Surface Warfare Schools Command - SWSC

Safety equals readiness. At SWSC, we train surface warriors at all levels to join the Fleet and execute the mission. Your individual safety off-duty directly impacts our operational readiness and lethality. A preventable injury means one less Sailor ready to deploy and stand the watch.

Whether you're hitting the road, enjoying the water, or firing up the grill, remember to make smart decisions. Your safety matters.

For those entering base through Gate 1 tomorrow.

Gate 1 will close tomorrow, June 17, at 6 a.m. for maintenance and to support other evolutions. When Gate 1 closes, Gate 2 at Third Street Extension will be opened. It is anticipated Gate 1 will reopen at 6 p.m. Please make adjustments to commuting schedules to avoid any delays or inconveniences.

SWSC is proud to have such extraordinary staff members, like LT Sands at Mariner Skills Training Center Pacific, San Diego. Providing top-notch surface warfare training is essential to maintaining Fleet readiness, and BDOC is where that training starts. Thank you, LT Sands, and the rest of our BDOC instructors!

⚓A visit from the top!⚓

Yesterday, SWSC hosted Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations. During the visit, Admiral Caudle met with SWSC leadership, toured the command's state-of-the-art simulators, and engaged directly with students in the Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) course to share strategic guidance and Fleet expectations.

High-level engagements with senior naval leadership are vital for maintaining alignment between schoolhouse training and Fleet operational requirements. By observing cutting-edge simulation technology firsthand and mentoring future warship commanders, the CNO ensures that training pipelines remain directly focused on developing combat-ready leaders capable of maintaining global maritime superiority.

⚙️ Advancing engineering excellence! ⚙️

Congratulations to the newest Advanced Engineering Instructors (AEI) graduates! The AEI graduation ceremony featured Capt. Eric Kellum, Chief of Staff, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, as the guest speaker. Capt. Kellum shared insights on operational excellence and leadership to welcome these recognized engineering experts into their critical new roles within the Fleet.

The AEI program is vital to the Surface Force’s tactical and material readiness. Serving as premier planners, thinkers, and teachers, AEI graduates drive maintenance excellence and address complex engineering challenges. These Sailors play a direct role in elevating engineering knowledge across the deckplates, ensuring surface combatants possess the power and reliability required to maintain global maritime superiority.

Interested in the AEI program? Find more information here: https://www.netc.navy.mil/Media-Center/News-Stories/News-Stories-Display/Article/4150037

🔭Field trip!✨

Yesterday, students and staff from SWSC's Surface Navigator (SURFNAV) course stepped out of the classroom and into the night sky... or at least, a perfect simulation of it. The class traveled to the Mystic Seaport Museum for an immersive training session on celestial navigation held inside the Treworgy Planetarium. They later went to Brenton Point, using the skies to calculate their latitude and longitude using only a sextant, the Nautical Almanac and a whiteboard.

Celestial navigation remains a foundational skill for today’s mariners. By utilizing the planetarium's unique ability to replicate the sky from any location on Earth at any point in history, our future navigators practiced identifying key constellations, measuring angles, and calculating lines of position. By thinking outside the traditional classroom, SWSC continues to provide world-class training that prepares our Sailors to command the sea.

📡📶 Keeping lines of communications open when the screens go dark. 📡📶

Students in SWSC’s Surface Navigator (SURFNAV) course recently dressed the classroom with signal flags as they sharpened their tactical communication skills as part of a new hands-on training evolution.

While modern satellite and digital communications are our primary tools, Navy Sailors prepare for any scenario. Quartermasters and ship’s Navigators master flag signals to ensure that they can seamlessly communicate with civilian mariners and other military vessels in a communications-denied environment. This new training evolution meant that every student in the class went hands-on in decoding, encoding, and hoisting the flags from their team’s flag kit.

🧭 Classic skills for modern mariners 🧭

Yesterday’s clear skies provided the perfect backdrop for students in SWSC’s Surface Navigator (SURFNAV) course to take to the roof for hands-on celestial navigation practice. The ideal weather allowed the students to conduct practical demonstrations with sextants, sharpening their skills in traditional seafaring methods.

While modern warships rely heavily on advanced satellite and electronic navigation systems, mastering celestial navigation remains a vital, battle-tested capability. Ensuring our navigators can guide their ships using only the sun, moon, and stars guarantees our Fleet remains resilient, self-reliant, and capable of safely navigating the world's oceans under any operational condition.