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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Responses: 55
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LT Richard Mondak
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Edited >1 y ago
"B.S Detector" - for defense against the berthing compartment UCMJ / Legal experts.
A sense of self dignity and humility.
A willingness to learn from EVERYONE - whether they are junior or senior to you in rank, time in service or aboard your ship.
And from a practical standpoint - easily identifiable LARGE bath towels and enough socks to last a month.
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PO2 Tom Aarstad
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Until you get your sea legs know where the heads are.
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PO3 Joseph Ford
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Patience
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SCPO William Akin
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My first ship was a Gearing class DD, and Camels were a dollar CARTON...
So I'm just reading these remarks (for the most part) for shits and giggles...
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
Remember the $1 a carton cigs, didn't do much for me, I didn't smoke then.
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SFC A.M. Drake
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Should have joined the Army!
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PO1 Rick Serviss
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Iron, shoe polish, maybe thread, pen, paper, envelopes, hygiene things and a full sea bag is about it.
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
My extra large Lazyboy rocker recliner, my flat screen TV 40" or larger, my well stocked refrigerator and my extra comfortable bed. And all the rest of those things mentioned. Now, where is that USS Gerald R. ford and my Command Master Chief stateroom to put these things in?
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SSG Healthcare Specialist (Combat Medic)
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Edited 8 y ago
The one thing I have seen over my years that is often forgotten but essential are fingernail and toenail clippers. Troops forget their nails grow and when they get that aggravating hang nail they often try to bite it off and cant seem to do it. I also always traveled with a couple of rolls of toilet paper, zip lock bags and Shaving and Shower Kit, with at least two bars of soap. Also considering the environment the fewer the cans the better shaving soap over shaving cream in a can, stick deodorant over spray can. and of course a good quality razor. seen to many guys think disposable razors would last in harsh environment. Females should also consider their special needs as well.
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PO1 Mike Dean
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Sailors need enough civvies to have a change of clothes each day of liberty in port and enough cash on hand to take care of those primal "needs" that you don't get at sea. Need I go farther? BTW.... condoms are available from the corpsman free of charge so you take home any souveniers that are not intended.
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PO1 Robert Kay
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One essential I had to have was two decks of cards (for pinochle) and a cribbage boad with at least three lanes on it. Other than that the rest has been covered I believe. A lot of good advice here. I have been on three ships and 5 deployments... one to Gitmo, one to the Med, and two WestPacs.
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PO2 Steven Hardy
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Cigars! There's nothing like a stogie early in the evening, after the work day is over (if you're not on watch).
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
Especially if a willing intern is in the immediate area. Ask Bill Clinton.
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PO1 Personnel Specialist
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Each Sailor should ask what are the essentials? What can make his/her life more pleasant while on deployment? On my last deployment, I brought a tiny stone statue and a family photo as essentials. Things making my life less miserable were supplements, favorite food seasoning and hot sauce, teas, and Emergen-C.
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Cpl Ryan Berry
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For sailors? KY Jelly and Village People CD...don't they get that issued to them?
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COL John Hudson
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Wipes.
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
If you had ever served on a Naval vessel, especially a submarine, you would know the damage this could cause. Ask any Machinists Mate from the "M" Division.
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PO2 Steven Hardy
PO2 Steven Hardy
8 y
You can bath with the wipes, then throw them away, if the rain locker is OOC. Whatever you do, DON'T flush them!
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MCPO Mark Burns
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UP dated wills and personal affairs.
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AN Robert Freeman
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What I'm going to recommend bringing on deployment is Not an essential, but it could help you make a few bucks off Your Shipmates.
I don't smoke, or chew tobacco, but before going on deployment, I would find out what kind of cigarettes & chewing tobacco that people liked.
I would buy a couple cartons of smokes, and a few logs of dip. (The popular brands everyone liked).
The ship store carries these items, but on a 6 month cruise, they run out of these items quickly, and you never know when the ship will replenish their stock, or when you're going to hit a port. People that like tobacco, Need their nicotine.
