# Living on ships...



## LordVagabond

I put in multiple search strings such as "bunks on ships," "bunks on halifax," "staterooms," etc. Nothing came back.

Now, I'm not asking for stuff that will compromise milsec or opsec. Jowever, as I am trying to learn as much as I can about the Tribal-Class destroyers and Halifax-Class frigates that I can as a civilian, I was wondering what kind of sleeping/bunking arrangements there are for all levels of rank. I ask this because I just watched a really informative documentary called "Carrier," where enlisted were in triple bunks, sardine canned together, CPO's had slightly more headroom on their bunks, Jr Officers had doulble bunks in small staterooms, and the Captain/XO/Command Master Chief had their own rooms.

I am guessing that the CO/XO of any ship have their own staterooms (priviledges of rank), however I cannot find anything about the officers or below.

Also... do canadian ships use the seperate mess system, or one combined mess because of the relative small size of the ships we sail?

If i was searching the wrong terms and there already exists such a topic, then please excuse my inability to find it and point me in the proper direction?  ;D


----------



## Occam

CO/XO - each has their own cabin
LCdr/Lt(N) - LCdrs usually have their own cabin, depending on how full they want to pack the ship. Otherwise two to a cabin.
SLt and below - 4+ per cabin (there's one large cabin, sleeps 6 or 8...can't remember for sure)
Coxswain/CERA - each has their own cabin
CPO2 - two per cabin
PO1 - small messdeck accommodations.
PO2 and below - messdeck accommodations, up to 24 in a mess, stacked three high.

If by mess, you mean "cafeteria", then there are three messes - the Wardroom, the Chiefs and POs cafeteria, and the main cafeteria.  You have to be careful with the word "mess" in the Navy, because you sleep in a mess, and the lounge where you drink/socialize/relax (which is also right next to where you eat) is also called a mess.

edit: forgot the PO1s


----------



## LordVagabond

Thanks Occam  

Sorry about the confusion. I'm used to referring to a sleeping area as a berthing, and an eating area as a mess. It seems Canada has a different naming convention, something else for me to study up on ;D


----------



## Occam

LordVagabond said:
			
		

> Sorry about the confusion. I'm used to referring to a sleeping area as a berthing, and an eating area as a mess. It seems Canada has a different naming convention, something else for me to study up on ;D



No problem.  It screws a lot of people up at first until they realize how to put "mess" in the proper context.  If you say you're going to the mess for a beer, you're obviously going to the lounge.  If you say you're headed to 12 Mess, you're headed to where one would sleep.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> PO2 and below - messdeck accommodations, up to 24 in a mess, stacked three high.


You have never been on a 280 have you? A lot more then 24 per mess for MS and Below back aft.


> PO1 - small messdeck accommodations.


Some ships have up to 8-12 PO1s in their Mess Decks.

Occam where are you getting your numbers, certainly not from personal experience....


----------



## Occam

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> You have never been on a 280 have you? A lot more then 24 per mess for MS and Below back aft.



My first ship was a 280, actually - and it had bunny funnels.  I only mentioned CPF numbers because we have more of those than 280's and I didn't feel like typing the whole list out twice.



> Some ships have up to 8-12 PO1s in their Mess Decks.



8-12 is "small" compared to the 20-odd in the other mess decks, is it not?



> Occam where are you getting your numbers, certainly not from personal experience....



It's been over 12 years since I've been at sea.  Are you telling me the numbers I stated have changed significantly?


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Ah the bunny ear days....from what i have been told from some of the old timers some of the mess decks had more bunks added to them


----------



## Occam

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> Ah the bunny ear days....from what i have been told from some of the old timers some of the mess decks had more bunks added to them



That would explain the discrepancies somewhat...and I was really hoping I didn't qualify for the title "oldtimer" yet.   

Happens to the best of us.


----------



## px90

Is it frowned upon for officers to talk to enlisted men ? I mean as in socializing and becoming friends and all that ? And if so, to what degree?


