I nearly joined the Navy

Antiacus · 04-05-08, 10:45 PM

I always wondered how that would have turned out. Having a lifelong fascination with subs i very nearly joined up. As it was, i spent 5 years in the Coast Guard.

In the end, i was attracted to the Coast Guards mission and the fact that they employ more real "sailoring" skills. Also in the Coast Guard you get way more responsibility and autonomy way sooner. There are e6's in charge of some lifeboat stations and o3 CO's of patrol boats & other small units.

I wonder though, how it would have been had i gone for the sub service. I'm not even sure which rating i would have gone for. Something ops-wise i'm sure, perhaps quartermaster.

I ended up a bosunmate in the Coast Guard. It was cool. I had an amazing experience. I started off on a buoy tender in Alaska and ended up on a motor lifeboat station in Oregon. The BM rating is not like that in the Navy. Bosunmates are the heart of the coast guard, other than airsurvivalmen the "glamor rating" who gets all the action.

Still. The thought of tucking into my bunk 100ft below the surface after a hard days work is very appealing. I think the skill and teamwork required to make a modern sub run is on par with the experiences i had in the Guard.

Anyway, i'm just musing...

Here are some pics of Station Depoe Bay, my last unit. Smallest navigable entrance to a harbor in the world... fun to tow a boat through in cracking weather

"MY" boat... the MLB 44406 - at least she was in my care for 2 years...

And a nice pic of the "Vic" the MLB "Victory" i served on for a year out of Newport, Oregon

04-05-08, 10:45 PM	#1
Antiacus Medic Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Springfield, Oregon Posts: 161 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	I nearly joined the Navy I always wondered how that would have turned out. Having a lifelong fascination with subs i very nearly joined up. As it was, i spent 5 years in the Coast Guard. In the end, i was attracted to the Coast Guards mission and the fact that they employ more real "sailoring" skills. Also in the Coast Guard you get way more responsibility and autonomy way sooner. There are e6's in charge of some lifeboat stations and o3 CO's of patrol boats & other small units. I wonder though, how it would have been had i gone for the sub service. I'm not even sure which rating i would have gone for. Something ops-wise i'm sure, perhaps quartermaster. I ended up a bosunmate in the Coast Guard. It was cool. I had an amazing experience. I started off on a buoy tender in Alaska and ended up on a motor lifeboat station in Oregon. The BM rating is not like that in the Navy. Bosunmates are the heart of the coast guard, other than airsurvivalmen the "glamor rating" who gets all the action. Still. The thought of tucking into my bunk 100ft below the surface after a hard days work is very appealing. I think the skill and teamwork required to make a modern sub run is on par with the experiences i had in the Guard. Anyway, i'm just musing... Here are some pics of Station Depoe Bay, my last unit. Smallest navigable entrance to a harbor in the world... fun to tow a boat through in cracking weather "MY" boat... the MLB 44406 - at least she was in my care for 2 years... And a nice pic of the "Vic" the MLB "Victory" i served on for a year out of Newport, Oregon