Will you get sent home from Navy boot camp if you don’t know how to swim?

Not sure why an intelligent person joins the sea going services if unable to swim. On the other hand there is ample opportunity to learn to swim. A sailor is supposed to “sail”, that means water and ships go a sailing...sails or power. My first question of prospects has always been can you swim? If not, take classes or be ready for that loss of free time as a boot.

Just a humorous aside. After a sea tour I met and married and a little later recounted how at one time my previous ship held swim call. It was an amphibious dock landing ship which would ballast down, drop its stern gate and float landing craft out for taking troops and tanks etc to the beach.

This swim call, when the Pacific was fortunately smooth as glass, had us shut down the screws, lower the gate and ballast to the point that the gate was horizontal to the water and a great platform. Of course we had sharpshooters stationed and a boat in the water in case of sharks or emergency. Nearly 1/2 of the crew took advantage including yours truly.

My wife was kind of ok with the scenario until I told her we were right over the Mariana Trench which is the deepest part of all oceans...36000+ ft down. All of a sudden, “What, But the water is so deep!!!” I allowed as how after a few hundred feet it doesn’t make much difference. I think she was imagining that opening scene in “Jaws.”

Just before the swim call, as we were about to lie to in the water, we announced that we were over the deepest part of the ocean, then waited...sure enough. A bunch of crew and Marines came out on deck and looked down over the side...as if.

So again, why any intelligent person who wants to go to sea and not know how (or learn) to swim may need to have the “horse sense” quotient measured.

No they will teach you what is needed.

You'll be fine, if you already know how to swim fine. They will teach you different ways to help everyone pass too. Until you ship out i would practice floating if you are that worried about it. One thing to help with the floating is always have a big breath in you, the air will help keep you afloat. When you need to take a breath exhale quickly and fill up with another large breath.

You get to join the Army where we have no swim test in Basic lol

Even back in my dinosaur days, we had floaters and sinkers (I'm one). The sinkers needed to learn how to float. Horizontal swimming is primarily to get away from the sinking hull, lest you get pulled under in the vortex. Also, we had a tower (carrier deck equivalent) and not the current 10' platform deal. For those who were sinkers, the breast stroke is the best way to get the 50 yards in the pool. Takes longer, but is the easiest to learn in about 5 minutes. Trick to the prone float, if you are a sinker, is to scull the water with your hands. They'll teach that too. Bottom line, recruits come from all over and every group has some that need some work and then they're over it. If you're worried, don't wait until you hit Boot. Spend a few quality sessions at the YMCA before hand.

I'll put it to you this way, if God forbid you ship goes down and you find yourself in the middle of the Atlantic, where are you gonna swim to???? What they're gonna teach you at recruit training is how to stay afloat.

From i have heard from Navy friends is that you can go there not knowing how to swim and they will teach you. Most everyone can "fake swimming" enough to at least graduate but still not be "good" swimmers ha.