We selected assignments to submarines based on class rank and availability. I had the second highest score in the class and the guy with the high score wanted to go to SPACE C School - dooming him to be a Boomer Fag, er ... Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) Duty and another months of school - which he must have been after - to delay the inevitable of going to sea (whatta fag).
He got the billet of his dreams and I got first pick of Submarines. I selected the USS Gurnard out of San Diego - I'm a SoCal Boy and wanted to stay local. The Gurnard actually had two billets so I was going to my first boat with my partner in crime - Mike Govan.
The guy with the lowest score in the class had to take the last billet on the board - the USS Guardfish - a 594 class boat that at the time was the second or third oldest boat in the fleet including the Blueback (SS-581). We all laughed at the poor bastard.
Flash forward 3 days and minutes after a personnel inspection that I didn't exactly show up 4.0 (or sober). I was "asked" to visit with STSCS/SS Wolf - course coordinator - and never really understood me. He told me that instead of getting the 30 days leave and stationed aboard the Gurnard, I was going to the USS Permit (SSN-594) - THE oldest nuke boat in the fleet. He personally suggested me due to my excellent ability and high marks during the C School course - or so he said. Even better, the Permit was due to deploy (NORTHPAC) in three days so forget the 30 days leave - in fact, any leave - I was to report directly to the boat the day after graduation.
Needless to say, I was the new laughing stock of the class - probably because I instigated the laugh-fest for the poor soul who got the Guardfish billet to begin with. Little did I know it was a blessing in disguise and would shape my opinion and attitude about submarine service, hazing, and nukes for the remainder of my Navy career.
Next Post - The first day aboard the USS Pemit (SSN-594).
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