Posted on Feb 21, 2017
LTJG Ansi Officer
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Going on your first ship can be scary. Going on your first deployment can be just as nerve racking. What are some items that you'd recommend Sailors bring with them not only to their first ship, but on their first deployment? (Please include small boys as well. RallyPoint doesn't have DDGs and CGs as tags).
Edited 8 y ago
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MSgt Tom Buglia
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Not trying to be a smart ass but, you deploy you should have a will.
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SMSgt Paralegal
SMSgt (Join to see)
8 y
Don't wait until you are on the deployment line to ask the JAG office for updated documents - go at least 4 weeks prior to leaving to give them time to properly prepare the legal documents you need - once you are gone - it is snail mail to get an original POA, etc to the person back home that needs it. Also, if you are going to sell or purchase real estate and want someone at home to sign with a POA for you - tell the JAG office - in many states you need a special power of attorney for this - a general POA won't be accepted. You also need to make sure that everyone that is caring for your children (i.e. step parent that your child will live with) unless it is the legal parent - anyone else needs a POA to care for your children.
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PO2 Steven Hardy
PO2 Steven Hardy
8 y
I remember one patrol where we were stopping at Portsmouth, Va. for training before proceeding to out regular patrol. We just happened to have a JAG onboard to help the crew with our wills, and a Chaplain along for the ride to Portsmouth. We immediately started to question where we were really going with that combo on board.
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PO1 Edward Pate
PO1 Edward Pate
8 y
Way back in the early 80's my command mandated that.
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PO3 Lawrence Forgas
PO3 Lawrence Forgas
>1 y
Late 60's while in RTC it was mandatory to fill out Last Will & Testament !!
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Edited >1 y ago
LTJG (Join to see) - Oral and barrier contraceptives. Whether or not troops are supposed to fraternize - young people (and not a few older people) occasionally get too close to each other - particularly when stranded on a moving island hundreds to thousands of miles from home. A supply of clean comfortable easy to maintain underwear. Preferred tampons and monthly period medications. Cell phone that can be used as a camera, wifi device, and portable music player. Headphones and extra headphones. Sunscreen 60+SPF. Tooth brush, hair brushes, scrunchies, skin care, razors, shaving cream, antiperspirant, and makeup supplies. Social skills, self defense training, nonlethal self defense devices, situational awareness, thick skin, and a sense of humor. Reading material - perhaps on an iPAD. Weapons where appropriate to your billet - though CMDCM Treants has suggested to me in the past that with rare exception lethal weapons should be secured in master at arms locker. I personally prefer to bring along some small binoculars - and a Nikon D810 with 2X extender and 24-70mm and 70-200mm VR f/2.8 telephoto lenses - together with small pocket Munsell color chart and lens cleaning materials. Some items may not be allowed on nuclear unterseebooten. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)
CMDCM Gene Treants SCPO (Join to see) Capt Tom Brown LTJG (Join to see)
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PO1 Andrew Gardiner - I was thinking about women who may be deployed. Oh, yes, a couple of other things - custom blackout curtain, a comfy pillow, warm blanket, extra pairs of good socks, warm hoodie sweatshirt for spaces with no decent heat supply. Maybe a small supply of in port civilian clothes - not too American looking. I am also told a good combination lock you can open in dark may be helpful. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)
p.s. I am told theft may be rampant in some quarters - so permanent label key items.
CMDCM Gene Treants SCPO (Join to see) Capt Tom Brown LTJG (Join to see)
LTJG Ansi Officer
LTJG (Join to see)
>1 y
Well, I am married and would rather not go up for a 134, so I won't be needing any PPE for my genitalia. Thanks for the concern, though guys! ;)
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Capt Tom Brown
Capt Tom Brown
>1 y
1LT Sandy Annala - Where were you when I was a 2dLt? I could have used you to look after and keep an eye on me!!
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SCPO Combat Systems Electronics Leading Petty Officer
SCPO (Join to see)
>1 y
Yes hit up Fleet Sheets! At some point you will end up on the night shift and will be a day sleeper. PO1 Andrew Gardiner LTJG (Join to see)
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CPO Leading Chief Petty Officer (Lcpo)
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Edited >1 y ago
I have been on 4 deployments 3 on ship and one as a Dirt Sailor. My last ship was a CG (Small boy) So here is what I have learned, and please keep in mind some of this is allowed by some commands and others don't.

