarian3734 days ago
+1
Stay tuned boys.
Looks like I will be breaking your own record many more times the way it’s going.
1
reddernetter4 days ago
+1
I mean I understand it’s a really long time but it’s funny how we call things “breaking a record” when it’s really “the longest time since the last time that still beats this one”.
1
skag_boy873 days ago
+1
Cool, just in time for Vietnam 2.0!
Spoiler alert: the sequel has the same ending of the original.
1
fixminer3 days ago
Genuinely curious, why can’t they just fly in a new crew?
0
TheEndIsNigh4203 days ago
+3
This carrier is very different from other carriers. Even a fully trained individual on another carrier would not be satisfactorily knowledgable to replace them for deployment.
3
-GenghisJohn-4 days ago
-5
So, the length of the boat. Use yer grammur kids!
-5
Expert_Bag74164 days ago
-34
It’s war, nobody is going to babysit you. It’s life or death.
-34
drewbaccaAWD3 days ago
+2
War of choice, that we weren't prepared for... and then on top of that, we are stretching resources to the brim, postponing the retirement of the Nimitz so that we can go play war games in the Caribbean too.
Idiotic "leadership" right now.
I say this as someone who spent six years in the Navy during the post 9/11 era.
165 Comments