How do you get into command?

[Leonardo da Quirm]

hello

Can please somebody tell me, what the steps in your career are before you get you first submarine command? I tried to find it in the internet (and this forum, too) but am at a loss. I presume that you don't fell off a tree someday and are promoted to be im command of one of these precious subs.
What kind of academy training you got? What are the ranks you are going through? Any kind of information will help.

Thanks

[CCIP]

Nope, I really do wish there was a career step before command (would certainly be a plus for athmosphere), but when starting a career, you do indeed start with a screen saying "you've been assigned command of USS ____, please report to ____ no later than ____"

The Academy missions are just practice missions to get the hang of game controls, having nothing to do with actual training. I believe latest versions of Real Fleet Boat mod change them to somewhat more realistic training scenarios, but the purpose still has nothing to do with setting you up for career :hmm:

[Leonardo da Quirm]

Ah, sorry. You seem to find the weak spot in my post in one go. I did mean in real life. Not in the game. But I have to admit that this would add some atmosphere.

[mookiemookie]

A good place to start would be looking at the careers of some of the more famous sub skippers from WW2. Here's a couple I lifted from Wikipedia and the internet:

Dick" O'Kane was born in Dover, New Hampshire, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 1934 and spent his first years of active duty on the cruiser Chester (CA-27) and destroyer Pruitt (DD-347). He received submarine instruction in 1938 and was then assigned to Argonaut (SS-166) until 1942. Lieutenant O'Kane then joined the precommissioning crew of the new submarine Wahoo, serving as her Executive Officer on five war patrols first under one timid commander, and eventually under Commanding Officer Dudley "Mush" Morton.

In July 1943, Lieutenant Commander O'Kane was detached from Wahoo and soon became Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) of the Tang, which was then under construction. He placed her in commission in October 1943 and commanded her through her entire career."

__________________________________________________ ___________

"Slade Deville Cutter was born in Oswego, Illinois in November 1911, and he entered the Naval Academy in 1931 on a congressional appointment. An all-American football player, he achieved instant fame as a first classman when he won the 1934 Army-Navy game with a first-quarter field goal. Cutter graduated in 1935, served on the battleship USS Idaho (BB-42), where he coached another winning football team, and entered the Submarine School in June 1938.

Cutter was the Executive Officer of USS Pompano (SS-181) under LCDR Lew Parks when she left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol on 18 December 1941, just 11 days after the Japanese attack. Cutter made two more war patrols as Executive Officer of Pompano, operating in the vicinity of Okinawa and Honshu, respectively. After their return to Pearl Harbor, Cutter was assigned as Executive Officer on USS Seahorse, then under construction - the boat on which he would ultimately achieve his legendary reputation.

After shakedown, Seahorse reached the Pacific in the summer of 1943 under CDR Don McGregor and departed on 3 August for her first war patrol. It was not successful. Stationed off the Palaus, McGregor made only two attacks and allowed a number of convoys pass by unscathed. After the boat returned to port, an investigation of her poor performance by VADM Lockwood and his staff led to McGregor's removal for not being aggressive enough, and Cutter fleeted up to become the Commanding Officer of Seahorse in October 1943. "

[CCIP]

Yep, that's what I would say in this case is a general pattern - you start off in the Naval Academy, then work up your rank, seems most usually on surface ships, then go into submarine school for a couple of years, then have an assignment on a sub, generally as XO, then you're earmarked for command and off you go to your own sub. It's always been like that in all navies so far as I know.

[Leonardo da Quirm]

Thanks a lot. Choose a famous name and look it up with Wiki
Next time I try it with thinking.

Thanks

[FAdmiral]

Well for one thing, not being claustrophbic would be a very BIG +

JIM

[Leonardo da Quirm]

Hm, when I wanted to sign on a sub I poited out that I can only sleep with the windows open. After that they won't let me. Can't guess why

[TheSatyr]

Sub duty wasn't always voluntary. I believe that Edward Beach was ordered to report to sub school due to an expansion in sub construction and not enough volunteers. He wasn't very happy about it at the time,but he grew to love subs and sub duty.

[ivan is terrible 75]

Okay, here's the relatively simple way it works.

In order to be a commander you must be an officer. To do this, there are 3 ways the navy will make officers. 1. The Naval Academy Midshipmen, 2. ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) Midshipmen, and 3. OCS (Officer Candidate School). Each of these are designed to produce Ensigns, or an O-1. Enlisted members of the navy can, through their performance/testing/intelligence, be recommended for one of these 3 Officer Accession Programs. The Naval Academy and ROTC give you a college education during your military training, and to even be considered for OCS, you must have graduated college.

For the Academy and ROTC, the way the ranks work are like so:

Freshman = Midshipman 4/c (4th class)
Sophomore = Midshipman 3/c (3rd class)...etc.

Within these two programs you also have your own chain of command, to develop your leadership skills as an officer. These range from Squad Leader, Platoon Commander (Midshipman Ensign), Company Commander (Midshipman Lieutenant Commander), Battalion XO (Midshipman Commander), Battalion CO (Midshipman Captain). There are many other billets to fill in OPs, ADMIN, and LOGs, filling in the other "Midshipman _________" ranks.

During the summers you actually deploy to the fleet to continue your training on an actual vessel or in a flight squadron. I'm currently waiting to recieve my orders for my submarine tour for this summer.

