The Wikipedia entry for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School says » "It is regarded as one of the most difficult academic programs in the world."
The phrase in the world caught my attention.
Never quite sure how much I can (or can't) say .. cuz the curriculum is comprised, largely, of material labeled confidential (with a big red stamp). I'm sure I'll get a call if I say too much.
Much has already been written. Official NPS web site » here. I was enlisted, but the website for the officer's version of same program is » here.
"Nuke school" was located in Orlando when I went (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth). Navy moved it to Charleston in (uh .. not sure the year .. probably mid-to-late '90's).
Biggest thing I remember (in looking back, reflecting) is the ego .. associated with being 20 years old, flying to Hawaii .. to run a reactor plant on a billion-dollar nuclear sub (the ultimate in WMDs).
And the Navy trains well .. best program of its kind .. due to a combination of Uncle Sam's unlimited budget (as reactors tend to be expen$ive) and Rickover's guiding influence ...
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••••• today's entry continues below •••••
.. actually, "over-train" is probably a more accurate description .. point being » when they send you off, you have no doubts about your ability to do the job. So the 20-year-old ego is unrestrained.
The reason for that ego » comes from the sense of accomplishment (pride?) you get from knowing you just completed something difficult .. such as a scaling a wall .. one which many could not get over .. and one which tested you personally. And from knowing yourself a little better, as a result.
Sub Life
You don't hear very much about US Navy nuclear subs (in the news) .. cuz they don't make many blunders, despite logging many days underway every year .. year after year. (And that's no accident.)
Worst part of the job » the hours .. especially if you were assigned to an older boat (like I was) .. which needs more tender loving-care than the newer ones .. you log some brutal hours .. basically *living* with a reactor plant (intimately).
Could never work those hours now (90-hour work weeks, often 35 hours straight). Would kill me. When you're 20 years old however, you're damn-near invincible. If we had to stay up 2 days to get the job done .. oh, well. That's what we did.
I used to argue that they couldn't expect someone to operate a nuclear plant reliably with/on no sleep. Seems like we were always short of people. "Nobody's ever *died* from lack of sleep," they told us. (How comforting.)
Military vs Commercial
Commercial plants limit you (via NRC regulations) to 72 hours/week (which I could do standing on my head after spending 6 years in the Navy) .. never more than 16 hours in a row. Navy had no such limits. "Limits are for wimps," they told me. The idea is » We'll do whatever it takes.
After getting out, I worked 72 hours a week (in the commercial nuclear industry) for *years* .. and felt like I was on vacation. Never even broke a sweat. (Made buckets of ca$h, too .. with little time to spend it. Paid ca$h for a Porsche.)
Most people ask about the confinement. Nuke subs are so big (a number I probably shouldn't mention) that you never feel claustrophobic.
A big plus » you work with some sharp hombré's .. so you're never lacking intellectual stimulation (a source of entertainment). Our Captain, for example, was a Rhodes Scholar.
Much to Say
Anyway, this is a topic with which I have much experience, so I could go on-n-on. If you've been Radified very long, you know I've discussed some of my nuclear experiences before, in posts such as .. »
- Life on a Boomer
- Aloha Memories from Hawaii
- Veteran's Day
- Nuclear-grade hazing
- E=mc² Einstein's Big Idea
- 60 Minutes interviews Captain of nuclear sub that ran aground
- Florida, Frances & Control Rods
- Happy Birthday Dogbrother
Academics
Heard the Navy has to enlist 7 people for every *one* who makes it to the end of a standard 6-year enlistment .. that between day 1 (of boot camp) and day 2192 (end of 6 years), 6 out of 7 people fall by the way side. Not hard to conceive.
The pace is fast-n-furious (like drinking water thru a firehose). Many can't keep up. Those who have trouble maintaining their GPA are sent to Academic Review Boards, where sympathy plays no part (ruthless). Perform or be gone is their guiding principle.
Attrition is steady & relentless. Friends disappear overnight, one after the other, sent off to "conventional" (non-nuclear) ships.
Two-five & Survive
Regarding the GPA's importance, the phrase "Two-five and survive," became popular .. usually paired with » "Two-eight and skate." Anything above 3.2 means they left you alone (no mandatory study hours .. called "dink hours" .. as in "delinquent").
My GPA hovered around 3.4. (By comparison, my college GPA is a near-perfect 3.9x .. with 3 B's, the rest A's .. notta single C on my transcripts. All my B's were borderline A's.) Dink hours suk (had to sign-in, sign-out).
