I'm a retired army guy. I know each of our services have their own traditions, etc., but it rankles me that in the picture we have the enlisted guys working hard and the officer just standing around "supervising."
In the army, officers lead by doing, not by standing around with their thumb up their a.. I've always wondered why things are so different in the navy. Once, when I was TDY at Ft. Monroe, I went to the Norfolk Navy yard and took a tour of the Teddy Rosevelt. Really interesting seeing a carrier up close. What i found most remarkable was that when i started chating with some enlisted guys below deck, they were amazed that an army officer would even talk to them! I thought wow, the navy really is different.
Later in my career, i lived in quarters on a base used by all the services. My next door neighbor was a navy fighter pilot on a tour away from the fleet (never knew what he did). The guy didn't have a clue about how to relate to other people (though i'm sure he was a good pilot) and seemed to have a rather high opinion of himself. Course I was pretty happy to have him shovel my walk after he lost our bet on the outcome of the army-navy game.
Flame away folks,
/rant
Like most americans who love their country, I'm very impressed with the way the Navy was able to so quickly recover this sub and minimize casualties.
Also, being a landlubber, I'm very impressed these things could go 30+ knots underwater. To me, that almost defies the laws of physics. Must be an incredibly powerful powerplant on those subs.
"Nothing" is exacly what we want O-Division doing because if they tried to "something" they'd be in the way. :)
Seriously, there is a long standing and necessary division between officers and men on ships which stems for the need for absolute authority when underway.
Things are very different within the Nav as well -your observations regarding a carrier do not apply to a sub boat -tight crew...
This is the Navy way. When I was on the McKee, I would always volunteer for night shift whenever shiftwork was necessary for the sole reason that O-gangers acted as cheese to the bowels of production. Officers tended to drag their feet on EVERYTHING, get in the way when you least needed them, and find every possible way that you might be doing something wrong- especially when they have never seen the job done before. Officers went home at liberty call and night time work was productive and unimpeded by some college boy trying to prove that he was the smartest guy in the room. There were very few officers that I truly respected and genuinely liked. They were usually prior enlisted, and made it to E-7 before going LDO.
they were amazed that an army officer would even talk to them
That was my first impression the first time I met the Colonel in charge of every Marine on Guam. He was a very nice guy that always seemed happy to see me. He even made the Guard Company CO get in the back seat so he could give me a ride on a rainy day.
The guy didn't have a clue about how to relate to other people (though i'm sure he was a good pilot) and seemed to have a rather high opinion of himself.
Everything I ever heard about fighter pilots from my airdale buddies was that they were prima-donnas that had trouble fitting their enlarged craniums under the canopy. C-2 transport pilots enjoyed making them barf on the way to the carrier since the passenger seats on the COD faced the rear of the plane.
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. :-)
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. :-)