Pic of the USS San Francisco

[submarinerswife]

Picture

[finnman69]

The Port Torpedo tube outer doors look heavily damaged.

Lucky lucky luck lucky

[null and void]

Holy sh!t!!!

[NCC-1701]

That's going to leave a mark.

[PogySailor]

Man, they were lucky. It looks like the port side took the heaviest damage.

[submarinerswife]

Whoa!

I'm amazed.

[Logic n' Reason]

OUCH!

Now THAT'S going to leave a mark!

[Robert A Cook PE]

The job is completely different for technical disciplines submarine repair, nuclear maintenance, and combat systems (likewise auxiliary systems and weapons handling to a different level).

The officers' jobs isn't to "DO" the work, but to verify it - make sure the people DOING it are safe, the job is secure and is being done right, and the ship/system is safe DURING the job and will operate OK for the next thirty years (or until it's ripped apart for maintenance again!).

There are a few officers who can legitimately "critique" the technical performance of what's going on: these officers are rare, but THAT part of the job (the technical operations and people part and training for the next operator) is the chief's/LPO job. But an officer has three roles different than the average guy:

1. Tactical command and offensive operations. Sit on the fire control panels up front, keep the operational charts and the maps and the ship's course correct to fight. Fighter pilots are up front fighting the same way.

!a. With that are all the "combat support" supervision and emergency reaction stuff: coordinating the DC parties or landing craft on a surface ship, moving airplanes, or fire fighting crews, ....

2. Next is people/division officer stuff: training and personnel and support of the LPO. Keeping the division running (and hopefully) keeping the brass off of the troops so the troops can get routine stuff done.

3. Last (most important?) is QA. Making sure stuff gets done. More important, that it gets done right without killing people or breaking eqpt. That the job is done on time, within budget (yeah right) and to the right specs.

---

So, given all these conflicts, and the VERY LITTLE experience (and judgment) of the typical 4-6 year old officer, how does he/she learn when the bend the rules, when to enforce them, and when to IMMEDIATELY get help or authority?

From the LPO and chiefs. But these guys also can make mistakes.

---

But as Reactor Controls Officer or SubSafe Controls Officer, or Top Secret Control Officer, or Crypto Controls Officer, (or Navigator updating charts of the Pacific near Guam!.....) "I" (me, not the petty officer) am responsible that the weekly reactor check numbers are correct and meet specs. That the daily and monthly crypto destruction is ACTUALLY done right (and not just radio'ed off at the end of the month with 32 identical signatures!), that the records are signed off, and that the thing will work.

Doohickey, FAS - Anything to correct in this?

[passingthought]

here's what she's supposed to look like
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0871104.jpg

[EricT.]

Next is people/division officer stuff: training and personnel and support of the LPO. Keeping the division running (and hopefully) keeping the brass off of the troops so the troops can get routine stuff done.

I relished working for officers/CPO's with this attitude. I would do just about anything for this type of people, and always to the best of my ability. The last one I worked for was an LDO ensign. Last time I saw him, he was SUBPAC EMO.

[El Gran Salseron]

"but it rankles me that in the picture we have the enlisted guys working hard and the officer just standing around "supervising."

In addition to all of the other responses to your post concerning the officer/enlisted thing and now that posts on this thread have died down I have the following comments:

( To be read with tongue only halfway in cheek. ) :-)

The Navy gives tests to potential boat sailors, both enlisted and officer types. If one's score is not high enough then one can forget about ever getting on the boats. With that thought in mind, there are some Navy officers who would NOT qualify to serve on the boats. The scores required are equal to that of anyone desiring to be a Navy pilot. :-)

An enlisted man can learn how to do an officer's job. The reverse is not necessarily true. :-)

For any ex-officers of the Navy, flame away! :-)

In actuality, young Navy officers, ( O-1s and O-2s and even some 0-3s, ) give a very wide berth, ( read - stay out of their way, ) to E6s and above and in most cases will defer to the enlisted man's opinion concerning ops, work, etc.....usually.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY messes with the COB. He has just a little bit less stroke than the Exec and reports directly to the Exec. ( COB = Chief of the Boat. ) E-7 and above. All E-7s and above have a permanently bent index finger from carrying a coffee cup around all day.....some even sleep with an empty coffee cup grasped tightly in their index finger.

I have seen young officers quivering in their shoes while getting chewed out by the COB. :-) You just don't mess with the COB.

Bottom line.....enlisted men on the boats get their due, in time. :-)

[El Gran Salseron]

Oops!

I forgot to mention that the COB reports directly to the Exec, thereby, bypassing all other officers on the boat so you can see that he has stroke. The other officers report to the Exec as well. :-)