Each classroom started with 40 students. My particular class had 13 such classrooms (for a total of 520 students). The smartest kids were assigned to section #1. I was assigned to section 6 (the coolest, of course).
I was never at the top of my class, but always in the top 10 (usually the top 5 or 6), which meant they left me alone.
Sections 11, 12 & 13 didn't finish with many students. Sad. These guys struggled. Some had families. They tried hard. Once you fall behind, you're a goner. It's only a matter of time. As time passed, they consolidated the stragglers from these sections into those remaining from section 10.
Tests are a big part of life at NPS. They test you on everything. You get good at taking tests, cuz you do it so often. You quickly learn the "key words and tricky phrases" they want to hear. Those who have trouble taking tests have no hope of surviving.
I often woke dreaming about formulas (most distressing, since we spent all day studying this stuff).
The school in Orlando was shaped like a giant control rod (sort of like the capital letter 'Y').. these are the things that move in and out of the reactor core .. to control reactor power.
[Control rods have the ability to absorb neutrons. As rods go further into the reactor core, more neutrons are absorbed .. thus lowering reactor power. Conversely, when you "pull rods" (out of the reactor core) less neutrons are absorbed, and reactor power increases.]
Rickover Interviews
Like I said, I was enlisted, but *every* officer in the program was personally interviewed by Rickover (longest-serving active-duty military officer in U.S. history). Students always asked our instructors at NPS (who were all officers) to share their experiences of their interviews with the admiral.
Some related stories how Rickover asked them a question, then said, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," .. and instructed them to go stand in the closet to think about their answer. =D
The guy was a tyrant, who established a gestapo-like system of oversight & enforcement .. but hey, it worked.
Continued in Part II
Today's entry grew larger than I'd expected. So I broke it in half (in two parts), and posted Part II here » U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School |An Inside Look - Part II
Comments (13)
In case the Wikipedia entry is ever altered, here's a screen-shot, taken today >
http://radified.com/gfx2/nps_wiki.gif (52-KB).
Posted by Rad | July 28, 2007 1:16 PM
Posted on July 28, 2007 13:16
Just came across these postings; didn't know about this site. MMA School Great Lakes 1973, Class of 7407 Bainbridge, West Milton SG1 Prototype (Ballston Spa), then USS Truxtun DLGN35. Spent 8.33 years as MM, ERS, Training PO, etc, the usual. Although I'm a member of Mensa, my experience at NPS and NPTU were stressful. Went on to work as a Principal Startup Engineer and Procedure Test Engineer for various Commercial Power Plants throughout the US, from 1981 to 1995. Subcontracting jobs were few and far between by 1995, so I left the field for a change in scenery. Happy to hear about other nukes. Advice for you NEW Nukes, just tough it out thru school.
Just ordered 2 books on NPS and 2190 Days from Amazon.
Live long and Prosper.
Kamikaze
Posted by Kamikaze Bob Class7407 | July 19, 2008 6:03 PM
Posted on July 19, 2008 18:03
Just happened to be browsing around, and stumbled onto your site. It's always interesting hearing/reading about fellow ex-nukes out there in the world either shaking things up and bringing home the cheese, or falling back into the comfortable daily routine of the lives they left behind when they first joined the Navy. I was never studious as a kid, so I have to agree that the training pipeline (minus A-school) was some of the most difficult times I've been through. I distinctly remember only taking a dinner break after class, just to run back to get a few more hours in before 12am when they kicked everyone out. I took Friday afternoons off as a breather, and was back in the classroom for a few good hrs on Sat and Sun, just to start it over again the next week. It was probably a blessing that I was too young to drink back then. I have to say the hardest part of all those exams was that it was completely in written form...Word of caution to aspiring nukes out there...be sure of your abilities to memorize chapters of technical information word for word, as there are no multiple choice questions in the nuclear navy.
Posted by Iceman class 9806 | July 23, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on July 23, 2008 14:39
Great blog. I went in 2 weeks out of high school and stayed 20 years plus change. Nuc school was tough but I never failed a class. I agree with the guy who mentioned the ability to memorize. That is how I made it through. All those years in church school memorizing large chunks of scripture (which I never applied until later in life btw) prepared my mind for the rigors of NNPS study. I don't think I understood that much but sure could remember the formulas et all. I am really glad I made it through, it does give some confidence.