----------



## mariomike

I know the hammocks are long gone, but, do they still "hotbunk"?


----------



## romeokilo

What is a hotbunk?


----------



## aesop081

romeokilo said:
			
		

> What is a hotbunk?



One bed for 2 sailors.

When one is on watch, the other is sleeping in it........


----------



## Occam

mariomike said:
			
		

> I know the hammocks are long gone, but, do they still "hotbunk"?



Ships, no - not in the last 30 years, anyways.  Submarines, I couldn't tell you.  I don't know if that was fact or myth.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

Bunny ears. Had to look that up, with pictures. Named after the angled exhaust stacks looking like Playboy bunny ears. 8)

You swabbies sure have a vivid imagination ;D


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Iroquois class was named sexiest ships afloat by Playboy when they first came out.


----------



## Occam

recceguy said:
			
		

> Bunny ears. Had to look that up, with pictures. Named after the angled exhaust stacks looking like Playboy bunny ears. 8)
> 
> You swabbies sure have a vivid imagination ;D



You should've seen how many women bought the "Captain's getaway submarine" story (referring to the Variable Depth Sonar - http://www.drea.dnd.ca/images/photos/vds_big.jpg).  

Vivid imaginations paid dividends!


----------



## Sub Standard

Ships, no - not in the last 30 years, anyways.  Submarines, I couldn't tell you.  I don't know if that was fact or myth.

We don't hot bunk on the subs either.


----------



## Sailorwest

px90 said:
			
		

> Is it frowned upon for officers to talk to enlisted men ? I mean as in socializing and becoming friends and all that ? And if so, to what degree?


There really isn't anything wrong with it so long as it doesn't affect work performance. The reality is that familiarity breeds contempt and socializing between ranks raises the possibility of that happening.


----------



## gcclarke

Just my two cents. I'd always been told to try and foster a cordial relationship with the NCMs, both in my department and those in the rest of the ship. Being friendly, and being friends are two entirely different things. Officers, junior officers especially, should make an effort to involve themselves with their department when possible, and go to any departmental golf days, floor hockey, all-ranks events at the mess when invited, etc. 

What you shouldn't be doing, however, is spending every night in the Jr. Ranks Mess, or going out with them every time you're in foreign port to get trashed. Be friendly, not buddy buddy. And still, it's not too big of a deal if you're actually friends with a few of them, but do your best to keep that away from work. 

And for god's sake, don't be the one dating cross messes! Especially if you met on ship.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

gcclarke said:
			
		

> Just my two cents. I'd always been told to try and foster a cordial relationship with the NCMs, both in my department and those in the rest of the ship. Being friendly, and being friends are two entirely different things. Officers, junior officers especially, should make an effort to involve themselves with their department when possible, and go to any departmental golf days, floor hockey, all-ranks events at the mess when invited, etc.
> 
> What you shouldn't be doing, however, is spending every night in the Jr. Ranks Mess, or going out with them every time you're in foreign port to get trashed. Be friendly, not buddy buddy. And still, it's not too big of a deal if you're actually friends with a few of them, but do your best to keep that away from work.
> 
> And for god's sake, don't be the one dating cross messes! Especially if you met on ship.



Very sound advice.


----------



## FSTO

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> Very sound advice.



X2


----------



## px90

gcclarke said:
			
		

> Just my two cents. I'd always been told to try and foster a cordial relationship with the NCMs, both in my department and those in the rest of the ship. Being friendly, and being friends are two entirely different things. Officers, junior officers especially, should make an effort to involve themselves with their department when possible, and go to any departmental golf days, floor hockey, all-ranks events at the mess when invited, etc.
> 
> What you shouldn't be doing, however, is spending every night in the Jr. Ranks Mess, or going out with them every time you're in foreign port to get trashed. Be friendly, not buddy buddy. And still, it's not too big of a deal if you're actually friends with a few of them, but do your best to keep that away from work.
> 
> And for god's sake, don't be the one dating cross messes! Especially if you met on ship.



