I am going into the Navy as an AM, and I am curious as to what life is actually like on an aircraft carrier. I can only find so much information on the internet, and I would like some input from members with more experience.

What can I expect while deployed?...and how can I prepare myself for it?

Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys very much!

As am AM,especially if you're airwing squadron personnel, if you are assigned to a shop, probably airframes, The Flight Line, or Corrosion Control, you'll work 0700 to 1900 or 1900 to 0700, a twelve hour shift. The flight line, especially on flying days you could work longer hours, sometimes one hour before flight quarters and one hour after, or if you are needed you'll stay until final respot and the birds are secured for the night. As a Plane Captain and trainee you'll do basic servicing on the aircraft and do daily and turnaround inspections. Aircraft when secured for the night usually have a 16 point tiedown. Each chain and turnbuckle weigh ten pounds each.
If assigned to the shop, you will perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the aircraft. Especially in Airframes if the AMHs are short or have alot of work you'll help them out. Again a twelve hour shift.
Corrosion Control, you'll be working at inspecting and removing corrosion from your squadron aircraft. That's a full time job!
You'll have four section diuty cycle. Which for nonrated and third class can be hangar deck integerity watches, flight deck integerty watches and working parties. At any time you will be involved any number of training drills. GQ, Man Overboard, Mass Casualty, Damage Control. It does keep you busy.
As far as preparing for it. Keep your personal gear to a minimum. Enough to fill your seabag and maybe a little more. Get or arrange storage or return a vehicle to your family. Make sure all personal debts and problems are as worked out as they can be. If you need glasses buy or order at least two or three extra pairs to take with you.
Glasses can be slow coming on deployments.
Get ready to live, work and breathe with 5000 other people in very close quarters.
I made five cruises on carriers, Constellation, Ranger, and Independence.
If assigned to AIMD your work schedule hours might be a bit different. Also, you may go TAD for at least 90 days. That means Mess Cooking, compartment cleaning, (First Lieutenant Division within the squadron) or the ship's laundry. Don't be upset or down about that, as 95% of all Navy enlisted have gone TAD.
Damn my fingers are tired! Hope that helps?
JPope USN
AD1 1969-1989

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JPope,

Go Gator Navy instead...my advise!

DD's are better.

Concur with AD1. No doubt there will be a carrier in your immediate future. Patience and a good sense of humor will go a long way. I rode the CVN-69 for almost 2 years.

RM2/YN1 (RET)

There is a good documentary that PBS just put out called "Carrier".

You can watch it for free on their website.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/full_episodes.htm

yeah, i watched that, but i wanted to see what people would say about it without a camera pointed at them.

Well, I wasn't an airedale, but I served for three years aboard the Kitty Hawk, including the wonderful WestPac '81. Life aboard a carrier is about one big word: CROWDED!

You will stand in line for about everything, but that evens itself out when you find a space in your division where you can relax while off duty and write home, or just watch the amazing sunrises and sets. I served all my time in deck department 1st division, and life was great aboard a carrier. You learn to love your ship and all her capabilities and you never cease to marvel that something so big can actually float and do 40 knots when there's no wind.

But life aboard a carrier is usually not considered monotonus, as you serve 4 hours on watch and 8-12 hours just doing your job. Bunks are stacked 3 high, 3 long, with barely enough room to turn your body without touching the opposite sets of racks. Sleep in the forward end of the ship is an aquired action, as the endless slamming of the catapult creates a lot of noise, but you eventually learn to sleep right through it.

Because the carrier you'll ride weighs in excess of 90,000 tons, she rides like a cadillac in rough seas, but while driving the Kitty Hawk I saw waves crash over the flight deck more than once from stormy seas that actually did cause her to roll a little. Hopefully you'll get assigned to a good GQ station, as you'll be there a lot. You will train endlessly to become the best you can be and opportunities abound on a carrier for you to find a job you really enjoy doing.

That was why I volunteered for duty aboard the Kitty Hawk; I wanted to experience a lot of different ratings. But I was assigned to deck as soon as I reported and liked it so much I never bothered to check into anything else. My time there will always be special and I have many special memories. I became very proficient at painting spaces (among other things) and got so good folks started asking for me specifically to paint their spaces. I even bartered to ride in a helicopter, flew an ASW patrol on an S-3, and got launched off in an F-14 because them pilots liked having a nice, clean ready room.