Posted by Steve Moore | August 8, 2008 6:00 AM
Posted on August 8, 2008 06:00
Your blog brings back a lot of memories. I was a section #1 ET an NPS Orlando back in 1984. We studied like crazy, but always took time off from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. I spent many Saturdays with buds at Daytona Beach. We then studied all day on Sunday getting ready for the week. Did prototype training on the S8G plant in Ballston Spa, NY, and then went out west. Did 3.5 years on the USS Pollack (SSN 603), where I was part of the decommisioning crew. Never stepped foot in a power plant after discharge. Mainly working in high tech fields. Even though I now have an MBA, it doesn't compare to the mental demands of the nuke program.
Posted by R. Whitehead | August 21, 2008 1:18 PM
Posted on August 21, 2008 13:18
I'd have to question the characterization of NNPS as one of the toughest academic programs in the world. This was no doubt written by someone who went through it and who had never experienced anything like it, and while it is definitely intense, it's short. It seems to me that med or law school, or even an engineering program at a top-flight engineering school, is much tougher than NNPS.
And I just have to comment on the ridiculous military tendency to classify everything. There was absolutely nothing in those textbooks worthy of secrecy, except maybe for the specifications of certain nuclear plant systems (such as the heat capacity of a HX) which could be used to infer the heat output of the reactor and thus its power and thus the ship's speed, but even that's a stretch considering the accurate information on ship's speed (and depth) available through Jane's or similar resources.
Posted by Sergio Ortiz | September 5, 2008 10:48 AM
Posted on September 5, 2008 10:48
I am looking for anyone who was in the Navy with Todd Breed, who was part of his graduating NNPS class, who worked with him in the Peace Corps, or who knew him during his time with NASA in Moscow (1994-1997). My email address is cmberube@yahoo.com.
Posted by Claire Berube | September 14, 2008 8:48 AM
Posted on September 14, 2008 08:48
Iceman, what's your name? Class 9806
Posted by Derek Schoenke | December 26, 2008 11:27 PM
Posted on December 26, 2008 23:27
Do NF enlistees have to learn/use calculus in either nuke A school or nuclear power school? If so, through what level in terms of college classes (i.e. calc 1, calc 2 (integration), calc 3 (multi-variable), etc.) are taught there? Thanks a lot.
Also, what are going to get your degree in?
Posted by Rob | January 1, 2009 5:30 PM
Posted on January 1, 2009 17:30
Hi.
My degree (BS) is in Radiation Protection. The Navy teaches you ONLY what parts of Calculus they feel you really need. I actually recall my Chemistry class more clearly .. in that the first third was familiar. (I'm talking about the 7-unit Chemistry for engineers and doctors .. the one with a lab.)
With calculus, most of it was new to me. I mean, I knew how to take a derivative, and the principle behind taking a derivative, but not much more.
Posted by Rad | January 1, 2009 6:49 PM
Posted on January 1, 2009 18:49
Thanks a lot for answering my questions so quickly. I like reading about what it's like from someone who has actually done it.
I was curious about the math because I'm a college senior, and I've been giving the Navy a lot of consideration. I wanted to enlist because I don't have the engineering background to go to nuke school through the officer program. But after reading what you wrote, I don't know if I'll be up to it--I got a C in my weed-out chem class (the one that engineers and pre-meds take).
Posted by Rob | January 2, 2009 10:47 AM
Posted on January 2, 2009 10:47
Great synopsis! A few comments...I was in class 8007 (Orlando) class #5. When I went #1 class was for those scoring lowest during pre-nuke school, class #14 was for those scoring highest. I deeeeeply regret not applying myself to all levels a little more. But hey, I was 18 and partied like there was no tomorrow, bought a '67 mustang, passed, and went on to the Big 'E' (I am very claustrophobic, submarines would have been hell).
In my post-navy adventures I was accepted into the University of Natal (South Africa) only after convincing the Chemical Engineering Professor I was an ex-Navy Nuke. He felt American High School would not prepare me for school. In fact, I was allowed to take the second calc-based physics course (electronics, etc.) before the first course (I would have had to wait a year). I was the only A in the entire class. NPS graduates are elitists. For a reason. Anyway, great blog.
Posted by PeeWee | February 8, 2009 9:26 AM
Posted on February 8, 2009 09:26
8007....hey...I was in that class....section 6.
Great blog. Sure brings back memories. Been out since 1988, but I can say some of the brightest men I have known were in the program.
Posted by Michael Coats | May 20, 2009 3:16 PM
Posted on May 20, 2009 15:16