Keeping the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines since late 2004... and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found. Idaho's first and foremost submarine blog. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me; don't call me at home.)

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Nuke Power Training Command From Google Maps

SubBasket was playing around with Google Maps tonight, looking for satellite images of our old houses. She found the one we lived in at the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek, SC, and I thought I'd see what images they had of the various Nuclear Power training commands located there.

Here's what I found of the NPTU -- you can see (not too clearly) the two Moored Training Ships on the right:


And I'm pretty sure this is the new Nuke School (at least that big complex wasn't there when I was last there in '93):


Anyone out there with more recent Charleston experience who can confirm or deny the validity of that last picture? (This page has a front view that kind of matches up.) And what are all the silver buildings to the left? Barracks?

Of interest, it looks like there is no official Nuke School NIPR site. In looking around for something, I did find this article that kind of talks about Nuke School, and this probably unintentionally humorous "myths" page about submarining from the Naval Academy site. Where else can you find a page that tackles the common misperceptions that "You have to be a super-geek to be a submariner" and "Nuclear Power School is incredibly hard", addressed to students of a "university" where the average SAT score is 1300? And check out the last myth ("Nuclear powered warships are banned from all the cool ports") where they infer that Okinawa and Bahrain are desirable places to go on liberty.

Going deep...

Update 0647 17 Nov: For completeness (and in response to a reader's request), I should add this link to info on NPTU Ballston Spa (on the West Milton KAPL site), the other "prototype" site -- there's not much else on the 'Net, and I was never stationed there, so I don't have any personal experiences. That pretty much covers all the places where the military operates land-based reactors; unless, of course, you subscribe to this moonbat's theory...

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Confirmation verification from another alum. Some more detail about the place: both A school and Powerschool are in that building, separated by the quarterdeck.

The long main path that goes from the school to the barracks is called "the spine". The building pigboatsailor couldn't remember is the Activity Complex which has the weight room, a room with pool tables, arcades, a big screen TV, etc... (something we referred to as the "E-Club"), a woodshop, and an admin type desk where you sign for your BEQ room (and go to get a replacement keycard when you lock yours in your room...a process that involves getting humiliated by the JOOD for being a moron). The center of the big circle between the school and the complex has a giant helium atom, and a popular (but false) rumor among the enlisted students is that the ashes of Rickover are buried in the nucleus of the atom.

The building between the galley (the "Refueling Complex", the only 4-star galley in the navy...or something like that) and the school has various admin places, and also a NEX barbershop. Between that building and the school is the smoke pad...and it is ALWAYS packed at breaks (even the 5 minute ones). Any rumor either gets started or gets spread to the rest of the school at the smoke pad.

The barracks all have names of nuclear powered warships...with Nimitz being the one closest to the school and Enterprise furthest.

The PRT is run around the track along the outside of the site. It starts at the field just above where the picture is cut off. That field is usually closed (or it was when I was there). I think they closed it to keep it looking nice for various dignitaries.

Worst thing about that place: the smell. It always smelled like swamp, and was joined with the smell of burnt air during the summer.

11/17/2005 5:48 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Correction: Nautilus is the furthest BEQ from the school, NOT Enterprise...Enterprise was, ironically enough, the one no one wanted to be in because it was always breaking.

11/17/2005 6:47 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Moonbat update was amusing, but Ft Belvoir, just outside DC DID have a reactor as part the Army's aborted nuclear reactor program. It was the SM-1 reactor, and was used to train Army nuclear operators (so it is the Army counterpart of S1W in Idaho), and shut down in 1973.

The story and pictures can be seen here
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/apr01/story8.htm

Nothing like a little info in the mind of a paranoid to create a crazy story.

11/19/2005 11:19 PM

 
Anonymous гид в барселоне said...

In my view every person ought to look at it.

11/09/2011 9:01 AM

 

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