My impression of the navy is that they live on boats out to sea for months at a time and then get like 3 weeks ashore before repeating. So do sailors just not have a land life? Is nobody in the navy allowed to own pets? Where does your mail go? What about a family life?
In: 1
Depends on the ship, and who they’re sailing with. Different Navies have different schedules, but generally your assumed timeline is incorrect. It sounds more like you’re thinking of port calls, which are stopping in foreign ports for a few days for foreign relations, or taking on supplies.
The US Navy will deploy ships for 6-12 months, but then be in port for about a year or two. Ships need repairs and upkeep after being out at sea. It’s part of why the numbers of ships make sense if the goal is to keep a continuous presence. There are also shore tours where they just work on land doing jobs like instructor or maintenance. There’s also time spent learning other skills on shore.
Merchant sailors probably actually have more time out at sea due to their economic incentive to stay working so they can continue being paid.
So yes, they own houses, pets, and have families. Mail is just like anyone else who travels and moves around a lot. Some of it can be sent to the ship, some just sent to parents houses or some other permanent mailing address. Actually owning the same house for a long period of time is less common since the military moves people around a lot, but they can just sell the old one and buy a new one where they go.
Latest Answers