Military Connection: Navy Sea Pay Raise Starts May 1: By Debbie Gregory

The U.S. Navy’s sea-going sailors are seeing more green for their time spent on the blue. The Navy’s approved sea pay raise is the first such increase since October 1, 2001, and only the second hike in 30 years.

Every time a ship pulls away from its mooring, extra watches are set, and hundreds of sailors and officers are assigned to around the clock watch teams. These teams perform every function needed to propel, navigate, steer, protect, defend, and command the ship. Additionally, watch standers communicate with the rest of the fleet and others who provide damage control and structural maintenance.

Also onboard are sailors working in support of the watch standers, providingservices in fields such as administration, pay and leave, supply and logistics, equipment upkeep, and food service. Then, depending on the class of ship, there are personnel attached to air wings who are responsible for launching, landing and manning aircraft, and personnel attached to boat units who are responsible for manning Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC, aka hovercraft), and Landing Craft Utility (LCU).

With all of the extra watches and man-hours utilized whenever a ship is underway, it can feel like a deployment, regardless of whether the ship is steaming in a war zone or in U.S. territorial waters.

According to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), Career Sea Pay (CSP) is intended to improve retention of members in sea service skills, and as recognition for members serving on sea duty for the greater-than-normal rigors of sea duty.”

Sea Pay is paid monthly to sailors, marines and officers based on pay-grade and years of cumulative sea time. CSP is not part of a sailor’s or officer’s base pay, but an incentive for personnel to go to and remain at sea.

Starting May, 2014, Sailors and Marines could be seeing as much as a 25% hike in their monthly CSP. With the raise comes an increase in the Career Sea Pay Premium (CSP-P). CSP-P is distributed to sailors and officers who accumulate 36 months or more of consecutive sea time. CSP-P is given monthly on top of base pay and CSP. CSP-P is set to double from $100 to $200 each month.

The Navy estimates that approximately 100,000 members will be affected by the CSP increase this year, and 13,000 members will see an increase in CSP-P.

Approximately 100,000 sailors receive career sea pay and approximately 13,000 receive career sea pay premium. The Navy expects the increase to cost $66 million per year.

To view the updated Career Sea Pay table, follow this link to the Navy.mil chart.

For more information about military base pay, incentive pay, and hazardous duty pay, browse the branch of your choice at www.MilitaryConnection.com

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