USS Montpelier Deploys
The Navy website has a good picture of USS Montpelier (SSN 765) pulling out of Norfolk to deploy with the Harry S Truman Strike Group yesterday:
Submariners looking at the picture will see that the boat is being pushed to port by the tug tied up at the bow; those not as familiar with how a submarine leaves the pier might just focus on the personnel on the bridge, and wonder, "Is anyone driving that thing?":
Assuming all goes well, Montpelier and her crew should next be in the news whenever they're about to relieve the Enterprise Strike Group in the Middle East sometime next month, and we'll get the standard "we're about to attack Iran" stories that accompany any carrier relief in the Fifth Fleet.
posted by Bubblehead at 10:27 AM
31 Comments:
Do you ever get the impression the "boy who cried wolf" montra is intentional? That way it is always the boy who cried wolf, right up until it isn't?
I am starting to think in an interconnected planet of information sharing, with government leaks one can remove the element of surprise from the story by telling the same story every time, which ultimately makes sure the more they are wrong the better.
11/06/2007 3:51 PM
All I have to say is don't they take care of the boats anymore. I haven't seen the exterior of a sub in such sad shape on its way to a deployment. The boat looks like it is on its way to the scrap yard. The CO should be embarassed. I can't believe the NAVY posted that picture on its website.
11/09/2007 8:55 PM
look at the forward draft marks: rust!
tch, tch.
11/11/2007 3:02 PM
...They don't take care of the boats anymore????Incredulous. Obviously you haven't seen the routine of the POM cycle as of late. The crew of Montpelier were working 14 hour days until they deployed. Their last few months have been chock full of underway time. Forward draft marks...holy cow, they are going to be submerged for much of the next 6 months. In case you don't have a calender, that includes all of our precious holidays. All forward deployed away from thier families in defense of your freedom to make comments like that. They still took the time to get as much of a fresh coat of paint topside as they could (BTW most of the light spots are clearly camel marks and where they couldn't get to because of mooring lines). I consider the entire crew (including the CO) to be friends and shipmates and their pride is enormous. They are well trained and dedicated warfighters who give and give...shame on you for your remark
11/11/2007 4:50 PM
ahoy, anonymous matey!
having served for five years in the Navy, (with approx. 3 and one half of those years underwater) I can identify with your defense of overworked submariners. . . up to a point.
i came aboard USS Nathan Hale SSBN 623 two days after it had run aground in Puget Sound. the next three years i spent on board were interesting, to say the least. i might point out that we went from a grounding to receiving Most Outstanding Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Atlantic Fleet 1978 as well as a MUC and a Battle E.
so i say again: "Rust! Tch, tch."
G Primm QM2(SS)
11/11/2007 7:10 PM
I am the PROUD Navy wife of a sailor on the Montpelier. I can tell you that the men aboard this boat have worked MANY, MANY, MANY hours getting this boat ready to go defend this great country. The boat may not be what YOU consider beautiful, but the boat is in excellent condition. The men have been gone most of the past 5 months working on it and making sure that everything is exactly how it should be. I find it amusing that of all the things that could have been posted ~ you would bring up the paint job. The paint job has nothing to do with how well the boat preforms the tasks assigned to it. The men are trained & qualified, the boat is ready, and they are PROUD to go and defend your freedom. How could you be so negative? With all the things happening with our submarines lately it would have been nice to hear, "God Bless Them", or "They have worked so hard", maybe "I'll pray for them and their families" or even "I wish them well." Ironic ~ they have worked so hard and will be away for the holidays doing the jobs that they are proud to do only to hear remarks like this ~ from the very people they are defending the rights of. I can only say, "God Bless the Montpelier and please bring them home safely". Maybe when they return from the deployment they can use their leave to apply that coat of fresh paint to make you proud.
11/15/2007 8:03 PM
proud montpelier wife:
you can be justly proud of your man and the rest of his crew; they are doing a job that puts and keeps them under enormous pressure 24/7.
perhaps a little rust should be overlooked in this case.
i wish them fair currents and a safe harbor.
g primm qm2(ss)
11/16/2007 12:12 AM
I understand the sacrifices the crew and their families are making. I served for six years as a boat sailor and made a deployment myself. I am positive our crew worked as hard, but we always found time to paint to topside. Ask Bubblehead, he was there with me. I have earned the right to be critical. Rust on the exterior of a submarine is an indication of lack of attention to detail. The same attention to detail as a properly maintained uniform. This lack of attention to detail is a submariner's worst enemy. It is the reason submarines run aground, hit sea mounts or collide with other ships. The paint may not seem like much, but it is a bellwether of trouble. The way that boat looks today is what it is supposed to look like when it returns from deployment. The Montpeiler looks like the boats commissioned in the service of Russia.