Thanks for the advice it all makes good sense to me, I was just wondering if I was going to be restricted to being friends with however many other junior officers were on the ship. I'm a pretty friendly guy , ha. I'll keep it all in mind.


----------



## LordVagabond

Well, after talking with a friend's brother that has just finished MARS IV (and passed!) and having a good long chat with PO2 Woodward at CFRC Calgary, I am now going for NESOp (with NCIOp and NAVCOMM as 2nd and 3rd choices). It's much more in line with a career I would enjoy everyday  :warstory:

So, I have one of those really silly questions that I would like to pose: How is lunch handled? As a NESOp (assuming I get the trade), I understand that one is stuck in a dark, windowless room and watches a CRT monitor. So... if the ops room has to be 24/7 manned, how does the operator on duty partake of the midshift meal? I'm assuming that food around the equipment is a no no, so the operator would have to travel to the messing facility (cafeteria) to munch.

I know, it's a stupid little thing to worry about, however it's just one of those little tidbits of information I would like to know


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

In laymans speech your section is divided into watches, so when one is working the other is off. BTW the OPS Room will only be manned that way when your at sea not when you are tied up alongside.

So no worries you will eat.


----------



## hugh19

it is very easy we never eat sleep or shower hehehe, We have 2 shifts and you eat when you are off.


----------



## LordVagabond

sledge said:
			
		

> it is very easy we never eat sleep or shower hehehe, We have 2 shifts and you eat when you are off.



Well, I'm assuming a 1-in-2 shift rotation, so you're saying pack in lots during pre-shift and have a munch post-shift?


----------



## Occam

LordVagabond said:
			
		

> So, I have one of those really silly questions that I would like to pose: How is lunch handled? As a NESOp (assuming I get the trade), I understand that one is stuck in a dark, windowless room and watches a CRT monitor. So... if the ops room has to be 24/7 manned, how does the operator on duty partake of the midshift meal? I'm assuming that food around the equipment is a no no, so the operator would have to travel to the messing facility (cafeteria) to munch.



The Ops types normally stand a 1 in 2 watch rotation - which is one watch on, one watch off, repeat.

Meal hours are designed around the watch rotation.  Watches are 0800-1300 (morning), 1300-1800 (afternoon), 1800-0100 (eves), 0100-0800 (mids).  So if you're on afternoon/mids, you eat your three squares at 0800 just as you're coming off watch(breakfast), 1200 (lunch) just before going on watch, and 1800 (just coming off watch).

If you're on morning/eves, you eat at 0700, 1300, and 1700.

The meal hours are designed to accommodate 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 watches as well, which some of the other crew will be standing.


----------



## hugh19

We also get breaks while on watch for coffee, smokes, and snacks if you want one.


----------



## LordVagabond

Occam: thanks  I thought the 1-in-2 meant that you were at station for 12 hours, and off duty for 12 hours. Doesn't leave much rack time though, does it?  Ah well, such is the life I want    Woo Navy!


----------



## hugh19

So 12 hours a day is not enough rack time for you??? Or was that sarcasm?


----------



## Occam

No, 12 hours would be a ridiculously long time to be stuck to a SID (display), and while you'd get a longer (hopefully uninterrupted) period of sleep, it would make meal hours a nightmare...and the cooks have a tough enough job as it is.


----------



## LordVagabond

sledge said:
			
		

> So 12 hours a day is not enough rack time for you??? Or was that sarcasm?



No sarcasm intended. I guess I'm still confused on the whole watch rotation thing. So, let me try to figure this out:

Assuming a morning/eves watch schedule:

0800-1300: watch
1300-1800: stand down (food, PT, maybe couple hours rack time)
1800-0100: watch
0100-0800: stand down (rack time)

By my calculations, if one smacked face first into their rack after second watch, right away, that would be about 5.5 hours rack time (assuming 60 mins to chow, shower, shave, etc and report for duty when one wakens).

