February 20, 2008: In an effort to retain the most skilled
sailors, the U.S. Navy has been building barracks for sailors who have
traditionally lived on the ship they were assigned to, even when the ship was
in its home port. For junior (E-4 or below) unmarried sailors, who were stuck
on the ship, this was no fun. Married sailors living ashore with their families,
and hiring ranking single sailors could rent a place. The living quarters on
ship, for junior enlisted sailors, are cramped. Meanwhile, sailors assigned to
shore jobs live in quarters comparable to those enjoyed by college students in
dormitories (private rooms, but shared kitchen and other facilities). It will
be another 5-10 years before enough barracks are built for all of the nearly
20,000 ship bound sailors. Meanwhile,
those still stuck on the ship at least see some benefit from the barracks
ashore. That's in the form of less noise and activity in the ships berthing
spaces while in port. For some ships, over two-thirds of the youngest sailors
are ashore, in these new dormitories, while in port, giving those still on the
ship more access to recreational facilities, and more mundane things, like
showers.
This raised also the question; who
lives ashore, and who stays on the ship? The navy quickly decided that the
sailors who perform better should get the roomier accommodations ashore. This
led to remarkable increases in performance by junior, unmarried, sailors
seeking more comfort during the 60-80 percent of the time their ship is not at
sea. There are numerous skills, and tests
to measure them, that sailors can, or must, take. The draw of more comfortable
living quarters has motivated sailors to an extraordinary degree, to learn
more, take more tests, and do better on the job. This happened to such a degree that some NCOs
think it would be a good idea if there were never enough barracks rooms for all
the junior sailors. The desire to live off the ship, when in port, has turned into one of the best incentive
program ever, and the chiefs (Chief Petty Officers who supervise sailors) don't
want to lose it.
