Nine years active duty USMC, never set foot on the boat. Spent a year at NAS Millington TN for schools, then the balance of my time in southern Ca.

Really depends on your MOS, I was avionics and lucked into recon camera repair. At the time, we had a single dedicated recon squadron (VMFP-3) so the only place I could be stationed was MCAS El Toro in Santa Ana CA. They used to keep a 4 plane detachment on the Midway and rotate 6 mo deployments, but Midway decided it didn’t have room for us and the detachment became land based in Iwakuni Japan.

Shortly before I got out, they retired the RF-4’s and moved to recon pods for the F/A-18’s to give every squadron a recon capability. By that time I was to short to get PCS’d anywhere.

I spent about 3 weeks afloat.

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Originally posted by PHPaul:

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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if someone spent a 20 year career in the service in the enlisted ranks, how much time could he expect to spend at sea?

No idea, but in four years as a Navy enlisted guy, I spent a grand total of five days "at sea."

I can beat that...

21 years and 9 months on active duty. 12 days at sea.

The chief I know who was in communications in your area retired with zero days at sea.

I had a neighbor who was a marine officer. He said if you stay long enough, the marines move you around as they don’t like “homesteaders.”

So I suppose it’s the luck of the draw when it’s time for you to move and a sea billet is open.

Sailors alternate between land and sea duty. The ratio varies by rate.

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Originally posted by mas4363:
I believe that was a wullenweber (spelling?) antenna array. I was as stationed on Okinawa at the Array at Tori Station.

Yup. AN/FRD-10 system. First 10 and last 2 years of my service, that's all I did.

Marines send grunts and aviators on the Amphibs for floats which are occurring pretty much continuously. They get press if they have to evac a embassy, support a disaster, etc. Its part of a MEU / MEU-SOC.

For awhile there was a Marine F-18 squadron attached to about 1/3 of the Navy Carrier Airwings, but I think that has gone the way of the dodo bird with the accelerated FA18E/F transition in the Navy, although it might start again when the Marines have F-35Cs; their F-35Bs will replace AV8s on the big deck amphibs as well. Helos can spend some time at sea as well, but like many things, it all depends what is going on.

And Marine Leadership LOVE doctrine, and Amphibious assault is their rice bowl Doctrinally, should it ever again be needed. And to do that, they need to be one ships at some point in time.

Totally depends on MOS and Unit one is assigned to. Honestly, it could be zero, it could be months...

You're in an Admin/ Auto Mechanic MOS, you pilot a desk/box of wrenches. Possibility is none if you're assigned to a Division/Regimental/ Base type or non deploy-able Unit.

Your in an Admin/ Mechanic MOS and get assigned to an Infantry Battalion / Air Wing, chances increase greatly. The Unit you get assigned to is up for a WestPac or a Med Float, expect to spend 6 months bobbing around like a cork at sea.

Volunteer for "Sea Duty", I think that's an 18-24 month detail. Guess who's home is the USS "Insert Name Here"?

You're an Avation Mechanic... C-130's aren't fitting on an Aircraft Carrier, but an F-18, Harrier and Osprey sure can. You're Unit is up for a Med Float, you're spending 6 months touring the Mediterranean Sea on the "Big, Grey Winnabago".