r/NavyNukes • u/Smooth-Bad-5425 ET2/CVN-72(Plankowner)/LCDR, CEC ( Ret) • 4d ago

Evolution of Nuclear Power Training

This post is mainly for the folks that spent at least a 20 yr active duty career in the nuclear power program over a few years ranges:

1980-2000;

1990-2010;

2000-2020; and

2010-present

What I'm curious about is whether over the time period from 1980 to the present, the nuclear power program changed such as difficulty & entrance requirements.

For data purposes, I was an ET from 1986-1992. Back in 1986, ETs went through Basic Electronics & Electricity for around two months or so where we learned all about the subject and went through circuit board troubleshooting. ET "A" school had antenna theory, transistors & tube, and the SPS-10 radar system (not very nuclear related at all). For the newer folks, ET "A" school for nukes back then was 2200-0600 daily. That was rough. Nuke school was probably similar to current academics and prototype was attended at either Idaho, Ballston Spa, or Windsor CT.

If anyone can chime in and give me program info over the years that would be much appreciated.

In summary, I have a feeling that making it through the training pipeline is more difficult now than what it was 40 yrs ago (that is such a depressing idea!).

Thanks!

20 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

52 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Smooth-Bad-5425 ET2/CVN-72(Plankowner)/LCDR, CEC ( Ret) 2d ago

I'm thinking that perhaps the standards were a little lower when I went through the training part of the program (A school, NPS, & S1W) from 1986-1988 before I was ordered to the carrier because of the total number of reactors back then (~183) which included prototypes that more nukes were needed for staffing. My NPS class, 8703, had 510 total students and 146 ETs. I assume that other classes were of similar size. As the number of reactors decrease then the training pipeline may be geared for higher attrition by increasing the difficulty of it.

There have been so many lessons learned and technological advances in the past 40 years I don't think it can help becoming harder. The Abraham Lincoln was the first CVN to have digital I&C (no more parallax errors) which added a whole other aspect of tech training.