After boot camp ( October to December), I attended basic electronics and electricity school Naval Training Center, San Diego from January to May, then volunteered for submarines - I was transferred to Groton Connecticut for Basic Enlisted Submarine School. My class of 25 graduated August. We had a choice of assignments, some guys picked fast attack submarines out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, I choose an SSBN- home port Holy Loch Scotland. I reported to the Blue Crew, at the time they were the off-crew and were assigned to COMSUB GROUP 2 Groton, Connecticut for training. Two weeks later, BLUE Crew flew to Scotland on a charter aircraft, we took along our personal belongings, multiple cruises boxes with ship's records, and three months advance pay. No direct deposit back in the early 1980s. It was late August, I remember the weather was in the mid 70s. This was an anomaly, normal temperature should have been in the 50s. Little old ladies were passing out from the “heat wave”. Over the first three days, we exchanged duties with GOLD Crew, and they flew back to Connecticut for R&R and training.
For the next month we performed repairs, upgrades, preventive maintenance and loading stores for our upcoming three month mission at sea. Sea trials for a week, back to Holy Loch and last minute supply replenishment. Out to sea late September, my first patrol lasted until mid January.
Source: Ramiro (Quora)
