If you're Navy, has your SO ever done a precom? If so, would they ever do one again?

Jason and I have come to the conclusion that we're very happy that he'll only have one sea duty left (if he stays in) and we will definitely NOT be taking a precom EVER again.

My advice to everyone who wants to consider one, don't. :D :hehe Royal pain in the frickin butt.

what is precom?

Dh is on a precom sub and wishes he would have know. It sucks and he is def with your Dh Brandi, he will never make that mistake again!

what is precom?

Pre-commisioned boat :)

Umm we'd NEVER do a precom again. This is his last sea duty and boy do we regret doing the precom thing. Heck he is deployed right now with a ship that isnt even his lol. And he will come home for 6 months and then leave again to go be with his ship :nutts

whats the difference between a pre-commissioned ship and one that's not???

pre-com means that it is a brand new boat that has not officially been commissioned into the Navy's fleet. The boat that my DH and Michelle's DH (wyohick) is on, is being commissioned at the beginning of next month. I have to say, we will never willingly ask for orders to a pre-com boat. We didn't this time, and it has been one hell of a time. We never see the guys, even if they are in port, and they are constantly going out on little trips.

whats the difference between a pre-commissioned ship and one that's not???

A pre-com is still in the stages of being built and hasnt been delivered to the navy yet.

As for the OP, ask me again in about a year :lol

He hasn't ever, and I seriously doubt he would. Things may be good while the boat is under construction, but then you've gotta deal with sea trials and everything else. I think we'd both rather him go to a ship that's already with the fleet.

He hasn't ever, and I seriously doubt he would. Things may be good while the boat is under construction, but then you've gotta deal with sea trials and everything else. I think we'd both rather him go to a ship that's already with the fleet.

Things aren't even good when the ship is being built, trust me. Everything has been a complete clusterfuck, from the time we took the orders until now and I'm sure it will only get worse as time goes on. Apparently, they just found out that after the ship is actually turned over to the Navy and commissioned, they still owe THREE years to the ship instead of two, which is on top of the almost two years that he will have already been attached to it. A lot of people did not know this until I guess it was put out last week or something, I don't know, but some of the guys are really being screwed...

I feel bad for the people who really need to advance and definitely will not advance or even get decent evals while just sitting here dealing with all of this crap. We were completely unaware that he would owe three more years though, we thought it was two from the time the ship was turned over, not three years from the time it is actually docked over in SD. I'm not happy about it though, not at all. That will put us at five years with this ship :sick

The time he was in schooling (7 months) was really nice b/c he was home often and didn't have to work late. Since then though and from this point on, it's just going to keep getting more and more miserable. There are some things I can't even discuss on here (since I don't know who is reading) but I'm just really irritated.

Things aren't even good when the ship is being built, trust me. Everything has been a complete clusterfuck, from the time we took the orders until now and I'm sure it will only get worse as time goes on. Apparently, they just found out that after the ship is actually turned over to the Navy and commissioned, they still owe THREE years to the ship instead of two, which is on top of the almost two years that he will have already been attached to it. A lot of people did not know this until I guess it was put out last week or something, I don't know, but some of the guys are really being screwed...

I feel bad for the people who really need to advance and definitely will not advance or even get decent evals while just sitting here dealing with all of this crap. We were completely unaware that he would owe three more years though, we thought it was two from the time the ship was turned over, not three years from the time it is actually docked over in SD. I'm not happy about it though, not at all. That will put us at five years with this ship :sick

The time he was in schooling (7 months) was really nice b/c he was home often and didn't have to work late. Since then though and from this point on, it's just going to keep getting more and more miserable. There are some things I can't even discuss on here (since I don't know who is reading) but I'm just really irritated.


That just flat out sucks.. I take it that because it's precom, if his rotation has changed it won't matter?

I have no clue what type of ship G wants next, but it will definately already be with the fleet. We're back at sea in 2010, but he mentioned trying to extend here, so who knows what's up his sleeve.

No Way! We will never do a precom again. Dh is on a precom, and it is so far behind schedule that I feel like we will never be done with the stupid thing! It was one of those things that was supposed to be great for his career, all of the crew was told that. He has wasted so much time here, just sitting in an office. He is up for E8 this year, and there is just no way he will be competitive with guys in his rate that are already LCPO at sea. This command has been bad for his career all around.
It is hard on dh, he likes challenging assignments, and this one has been a big disappointment all around. He will get very little time actually on the ship after it is commissioned, so even after all the waiting and all the schools and training he has gone to, there will be little to show for it. I hope I don't sound whiny, it is just one of those things. We took a gamble with these orders, and this time around we lost. That's the way the Navy works sometimes. But no, we will never go back to another precom.