Then again, I am a civilian at the moment trying to understand a military situation. I'm sure once I'm THERE, I'll understand better. I am just the type of person that wants their brain bursting at the seams with knowledge  :blotto:


----------



## hugh19

I usually find once you get into a routine, the afternoon nap gets to be less and less. But it does take more than a couple days.


----------



## Occam

Yep, watch turnover would be at 0045, and assuming you don't have anything to turn over, and you made a beeline for your rack, you'd be in bed until 0700, which is when they pipe this obnoxious, loud call ("wakey wakey") on a Boatswain's Call over the PA system to wake everyone up.  Shower, change, catch breakfast before the meal line closes at 0730, and be ready to take a turnover to go on watch at 0745.  The people coming off watch at 0800 would eat, and then crash til 1200.  Get up, maybe shower, eat lunch, take a turnover to go on at 1245.  People coming off at 1245 eat lunch at 1300.

Everyone has cleaning stations at some time during the day, regardless of which watch they're on - so that cuts into rack time.

After a while, it's all just eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work - and you won't even know if it's light or dark outside (unless you're a smoker).


----------



## hugh19

Except out here on the best coast for some inexplicable reason we change over on the half hour so you need to rush a little more or get a shake for earlier.


----------



## Occam

Does the west coast do anything the same way as the east coast?


----------



## LordVagabond

That clears things up a lot Occam  

I'm used to having 5-6 hours of sleep a night anyways, so it's not that big of a shift. And I would know it was light out from the afternoon PT  Because I really don't think they'd let ya jog the flight deck in the middle of the night.


----------



## Occam

Nope, it's frowned on.  Even more so during flying stations.   ;D


----------



## hugh19

We do try to avoid doing anything like the least coast.  ;D


----------



## Messmom

sledge said:
			
		

> We do try to avoid doing anything like the least coast.  ;D



For which we are enternally grateful! 

Another difference is apparently terminology for the watches. On the east coast the "eves" is the "long First" and the "mids" is the "long mids" for a 1 in 2 watch.

That all gets tossed out the scuttle of course once you get stuck steaming 1 in 3 or 1 in 4. Using three or four watches the following schedule is used.

Forenoon - 0800 to 1200
Afternoon - 1200 to 1600
First dogs - 1600 to 1800
Last dogs - 1800 to 2000
First - 2000 to 0000
Mids - 0000 to 0400
Morning 0400 to 0800

Steaming 1 in 4 you will always (in my experience) be required to "turn to". In other words when not on watch during the normal work day you will be doing departmental work.

Steaming 1 in 3 can be alright if your department does not require you to turn to. Otherwise it is a complete and utter pain in the butt.


The bunking arrangements listed so far must be for 280s (never left the harbour in one). On a Halifax class frigate, the CO, XO and Cox'n get their own cabins. The CO also has a dining and seating area as well as his own heads and a second bunk for senior officers embarked on board.

The Chiefs/MWO all stay in a mess with six bunks. The PO1s/WOs are spread out over three messes with 6 to 9 bunks per. The PO2s/Sgts are in three mess decks with 6 to 12 bunks per and the Master Seaman and below take up the final 10 messes with from 6 to 21 bunks per mess.


----------



## LordVagabond

thanks messmom  Good info there, will be useful for my "do you know anything about the Canadian navy?" part of the interview tomorrow  ;D


----------



## Messmom

I somehow forgot our commissioned brethern.....

Officers are generally two to a cabin, with a couple exceptions. The Supply Officer, aka The Supply Bob, gets a cabin to themselves since they have a nice shiny big safe. There are a couple cabins on frigates that have more than two bunks, for the most junior of officers. Cabin 0 has four bunks and Cabin 6/8 has six or eight bunks....... if memory serves.


