imaphilote

Awesome of you to do this AMA. Besides your Kickstarter campaign and upcoming Star Wars, what else are you doing these days? Any other projects?

Hopefully, he doesn't mind me answering some of his questions, but:

1) Reactor Departments vary from ship to ship. On my ship, depending on whether you were preparing to go out to sea or not, you could expect the working hours to be from 7am to 4pm on non-duty days. Duty days, you're on the ship 24 hours.

2)The officers usually follow the working hours of the rest of the department.

He can only asnwer your third question.

4) It depends on what job your have: Electronic's Techinician, Electrician's Mate, or Machinist Mate. The maximum bonus you can receive is $90k as an enlisted person re-enlisting for the first time.

5) You get a special pay for being nuclear trained. I don't recall the specific number, I'd have to look at my LES, but it's somewhere around $150 a month IIRC. Additionally, while on deployment you can receive a separation allowance for being away from your family for an extended period of time, hazardous duty pay for serving in a "war zone", and tax-free pay for serving in a "war zone".

6) Officers get a yearly bonus that quite a pretty penny, but I'm not sure of the exact figures.

I'm not sure, he's going to answer since the post was nearly a day ago. That being said, as far as enlisted individuals go, it's for a standard background check the Navy performs. None of my references were contacted, and more than likely they will ask questions to determine how trustworthy your friend is.

I believe the reactors are designed to be operational for a span around 10-15 years. I believe there is a design in the works that will last greater than 20. I'm not sure how to answer your second question (or, even if I am allowed to), but I'm sure you could google it. I've never heard of any official account of the ship being used to power a city, but there is a legend I have heard a few times about it happening out on the West Coast when the rolling blackouts were occurring in California. But, that could just be a made up story.