Every Sailor, from E-1 on up, knows what it's like to report to that first duty station. They remember the mixed feelings of fear and excitement looking down the pier at the gray hulls until their ship comes into view. And it is their ship. If one piece fails, then the whole ship fails. But motivating a crew of men and women to excellence is a challenge.
Attitudes trickle down from the top to the bottom.
If the commanding officer is excited, then the wardroom can be excited. If the wardroom is excited, then the Sailors under the command of those officers are excited. But the reverse also holds true. And for years, the Surface Warfare community has battled a negative image of a community that eats its young. Stereotypical SWOS and anecdotal stories of Surface Warfare life abound.