Seamanship remains at the core of Naval Academy training

We didn't have a full bridge simulator there when I went to school. Had the YP's, though, which were a lot of fun!

Great post PO1.

Having experienced both the Aviation and Surface Warfare side of the Navy, I've long held that we don't focus enough on ship-handling for neophyte SWOs. Tradition holds that officers are "generalists" more than "subject matter experts"...this is a valuable concept, but one that shouldn't be an excuse for incompetence. Before a Naval Aviator gets "winged", they go through about two years of intensive, dedicated training. Yes, they are still JOs, and true enough, a DIVO on a ship's main job is to get "qualified" (a process that can take 24 months)...but it is difficult not to observe that two ensigns graduating from USNA, one going "SWO" and the other heading to "P-Cola", will hit the Fleet at decidedly different time frames.

Perhaps the curriculum at the Academy could be tailored to be more "community specific", earlier on. As a Plebe and Youngster, I was still hoping for "Marine Air"...only to end up selecting Navy NFO, and ultimately ending up on the Surface side as a "fallen angel". Maybe there are ways to determine who is better suited for each community, and get them into the requisite training while still a Mid. Who knows, maybe we should extend "Summer Cruise", or heck...make a year at sea part of the experience. Money and manning are always king, but in a "perfect world", doesn't it make sense to eliminate wasted time "generalizing", and focus on the skills that someone's core competencies are steering them towards?

The way I see it, a Surface officer should be an expert shiphandler. He should've started out with the "basics"...small craft and sailing...before exposure to grander things. If a young JO can take out a 22 foot sloop single-handed, there's little doubt he has an "eye" for the effects of winds and currents, gets "relative motion", and can think/act efficiently on the water. If as a Firstie, he can take a YP full of younger Mids to Boston as acting skipper...learning to stand the watch on larger vessels should come easier.

Maybe it means "cutting" other competencies...but again, I think we should be arming new JOs for long, successful naval careers, more than providing them an "impressive" multi-disciplined education. Just my two cents.