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(I've earned both Gold and Silver Warfare Pins)
Most people are aware that wings are presented to aviators when the qualify as a flyer...... However, most do not know that Submarine Dolphins are presented sailors upon completion of submarine qualifications.
Enlisted personnel as well as Officers onboard Nuclear Submarines must "Qualify in Submarines" within their first year onboard or they are removed from the submarine force.
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Enlisted
Silver Dolphins
An Enlisted sailor's qualification includes:
Qualifying his basic shift watch stations so that he may assume a fair share of the shift work submarine duties.
General knowledge of the focus of major divisions on the ship such as Navigation, Sonar, Torpedo, Machinery, Electrical, Weapons, Engineering
Understanding and in depth knowledge of the ships systems such as Trim and Drain, Emergency Flood Control, Sea Water Systems, Potable and Flushing Water Systems, Main Ballast Tank Blow and Emergency Blow System, Ventilation, Electrical Distribution System, Steering and Diving Systems.
Emergency Casualty Procedures in event emergency, especially of Fire or Flooding.
This Qualification is accomplished by completion of a "Qualification Checkout Card" which itemizes each of the items the person must learn.
The individual determines which system he needs to study/learn from the "Checkout Card", determines the function of the system, visually traces the system, (learns to draw the system by memory in most cases), determines the location of major valves and operating stations, seeks out additional information on the system from knowledgeable persons, then obtains a oral examination from one of the ship's the system experts.
When the system expert is satisfied of the trainee's level of knowledge he signs the Checkout Card and the trainee moves on to his next system.
Following completion of the trainee's "Checkout Card", a Final Oral Board is held to ensure the individual has retained sufficient information on all systems. This Final Qualification Board is manned by a Submarine Qualified Officer and a two enlisted men of which one is normally a Chief Petty Officer (Chief Petty Officers are the senior supervisors onboard).
Officer
Gold Dolphins
An Officer's qualification includes:
The Officer Qualification is very much similar to the enlisted qualification including the Final Oral Board (except the senior board member is a command qualified Commander or Captain). The Officer must have the recommendation of his Commanding Officer. Officers also have an additional requirement of being observed coordinating the operations of the ship in the Control Room as the Officer of the Deck. During this observance/monitoring situation, ship wide casualty "drills" are run to ensure that the officer can calmly and collectively handle emergency actions.
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Overall it's quite a challenge and a great feeling when you finally receive "your" dolphins at the awards ceremony!
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