The carrier is like that. You can cultivate some awesome friendships and get your due respect when you are known as someone who does excellent work. I drove the ship, served as BMOW, was rig captain of Sponson 9 for underway refueling, drove the Captain's Gig for awhile, drove liberty boats, and helped rescue hundreds of Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea. I anchored her where we couldn't dock, tied her up where we could, and I kept the outside of that massive warship as spic and span as was humanly possible.

So what I'm telling you here is there will be a world of opportunity awaiting you when you report to your carrier. Make the most of your time there and do your job as well as you are able. You will always remember that time, so make the most of it!

Thanks shipmate, a very good posting. It is good to get a black shoe's opinion and comments on this thread for the newbies just coming aboard. Bravo Zulu!

a twelve hour work day, damn wish they told me that before i chose AM as my rate, o well, lol

to the topic starter, whens your ship date, i go to boot 20090218

quote:

Originally posted by arc9590:
a twelve hour work day, damn wish they told me that before i chose AM as my rate, o well, lol

"What are complaining about? You only work half days!"

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:

quote:

Originally posted by arc9590:
a twelve hour work day, damn wish they told me that before i chose AM as my rate, o well, lol

"What are complaining about? You only work half days!"

very funny, definetily not the half days i looked forward to in high school

Partner, that's if you work in the Airframes shop or Corrosion control. If you have duty you will stand flight deck or hangar deck watches when not at flight quarters. On duty days you may catch a working party especially if the ship is taking on supplies. I worked a twelve hour shift once,in powerplants, reported for a working party for food replinshment. Got done with that at 0545, went up to berthing took a shower, changed clothes, had breakfast, then went to the shop to start my regular shift at 0700. I handled 967 CASES of food items on that working party.
If you work the flight line you'll work flight quarters to flight quarters. Sometimes 16 hours or more. So sometimes a twelve hour day is a luxury!

quote:

Originally posted by arc9590:
very funny, definetily not the half days i looked forward to in high school

Aviation rates are tough - those guys in the Roof Crew pull some extremely long days.

Are you familiar with the phrase "Choose your rate, choose your fate"?

quote:

Originally posted by JPope:
If you work the flight line you'll work flight quarters to flight quarters. Sometimes 16 hours or more. So sometimes a twelve hour day is a luxury!

In one of the classes I teach we try to explain to Cruiser guys why asking for alert packages is so tough on the flight deck team. Nothing sucks quite like pulling a 16-hour day only to find out that you have to set an alert 7 spot and keep a third of your guys awake waiting for the call.

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:
Are you familiar with the phrase "Choose your rate, choose your fate"?

I guess I’m just an old fudd, but that saying has always bugged me. It makes as much sense on the Army or USMC side as if some asked, what’s your rank? And they replied 11Bravo or 0311, or turn it around this way. What is your MOS? And the Soldier or Marine replied Sergeant or Corporal. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it???… Or look at it another way, what if someone asked a commissioned officer what his rank is and he replied I’m a “pork chop’ or a line officer… get my point… As I said, I guess I’m just an old fudd….

I was an ABH,did 6 yrs. on the Big "E". Loved it,except for bein in the shipyards. ('97-'03)

arc9590 I ship out 20091210 haha. I may just happen to see you at some point in time. And probably at A school as well. Where do you want to be stationed at?

...damn, all this is why couldn't see myself anywhere but a small boy.

Thanks for the posts Surface Dog. I remember nothing wakes a flight crew up quicker than "Now hear this... launch the alert five! Now Launch the Alert Five! Then "General Quarters General quarters, All Hands man your Battle Stations, This is not a drill!"
I remember being stuck ALL day and well into the evening on the alert tanker. The shop finally sent somebody up to relieve me so I could eat at about 2210. I went below to the forward messdecks, still wearing my float coat, tool belt and my helmet on my belt. I had just gotten two chili dogs when the above was heard.
So much for the chili dogs! That was an 18 hour day.