Things aren't even good when the ship is being built, trust me. Everything has been a complete clusterfuck, from the time we took the orders until now and I'm sure it will only get worse as time goes on. Apparently, they just found out that after the ship is actually turned over to the Navy and commissioned, they still owe THREE years to the ship instead of two, which is on top of the almost two years that he will have already been attached to it. A lot of people did not know this until I guess it was put out last week or something, I don't know, but some of the guys are really being screwed...

I feel bad for the people who really need to advance and definitely will not advance or even get decent evals while just sitting here dealing with all of this crap. We were completely unaware that he would owe three more years though, we thought it was two from the time the ship was turned over, not three years from the time it is actually docked over in SD. I'm not happy about it though, not at all. That will put us at five years with this ship :sick

The time he was in schooling (7 months) was really nice b/c he was home often and didn't have to work late. Since then though and from this point on, it's just going to keep getting more and more miserable. There are some things I can't even discuss on here (since I don't know who is reading) but I'm just really irritated.

That is what DH is worried about. If that happens, he will be on the ship for 6 years:arg

we won't ever do a pre-com

but it makes me laugh that you ask this because a friend of mine's husband somehow has gone from pre-com to pre-com (maybe just the program not the actual boat) and has never been deployed in 11 years because of it...well she just found out he may be leaving for 13-18 months to go to Mississippi to actually pre-com the boat and do all the "fun" stuff they do before it is handed over to the navy...it makes me kinda laugh because she brags about him not going out all the time and now WHAM he may be doing 3 deployments in 1

If it werent for the bad command on is last precom it wouldn't have been too bad. Since Tony knows that it was more the command than the actual duty he'd consider a precom again.

My husband did one. Never again. Between the horrible command and sea trials. Screw that. :no

Wow. DH is close to getting orders on a Precom right now that is due to be finished next May and go on to San Diego. We were excited, because it would get us off the East Coast, but reading all this is disheartening.

Is there anything good about precom? We were under the impression that advancement was going to be 'easier'/better on this than on others due to the fact that there are fewer Sailors. I guess this just is not the case.

DH is an SK and our choices for orders aren't looking good other than this precom. We're talking Norfolk, Afghanistan, or Iraq. DH is pretty hard core against all of them. But now I'm not so excited. :sigh

Wow. DH is close to getting orders on a Precom right now that is due to be finished next May and go on to San Diego. We were excited, because it would get us off the East Coast, but reading all this is disheartening.

Is there anything good about precom? We were under the impression that advancement was going to be 'easier'/better on this than on others due to the fact that there are fewer Sailors. I guess this just is not the case.

DH is an SK and our choices for orders aren't looking good other than this precom. We're talking Norfolk, Afghanistan, or Iraq. DH is pretty hard core against all of them. But now I'm not so excited. :sigh

I vote that there is not a lot of positive about a pre-com but don't let the schedule fool you. Just because they say it's going to be done in a year and moving to San Diego is not necessarily true. Our shedule has changed so many times I can't begin to try to keep up!

That's what I have heard from my friends up here with hubbies on the precoms out of EB. PITA!!!! I don't think DH would ever consider it anyway.

Brown eyed girl - like everything else having to do with the Navy you will get a different opinion from almost everyone you ask. Don't let the other wive's experiences scare you too much, just because they didn't have a good one doesn't mean that you won't.

My husband has done one pre com and is getting ready to do another. Honestly, it wasn't any worse than him going to a ship that was already commissioned. While he was going through the training pipline at the detachment hours were fantastic and he was able to be at home a lot. Once he got to the unit (where the ship is being built), hours were long for him. But he got a lot of satisfaction out of being part of the first crew. Sea trials will come before the ship is commissioned and before the ship builder turns the ship over to the Navy. It's takes a lot to bring a ship to life, lots of hard work and long hours. It seemed to help my husband with advancement - he spent a little over three years there, he was an E-5 when he got there, made E-6 while at the detachment, and made E-7 before he left the command.

One thing to know, your husband's sea counter won't start until the crew actually moves aboard the ship. That's how it was a few years ago anyway. So like Brandi mentioned - time spent at the detachment and at the unit before the crew moves aboard is not counted towards his sea time.

I think my husband is going to the same pre com as yours is this time around - DDG 108. Last time we stayed in San Diego while he was in Maine because he was in one of the last phases. This time we're going to Maine with him because he's in the first phase and he will be in Maine over a year. Still no homeport named yet (my husband is at the detachment already and there hasn't been any word, San Diego is speculation), but it's definitely a west coast ship so you'll get your wish to leave the east coast.