----------



## gcclarke

Messmom said:
			
		

> I somehow forgot our commissioned brethern.....
> 
> Officers are generally two to a cabin, with a couple exceptions. The Supply Officer, aka The Supply Bob, gets a cabin to themselves since they have a nice shiny big safe. There are a couple cabins on frigates that have more than two bunks, for the most junior of officers. Cabin 0 has four bunks and Cabin 6/8 has six or eight bunks....... if memory serves.



Cabin 0, also referred to as the Female Officer's Cabin, or the Tri-cabin, has 3 bunks. They are the same style as is found in the mess decks, as opposed to the fold-down kind found in the other cabins. Cabin 6/8 has 6 bunks, and is referred to as 6/8 because it was created by cutting down the wall between the former cabins 6 & 8, and adding another set of bunks where the door to former cabin 8 used to open.

And of course, the primary difference between cabins and messes are the desks, complete with ShipLAN laptops. These are there because cabins are both the living and work spaces for officers.


----------



## LordVagabond

GCClarke: Another one of my absurd questions, but is any kind of internet provided for the enlisted during downtime? I ask only because I have seen it on US ships (can also be seen in many episodes of the documentary "Carrier"), and one of my primary forms of keeping in contact with friends is email  I can do snail mail perfectly fine too  :warstory:


----------



## gcclarke

LordVagabond said:
			
		

> GCClarke: Another one of my absurd questions, but is any kind of internet provided for the enlisted during downtime? I ask only because I have seen it on US ships (can also be seen in many episodes of the documentary "Carrier"), and one of my primary forms of keeping in contact with friends is email  I can do snail mail perfectly fine too  :warstory:



There are laptops scattered throughout the ship, with internet access and e-mail, in various offices and workshops. I have never had much of a problem finding access whenever I had a few free minutes. Now these laptops are there primarily for actual administrative requirements, so the priority is given to those who need them for work. But when sailing, it usually isn't all that hard to find a spare one, especially in the evening. 

As well, when sailing, you'll be issued a phone card, which can be used to access one of the three satellite phones. I forget exactly how much time you're given a week. Certainly not enough to spend all your spare time chatting with your loved ones, but enough to keep in touch and hear their voices. I think it's around half an hour a week.

But yes, in short, you will certainly have access to e-mail in order to keep in contract with your friends and family whilst sailing aboard one of HMC Ships.


----------



## Messmom

I was close on the number of bunks in 0 and 6/8........ well the memory is the second thing to go.


And like gcclarke said, most spaces on board have access to the ShipLan, and some ships have a few bare bones PCs set up to allow those folks without regular access to email a place to keep in touch with the outside world.


Don't forget the other big difference between cabins and mess decks, the SINK!! LOL.


----------



## nerdgirl

How much free time or vacation time do you typically get per year to spend time with your spouse or family?


----------



## Occam

nerdgirl said:
			
		

> How much free time or vacation time do you typically get per year to spend time with your spouse or family?



You know, a lot of the answers to the questions you're asking are there if you search for them.

Under 5 years service = 20 working days annual leave
Over 5 years service = 25 working days annual leave
If you're around long enough to see 28 years service, you get 30 days annual leave.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

nerdgirl said:
			
		

> How much free time or vacation time do you typically get per year to spend time with your spouse or family?



Now what does your question have to do with living onboard ships? use the search function as was already suggested.

Milnet.Ca Staff


----------



## The_Unabooboo

What about personal laptops.  In the last two years the new net books have gotten smaller and cheaper.  Are they allowed to bring or are only CF issued computers allowed on deployment?  I only ask since I'm thinking of joining and I have both a laptop and net book.  I was a PI until I got layed off last month.  Also, about how big are the bunks as I am quite tall.


----------



## gcclarke

The_Unabooboo said:
			
		

> What about personal laptops.  In the last two years the new net books have gotten smaller and cheaper.  Are they allowed to bring or are only CF issued computers allowed on deployment?  I only ask since I'm thinking of joining and I have both a laptop and net book.  I was a PI until I got layed off last month.  Also, about how big are the bunks as I am quite tall.



Laptops are allowed. It's always good to be able to play a few games or watch a movie in your down time. 

