You dammed nukes are strange

image of odd looking sailor

I do not need to tell anyone reading this posting that used to be nukes attending nuke school and completing at least one tour of duty at sea can change a person forever.

Many guys before they become nukes are bright, part of the reason they were able to do well enough on their ASVAB to qualify to go nuke but happened to be bit unfocused and unmotivated which resulted life results, in a lot of ways, below their true ability.  Later in life many seemed to get things going in the right direction and amounted to productive lives either after doing a tour and returning to the civilian sector. Perhaps the required mandatory”tac” hours during nuclear power school provided some benefit. O.K., I would not go that far but I will l say the structure has aided in creating many successful ex-nukes.

More specifically, I have picked up subtle habits from my time as a nuke I still do to this day. For example, I still fold my skivvies; I mean underwear, in the same fashion I learned in boot camp. Why you ask? Honestly, I never had the motivation to come up with a better way of doing it.  

Another skill I acquired which is a bit more useful than folding underwear is the ability to be able to look through large documents like reactor plant manuals and find the one paragraph or sentence of valuable information within a very short amount of time.  

Another habit a number of my shipmates picked up was smoking cigarettes and chewing dip. In the long term the detrimental health effects cannot be questioned but after the first few weeks of a long deployment at sea who wouldn’t need a little bit of nicotine to help get them through. Now if they could quit.

Are there any strange habits you picked up from your time as a nuke?

Why is it so quiet topside?

Image of Alaska Shoreline

I recall an instance before my first Westpac while I cranked, as almost every did before he qualified any watch stations and made some use of himself. A few days after throwing off the mooring lines off in Pearl Harbor we pulled into Ketchikan, Alaska to pick up supplies if I remember correctly.

Once we moored a few of the guys went up topside to take a glance at our surroundings and for some unexplained reason no one said a word once they climbed up the hatch and walked around.

Normally when we pulled into port after being underway everyone is hooting and hollering in excitement to get a bit of fresh air which most people take for granted. I finally went up topside in my tee shirt in the 50 degree weather and see for myself.

After gathering my thoughts for a minute I tool notes of the fact I have never seen anything so awe inspiringly beautiful in my entire life - the water was clear enough so the reflection of the boat looked as clear as a mirror. Additionally, tall pine trees covered the whole valley even down to the water’s edge which were complemented by snow capped mountains in the background.

As everyone took in the scenery no one said a word, there was no need to. If someone had I am sure it would not have adequate described our thoughts on what we were observing.

This came as a surprise to you as most military guys are not what you would characterize as "tree huggers" but maybe one shouldn't need to be, we are human after all with some appreciation of nature. Later the boat pulled in British Columbia noted the provinces license plate which stated "Beautiful British Columbia". The beautiful backdrop we viewed in Alaska characterized the type of scene which spawned the slogan, granted we had left Alaska and went to Canada but this was close enough to get the idea.

Any moments in your time as a nuke which impressed you in a way you might not feel comfortable sharing with your buddies on the mid-watch for fear of ridicule?  Let's hear your story and you do not need to leave your name...

What do you want the chemistry to be?

Image on Chemical mixing paddle

                I was standing Reactor Operator and the watch section ELT came into maneuvering with the latest steam generator results. The EOOW asked, "What does the chemistry look like" to which the ELT replied, "What do you want the numbers to be?"

                Looking in back in retrospect my thought is, "Why did it need to anything at all?" If the government can design a nuclear reactor and primary coolant system to live through the 30 year life of a submarine why couldn’t a steam generator be designed which didn't need to be baby-sat while steaming?

                I am sure, in theory, the possibility exists, in the same way you could believe your experience in A school and Power School would be reflection of what your life was going to be like once you arrived on your boat as a nub.

                The sad fact is water which goes into a steam generator which eventually becomes steam which propels the boat and provides electricity contains crap which over time can damage the S/G which would prevent a boat from going underway. As a sailor we would not want that would we?

                In case you cared, water is the essential medium for steam generation and conditioning it properly can increase the efficiency of boiler and as well as extend its life. The treatment of boiler water also insures safe and reliable operation: without proper treatment, severe problems can develop, some so severe the Steam generator itself may need to be replaced.

                Aboard ship, fresh water is obtained by distilling seawater in evaporators. The portion of the distillate which is set aside for use in the boilers is known as make-up feed-water. The water used within the boiler is called boiler water. Make-up feed-water should be pure distilled water in an ideal situation but as stated earlier it will contain some amount of foreign materials which includes Magnesium and Calcium.

               Those of us who really dig this stuff remember the three types of water treatment in a boiler system: 1. Blowdown, which maintains the TDS (total dissolved solids) in the system (one of my favorite duties as a Reactor Technician) 2. External Treatment, which removes hard salts, minerals and oxygen before the water enters the boiler and 3 Internal Treatment, which maintains proper water chemistry by adding chemical additives to the boiler water. (Thanks to ELT's)

                This knowledge is all wonderful after EAOS if you planned to work with generators/boilers as a civilian. I was surprised to learn long after I left the Nuclear Navy there are civilian boiler technicians who were involved many of same principles ELT worked.

               Which leads me to the question: Any ex-ELT who has worked with steam generator/boiler after they got out? "What did they need their chemistry to be?" 

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