The amount of time you can expect to be on a carrier is 2 years unless you request for a 1 year extension. Now, not all this time is out to sea. But, the amount of time will vary depending on where in the ship's cycle you transfer to the ship. It could be as little as 50% of the time at sea if you happen to fall in the cycle at the right time or as much as 70% if you are aren't as fortunate enough. I happened to be attached to the carrier for 3 years. I just happened to attach to the ship as the ship was coming out of the yard period where it had undergone 4 1/2 months of maintenance following a deployment. This meant that we went to sea for the first time shortly after getting to the ship. You undergo the work-ups and qualifications which can vary from a week to 2 months long. These are needed to get ready for deployment. In the 37 months I was attached to the ship, I was out to sea for 27 months. Yes, being out to sea that much did stink at times, but I had already been dealing with being away from my wife because of her schooling, so we had already been facing separation at that point. But, coming home - well, that was nice! Being out to sea really wasn't bad all the time. You would get into a routine and stay busy. In off time, you can exercise, play games, catch up on movies, get your SWDO warfare device, etc. Then, there are the port calls which are nice. In my 3 yrs on the ship, I deployed twice. We made port calls in Hawaii, Guam, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Australia, Tasmania, and Hong Kong . If you get stationed on the East coast, then you get port calls in the Mediteranean Sea and other places.
As a newlywed, I feel disconcerted about being out of the country or away for any period of time. My recruiter explained that in 4 years of time as a Navy dentist, I should expect the first 3 years to be at a dental clinic or base of my choosing most likely. However, the above conversation leads me to believe this is not so. How much say do I have in this? Is my recruiter misinforming me?
btw, I'm applying for Navy HPSP to enter dental school in 2012.