The bunks should be big enough to fit the vast majority of people. I suppose there's probably some who are tall enough that they have to curl up a bit. But, I've never actually measured them.


----------



## mariomike

I remember hearing ( I guess it was a joke ) that some guys were disqualified from joining the submarine service because their lung capacities were too big. That they would breathe up too much air!  ;D


----------



## MARS

An apt and timely article for this thread, shared in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act

Article link

Life on a warship

Published Monday November 2nd, 2009 

By Lt. (Navy) BRIAN OWENS
HMCS Fredericton

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Fredericton departed for the Arabian Sea and the Horn of Africa on a six-month deployment Oct. 25. It will work alongside our NATO and coalition partners, to conduct counter piracy and counter terror operations.

Over the next several weeks, The Daily Gleaner will be publishing articles from HMCS Fredericton detailing life onboard, the variety of situations the Navy works in, and some of the unique jobs that naval personnel do in their day-to-day lives serving Canada.

These articles will be written by the sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen who are on patrol in the region onboard Fredericton, the warship named after the New Brunswick capital.

This week marked the beginning of our journey towards the Arabian Sea. The North Atlantic has been quite rough. Since our departure we have seen the seas grow, from one to two metres, to our current seven metres.

However, it's extraordinary how a person can quickly adapt to these conditions and get their "sea legs.''

There are challenges to life at sea. The ordinary tasks you do every day come with a twist. To put it in comparison, imagine eating at your dinner table which is rising and lowering about two feet, left and right - now try to catch your food.

And when you go to sleep, you may buckle your seatbelt, just to be sure you don't fall out. Outside of the rocking and rolling, you need to get used to living in tight quarters with people you only just met.

You get one locker and one drawer to fit six months of clothing, toiletries, reading material, DVDs, etc. And you have to learn a completely different language - naval jargon. Call the galley a kitchen or your dobie your laundry and someone will quickly set you straight.

Life onboard a naval vessel also gives you a sense of teamwork and interdependency unlike any other career you would choose - and everyone has more than one role to play. Everyone is trained to fight fires. The cooks and stewards are also the casualty clearing team (first aiders) and meteorological techs run the mail.

You could soon need to rely on one of your shipmates for help or them of you.

In the coming weeks, you will see how HMCS Fredericton operates, the different things we do, the unique challenges and certainly some of the highlights of being in the Navy.


----------



## Pat in Halifax

Just to expand a little on a previous response-Though personal laptops are fine, email is ONLY through shipboard computers for security reasons.
As for the bunk issue-I am 6'4" and 250+ lbs and the bunks are quite comfy-one may even say dreamy after one or two too many libations!!!
My first 2+ years in Halifax (Mar 1985 - Oct 1987), I actually lived on board - year round - believe it or not, I didn't save a bag of money as you might expect-You tend to go out more.
The food generally is fantastic (that question hasn't really come up??). There are  5 meals a day with various sittings for those meals. Thursday night is usually steak night but watch out - ice cream is usually a sign of coming bad news.
Hope this all helps!!


----------



## Occam

MARS said:
			
		

> And you have to learn a completely different language - naval jargon. Call the galley a kitchen or your dobie your laundry and someone will quickly set you straight.



Errrrrrr, that's *dhobey*.


----------



## MARS

;D

Well, he is a PAO after all.  This could be his first time at sea.  Probably gets "all nighters" - scratch that, he likely gets "super all nighters".  Someone should expose him to the joys of middle watch shakes, and the inevitable greeting of "sorry, wrong rack".

;D


----------



## mariomike

Pat in Halifax said:
			
		

> As for the bunk issue-I am 6'4" and 250+ lbs and the bunks are quite comfy-one may even say dreamy after one or two too many libations!!!



I remember my Dad telling me about the hammocks back in the RCNVR days. I also remember a submariner in our neighbourhood ( he was visiting family ). He was a bit of a "stringbean", so we asked him about where he slept. He told us that he just stretched out in a torpedo tube! 
Of course, being only about ten years old we believed him!


