As an ex-Sub RO, specifically during the 2000's in Pearl Harbor:
Yeah, this sounds 100% true. I could have typed this, and at one point I was one of those bringing a bottle underway (though I was never drunk on watch; it was due to our ports having no alcohol). Honestly given how alcoholic half the crew was if there wasn't alcohol onboard (just to stop the withdrawals) the boat probably would have had to cancel the underway.
I can say that by the time I retired (2023) it was nothing like that. The ERB's in the 2011 timeframe wiped out an absolute TON of manpower but it did have the desired effect of destroying that culture almost immediately. Anyone with even a hint of alcohol issues in their record was sent packing with no recourse.
Prior to those ERB's the running joke was you had to have a DUI to be promoted to Chief. After that a DUI was not technically disqualifying, but was in reality a career ending event. Overnight things went to a culture of being afraid of doing anything that could get you caught out by a future ERB if you escaped that one.
It also caused the manpower issues we see now though, resulting in the manning shortfalls that are most critical in 7th Fleet. That fleet sees the worst shortfalls because it is the one that requires people to live overseas (Japan and Guam), which can be a hard sell. On top of that the deployment cycle has a far higher optempo; generally I spent 60-70% of a given tour on deployments. The rest of the Navy sees between 35% and 40% (outside of SOCOM commands). There's an ongoing impression that you have 7th Fleet Sailor's, then the rest of the Navy, as the Sailor's who like 7th Fleet don't want to go elsewhere and the rest of the Navy has no desire to join them.
Note: I was a 7th Fleet Sailor for most of my career; that stint in Pearl Harbor was the only Sea Duty I did outside of there.
Yeah, this sounds 100% true. I could have typed this, and at one point I was one of those bringing a bottle underway (though I was never drunk on watch; it was due to our ports having no alcohol). Honestly given how alcoholic half the crew was if there wasn't alcohol onboard (just to stop the withdrawals) the boat probably would have had to cancel the underway.
I can say that by the time I retired (2023) it was nothing like that. The ERB's in the 2011 timeframe wiped out an absolute TON of manpower but it did have the desired effect of destroying that culture almost immediately. Anyone with even a hint of alcohol issues in their record was sent packing with no recourse.
Prior to those ERB's the running joke was you had to have a DUI to be promoted to Chief. After that a DUI was not technically disqualifying, but was in reality a career ending event. Overnight things went to a culture of being afraid of doing anything that could get you caught out by a future ERB if you escaped that one.
It also caused the manpower issues we see now though, resulting in the manning shortfalls that are most critical in 7th Fleet. That fleet sees the worst shortfalls because it is the one that requires people to live overseas (Japan and Guam), which can be a hard sell. On top of that the deployment cycle has a far higher optempo; generally I spent 60-70% of a given tour on deployments. The rest of the Navy sees between 35% and 40% (outside of SOCOM commands). There's an ongoing impression that you have 7th Fleet Sailor's, then the rest of the Navy, as the Sailor's who like 7th Fleet don't want to go elsewhere and the rest of the Navy has no desire to join them.
Note: I was a 7th Fleet Sailor for most of my career; that stint in Pearl Harbor was the only Sea Duty I did outside of there.