4/C Summer Cruise

engineer

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So, what will your plebe (soon to youngster?) be doing this summer? Ours will be on a sub cruise and a YP cruise. Any insight on either would be appreciated :biggrin:
 
So, what will your plebe (soon to youngster?) be doing this summer? Ours will be on a sub cruise and a YP cruise. Any insight on either would be appreciated :biggrin:

Wouldn't it be called the 3/C summer?
 
Yes it is 3/C or youngster cruise. Not sure on sub cruises, I never did one. I prefer sunlight! But from what I remember from my friends who did them it all depends on the sub you get. Every cruise varies, whether sub, surface or aviation. I was lucky and only had 3 Mids on my ship and our training officer was a grad. He was all about us getting as much exposure as possible and doing all kinds of different things. It also all depends on the subs schedule. Are they scheduled to be in port or go underway? He probably won't know this until he gets there. We even had some Mids be underway long enough that they earned their Patrol Pins on sub cruise. Opinions about YP cruises vary. I had a blast on mine, but we had a great group of Mids and crew on board. YP cruise is a chance for a Mid to get underway and learn how a ship operates (in a very small, controlled, training environment). Mids do all the charts for navigation, ship operations, watch stations, etc. Some Mids hate YPs and others enjoy it, but like everything in life, it is what you make of it and seizing the opportunities when they are presented.
 
My mistake on 4/c vs 3/c......I was told they were still plebes until the cruise was over.
 
My mistake on 4/c vs 3/c......I was told they were still plebes until the cruise was over.

Unless things have changed, in my day -- they are Plebes until Herndon is over, then 4/C Midshipmen until graduation a few days later when they become 3/C midshipmen. You aren't officially a Youngster until after sighting the USNA chapel dome upon return from 3/C cruise...
 
My mistake on 4/c vs 3/c......I was told they were still plebes until the cruise was over.

Unless they have a zero block (I.e., before graduation, but after finals) cruise, they're 3/C and people on zero block usually just wear youngster insignia anyway.
 
DS will be doing a Sub cruise and some sort of training program at West Point that he had tryouts for recently.
 
It is different now with Sea Trials. Not sure when they are recognized as 4/C; after Sea Trials or after Herndon... maybe one of the newer grads or current Mids can answer? Regardless of Sea Trials, I think Herndon still holds a special place in all grads hearts and will never be able to be replaced. Yes, the tradition has been when a 3/C sees the Chapel Dome on the return of YP Cruise they are Youngsters. I don't think anyone on my YP cruise cared about that as we had battled a tropical storm and everyone but 3 of us were so sea sick they just wanted off the boat!
 
Last year I think they gave them youngster anchors (but not to wear) and carry-on after Sea Trials, but there was a lot of push back and old grads, mids, etc. were kind of pissed.
I know for me there was a lot more significance to Herndon than there was after Sea Trials. '14 in my company seemed to feel similarly, but not to the same extent.
There was a big shift the past couple years to basically take as much significance away from Herndon as possible so that it could eventually be eliminated, but given that '15 still has it I think/hope that change might be going away.
 
Each Summer is different. Daughter did 44Sail to Newport as 4/C in 0 block, (nice). Did Carrier for Fleet Week Fourth of July in Boston (nice) then Boomer out of Kings Bay then Air out of Oceana. Commander of Sub was USNA same Company and let her "drive the boat". Air time at Oceana was "Do you like a rollercoaster?". After manuevers he told her the stick was hers. She loved it all.
 
Each Summer is different. Daughter did 44Sail to Newport as 4/C in 0 block, (nice). Did Carrier for Fleet Week Fourth of July in Boston (nice) then Boomer out of Kings Bay then Air out of Oceana. Commander of Sub was USNA same Company and let her "drive the boat". Air time at Oceana was "Do you like a rollercoaster?". After manuevers he told her the stick was hers. She loved it all.

Wow. All that during Youngster summer? What kind of plane did she get to fly in?
 
Alright folks, I'm ignorant. :frown: What is "Herndon," and what are "Sea Trials," and "Youngster Cruise?" DS accepted an appointment to USNA. I served AD in USAF and am trying to learn more about USNA, and the Navy in general. The only dealings I had with Navy was in Joint Exercises as a ROMAD, and didn't get that opportunity real often. Rode in a Navy Helo where the pilot was seriously trying to make this AF SSGT ill while flying through some hilly country in Puerto Rico. He didn't succeed, but it was fun.
 
That site is actually pretty decent. A lot of stuff is off but it's close enough.

This cracked me up though:

President of the United States: President George W. Bush
Secretary of Defense: Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld
Acting Secretary of Navy: Honorable Hansford T. Johnson
Chief of Naval Operations: Admiral Vernon Clark, USN
United States Naval Academy Superintendent: VADM Rodney Rempt, USN
Commandant of Midshipmen: Colonel John R. Allen, USMC
 
ahhhh.... remembering those first summer training cruises....as a parent...it was a good lesson in "Semper Gumby"....my Mid reported to Groton, Conn. ( from the Yard) for a Sub cruise, 2nd block . Let's just say his "boat" was several years older than he was and after a few days (maybe 3) underway it developed troubles that required it to immediately surface and return to port for repairs....the officer in charge of the onboard Mids gave them the option to sit in port while the sub was repaired ( indefinite time ) or go home for the remainder of the training block....My 3/C Mid had apparently experienced enough of the "Silent Service" and elected to head home for an extra 12 days of unplanned leave. For 3rd training block he was assigned to YPs...the exact reporting date back to USNA for his YP cruise changed approximately 3 times during that 12 days at home....thank goodness that SWA flight reservations are fairly easy to change without the typical huge $$ penalties !!:thumb:
 
Last year I think they gave them youngster anchors (but not to wear) and carry-on after Sea Trials, but there was a lot of push back and old grads, mids, etc. were kind of pissed.
I know for me there was a lot more significance to Herndon than there was after Sea Trials. '14 in my company seemed to feel similarly, but not to the same extent.
There was a big shift the past couple years to basically take as much significance away from Herndon as possible so that it could eventually be eliminated, but given that '15 still has it I think/hope that change might be going away.

The push to eliminate the Herndon climb was uniquely a VADM Fowler thing. He was a lonely voice in the wilderness on this issue but he was the Superintendent and, therefore, had the power to de-emphasize it. As soon as he left it seemed the tradition came back, grease and all!

You would have to know that an aviator (VADM Miller) wouldn't be concerned about somebody twisting an ankle or chipping a tooth like a submariner would. Aviators deal with calculated risks all the time whereas submariners have risk aversion. :)
 
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