TP is a Must 2 rolls min, For some reason the Military never seems to order it or if they do they don't want to hand it out.
A Sleeping bag (this can be over ridden by the command) make sure it can be folded and stowed at the foot of your rack, and don't buy an expensive one. Your going to throw it away when you leave your ship if not sooner. Every thing takes on the Boat smell. If you have been there you know what I'm talking about.
Uniforms ... (sigh) im not saying don't take everything but I am saying be sensible about it. Take 2 weeks worth of T-shirts, underwear and socks, you should be issued 2 sets of FRV's (coveralls) Take your dress uniforms and have them hanger inspection ready. If you are going to be standing a lot of QD watch's take 2 sets, one for Watch and one for Inspections. In fact you should have one of each uniform that is Inspection ready and never worn.
Others have said it 2 pairs of boots one for working the other for inspections and or emergency use.
As for stuff in the head I found a Microfiber towel was great it dried fast and never smelled. They come in really large sizes too. Personal entertainment I leave up to you just think small and light. You don't have a lot of space and you may or may not have a plug to recharge stuff. Amazon is your friend BUT plan for it to take a month or two to get to you and don't buy anything that is overly expensive in case it gets dropped overboard during the Resupply at Sea. As for personal clothing don't pack like your going on vacation. Maybe 3 to 5 nice shirts a pair of jeans and a pair of slacks work, anything more is dumb your not hitting the town every night and the locales don't care if you wear the same stuff a month later when you might stop their again. Your not out there looking for a Wife (if you are you have issues)

If you are a Supervisor / LPO you will have more space in your shop here is how I used that.

I had 2 plastic boxes (the kids in the shop called them the Magic boxes) that fit nicely under my desk. Didn't leave much leg room but it was ok. In one I kept ... how should I put this... Odd tools. things the Navy doesn't keep on hand or you may need. As an IT I had barrel connectors special cross over cables odd pinned connectors I knew we used on the ship some specialty tools ect. When your out at sea you don't have time to order and wait for it to arrive so plan ahead and accordingly. Look over your gear for that weird old item that is going to give your problems and plan for it.

The OTHER box.
Before we pulled out I found out what each person in my shop liked, one was sour patch kids another was Swedish fish, Chocolate ect ect. I packed that box (discreetly when no one was looking lol) full of those items and a few for my self lol. About 2 months into deployment the Ship store will be out of all the normal stuff and you get the weird foreign knock offs if that. When I would see a person in my shop just having the worst day possible or they are having deployment blues I break out that one thing they like and toss it at them. Makes their day gives them a moment of not the Navy and the ship. This can be that thing that helps bring them back in focus that it really isn't that bad, and build some Morale. I learned this from watching an old Senior Chief on my first deployment.

