How the "Ships" (Barracks) work at boot camp...
 

~ Understanding the Ships ~

A "ship" at boot camp is truly just a building. They call it a ship just to get the newbies to start using that word.

- Each ship (building) has its own name. For example, USS Triton (ship-12), USS Reuben James (ship-2), or maybe the USS Kearsarge (ship-11)

- Each ship has 3 floors.

- On each floor they have 4 divisions. So you have 3 floors x 4 divisions = 12 divisions per ship.

- Each division has ~88 sailors, so you have 88 sailors x 12 division = 1056 sailors per ship. However, during the surge months, they can easily move walls and have ~84 sailors x 18 division = 1512 sailors per ship.

- What people get messed up on is they think each ship graduates (PIR) on the same date. It doesn't. One a few divisions will graduate. You can a couple divisions from USS Triton Ship-12, a couple from USS Arizona Ship 14, maybe 4 divisions the USS Kearsarge Ship 11, and maybe four divisions from the USS Chicago Ship 7. So at PIR (graduation) many ships are represented.

Here is what the ships look like. All ships are exactly the same since they were contracted at the same time. These pictures are of the USS Triton Ship-12:

You will see:
The Galley (chow hall) and Training rooms are in the left building, the center is the Quarter Deck, and the right is the sleeping Compartments.

The overall picture of the sleeping compartment.

At the end of the building, right in the middle, is where your recruits will normally enter the building. If they are in a group of 10 or less they will enter the building through the Quarterdeck. There are two divisions per side, so 4 divisions per floor. There are 3 floors. So you have 4 x 3 = 12 divisions per ship.

What are the divisions?
Here is the complete way things work...

Each fiscal year begins Oct 1st. So if your future sailor is placed in the very 1st boot camp division in October their division would be 001. You will see ~10 divisions per week going through boot camp. The numbers vary by the needs of the Navy. Some weeks have no divisions. You won’t see any for 12/20 and 12/27 2013.

For example:
The last division for FY-13 was:
TG-52 (which means they started boot camp the last week of September, the 52nd week of boot camp).
Divisions 421 thru 430, 952. Division #430 was the very last division for FY-13, and division 952 was the last performance division (band, choir, sticks, body snatchers) for FY-13. For those that want to know, the body snatchers carry you off the PIR floor if you faint. Some sailors are so exhausted because of Battle Stations, others mess up and lock their legs (even though they are trained not to) and faint. Fainting is bad press, so the body snatchers will pick you up, and get you out of there....
There PIR date is Nov 8th 2013.

The very 1st division for FY-14 is:
TG-01 (which means they started boot camp the very 1st week of October).
Divisions 001 thru 011, 901. Division #001 was the very first division for FY-14, and division 901 is the first performance division (band, choir, sticks, body snatchers) for FY-14.
Their PIR date is Nov 15th 2013.

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Division 001 thru ??? (usually up to 400's) are the regular sailor going through boot camp.
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Division 801 thru ???. These are the Special Ops guys. They go up each number as we need Special Ops guys. These numbers are random. They start with 801, and the numbers click one up as SPEC OPS divisions are needed.
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Division 901 thru 952 is the performance division (Drill, Choir, Band, Body Snatcher). They have one each week starting at the fiscal year (October). Sometimes they double up the 900's division due to holidays...
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Division 2341 - RCU (Recruit Care Unit) for those that have medical problems, and need to heal.
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Division 2347 - This division is for those sailors that have failed the PFA by less than 1 minute.
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Division 2381 - This division is for those sailors that have failed any portion of the swim test.
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Division 2444 - This division is for those sailors that have failed the PFA by more than 1 minute.
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Lastly Ship 5 - This group doesn't actually have a division number but they are still a division. They are the ones that are being discharged from the Navy....
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Hope this helps...


Craig
NavyDEP.com – Our Mission: Remember - Honor – and Teach “

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I just wanted to add a few more things from my experience:

Divisions 2341/2347/2444/2381 all live in the same compartment - first floor of Ship 4, the Arleigh Burke. The upper floors of Ship 4 are the 800 divs.

900 divs are in Ship 2.

Ship 5 has SEPS, but also THU, who are graduated sailors held at bootcamp for one reason or another. Ship 5 has no operational galley, so SEPS walk over to Ship 4 to eat, and THU goes to Ship 2.

Not all ships are operational at the same time - when I was there they moved everyone who was in Ship 11 over to Ship 9 so they could fix it up.

Great writeup, Craig! Considering how much time I spent working the staff side of RTC while waiting on my flight waiver, I'm kind of surprised I don't have more photos of the inside of Ship 5 and the general layout of the compartments.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/838/5uhz.jpg

^ Don't ask... but the important thing to see here is what the racks look like, and the general layout of the entrance to the compartment... your compartment will generally look like this, only without the obvious lack of military uniformity. These are sailors, not recruits, hence no taps or nighttime uniform regulations. The door with the window in the center is the entrance to the compartment from the hallway... as roving watch, this is where you'll stand (in the entryway prepared to greet anybody who enters). The office with the window is the "fishbowl", where your RDC's will spend most of their time, as will the recruit yeomans.

Also worth noting is that this is the general darkness level at night... it seems pretty bright, but you'll get used to it.

I sense shenanigans with that picture of yours Haasino lol

I have a question about divisions 2347 and 2444. Was it the third PFA they failed that got them there? And if so, what happens to them?

Most of the time people get put in 2347 or 2444 for failing their 3rd PFA, but there's a few exceptions - I spend a weekend as 2347 since I was originally 2341 (broken) and then got FFD and didn't count as 2341 anymore, even though I had actually passed my 2nd PFA.

The separation is because 2347 are actively trying to pass their PFA - they generally run 3 times a week unless they're on chit for something minor like a cold. 2444 are doing FEP - specialized exercises to help them get closer to the time they need to pass.

Generally if you fail your 3rd PFA, you'll stay in your compartment and try again until the day of Battlestations, when you get sent to 2347/2444. Once there, you get 10 chances to pass. After 5 you go see the Chief, then at 8 you go to the Ship's LCPO. The 10th run is called the CO's Last Chance. If you fail the 10th run, you get separated and sent over to Ship 5.

All of this information is accurate as of about a year ago - I was in RCU/FIT from January to March of last year.

Thanks Jzhaun. That relieves a little bit nervousness lol

I would like to add, that if you are put in ship 13- USS Marvin Shields, you'll be in an all male division, as that is the only all male ship. (At least it was in April 2013)

So those red lights are always on at night?

Yep.

Well that should be interesting. Is that similar to how it is on a ship, with the red lights?

To an extent. The ships use red lights at night so you can see without ruining your night vision.

I see, that makes sense.

Yes, this is something I got mixed up too before boot camp...all the ships have divisions assigned to them--and also RDCs apparently, as in the RDCs have trained other and will train future divisions from that ship. They take pride in their ships as well.