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I'm a former propulsion plant operator (AKA reactor operator, but we got renamed) on a Virginia-class (the newest fast-attack class) sub. A correction to some s
by sgarland 5y ago
I'm a former propulsion plant operator (AKA reactor operator, but we got renamed) on a Virginia-class (the newest fast-attack class) sub. A correction to some stereotypes:
Machinist's Mate AKA Mechanic: Often the burliest, but also on my boat the MMs had the highest percentage of WoW players. For reference, this was during BC and WotLK.
Engineering Laboratory Technician: A subset of the Mechanic, they're the ones who handle the water chemistry of the reactor, and monitor radiation levels. They're generally hated by mechanics since although they technically are capable of doing their job - and thus could/should be supporting their watches - they usually claim the need for independence. They're also generally liars.
Electrical Operator AKA Electrician: While in theory their job is to run and maintain the electric plant, in reality their job is anything that other people don't want to do/can't manage. They're masters at adaptation. I have personally assisted the Electrical Leading Petty Officer (as Reactor Leading Petty Officer) in troubleshooting and repairing the diesel generator control panel, various sonar equipment, heaters, etc. What also infuriates the electricians is that due to weird rules, while they're allowed to babysit the reactor while it's shutdown (called, appropriately, Shutdown Reactor Operator), they can't operate it at power. This, despite the Reactor Operators frequently being of lower intelligence and ability.
Electronics Technician AKA Reactor Operator / Propulsion Plant Operator: Basically God's gift to mankind, except for the dumb ones. Definitely the twitchiest of the bunch, and a solid amount of us are almost certainly on the spectrum. The job alternates between utter boredom (as it turns out, nuclear reactors are extremely stable at steady-state conditions), excitement (drills involving recovering the reactor following an emergency shutdown), and hatred (any maintenance activity involving the steam generators).
- jedc 5y agooh, man, this is so spot on! "They're also generally liars." / "God's gift to mankind, except for the dumb ones"
- ncmncm 5y agoWhat do they have cause to lie about? (Also: how do you pronounce "coners"? Does it have an etymology?)
- brandmeyer 5y agoCone - er But its spelled differently. The correct spelling is `conr` for Can't Operate Nuclear Reactor.
- jedc 5y agoI'm jaded because I was in charge of the ELTs division for a while, and during that time, I had one guy pop positive on a drug test (but he said he didn't take anything) and another guy submit a letter saying he was a drug user (even though he never popped positive for anything.) And this was out of a division of ~5-6 people. So...
- sgarland 5y agoTheir job, mostly. Let's say they took a sample of the primary coolant, saw that pH was going to get very close to the lower limit, but also that they were going to be relieved of duty in 12 hours. Eh, just write it down a little higher and don't bother adding. Now the next person takes their sample, and finds that pH is now out of spec. They probably suspect that the previous person lied, but they can't prove it, and anyway if they reported the numbers accurately, there would be a huge investigation, lots of audits, generally not good. So they'll just report that it's low and they need to do an addition, and then lambast the person when they see them next.
- RappingBoomer 5y agotwidget ahoy
- gherlein 5y agoI was a Reactor Operator (RO) on SSN-687, the last boat before the LA class. Back when dinosaurs still lived and all. Our EOs were super smart too, but the ROs had an astounding amount of ability to troubleshoot and fix things. In those days you had to be able to repair at the component level - underway. But our MMs were amazing including being able to weld while hanging upside down in a bilge - Dave Blackshear I'm talking about you. Since then I've done startups, co-founded startups, done development and management, including VP Eng at both startups and large companies. I've never found the camaraderie and level of trust I had on the boat. It's come close a few times. Submariners are a special breed, and most of the joking stereotyping in the article are true (enough). Flat out, if you earned your dolphins (qualified in submarines) then you are my brother or sister.