When Does One Qualify for Dolphins

[Tugrat]

When does one qualify to wear dolphins?

I have just purchased my first sub (more on that later)

Is it after my first dive

[NavyICman]

Well, in real life, One qualifies for Dolphins only after he (god, I have to add this now) or she, has learned the function and basic design of every system on the boat and qualify an at sea and an inport watch. This knowledge is tested by senior qualified personnel (Qualification petty officer) through what is called a checkout. The Qual PO will ask the NUB (Non Useful Body, New Underway Buddy, Nonqual, etc) questions on the selected system to include function, schematic of the system, damage control related to the system, inter system ties, and any other bit of knowledge that the Qual PO deems pertinant. If the NUB passes he receives a signature (the Qual PO signing on the NUBS Qual card to say "yes he has the basic knowledge of this system"), if not, then he gets "look-ups" on their deficiencies. Any "look-ups" have to be brought back to the same person who assigned them and upon successful completion of this, the NUB is awarded their signature. If a Qual PO gives away his signature without a proper checkout, he has just reduced his integrity and the NUB has gotten a "Grape" and didn't earn the signature.
After they have received multiple "Signatures" from qualified personnel the NUB has to do a walkthrough of the boat with Senior Enlisted Personnel and has to prove that he/she knows where all damage control equipment is, how to use it, answer various random questions on systems. This may involve donning emergency breathing masks and walking from air station to air station with a vision obscurment device over the face plate to simulate a smoke filled compartment, simulating how to use portable pumps, etc. "Look-ups" may be assigned during this phase also, or the Nonqual may be assigned to "re-do" all the signatures on a specific system. Succesfull completion of this phase results in several more signatures stating heris ready for final examination. Graped Signatures may be discovered during this part of the process.
The Final examination consists of a Qual board comprised of a fwd senior qualifed rate, an aft senior qualified rate, and a qualified Officer. These board typically last from 1 to 3 hours long (can be upwards of 6 hours!)and are a compreshensive round robin style oral examination of the NUB's knowledge. They may be include physical actions (donning a firefighting suit, locating the nearest fire extinguisher and bringing it to the examination place, demonstrating the operation of a piece of portable equipment), drawing schematics of systems, complex scenarios, etc), or straight knowledge recall. Upon the completion of this board the NUB is either assigned "look-ups", "re-dos", or are given the green light to receive their Fish. Any identified "grapes" can and will be dealt with after this phase, to include removing the signer from the Qual PO list or NJP (non- Judicial Punishment)
If green-lighted, the NUB is awarded his Fish by the Skipper and is typically pinned on by a person of his choosing, typically the person who they looked up to the most or their sea dad or such.


This process can talk as short as 4 months or as long as a year, but the end result is you qualifyu or you go surface.

Submariners respect other submariners who earned their "Fish" and shun those who didn't. We trust that when the sh*it hits the fan (fire, flooding, steam line rupture, incoming torpedo), the person next to you wearing fish knows exactly what to do with no hesitation. People who do not earn them, do not deserve to wear them or even bear the title submariner. IMO it is worse than someone who lies about receiving the Medal of Honor.

So for you, unless you join your respective Navy, voluenteer Subs, and earned them.......Never

V/R
Tim
ETC(SS), USN (18 years submarine service) Qualified April 1992 USS Baltimore SSN-704

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

As Tim said: Never.

Unless you Qualified on a boat don't wear the pin.

You don't march around in a Monk's habit. Don't wear the pin. Simple.

David,

[Kazzer]

Is this an American thing, or British too? If British, what would qualify you in WWII?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I can only speak to American standard, practice, and decorum.

David,

[Rick Teskey]

Several years ago , my brother in law gave me a set of CANADIAN dolphins for Christmas he bought at some sort of military pin and metal dealer.
I have displayed them on my hat along with other such items.
I never gave it much thought as too what it truly means too wear them and did not see it as a sign of disrespect for being a nonqual/ nub , in my mind I was I was showing solidarity and pride for our boys.
I will remove them from my hat and display them in my sub pen/ building room, still with pride and respect .
Rick Teskey.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Several years ago , my brother in law gave me a set of CANADIAN dolphins for Christmas he bought at some sort of military pin and metal dealer.
I have displayed them on my hat along with other such items.
I never gave it much thought as too what it truly means too wear them and did not see it as a sign of disrespect for being a nonqual/ nub , in my mind I was I was showing solidarity and pride for our boys.
I will remove them from my hat and display them in my sub pen/ building room, still with pride and respect .
Rick Teskey.

Hey, only those Qualified in Submarines know the true value (what it represents) of the pin. Most others simply see it as a 'cool' looking icon that denotes themselves as interested in submarines. Do with it as you please, I won't loose any sleep over it, Rick.

DBF

[639mpa]

Officer Qualification is Different. For a Nuclear Trained Officer you had to qualify on the following watch stations/duties Usually in this order:
Diving Officer of the Watch (DOOW)
Engineering Officer Of the Watch (EOOW)
Inport Duty Officer (DO)
Officer of the Deck Surfaced (OOD)
Officer of the Deck Submerged (OOD)
Yoy had to know systems, euipment, procedures, operations. and tactics. You had to pass a written or oral exam or both for each section and a Dolphin Qualification Board.
When I arrived we had 3 new Junior Officers (JOs) Some were told to work on DOOW while others EOOW so we wouldn't get in each others way. I can go into detail for each one if anyone is interested. It usually took 10-12 months. It ended with having to drink your Dolphins, They were at the bottom of a tall glass filled with different types of alcohol and just about anything the host could put in a glass (I think the raw egg was the worst) As you finished the glass you came up with your dolphins between your teeth or had to do it again till you succeeded.