Arthur Breaux:
CLASS OF 1975
Berwick High SchoolClass of 1975
Berwick, LA
Arthur's Story
After leaving Louisiana Law Enforcement, twenty years in the Navy made me grow up a lot. I did get back into law enforcement with a local department in Washington State. I resigned my commission when I retired from the Navy and got a job in Florida. Wow! It's another world up there. Spent time on submarines and diving programs. Most of the time I was a submarine nuclear reactor operator. I got Engineering Watch Supervisor Qualifications done during my second ten years. After having messed around with my education before the Navy, I worked really hard and got my degree while at sea (biology, chemistry, nuclear technology). Not easy. I served on the USS Sand Lance (SSN 660), NRS Portsmouth (my only shore duty), the USS Pargo (SSN 650), and the USS Alabama Gold Crew (SSBN 731). While I was on the Sand Lance, we pulled into a lot of places in Southern Europe several times. The friendliest was France. Some are surprised at that, but, they never gave me a hard time. I got chased by some bulls in Italy while some friends and I were crossing a farmers field. That is when I started experimenting with mountain climbing. It was my only escape. I overcame my fear of heights then. When I was on the Pargo, we went into the Arctic alot. We surfaced through the ice a particularly large number of times on a project called SCICEX 95. It is so cold there the water falls out of the air and creates a very dry environment. It is so dry that a static charge builds up on your skin that holds a blanket of air close to you. That enables one to wander around the ice for a bit without anything on the skin. Yep..... nothing like streaking on the top of the world. You can't do it for long though... maybe about 9 minutes or so. Then the blanket of air degrades and your core temp starts falling like a rock. After the ice trips, we usually pulled into Norway. What a beautiful nation. Why in the world the vikings left it beats me. Everyone there was taller than I. I am 6-4. Did a few SPECOPS from the Sand Lance and Pargo.... North Africa, Haiti, etc... After Pargo, I went to the USS Alabama. The only port we pulled into on that ship was Hawaii. But... what a place. If you have never been, rent a convertable and drive the island, Oahu. Takes about two or three hours, but the views are magnificent. The place has ...Expand for more
a lot to do. So... After retiring from the "black canoe club" and chasing the Soviets around, I got my current job at a nuclear power plant in the Southernmost county of Florida.... South of Miami in a place called Homestead. Yep, that's where Andrew came through. The place hasn't quite recovered from that. There are two plants here. I am in charge of troubleshooting all issues within the first 16 hours of problems. I have my teams go out to make measurements and observe equipment, then return to author packages for further troubleshooting and repair. I guide Engineering people for changes to equipment, and I keep Operations informed of the exact status of equipment. I write procedure changes, initiate Engineering changes, purchase repair parts, design experiments for troubleshooting and data analysis, and provide discipline and leadership to the techs, specialists, and journeymen. I review repair activity plans and schedules against the legal technical specifications in the site license. I get up at 0415 and leave work at 1700. Long days of fun! We are supposed to get started building two more nuclear plants on site. Currently I work on units PTN3 and PTN4. The new ones are PTN6 and PTN7. Employment opportunities abound. The chief contractor is Shaw Group. Others are AMES, Williams, Bechtel, Areva, NPS, Siemans, and Westinghouse. The securit contractor is Wackenhut... another way to get in while your security rating is administered. Shaw Group is out of Baton Rouge and Lake Charles. A lot of our newer repair equipment is coming out of Texas and Louisiana. If you are looking for work, get with one of the entry level contractors and get a security rating. There are other ways too. The contractors travel all over the world working outages (times when the units are shut down for refueling and repairs/refits). There is a strong influence of the Cuban population here, but, they are amicable, and open up once they can relate in some way to your work. Property is cheaper now, and is gettin cheaper. It's gonna shoot up when people realize that this is a place where you can get a good job and live in paradise. Especially when the new plants foundations' are started. Key Largo is about 20 minutes South if you drive the speed limit.
So......... that's my story and what I have been up to.
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