Anyway, this is when you make a lil $$. You sell these items, charge double for the service you're providing for your Shipmates. Sometimes it's difficult to find a certain brand of tobacco, in other parts of the world, this is when your customers will pay the price you're asking.
*I apologize if this post seemed inappropriate..
We don't make a lot of money serving our country. When you have a kid, and an unemployed woman back at home, She has to spend your deposited check from PSD. So you'll be broke when you finally get to port, & you can't even buy yourself a beer!
It's tough financially. And every Shipmate knows, when we're at sea, we Are working 12 on, 12 off, 7 days a week Until we get to a port.
So this might help you buy your 1st cold beer in over a month! Enjoy Shipmates!
Be safe out there.
Thank You for your Service! ⚓️
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AN Robert Freeman
AN Robert Freeman
8 y
I put an American Flag, right next to my Anchor above, and it didn't allow me to post it. I cannot Post an American Flag here? Of all my Places? I guess our Flag offends Americans now too.
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TSgt Kenneth Ellis
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They are not used to people standing up ti them.
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FN Charlie Spivey
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Found these posts interresting. I remember when I got my orders for my first ship. I was in the Transit Barracks and there was a rumor going around that she had gotten orders to deploy to Vietnam. I had a friend Aboard and made a mental note to get over there to see him. Well, I got my orders, so got to see him. We were in the same division and same engineroom. It was a relatively small ship by most standards. 311' and 41' at the beam. It was an Old Navy Hand me down form WWII and an AVP in her previous life. We had a ship's laundry and the guy made some extra money. You did need a laundry bag. Personal Items could be bought at the ship's store ( such as it was ). We didn't need cash. You ran an account and paid it off when you got paid. We NEVER got paid when we were underway at sea, only just before entering port. I know a lot of things have changed since my time. I was looking at stuff About CG Basic Training and what you had to have. You needed a Debit card in order to get paid as the money was deposited directly into your Account. In my time, we only got a partial payment and the rest held back and we got that when we graduated. I have seen videos aboard Naval vessels and people lounging around in Jeans, tee shirts and sometimes a sweat shirt, but all the time NON Reg ( at least in my time ). My thought was hey, you are on a US Navy Vessel, NOT a cruise ship ( they are cruise ships compared to what I was on ). [chuckle]. Yep, things have changed. NO civvies aboard ship in my time. that was verboten ( except for Officers, who could come and go in civvies ). Body wipes??? Don't know what that is about. We did have showers [chuckle] although when you were underway, it was Sea Showers. For the uninitiated a sea shower consists of stepping into the shower, turn on the water and get wet, turn the water off, lather up and scrub real good, then turn the water on and rinse off, then turn the water off. When underway, you had to conserve water as the evap, could only make so much water and if everybody was taking a hotel shower, no way could it keep up with the demand and you would run out of fresh water. Get caught taking a hotel shower while underway and you will be doing extra duty bilge diving. Getting tools that have been dropped in there. Off duty, you wore dungarees and chambray shirts ( or a Gov't. issue T-Shirt ). I know that they have long gone by the wayside as a working uniform in both the Navy and the CG. ( in my time the CG Uniform was Identicle to the Navy uniform, except for a shield on the right sleeve, then they went to the Flat Hats in '66 from the dixie cups ). We were told that if the Government didn't issue it to you, it was verboten. Energy drinks were unheard of. We lived on coffee.
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PO3 Christoph Hintze
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Edited 8 y ago
I have one question to many of these folks. Where in the dickens do you put all that stuff? When I was in I had one 24x24x24 locker and one 12x36x24 locker. Bunk pan? My rack was canvas stretched on an aluminum frame with a stuffed pad for a mattress. And, this was on a destroyer tender. I would have bet that there was even less personal storage on destroyers and frigates.
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
8 y
With the exception of the expansive locker space, that's what I had on my first diesel submarine.
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PO2 Arnold Kaminski
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Athlete's Foot/Jock Itch medication. Lots!
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SFC S3 Tasking Cbrn Nco
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Some cash iPhone toiletries items and make sure some of your items dual voltage
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