'Face it, you lost': Chief navigator's new phone policy on sea vessel backfires after one soldier plays the system, resulting in crew losing access to outside communication

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Feb 9, 2024 9:00 AM EST

When a new team member joins, particularly if they are assigned a leadership position, they will probably try to introduce some sort of new and, in their view, creative rule that will simplify the assigned tasks and improve the overall efficiency and productivity of the daily routine.

The soldier in the story below, together with his fellow crew members, have discovered the most effective way to get revenge on their superiors. OP serves in the Navy as a member of the attack submarine unit. They rarely ever had the chance to speak with their loved ones or family members while they were serving. Every crew member on board was allowed to use a number of lines. At first, this phone routine was going well, but everything changed when the new head navigator arrived. The newly appointed navigator instituted a new policy during his onboarding that permits the executive department to use one phone line while the rest of the crew can use the second. This separation among ship personnel led, as you have no doubt already guessed, to tensions between the executive department and the crew. Thus, rather of establishing a more efficient and productive timetable, the new commander turned the ship into a chaotic mess.

Having said that, scroll down to read the narrative below to learn how OP and his fellow crew members managed to get even with the head of the department! When you're done, don't forget to read this story about the boss who makes the team lead convince an overqualified worker to perform a boring task! 

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  • 01
    "Keep your phone calls in your paygrade!" Ser
    via Canva
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    Keep Your Phonecalls In Your Paygrade
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    I was stationed on USS SUNFISH (SSN 649) from 1991-1995. During the time I was there, the crew compliment was 130 men. 14 officers, 12 chiefs, and 104 E6 and below (blueshirts). The boat had 3 telephone lines. Having communicated with some of my
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    friends and colleagues on other boats in mine, and our sister squadron (Submarine Squadrons 6 & 8), I knew that some boats had their phone lines designated as CO/XO (Commanding Officer/Executive Officer), Officers &
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    Chiefs, and the crew line. On SUNFISH however, the 3 phone lines were simply the 3 phone lines...if the phone rang you picked it up, and got the person asked for, or took a message. If you wanted to make a call, you chose whatever line was available.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    That is until late 1993, when our new Navigator (NAV) reported aboard. The NAV is the Operations Department Head, and is 3rd in command. The new NAV came equipped with his own "great" ideas. on how things were going to be.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    One of his ideas included changes to the phone lines, which were under the purview of the Operations Department. SUNFISH joined the cadre of boats with specifically designated phone lines. Per his orders, only the CO, XO, and Yeomen - the Executive Department
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    - were to use the CO/XO phone line. Only officers and chiefs were to use their designated phone lines, and of course, the crew had their line. The NAV discussed this policy every single day at muster time. Why? Because everyone rolled their eyes, and simply disregarded the new rule.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    Everyone disregarded the new rule, up until he started inspecting.... Because of course, you cant expect much, if you're willing to inspect. When he saw someone talking on the phone, he'd check what line they were using. Of course he never checked anyone in the Executive
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    Department. He bothered the chiefs a bit, until the Chief of the Boat (Command Master Chief) told him to F-off, and not to talk to his chiefs. The NAV did however chew out the officers and blue shirts whenever he caught them using the inappropriate phone for their
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    paygrade. People started grumbling. The NAV stepped up his game soon enough though, as his phone inspections and a -chewings weren't getting him the quick results he wanted. He had the officers follow his lead - for any calls
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    for blueshirts on the wrong phone line, the caller was directed to call back at the appropriate phone number, then the call was ended. S t hit the fan. The phones were located in the Attack Center (AC), Yeomans Office, and the Wardroom. While many people go to the AC throughout the
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    day, the Fire Control Techs (FTs) and Quartermasters (QMs) were the only ones who primarily occupied that workspace. Previous to the new NAVS arrival, they had to listen to that phone ringing constantly, all day. With the NAVS new policy, they muted both the CO/XO & Officer/Chief lines. The NAV forbade
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    the crew from muting any phone lines, except for the YN in their office, but whenever he asked who muted those lines in the AC, he just got blank stares and shrugs from whoever happened to be there. As soon as he left, the non-blueshirt lines ended up muted again.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    Nobody ever wants to answer the phone, and have to go running all over the boat to find people. But now, the crew started doing the same thing as the officers did....if the phone call was for anyone above the paygrade of E6, they simply told them to call back on the correct line, and hung up.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    Suddenly, quite a bit of work was not getting done, messages weren't getting passed, maintenance with our assigned Submarine Tender was suffering, due to them not knowing anything about our designated phone lines. Of course, not many people were willing to walk up &
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    down all those decks on the Tender, then down the pier, when they couldn't get through on the phone. The NAV tried to make the cooks (MSs) answer the wardroom phone, as the wardroom was one of their workspaces. The MSs were always busy, and were never good about
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    answering the phones to begin with. Sometimes they would answer the blueshirt phone (because they were blueshirts), but never the Officer/Chief line, unless an officer was in the wardroom to see them ignore the ringing phone. The MSs
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    would laugh, that if they answered the Officer/Chief line, they'd simply tell the caller to hold on, set the receiver down, and walk away. Things simply didn't go well, regarding the new phone policy. Leadership (namely the NAV) created the problem, leadership
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    was blamed for all the setbacks in maintenance & repairs, leadership was blamed by all the families having trouble reaching their family members aboard ship. The Chiefs suffered their setbacks, but were humored by the s tshow, and the
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    blueshirts started to love the new phone policy....they got to watch a bunch of things burn down. Of course, when we answered the phone, we had to identify the boat, that the call was on a non-secure line, and state our name, but
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    everyone talked so fast that there was no understanding or accountability, as to who answered the phones. It was truly a "the beatings will continue, until morale improves" situation. By the numbers, most of
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    the crew made a good time of the whole situation, and really enjoyed pointing out that everything was great until the new NAV showed up.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    CoderJoel 20 days ago Did they ever go back to the old policy?
    via u/CoderJoel
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    SSNs4evr OP 20 days ago Yes and no. The policy stayed, but the enforcement went out the window. Both of my next 2 boats had the same policy, with no enforcement except for the CO/XO phone line. Nobody really messes with their stuff.
    via u/SSNs4evr
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    Zealousideal-Owl-459 20 days ago Awesome story! As a guy who's had to enforce his fair share of stupid rules this one warmed my heart.
    via u/Zealousideal-Owl-459
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    Tkdakat 19 days ago Whatever happened to Never give an order you know won't be obeyed, because it will bite you in the a s?
    via u/Tkdakat

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oddly specific crew friendship boss malicious compliance comedy central navy friends goals reddit story petty revenge petty soldiers Horrible Bosses army Reddit oddly satisfying
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