An inside look at the Navy’s most homesick sailors
By Mark D. Faram
Friends and family members of sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Port Royal wave as the ship departs Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled deployment. (MC2 Daniel Barker/Navy)
It’s no secret that sailors are busier than ever, especially those who are on sea-duty. Still, the reality of how much time individual sailors spend away from home might surprise you.
Personnel tempo, or PERSTEMPO, measures the number of days each sailor spends away their home port on official Navy business. The moment a sailor leaves a home port, the PERSTEMPO clock starts.
Navy Times obtained the last three years — FY15 to FY17 — of PERSTEMPO data for the entire Navy from Navy Personnel Command. That information was then broken down and sorted into the graphics below, which show the five commands in each category where sailors are away from home the most.
Carrier and destroyer sailors who spent the most time away from home, according to PERSTEMPO data from FY15 - FY17. (Source: Navy Personnel Command / graphic by Philip Kightlinger)Cruiser and amphib sailors who spent the most time away from home, according to PERSTEMPO data from FY15 - FY17. (Source: Navy Personnel Command / graphic by Philip Kightlinger)Missile submarine sailors who spent the most time away from home, according to PERSTEMPO data from FY15 - FY17. (Source: Navy Personnel Command / graphic by Philip Kightlinger)Sailors from the fast attack sub crews who spent the most time away from home, according to PERSTEMPO data from FY15 - FY17. (Source: Navy Personnel Command / graphic by Philip Kightlinger)Squadron sailors who spent the most time away from home, according to PERSTEMPO data from FY15 - FY17. (Source: Navy Personnel Command / graphic by Philip Kightlinger)Helicopter squadron sailors who spent the most time away from home, according to PERSTEMPO data from FY15 - FY17. (Source: Navy Personnel Command / graphic by Philip Kightlinger)
The reality of how much time individual sailors spend away from home might surprise you.
By Mark D. Faram
About Mark D. Faram
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
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