11/16/2007 8:49 AM
maybe they don't have time to load the latest charts, conduct a proper baffle clear, or sample the reactor coolant. just a thought
11/16/2007 9:50 AM
How many of you are" Submariners?"
As a Submariner's Wife, was I the only one to notice that the tide seems a little low(hence the waterline mark). Should the CO of this boat post a man topside to stand a watch ,to watch for water movement, never mind the paint team being on standby. The only people that should be embarrassed are you fellow submariners bashing one another. Also if any of you are fellow Submariners you would also know the things that have to be done in the 2 weeks before a deployment. I should hope that "latest charts, conduct a proper baffle clear, or sample the reactor coolant", and such was of the first concern. Do you know this boat's underway times? Why don't you see if you can find that out before saying this is how a boat looks after a 6 month'er. HMMMM I say pretty damn close to 6 months of in and outs.Also check on all the certifications they had to do before leaving. Sounds to me like you should join your local wives group for tea, or lend a helping hand, since you all know the ins and outs of the Submariners world. While enjoying the freedom that these men give you.
I know my prayers will be with my husband each night as he defends our freedoms.
11/26/2007 6:47 AM
Rust! Look at that rust there, Weps; find me the man responsible so I can have him flogged. FLOGGED! do you hear me?
Hard tack and water for everyone!
Flood main ballast and dive, dive! Aahoogaah!
Glug;glug;bloop.
11/30/2007 1:32 AM
My husband is also on this boat and I'm sure he will be glad to know how worried ya'll were about the rust. Hmmm maybe he should have had to work even later hours to get it painted. So instead of being so negative give thanks for what they do.
12/06/2007 9:08 PM
Yes yes yes they should have WORKED HARDER. They should have worked until they dropped, paint brushes still in hand.
That boat is a warcraft of the United States Silent Service, the finest in the world and it should not look like we borrowed it from the Mexican navy.
Those sailors should be ashamed of that paint job and they should wear their shame around their necks like the corpse of a dead cat.
As for "freedoms"? Fooey. Submarines aren't designed to defend your "freedoms," lady, they're designed to KILL PEOPLE, quietly, but with style.
I otta know, I spend years three hundred feet underwater on those things.
Make no mistake, when the Montpelier gets back they are going to hear about that shoddy paint job. I will tell them personally.
12/07/2007 11:11 AM
I am a submariner and the good ole Monty was my first submarine and I am dam proud of her. Yes she may have a little rust but subs in todays Navy are rode hard and put away wet. Unlike you cold war veterans who had twice the subs and half the missions todays submariners have to do twice what you guys did with half the resourses. Half of the squadron 6 & 8 boats are in the shipyards being overhauled so boats like the monty have to pick up the slack. Todays submariners just don't have time to paint and why not you ask because they are at sea all the time and when they finally do get into port they are up to their ears with PMS that couldn't be done at sea and trying to order parts for systems that broke down, and gone are the days when you could order anything you wanted, no uncle sam is making the submariners pinch every penny. So I say to you submariners who critisize the rust, yes I remember the type or submariner you were the type who would stab his fellow submariner in the back to make himself look good and was hated by all around. Sorry but in todays navy we don't have strikers to do all the painting and grunt work on the boat, so we have to take from the crew that are rated which means that there is one less person in your division to get things done. Must have been nice back in the day to be able to have time and strikers to paint the boat and make it look all pretty. I'm sure those army boys in Irag give there Humvees a carwash right before they do their patrols in Baghdad to impress the locals. These are fighting war machines, their first priority is to put weapons on target with a fully operational sub. I am proud of my brothers on the mighty monty. That rust, they will wear with honor. Where you see a lack of attention I see a boat that's been out to sea a long long time. Bobblehead and Itjv I really hope you aren't in the Navy anymore. We don't need submariners like you. I know I am a submariner through and through, and one thing us real submariners do is back each other up, not stab each other in the back. These Navy wives have more class than either of you. Do you really know what these guys have been through. When's the last time you served on board a sub. The Monty is an awesome boat and shot 20 tomahawks in operation Iraqi freedom and guess what she was 20 for 20 clean sweep. She looks like a supermodel now compared to what she look like then, and how do I know, well I was the quartermaster and yes I had time to load my charts into VMS and prepare paper charts as well. All I can say is GO MIGHTY MONTY I know you will make us all proud, and to the Navy wives your men do us submariners and this Mighty nation of ours proud and we have the wives to thank for that.
ET1(SS)Lee
12/12/2007 6:40 AM
Way to go there, SUBLEE75: let me have whatfor, and damn straight.
