Post In The GTA?

[Melbatoast]

I really hope if I get in I'm posted on a ship, especially as a sonar operator I don't see why not. I've been on a boat almost all my life so maybe I'll feel at home

There are some organizational changes afoot, but as it stands now you will spend the first 4-5 years posted to a ship.  You do all your general shipboard quals, then your QL4 OJT at sea.  That can take a while depending how much you sail and how motivated you/your bosses are.  A year or so later you do your QL5A at one of the schools, then back to the ship for another year or two.  By then you've earned a two-year shore posting, usually at one of three places:

1:  Naval Ocean Processing Facility Whidbey Island (in the USA), looking for bad guys in the Pacific Ocean.

2:  Acoustic Data Analysis Centre (Esquimalt or Halifax depending on your homeport).  Mostly mission data analysis.

3:  Regional Joint Operations Centre (again, HFX or ESQ).  Out-of-trade position and I'm not completely sure what they do.

After which, if you've been doing things pretty well, you should be a Master Seaman.

 

[howitzer89]

There are some organizational changes afoot, but as it stands now you will spend the first 4-5 years posted to a ship.  You do all your general shipboard quals, then your QL4 OJT at sea.  That can take a while depending how much you sail and how motivated you/your bosses are.  A year or so later you do your QL5A at one of the schools, then back to the ship for another year or two.  By then you've earned a two-year shore posting, usually at one of three places:

1:  Naval Ocean Processing Facility Whidbey Island (in the USA), looking for bad guys in the Pacific Ocean.

2:  Acoustic Data Analysis Centre (Esquimalt or Halifax depending on your homeport).  Mostly mission data analysis.

3:  Regional Joint Operations Centre (again, HFX or ESQ).  Out-of-trade position and I'm not completely sure what they do.

After which, if you've been doing things pretty well, you should be a Master Seaman.

thanks a lot for the info really makes me understand things a little better lol was kinda confused

 

[howitzer89]

won't make a new thread for this obviously, what does QL4 OJT mean?

 

[211RadOp]

QL is Qualification Level and OJT is On the Job Training.

 

[aesop081]

Whidbey Island sounds like a cool place to go.  I bet the selection for it is quite tough though eh?

The maning of these positions is currently under review with a possible change of trade in the near to mid-term.

 

[Neill McKay]

I really hope if I get in I'm posted on a ship, especially as a sonar operator I don't see why not. I've been on a boat almost all my life so maybe I'll feel at home

Just to be sure, you can expect to be posted multiple times over the course of your career, sometimes to ships, other times to shore positions.  It's not just a single shot by any means.

 

[Melbatoast]

Whidbey Island sounds like a cool place to go.  I bet the selection for it is quite tough though eh?

Not really.  It's a serious culture shock and quite hard work so it's a relatively unpopular posting.  That said it's 100% acoustic operating, mostly in realtime, with opportunities to learn a ton of stuff you don't get in the surface fleet so it's a great go as long as you have the right mindset.

The det at NOPF is I think 50 odd people strong, and there are maybe 300 Sonar Ops of all rank levels in the Navy so if you want to go, you will probably be able to.

 

[Melbatoast]

I don't think it's a derail as the original question has been answered.

Whidbey is not going to a different trade - AESOPs may start being posted to NOPF in addition to the personnel already there.  I have no doubt you'll hear all the rumours once you get to the Fleet School.

As far as I know QL3 students still go down to check it out over a couple of days while on course.

 

[trigger324]

As far as I know QL3 students still go down to check it out over a couple of days while on course.

I think that stopped. I didn't go down there and no one I work with recalls doing so within the last 9 yrs.

 

[trigger324]

you're actually using your sonar skills that you've developed

People I know who've been there claim they don't develop their sonar skills UNTIL they've been posted there  ;D

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

People I know who've been there claim they don't develop their sonar skills UNTIL they've been posted there  ;D

*choke* like pepe? *cough*

 

[trigger324]

I haven't talked to him since he went there. everyone I know BESIDES him says that. We'll see how he made out once he gets back  ;D