Old Boats And Old Shipmates
The Navy website has quite a few new photographs of one of my old boats, USS Connecticut (SSN 22), participating in the U.S. - Japan ANNUALEX a few days ago. Here's one:
Others can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.It's always good to see your old boat. I also enjoy seeing old shipmates and friends do well, so I was happy to see the results of the FY11 Submarine Major Command and Major Program Manager Selection Board. It looks like this would have been the year I would have been up had I made it that far. I was especially happy to see two of my old JO running mates from USS Topeka (SSN 754) on the list. Congratulations to all!
posted by Bubblehead at 10:38 PM
16 Comments:
I'm glad to see there are some real studs in the Major Program Manager category - it's great to see them getting good served COs into the Acquisition Corps. It bodes well for the future of the force!
11/21/2009 7:39 AM
I got to see part of one of my old boats. The sail of the George Washington is at the Submarine Force museum in Groton. The Pollack & Guardfish, not even a piece of them exist anywhere. I don't think they saved anything from any of the Thresher class boats, which is a shame.
11/21/2009 8:22 AM
Pollack and Guardfish have at least one major component left.
Not that they're easy to go visit, but have a leisurely read here, then check out #14 and #26 in the poster shown at the bottom of the same web page.
Here is a more current view. More info as well here.
11/21/2009 10:23 AM
This may be a stupid question - What does selection to submarine support mean?
11/21/2009 10:30 AM
Not a stupid question, just odd in this context because it's not an option in Major Command screening. "Submarine Support" is a category in CO and XO screening. It means fully qualified but in excess of requirements (i.e. there is not a billet forecast to be available for the COSS or XOSS officers). For Major Command, fully qualified but in excess of requirements is called "not cleared for Major Command." And yes, despite what you may have read in another post on this board, there were several officers who reached that designation this year. There are three looks for Major Command, and if you are not screened by the third look, you will not be screened.
11/21/2009 11:47 AM
If you get passed over for your first MC look and then get chosen on your second look, does that preclude you from a Star? Just curious to get peoples opinion.
11/21/2009 1:49 PM
What does selection to submarine support mean
In case you prefer English to gibberish, CO/XOSS means you were in the low-middle ranks among your peers. The Navy has three options at the screening boards:
1) Give you a real boat job
2) Fire you from the sub force
3) Stash you somewhere so you avoid option (2) - this is the (SS) screening option
11/21/2009 2:01 PM
1) Give you a real boat job
2) Fire you from the sub force
3) Stash you somewhere so you avoid option (2) - this is the (SS) screening option
It also serves as a reserve force in the case of those with 'real boat jobs' get fired/ get med dq'd
I know at least one - and I think, but can't remember for sure, as many as 3 - people on the MC list that Joel posted were COSS but got boats after a CO got replaced early.
11/22/2009 4:23 AM
There is definitely an unpublished (to my knowledge anyway) pecking order to COSS and XOSS. It is convenient for the force these days to have a number of ready spares who were good enough to get to command but may have lost out on numbers alone. There are many people serving and served as CO/XO (and on major command lists) that were COSS.
I'll say it one more time. It does not matter how you get to command, just that you do. One is only COSS until you get picked up, then you are like all the others.
Congrats to everyone on this years list, and the ones before.
BT BT
As to whether or not the timing of your appearance on this list matters, I have to little data to provide a statistically based opinion.
11/22/2009 4:28 PM
"I'm glad to see there are some real studs in the Major Program Manager category - it's great to see them getting good served COs into the Acquisition Corps. It bodes well for the future of the force!"
Amen to that, I know three of those guys quite well. ACES all.
11/22/2009 4:29 PM
Agreed -- Everyone I know is a top-notch guy who's on the list.
11/22/2009 9:20 PM
The CO of USS Hawaii is a classmate of mine from NPS and prototype. I am very glad to see that he has done so well.
11/23/2009 8:49 AM
There is definitely an unpublished (to my knowledge anyway) pecking order to COSS and XOSS
For COSS, there is also the policy that those specifically chosen to be 'in the bullpen' will be assigned as Squadron Deputies and attend SCC prior to taking their CSS jobs.
It's been this way since around the time SCC replaced the PCO school, I think.
11/25/2009 4:00 AM
I remember when the Connecticut pulled in to Norfolk for the first time. Since her draft in more than a 688 she had to pull in at the carrier piers and the camels where in the wrong spot because of her WAA arrays. I was offgoing duty section so we had to tie her up and move the camels. You know how hard it is to move a camel? Well any way its not easy. We finally got a truck on the pier and attached the mooring line from the camel to it. The Connecticut COB was yelling at us the whole time what an a-hole. I like to see him do better. I found this link to a USS Connecticut edition GI Joe. Thought you might want to see it if you hadn't b4.
http://cgi.ebay.com/G.I.Joe-Submarine-USS-Connecticut-Crewman-SSN-22_W0QQitemZ270490898619QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20091126?IMSfp=TL091126203015r20092
11/27/2009 2:47 PM
I'm a few beers deep at a port call, so i figured i'd break the seal and post:
You're welcome for those pictures of Connecticut. Photo Ex's are the one time we can get really close to ships, submarines, etc. and not get yelled at. We got much closer than this picture a few minutes later. The bridge team seemed to enjoy it as we sprayed them with rotor wash.
HS-14 Guy
12/04/2009 3:31 AM
So, I do not really imagine this is likely to have success.
9/06/2012 8:32 AM
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