MIDN who will be 3/cs go on a tour that's supposed to help you figure out which service you want to be in, be it surface, submarine, aviation, or marine. you spend a little time with each group and get a crash course in each. Last year i sank two old spruance destroyers while i was on the USS Ramage, DDG 61. I flew a t-34, i shot every weapon in the marine corps' arsenal, and spent a few days underway on the USS Boise, SSN 764...so yeah.

MIDN who will be 2/cs and 1/cs go on a tour with one vessel, and learn what its like to be a junior officer while on board.

This whole time, during the school year, you're actually attending classes, earning your degree. In the end of your Junior year (2/c), you service select. Based on many different things like GPA, Physical Aptitude, Personal preference, and the "needs of the navy," you are ranked among all the other people who will be commissioned with you, from the Academy, ROTC, and OCS alike.

If you select submarines, you will first attend an interview with an Admiral, the guy who's in charge of the whole submarine fleet of the US navy. Kind of an important guy, to say the least. If he deems you an acceptable sailor for his sub fleet, you will wait until you get your degree, then you are commissioned as an Ensign, then attend Nuclear Power School and other schools before you can even step foot and take charge of men on a boat.

Once you get there, you will most likely stand engineering watch while you try to qualify in all the areas and earn your gold dolphins. after this, it's a trip through the ranks, following procedures and what not, as dept. head and what not. On submarines, at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, you will most likely become an XO, and if you become a Commander, you will most likely be given command of your own boat. By this time you pretty much know everything about submarines, and you are an extremely intelligent person.


I hope this is an in depth enough step by step approach to it all..

happy hunting.


John W. Pasichnyk,
MIDN 2/C USNR
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Welcome aboard, ivan is terrible 75!
Man, that was incredible you wrote, I liked it! I have never had any idea about these schools and all this stuff....
Anyhow, you would like to see this....
http://www.omsi.edu/info/pr/graphics...ope_300dpi.jpg
And check out that kid where he's looking...

[THE_MASK]

Welcome ivan is terrible 75

[Snowman999]

Couple of nits . . .

In order to be a commander you must be an officer. To do this, there are 3 ways the navy will make officers. 1. The Naval Academy Midshipmen, 2. ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) Midshipmen, and 3. OCS (Officer Candidate School).

First statement is true. Second is not, completely. There are also LDOs, WOs, EDOs, a number of staff corps whose officers don't attend OCS, and inter-service transfers. I think the NUPOC porgram still exists, although that's a variation of OCS with extra nuke fringe. Most unrestricted line officers come from your sources, however.

Also, given your sig you should know, mister, that it's NROTC, not that doggie ROTC version populated by people who sleep in the mud and scratch themselves when they think no one is looking.

The Naval Academy and ROTC give you a college education during your military training, and to even be considered for OCS, you must have graduated college.

Except NUPOCs.

During the summers you actually deploy to the fleet to continue your training on an actual vessel or in a flight squadron. I'm currently waiting to recieve my orders for my submarine tour for this summer.

Hope you get it. Those cruises are fun. Whatever ribbing you get take it like a man. If you fight back . . . stand by. Sailors can be vicious. (P.S. The shaft seals like a nice piece of Atlantic Square Fish now and then. Make sure you wake the supply officer up at 0200 and ask him for some.)

This whole time, during the school year, you're actually attending classes, earning your degree. In the end of your Junior year (2/c), you service select. Based on many different things like GPA, Physical Aptitude, Personal preference, and the "needs of the navy," you are ranked among all the other people who will be commissioned with you, from the Academy, ROTC, and OCS alike.

Yes and no. OCS graduates year-round in phased chunks. Their detailihng is somewhat separate from Acad./NROTC, although very few nukes ascend through OCS.

If you select submarines, you will first attend an interview with an Admiral, the guy who's in charge of the whole submarine fleet of the US navy.

Unless they've changed things it's the CO of Naval Reactors, the four-star in Rickover's chair. He's in charge of all nuclear propulsion, not just subs'. CVNs soak up a LOT of baby nukes.

Kind of an important guy, to say the least. If he deems you an acceptable sailor for his sub fleet, you will wait until you get your degree, then you are commissioned as an Ensign, then attend Nuclear Power School and other schools before you can even step foot and take charge of men on a boat.

A bunch of other schools. Don't forget there's a whole lot of junior officers in the weapons track on SSBNs as well.

Once you get there, you will most likely stand engineering watch while you try to qualify in all the areas and earn your gold dolphins.

You'll do some engineering watches in port, but also a lot of CDO UI. At sea you'll focus on EOOW at first (to make you worth air and groceries), but that doesn't take long. Getting dolphins is very, very much harder than EOOW quals.

And as soon as you can stand watch forward it's all-out studying for the Engineer exam.

On submarines, at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, you will most likely become an XO

If you're a nuke you'll be an O-4 as a department head, often early. This is done for compensation and status purposes. A lot of nukes do two department head tours, the second as Nav/Ops. As a senior O-4 you might be an XO. On an Ohio the XO is often an O-5; the CO an O-6. For a while on my boat both the CO and XO were O-5s.

, and if you become a Commander, you will most likely be given command of your own boat. By this time you pretty much know everything about submarines, and you are an extremely intelligent person.

If you can make it through Power School you are an extremely intelligent person. That doesn't make you a WISE person though. <g>

Important Note: the above bears no resemblance to how one became a submarine skipper in WWII.

Good luck to you.

[ivan is terrible 75]

yeah, you're absolutely right on those points.

i was just trying to get the basics to the guy who was curious.

[-Pv-]

And check out that kid where he's looking...

He's looking at the camera like any self-respecting, decent kid his age would.
-Pv-