So, we've covered the time between S Trials and Herndon---now?

Just Dad

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I know everyone heads off for Block 1 stuff. My DD is doing Y boats (?nomenclature?) Block 1.

On a call this weekend she said it looks like they will just be going out on weekends, with the bulk of time in Block 1 spent on the yard. I asked what she'd be doing during the week and got a (chippy) "I don't know". At least she didn't ask me "why I needed to know" or use her new favorite --noun/verb/adverb/adjective/pro-noun-- in her response.

Question to those of you who know. If Y boats are a weekend gig, what do mids assigned to them do mid week? It seems like a lot of time if all you are doing is getting ready for the next weekend's voyage.

I am curious to learn what other 2020 3Cs are doing Block1. DD has heard nothing about her Block2 yet, I assume that goes for most Mids.
 
YP = Yard Patrol boat. Mini-ship. First thing I ever drove in the Navy. They will be doing nav, learning the engineering and bridge systems, learning how to handle various watch stations. Setting sea and anchor detail. Maneuvering. Learning how to be part of a damage control team and other working parties. Man overboard drills. The mids are the crew with experienced enlisted personnel helping them be hands on. They will be doing stuff at the pier, then out on the Severn River, and when they have rudimentary skills, they get underway into the Chesapeake Bay and off they go. It's not a pleasure cruise.

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=2500&ct=4

https://www.usna.edu/ypsquadron/

I think they usually bunk in Bancroft unless underway overnight, with town liberty.

I included the YP squadron link just for background and the video slideshow. The squadron is an organized activity for mids, but uses the same YPs as the summer block training.

I remember being out on the Narragansett Bay at sunrise in December, freezing my tookus off outside in a cold dawn wind, but also thinking, dang, this is beautiful on the water with the clean, cold air and brilliant sun coming up.
 
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Capt MJ nailed it. Mids used to go out on them for 3 weeks. Boston, NY, Charleston, Newport among others. I think with training funds being tight they now go out on overnights for the weekends. During the week they will spend a ton of time doing charts, going on the boats doing all the things Capt MJ mentioned. The Mids pretty much run the boats 24/7 and the enlisted and 1/C crew provide oversight, leadership and knowledge. Lots of week day liberty is always fun too, especially after a long Plebe Year.
 
Must have screwed-up my first attempt at posting a thanks to Capt MJ, now its thanks to you too Hoops

Very helpful,

Thankyou
 
Are the two week cruises missed much? There's nothing like hands on in the thick of it training, but I can certainly understand saving training money for other things!
 
It was fun to go to the cities and have liberty. Since we all did it, it was sort of a uniting thing for a class. You do everything while underway from navigation, at the helm, engineering and even the cooking. It's a learning experience. We had some adventures with broken boats and tropical storm. So we also learned when a Master Chief is nervous that is bad! It also taught us a lot while watching enlisted and officers made decisions during these challenges. They still get a taste of that while going underway at anytime. Cooking lobsters on the tail fan was fun though! Will let a current Mid speak to if that is missed.
 
I'm just up-dating this thread for anyone interested. I spoke with my daughter last night, and she said that the YPs would be going out for more than weekends this year. Can't remember all the places to be visited but I do recall:......I started to list ports, but got to wondering if I should. I will leave it at this, they will be visiting several cities beyond a weekend radius of operation for a YP, and they will have liberty at 3-4 ports.

DD reports that "plotting sucks, but I think that this is going to be fun"

As Hoops mentioned, 3Cs are enjoying more time off the yard. It sounds like they are working until 4-5PM and the rest of their time is their own.
It sounds like its been a really good opportunity to hang with 3Cs from other companies more than they could during plebe year.
 
You definitely nailed it. They are happy to not be chopping anymore. They won't feel like youngsters until they see the new Plebes. But it's a great time to make friends (and lots of new dating occurs during his time), exercise some of that new found freedom, and learn about the fleet some. YPs get a mixed reaction from those who do it. It used to be mandatory training and we all did it. We loved the liberty in he big cities and like most things in life, if you enjoyed the people you were surrounded with, it was a great experience.
 
My new 3 C is spending first block on the East Coast. He said he is being kept busy and does not know when he will be able to call again.
 
I'm just up-dating this thread for anyone interested. I spoke with my daughter last night, and she said that the YPs would be going out for more than weekends this year. Can't remember all the places to be visited but I do recall:......I started to list ports, but got to wondering if I should. I will leave it at this, they will be visiting several cities beyond a weekend radius of operation for a YP, and they will have liberty at 3-4 ports.

DD reports that "plotting sucks, but I think that this is going to be fun"

As Hoops mentioned, 3Cs are enjoying more time off the yard. It sounds like they are working until 4-5PM and the rest of their time is their own.
It sounds like its been a really good opportunity to hang with 3Cs from other companies more than they could during plebe year.

You will soon learn "Norfolk" in sailorese is prounounced "Nor-fork." ;)
 
Oh the places they will go! DS spent his 3/c Summer block 1 on the east coast. His summer cruise left out of Florida and returned to "Norfork" - his summer cruise was to the Bahamas! What an incredible experience for them!
 
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