Now, we had hula girls and "strikers", you say? Hot damn. Tell you what, buddy, I was degreasing the periscope well and painting the bridge as an E5 and I wasn't the only one because life in the Silent Service sucks, big time, but so what, we were the best and we were gone gone gone. Check this out: one boat I brought back from 'Nam was so clapped out we were decertified to dive below 300 feet.
Sure they ride 'em hard but they ride everybody hard and that's no excuse because they have always ridden everybody hard, but you can bet I'll stand any bubblehead a beer any day and lend him my charts, too (I always ordered extra for that very purpose - all you gotta do is ask).
Now that that's out of the way, where did I put that cat o'nine tails?
12/13/2007 12:45 AM
Oh, one more thing: that boat we brought back from 'Nam, that clapped out fast attack?
You guessed it; the first thing we did after we tied up to the pier was paint that pig.
12/13/2007 12:54 AM
Yes yes yes they should have WORKED HARDER. They should have worked until they dropped, paint brushes still in hand.
That boat is a warcraft of the United States Silent Service, the finest in the world and it should not look like we borrowed it from the Mexican navy.
Those sailors should be ashamed of that paint job and they should wear their shame around their necks like the corpse of a dead cat.
As for "freedoms"? Fooey. Submarines aren't designed to defend your "freedoms," lady, they're designed to KILL PEOPLE, quietly, but with style.
I otta know, I spend years three hundred feet underwater on those things.
Make no mistake, when the Montpelier gets back they are going to hear about that shoddy paint job. I will tell them personally.
As far as defending "OUR" freedoms.
Everyday fine sir. Yes a Sub was designed to "kill." That Silent Service serves more than one purpose to our Goverment.
As far as being a warcraft....you think the Monty Family doesn't understand that our men are sleeping and living aboard a loaded weapon. Guess that's not serving your freedon either.
Will you be there with bells on and a sign around your neck telling these men that for the last six month's that they sat in forgien waters not defending your freedom. Good Luck with that,make sure to bring a paint brush, roll or can with ya!! Sure they will enjoy liberty while you paint.
A Monty wife
1/20/2008 10:51 AM
Let me tell you a litle something about the pre deployment schedule of the Mighty Monty for all you surface ladies or boomer boys. Up until November 2007 when we deployed we spent a whole 2 months in home port getting ready to go out and do our job. The Mighty Monty crew are the best at what they do and I know because I was there. So why don't you talkers just keep your comments to yourself, OK girls.
FT1/SS Toro STA-21 Selectee
2/28/2008 5:06 PM
To all who have so little to do with their time than to criticize the appearance of the Montpelier.. click on this link to see how see appeared as she moored into her first port call on deployment.
http://navsource.org/archives/08/750/0876516.jpg
Those posting critiques on paint jobs, consider that divisions today are critically undermanned - There's nobody out their to fill the billets - retention has bottomed out. Technical training (including troubleshooting) is no longer. A "train them so they can at least operate the gear and send them to the fleet" mentality prevails.
The wives out there will tell you that, on top of their husbands being out to sea (home 2 months out of 11 this year), when they're in port, the 3 section watch rotation basically allows them enough time to come home and sleep in their own beds. Yet you want them to work harder.
Yes, I'll agree that the work 20 years ago was hard. But, after 9/11, op tempos went completely haywire. Compare it on a smaller scale to pre-9/11 airport security with the way it is now. There are a hell of a lot more changes than comparisons. And none of them are easier.
Now, I know that you'll respond with some kind of "back in the day..." well, guess what, I did my time in the sail, I've greased the bouys, I've replaced so many floating wires I couldn't begin to count them, I've had no end to operational deadlines at the same time... and yet after all that work I'll still defend every bit of work they're doing.
Look at the hydrophone cover, obviously just worked on, wouldn't you say?
LTJV... six whole years! My at-sea time in the Navy was much more than your whole career... I've got more salt on my willie than you can tally.
Kudos to Lee and Toro. Shipmates both.
ET1(SS) Carman - retired
2/29/2008 5:42 AM
That turd launched 21 tomahawks with rust, and looked good doing it. MM1(SS) Henley
3/04/2008 8:32 AM
Reading these comments reminds me why I left after six year. I loved the deployments and hated everything else in-between.
3/11/2008 6:54 PM
21 Tomahawks?!? WTF are you launching cruise missiles at? In the Wor on Terrirr?
Those suckers cost a half million dollars EACH. The Montpelier spent $10 million dollars KILLING COWS!!! and probably women and children!!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/us-fails-a-fourth-time-to-hit-alqaida-suspect-in-somalia-793514.html
Damn and double damn, that's insane, and sure as sh*t not what I signed up for.
And you wives: that crap is NOT DEFENDING MY FREEDOMS(sic): that War on Terror is a frigging LIE.
