The answer is to do your best to report to the nearest military official, or a US Embassy.
We didn't use AWOL when I was in, but the term, UA, for Unauthorized Absence. Also, more technically this would be referred to as Missing Ships Movement.
In my time, we had one guy miss ships movement. The ship was going from Yokosuka to Korea, so he knew at some point the Okie Boat would have to transit the Kanmon strait. He caught a bullet train south, then a local to Shemonseki, then camped out on a pier. When he saw the ship he hopped onboard a boat, threw a bunch of Yen at the owner, and pointed.
He was sent to Captains mast, and fined the amount he spent on the tickets, which was suspended. I should add this guy was well respected even if a junior rank, so that was taken into account.
Then we had another guy go AWOL in Australia. He was picked up hitchhiking in uniform, by what turned out to be an Australian Navy officer. Who took him home and gave him the last good meal he was going to get in a while.
The Aussie MP’s picked him up, and flew him to Japan, where he was court-martialed. Reduced in rank to E-1 (the bottom) fined a lot of money, plus he had to pay for the airfare of his Aussie escorts, 6 months prison, then dishonorably discharged.
So there is the answer. It depends.
Other stories supplied to the forum:
1973- NavSta Mayport Florida: aircraft carrier USS Franklin D Roosevelt had just taken in the last line when a sailor appeared pier-side frantically shouting and waving, and fell off the pier.
Now you don’t just sidle a carrier back up to the pier. Cooler heads prevailed. He was fished out of the water…AND, knowing that the harbor pilot would be returned ashore on a ship’s helicopter, he was driven to Air Operations so he could get on it after dropping the harbor pilot ashore. He was so drunk that he could NOT be understood…so he was taken to sickbay. Turns that he had spent the prior evening at the nearby bar so he could say his final, Navy discharge farewell to his shipmates as we departed on deployment!
By the time he was coherent enough to understandably communicate that to the ship’s medical staff, we were too far at sea to warrant flight quarters to fly him back ashore! He made the transit all the way to our first port call in Barcelona, Spain, where, I suppose, the Navy got him back home. Meanwhile, we’d arrived in the Mediterranean Sea just in time for the Yom Kippur war to start.
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While I was on liberty one time, the ship got an emergency sortie. It was a drill. Unbeknownst to those of us on liberty did not get notified of said movement. I learned that the ship still had over 50% manned and it was sufficient for the drill. The ship was gone for 24 hours. All we could do was sit at the liberty boat landing area with the shore patrol and await the ships return. None of us got into trouble. But it was a scary moment to get back to the dock and no ship in sight.
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1983 in the Navy on a Mediterranean Cruise. My ship had a port visit to Ashdod Israel. With permission of the Captain, 7 of the ship’s officers (myself included) took a private tour of the Holy Land. The tour lasted the entire day and we were returned to the pier that evening. Much to our surprise, the ship had departed and we were stranded in Israel.
During the day the ship had a general recall of the crew resulting from Omar Kadaffi invading Chad And my ship being tasked to respond to that situation. Our action was to take the cab to Tel Aviv and report to the American Embassy. The ship had already notified the embassy of our situation and were ready for us to check in. We did not have passports or Visas, but our military id card was enough id to stay clear of trouble.
It took 5 days for the embassy to arrange a flight from Israel. And a total of 10 days to get us returned to our ship. From there we went to Naples Italy and then Sigonilla Sicily. From Sigonilla we were flown to the deployed carrier for two days. Once in range our ship’s helo det transported us back to the ship. There was no punitive proceedings, and when we were safely on board, our Executive Officer greeted us and said “I hope you enjoyed the adventure; It will never happen again!”
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My ship, USS Scott (DDG995), had tied up at the pier in Haifa Israel and seven sailors had gone on liberty about fifteen minutes later as soon as the gangway was in place.
At that point in time we received an emergency order to breakaway and to pursue the cruise liner, Achille Lauro, which had just been hijacked.
The deck crew cut the lines with axes tying us to the peer and we pulled away with the gangway falling into the water.
We shadowed the Achille Lauro until the hijackers left the the ship in Egypt a couple of days later.
The seven sailors who missed the ship’s movement stayed in a local hotel until we pulled back into Haifa a few days later.
Given the circumstances, there were no consequences for the seven sailors who missed the ship’s movement.
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We were tied up at the repair pier in Subic Bay and I’d gone to the Navy Exchange on base for some reason or other. I came back a couple of hours later and my ship was GONE!
I was in a panic, looking all around to see if I’d done something incredibly stupid when one of the guys standing around me asked if I was lost.
I told them I left my ship RIGHT THERE, and somebody TOOK IT!
They laughed and pointed across towards the other side of the harbor where it had been towed to perform some repairs that required a special shop about a mile from NAS Cubi Point.
Took a base taxi and got back aboard.
Was told it was a surprise move, and me and another handful of sailors were off ship when the tugs dragged it across the harbor.
Never felt so distraught in my life!
My reply:
In my first civie job I was assigned to fix an electrical system on a tug boat assigned to Philadelphia. It was Friday night, and I picked up my girl friend and drove to south Philly. She regarded it as an adventure.
On board, meter out, and being followed by the ships electrician, I felt that unmistakable shutter of ships movement. My girl friend was on the pier reading a book also saw it leave and thought, “Now what do I do, he has the car keys?”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Atlantic City.” was the reply. About 55 miles away.
“I am not going to Atlantic City! My girl friend is at the pier.”
“The Atlantic City, its a barge across the river, its where we have dinner.
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Different navies different rules. In the Indian Navy, a sailor cannot be reduced in rank below the lowest man's rate of Seaman I (or equivalent) which is E-3.
Returning late from shore leave or missing a ship which was under sailing orders when you proceeded on leave is an aggravated offense of leave breaking and there is no limit on the punishment.
Desertion implies “having no intention of returning” and has to be proved though s prolonged absence and/or being arrested and returned to the ship would probably qualify. If a sailor is AWOL for 7 days he is marked “Run” and a notation “R” is placed against his name on the ship's books. His pay and allowances stop from the day of absence. After 3 months unless he is required to answer some other charge, he is struck of the ship's books. If subsequently recovered, the deserter cannot be tried summarily by the Captain but will be tried by Court Martial.
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I nearly missed movement in ’01 in Newcastle, nsw, au. Was brought to chiefs mess where the recommended reduction in rate from e3 to e2. The great part was after they announced sentence the Old Man announced the promotion results over the 1mc. He announced i was to be promoted from e3 to e4. I asked the scpo presiding if the captain just overruled his decision. I've never seen a senior chief look so angry in my life. So, technically, I went through 4 ranks in 30 seconds.
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