----------



## Rastatt055

I was a misemployed airman on a few of Canada's navy ships.  I sailed  on HMCS Skeena, HMCS Preserver, HMCS Protectour and HMCS Ottawa. I enjoyed the messes and living with Navy lads. There was a lot of teasing going on but I did manage to become an honorary bosn on the Preserver. As a  SGT I had good accommodations in the messes except on the Skeena where  I was messed with Stokers so the the whole time we never had a light on in our mess.


----------



## Pat in Halifax

Lights are for operators!!


----------



## SeaDog

MARS,
The author might be a PAO but I can guarantee you that he knows all about the joys of being shaken for the mids.  I sailed with him back in my skimmer days - before he decided to pull pin from a hard-sea trade and transfer PAO.  He had a lot TI and sea years.  I would imagine that now he has no shortage of super-alnighters -  but he probably appreciates it more than others!


----------



## trigger324

Rastatt055 said:
			
		

> ... I was messed with Stokers so the the whole time we never had a light on in our mess.





			
				Pat in Halifax said:
			
		

> Lights are for operators!!




isn't it the other way around??


----------



## Pat in Halifax

We are talking purely in our off time here. I have seen dust bunnies the size of...well...bunnies, when the lights finally come on!!! Somehow they are missed on evening rounds!!


----------



## gcclarke

Note to self: The XO can't see in the dark. Exploit for hilarious pranks.


----------



## Pat in Halifax

I remember doing the 'rubber mouse on a string' thing numerous times. Most XOs ignored it for what it was - a select few got irate but it was ALL worth it for the one - Many years ago in 12 mess on GATINEAU when the XO ran up the ladder and down the flats screaming like a schoolgirl!!!!
Back on topic (and interesting note here). I just learned very recently why I don't sleep the first 72 hours or so after sailing - I always blamed the bunks and I would be awake for several days immediately after departure. Sometime late in day 3, I would sleep from sheer exhaustion. For years, I accepted it as a fact of life. Last fall however after joining a TGEX ship midway through that deployment, I realized that I NEVER drink coffee at sea - It has been DTs all along!!! Now that I know that - I am going to sea in a couple weeks and plan to ween myself off coffee prior to sailing to see if that works.


----------



## gcclarke

Oh man, I'm the complete opposite. While ashore, I only drink coffee on weekdays, and then, one, maybe two max a day.

At sea? I"m downing a good 4-5 cups a day. the convenience of free freshly ground coffee is just too much to resist, and let's face it, I usually need the perk-me-up. And then the Wardroom decided it was a good idea to get an espresso machine. Sheesh, it's a wonder I was able to get any sleep at all.


----------



## Pat in Halifax

Coffee makes me pee - and peeing cuts into my sleep - unless a person is really, really drunk but let's not go there! Having fresh ground coffee might make a difference?? but I think for me, it is just a pain in the butt to carry around a mug. I do on occassion have a coffee but then it takes me a week to figure out where I left my mug. I found it once on TORONTO - problem is, I was on HALIFAX!!!!
We don't get the fancy stuff like the Wardroom does - We generally get coffee made 8 hours ago by some disgruntled AB/OS who hates all Chiefs and POs!!! Actually, they aren't all that bad and if there are any of you reading this, don't take it personally - Remember, I was once where you are now and I know ALL the tricks..and then some!!!!
As for espresso - come on, real men don't drink espresso!!!!! It's black or nothing!!!! Of course, in a foreign port, a couple ounces of Baileys is fine too - as long as you don't overdo it and suddennly forget how to walk - been there, done that!!!!


----------



## Harley Sailor

All this talk about shipboard bunks and no one mentioned that the old messes were wide open.  Not like the ones of today, where you are all boxed in and get no air movement when your curtin is closed.