I think others covered a lot of the basics I wont duplicate here, I would also say talk to those that have deployed on your ship before. Find out what tricks and tips they have, every Ship has its quirks.
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LTJG Ansi Officer
LTJG (Join to see)
>1 y
The box idea is fantastic. Thank you for your response. The current LPO and I will be the only First Class ITs on board pending any Second Class selections off this exam or Chief results. Looking forward to getting onboard, getting my quals done and helping shape the environment.
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CDR Matthew McLaughlin
CDR Matthew McLaughlin
>1 y
VERY good input, especially the box of work center favorites.
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What are some "essentials" that you'd recommend every Sailor having with them prior to deployment?
PO1 Brian Austin
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Edited >1 y ago
Good advice throughout this thread.
Also a payday allotment to the shipboard ATM, for liberty or ship's store funds.
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PO3 Christoph Hintze
PO3 Christoph Hintze
8 y
I see this kind of thing and feel so very old. When I was on sea duty we lined up on the mess deck on pay day where they then dispersed our pay in cash. You then chose how much of your pay you wanted dispersed to you, the rest stayed in the system until/if you went to to dispersing for more.
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CPO David Welsh
CPO David Welsh
8 y
and the Corpsman was there to make sure our shots were up to date before the DisbO would cash our checks.
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PO1 Edward Pate
PO1 Edward Pate
8 y
PO3 Christoph Hintze - Yep same here, had most of mine set up to go into my bank account back in Norfolk but budgeted myself about a 100 bucks a payday when deployed.
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PO1 Edward Pate
PO1 Edward Pate
8 y
PO3 Christoph Hintze - We had a fellow who for whatever reason just didn't need spending cash and didn't show up for the payday line for 3 or 4 months. The disbursing officer made him come to the office and tell him he HAD to take his pay as they could not keep carrying that on the books. LOL
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CMDCM Gene Treants
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Makes no difference if you are a boot or a Master Chief you need a full Sea Bag. Then some civvies for liberty overseas - you do not want to look like an American in most places so no jeans but slacks and shirts with collars NOT t-shirts. you only need a few decent shirts and a few slacks; you are not trying to impress everyone just having a good time. Uniforms: have one Inspection ready uniform for the season and one for travel available as well as inspection ribbon/medals.

Most of your needs will be available on the ship or in stores in ports, look around in places other than bars; grocery stores, department stores and malls. (heck you might even meet locals of the opposite gender if that is your thing). Camera and camera accessories are not always easy to find overseas, but sometimes CAN be a bargain.

Reading: Kindle/I pad full of good books as well as a the ships Library. CAMERA! take a good one! this is your chance to record your deployment. Cell phones are not the way to go, but if that is what you want fine. Remember that a good camera is a real investment.

A WILL. This is a MUST and it makes no difference if you are married or single. You own something and do not leave it up to your home state to dispose if it. Make a decision and leave it to someone you love or HATE. What better way to get even with that old boy/girlfriend than to leave him/her something and really piss off their new friend. You get the last laugh then.
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SCPO Combat Systems Electronics Leading Petty Officer
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Bring a pair of thermal underwear (or two). At least the pants. I also brought 4 of the Hanes blue (same color as the T-Shirt) long sleeve T-shirts. Radio can be super cold sometimes, especially when you get into colder waters. That plus the fact you live in Hawaii means radio can get mighty chilly during those 12 hour watches in the middle of the night.
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PO1 Edward Pate
PO1 Edward Pate
8 y
Good suggestion, sure didn't need anything thermal in the North Arabian sea though!
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CDR Matthew McLaughlin
CDR Matthew McLaughlin
>1 y
As a snipe (former MMC(SS), I'm always amused by ETs/RMs/etc. being concerned about getting cold.
Nothing personal - just an observation.
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PO1 Hmfic
PO1 (Join to see)
>1 y
PO1 Edward Pate - I beg to differ. CIC on both my small boys was cold as hell. Or maybe it was the vent right behind my chair by the GFCS console. Either way, there was many a day when I left combat wearing my foul weather jacket up to the smoke deck only to remember that it was hot as balls outside CIC. But if you left your jacket in CIC, someone would swipe it. Those were the days.
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SCPO Combat Systems Electronics Leading Petty Officer
SCPO (Join to see)
>1 y
CDR Matthew McLaughlin - Yeah, I can imagine. I do remember though on the minesweeper I was on had direct ventilation to the main spaces. During the winter those guys would be wearing pumpkin suits down in the space because it would get down to 40 degrees or so.
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SN Greg Wright
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Edited >1 y ago
A Kindle. (RP disses Sailors in a number of ways, don't get me going on that. Though they're trying to be better.) Steel-toed boots to stuff the tip under your mattress when the rolling gets rough. Candy and cigs to trade for...well...anything.
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LTJG Ansi Officer
LTJG (Join to see)
>1 y
SSG Carlos Madden & Kanika Misra have you talked to SN Greg Wright yet? Perhaps he could give RP some more Naval insight on how to make RallyPoint more appealing for the Navy.