It's because of this BS that the WHOLE WORLD HATES US.
Damn damn damn.
3/11/2008 7:47 PM
I was able to leave prior to deployment, and I'll tell you one thing is for certain. The COB had that boat painted more often than I can remember. We lost shore power one time and didn't snorkel to preserve our nice paint job. So don't give these guys grief about a bit of rust that they missed as a result of a mooring line, or some other obstruction.
To Carman, Toro, and Henley, I may not have been there with you when you made those shots, but I consider you shipmates, friends, and brothers. I hope all is well.
To the wives of the Mighty Monty, I hope your families are safe, and your thoughts remain positive. Just like you can't wait for your husbands to come home, I can't wait for my brothers to come home.
ET1 (SS) Moore
3/17/2008 7:27 PM
First I would like to say that I found it funny that the name of this is The Stupid Shall Be Punished. How appropriate. It is truly a disappointment to find such caddyness where I expected to find raves of support and encouragement. Anyway, as another wife of a sailor currently serving on the USS Montpelier I would like to offer an invitation and a challenge to Bobblehead. I would very much love to have you at the pier next month when our celebrated crew returns home from thier deployment. You did say that you would tell them personally about their shoddy paint job right? Well, what better time to deliver the message. It would be perfect. Then we would have our weary warriors there along with thier wives, children, and extended family who have longed for them and missed them over the past months to band together and kick your sorry, ungrateful, unpatriotic, useless ass into the water. See you there.
4/08/2008 7:15 PM
I am the proud mama of a young sailor on the Mighty Monty. I just talked to him and he was just bubbling over with the excitement of hard work and camaraderie. He said that he had never been so tired, but that it felt good to work together with his shipmates. I'm sure there are good and bad points in a submariners life, but aren't there good and bad days for all of us at our jobs and in our lives? I live so far away from my little boy, and I would give anything to be there when he takes off again...I'm pretty sure I wouldn't worry about the paint job! God bless our sailors!
6/06/2008 7:23 PM
Hey Moore:
Its Toro here. I remember that time we didnt snorkel. I appreciate that. Hope all is well my friend.
3/02/2009 9:38 PM
The rust she wears are her beauty marks. No matter, she and her crew have always done the job.
Former SK1(SS)... Bob Moore
USS Montpelier, 1993-1995
4/03/2009 8:33 AM
She may have her flaws but what beautiful lady doesn't. most of the responses on this site are a few months older but i had to throw in my 5 cents worth. I was on board the montpelier before and during this deployment. Et1 carmen was my lpo and toro a good friend, the cob was strict about keeping the ship looking her best, but sometime the mission is more important. our schedule up to our deployment was crazy to say the least, and while the ouside had its flaws inside she was spotless, the cleanest sub in the fleet if i dare say. we painted her every chance we had. As for all you that would attack our "attention to detail" i would like to see you do a better job. And as for bobblehead, i could tear into what you say about freedom and our role in yours, its obvious that despite your time in service you have forgotten what being and american is and what the mission of a submarine is.. we are there as a deterant not just to kill.. if you dont like how things are or that me and my shipmates are protecting your "freedoms" to say what you wish, then leave.
How could you say the war on terror is a lie? you probably beleive 9/11 didnt really happen either dont you? do you really expect us to stand by and do nothing? again unamerican of you. its not the war on terrorism that makes other countries hate us, its that we are so dang pround to be american, we are prideful, arrogent, and we dont take crap from anyone. that is why they hate us. I wouldnt have it any other way. I only hope that you remember why you fought in "nam" someday...
To all the suppporting posts im sure i speak for every man on the montpelier and every other deploying unit out there when i say thank you, WE havent forgotten what WE are fighting for. your support reminds me of why i joined the military in the first place.
ET2(SS) J.Snow
10/18/2009 12:19 AM
A correction to the above post: the post should of incorporated g randy primm's name before the section: How could you say the war on terror is a lie?
10/18/2009 12:41 AM
@ ET2(SS) J.Snow:
Not only does your paint job suck, your irony meter is busted too, and let's not talk about your tragic loss of a sense of humor.
You might want to check with the rest of the fleet about your "specialness" and how oh-so-busy you were. As for finding a "cleaner" boat than yours, buddy, I don't have to look, because I was on more than one, long time, as were a whole bunch of other sewer pipe dwellers, the living and the dead.
So as the sun sets over the fair South Sea island of American Samoa (now in ruins), and we bid all the tourists a fond farewell, I leave you with the immortal words of the late great African-American writer Willard Motley: "Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse."
Glug glug glug.
.
10/18/2009 10:05 AM
What namely you're saying is a terrible blunder.
11/23/2011 12:30 AM
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