Navy Nukes

Comment

Comment by lsdemme2001 on January 8, 2014 at 1:00pm

Just to give you an example, I recall that my son was extremely frustrated while there because they were shut down for over a month at one point. My memory is fuzzy but I think it had to do with another team falsifying some checklist records or something.  They were discovered and some high ranking officers got involved and an investigation followed that necessitated all reactor training come to an absolute standstill for everyone at the site.  It was taken extremely seriously and nothing, and i mean absolutely nothing, moved forward until the suspension of activities was lifted at the conclusion and resolution of the issue.  It was indeed very frustrating for my son at the time. They had numerous shutdowns while he was there and they ranged from a few days to many weeks.    

Comment by Brian E. Moore on January 8, 2014 at 12:58pm

Also from what I am told it's basically 2 old nuclear subs and that's where all their training takes place. I was told they are live reactors (when they're up. lol) but do not provide any energy for the area.

Comment by Bubblehead on January 8, 2014 at 12:49pm

They don't provide power to the grid.  The only time I'm aware of that happening is in the early days when a test reactor in Idaho provided power to the town of Arco (I think) as a publicity stunt.

There are 2 reasons to not provide power:

1.  The reactors are up & down all the time as part of their training purpose.

2.  The navy doesn't want to deplete the core and have to replace it, just for training purposes.  So, even when the reactor is critical, they run it at low power.

Comment by lsdemme2001 on January 8, 2014 at 12:48pm

I really do not recall if it is a working reactor or not.  I do know that they treat it like one though.  If a team does something that is not procedure they take it very very serious.  For instance if they are working on shutdown or startup procedures, or just proper monitoring, and something is discovered that was not followed as prescribed, there is a thorough investigation and all training stops until the issue is thoroughly vetted and resolved.  Your nuke will be at the mercy of EVERY single other Nuke doing their job absolutely 100% correctly.  If they don't, and they are discovered, you can expect a shutdown and delays.  

Comment by B'sNukemom&dad⚓️MM on January 8, 2014 at 12:33pm

Thanks Isdemme2001!

So does this reactor actually provide energy for NY or is it just a training reactor?  I'm not real familiar with the whole reactor thing and nuclear energy.  Guess I should start learning!

Comment by lsdemme2001 on January 8, 2014 at 10:37am

My son has been in the fleet for five years now, but when he was at prototype in BS he was delayed several times due to reactor issues. There were improper procedures by another team that caused reactor shutdown for weeks at a time and my sons group had to sit back and wait because of issues totally unrelated to his team.  The Navy is very strict on proper procedures and when they discover a team not following protocol they step in and take immediate action to assure that the issues are not repeated.

Expect delays that could be just hours, days or weeks in some cases.  During this time your nukes will be given other duties and you can be sure the Navy will not allow too much idle time for the nukes in training.   

Comment by B'sNukemom&dad⚓️MM on January 8, 2014 at 10:08am

Thanks for the 411 Bob.  From conversations I've seen here and on Navy 4 Moms it seems as if everyone's prototype training gets extended at some point because of reactor issues....If the reactor is shut down what do they do?  Is it usually just a short amount of time?

Comment by B'sNukemom&dad⚓️MM on January 7, 2014 at 10:21am

Tim - I "bumped" 2 discussions above that are good info for you and your sailor...."Your Sailor's Schedule Upon Arrival at GC" and "Surviving Nuke School".  This should give you an idea of what to expect.  Good luck to your sailor!

Comment by Tim on January 7, 2014 at 8:26am

Thanks David's Mom for the info on Nuke school. I know our sailor is ready to get out of this cold weather here in Great Lakes and get to Charleston. It was -40 yesterday; we were snowbound for a few days here. Not much fun for the new recruits this week.

Comment by Bob morrell on January 6, 2014 at 8:24pm

Congrats to all the Nukes heading to Ballston Spa. To give you guys a little 411, our Matt reported to Ballston Spa 9/16/13, his Protype Training did not start until the first week of November. They had them doing various duties, studying and getting familiar with staff and base. (Also working shifts).

 

Our sons class should be Graduating in April of this year.  Matt did tell us at Christmas that they were told the Reactor will be shutting down for Maint. in April, If this is true those up there will be on hold until it comes back on line.

Hope all your sailors arrive safely in NY.

 

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