We definitely need more Naval related tags. A lot of what I searched for wasn't listed.
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SN Greg Wright
SN Greg Wright
>1 y
LTJG (Join to see) - Carlos has reached out to me with specific questions, and I'm always willing to help if I can. But the ratings thing is the largest issue, and I'm not sure they'll ever change it. They just don't realize how important rates are to Sailors. And they don't handle fleet/shore units well -- many are missing, etc. It's not malicious, of course, it's just that they don't have a firm grasp of our culture. AFAIK, there are no Naval Vets on their staff -- maybe that would be something to look into, SSG Carlos Madden
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MCPO Roger Collins
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Funny stuff here, if you deployed on a vessel that had severely limited space for up to 90 days below the surface of the ocean, you get real selective as to what storage you have in your bunk pan. And, today, would be considered luxurious compared to older smaller submarines.
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
I had two tours on the USS Sturgeon (SS-637), closest thing to a diesel in ops, but far more than my three diesel boats. I tried to leave the boats after making RMCM, and SUBLANT "encouraged" me to stay until I retired.
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MCPO Kurt Stauff
MCPO Kurt Stauff
8 y
The sub community is tight, and non-volunteering was discouraged. I was medically disqualed subs for ulcerative colitis, but that didn't stop me from completing two full tours on minesweepers--never missed an underway. Somehow, with my STS background, I was eventually selected as one of the five Mineman Master Chiefs on active duty in the Navy. I still am amazed how that came about, but am grateful for the time I served and would have it no other way. It took a lot of dedication and taking on the jobs no one else seemed to want; I was a detailers dream--when it came time to PCS, I would call my detail and asked where he needed me, and I would go. It took me 17 years to make Chief, 20 for Senior Chief, and 24 to make Master Chief; I feel blessed to have gotten where I did and I felt satisfied when I retired, after 29 years, seeing all my trained replacements throughout the Fleet. When I heard those departing bells at my retirement ceremony, I knew I had left the Navy in capable hands.
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PO1 Edward Pate
PO1 Edward Pate
8 y
Same for destroyers, the Burkes are like cruise ships compared to my old tin can!
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
I thought as much.
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MSgt Dan Hurley
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No one said phone cards some cash and change
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PO1 Jack Howell
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Edited >1 y ago
By extra socks, underwear, t-shirts (you should buy enough of the first three items that I mentioned to last AT LEAST 2 weeks, although 3 would probably be better), an extra pair of shower shoes, extra bar soap, extra shampoo, extra toothpaste, extra toothbrushes, baby wipes (in case the ship has to go on water hours or showers aren't available), an electric razor, manual razors and shaving cream (in case the electric razor breaks or goes missing), a non-stick iron because many berthing irons, by the time you get to them, have been used and abused (don't forget to take it to the EM's for an electrical safety check, along with the aforementioned electric razor), an alarm clock (if you don't bring your cell phone), entertainment for your down time, extra towels and wash cloths, a small bottle of laundry detergent, fabric softener sheets (even when they've been through the dryer, they can still retain some of their scent, which can be used as an air freshener in your rack or stand up locker), and take shoes (for PT and liberty) pants, shorts, t-shirts, and collared shirts for when you go on liberty (be sure to pay attention to the ship's policy on acceptable liberty attire during the port brief). One other thing. Bring gum or some other type of breath mint. Your coworkers will thank you for it. Also, bring foot powder or spray to keep down the smell of your feet.
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PO1 Edward Pate
PO1 Edward Pate
8 y
Silly question here but don't ships have a central ships laundry any more? We used to send it all out and then when it came back time to divvy it up, just like in boot camp.
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