I sure did miss the wide open messes.  I hated sleeping in the coffins.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Harley Sailor said:
			
		

> All this talk about shipboard bunks and no one mentioned that the old messes were wide open.  Not like the ones of today, where you are all boxed in and get no air movement when your curtin is closed.
> 
> I sure did miss the wide open messes.  I hated sleeping in the coffins.



Between 50+ and 15 guys put me in a mess with 15 anytime.


----------



## Pat in Halifax

And...I had someone in a foreign port once throw up into his buggery box (He was in a top bunk). The screen in the bottom of the buggery box filtered out the "floaties" - One guy 'painted 5 of us. No; echoing Ex-Dragoon, I too, will take my own enclosed little world.
I do agree with you a little about potential air quality issues but I think there is more to it. I don't believe that we clean as thoroughly as we used to. I recall as a LS spending the bulk of the 2 hour cleaning stations on my kness with a brillo pad and that old (stinky) deck cloth. Rounds were very involved and formal rounds were done much more often.
As a C2, I got to do evening at sea rounds for the lazy a** Cox'n (No offence Steve/Wally if you are reading here!!!!) and people seemed to get 'offended' if I got down on my hands and knees poking around. I will tell you too,  my flashlight was a whole bunch of candlepower and they didn't like that either. Pretty quickly, word spread to the Buffer that the CERA was being unfair and in one case, I believe the word anal was used. Good Buffer that he was though, insisted he and I do rounds together a couple of times - That went over really well!!!! I must say one thing here for all to hear - In general, the female mess(es) were generally the cleanest. I cannot speculate why this is so...and they definately smelled better (the messes you pigs, not the women!!!!)


----------



## gcclarke

Pat in Halifax said:
			
		

> In general, the female mess(es) were generally the cleanest. I cannot speculate why this is so...and they definately smelled better (the messes you pigs, not the women!!!!)



I'm going to go out on a limb here and say both.


----------



## TRYHARD2001

This leads me to ask two questions... 

First, what is the PT situation like onboard a ship? Keep in mind I'm an ex-grunt and have been conditioned to spend any free time pumping iron or running/snowshoeing/x-country skiing when it's so cold the local wildlife is shuttin' 'er down cuz you NEED to be in shape when your vehicle is doing all the work for you (Mechanized Battalion, HUA). However, space must be pretty limited onboard, so what exactly does a guy have to work with?

Second, I don't drink often but when I do I like to get lit up. Now, I've heard some of the funniest stories of my life from an old Cox'n who CFR'd to Lt to round out his pension regarding drunken sailors. What I'm wondering is does this still occur and what are the ramifications if caught? Keep in mind I'm not planning on getting hammered and peeing my pants in front of everybody, but history has shown that, despite my best intentions, I have a true gift for drunken tomfoolery.


Thanks in advance.


----------



## Occam

PT - You've got the flight deck to run on.  You'll find treadmills/elliptical machines/stationary bikes in various places.  There's not much in the line of free weights, as they're a little dangerous when there is any rolling going on.

Booze - At sea, two beers per man per day perhaps.  Or wine if you drink it.  Any more than that and you risk running afoul of the "shall not be intoxicated at sea" and/or the "shall not have consumed alcohol in the x number of hours prior to going on watch" rule.  I'm fuzzy on the details, it's been a while.  That said, do sailors have more than two?  Sure, but you'd better have super all nighters and hope there aren't any drills in the middle of the night.

In foreign ports?  Give 'er.   ;D


----------



## Navalsnpr

PT - Also depends on what class of ship you are on and if they have a Helicopter embarked or not. In my experience, the tanker normally has the best gym as they have the largest hanger and wider flats throughout the ship. If a ship has a helo embarked, then unfortunately the gym kit may suffer, however we try our best to accommodate PT kit throughout the ship. The Tanker was the best for running on the deck, in my opinion, as you could run around the entire ship on the main deck. I would recommend against running on the steel deck personally as it is better for your body to run on the treadmills.  Steel doesn't have any give, therefore your body takes 100% of the force exerted.


----------

