I don't those sailors had an option, where ever the ships goes, you go, period.
The Regan and Essex were exposed to radiation while operating off the coast, a lot of the aircraft and gear got contaminated with radiation, so did a lot of the sailors on board.
You are somewhat correct. When the radiation accident happened, we quickly sent over some of our folks to help out who had "some" radiation training from the aircraft carrier that was tied up at port in Japan during the time of the accident. At first we thought our carrier that was tied up there was enough of a distance away to not be a concern. We were wrong. Japan itself downplayed the extent of the release. The alarms went off on our carrier at the port several times. After the second time, we ordered the carrier to set sail, even though a substantial amount of the crew still had not reported back. They realized that the alarms were for actual radiation exposure while at port, a substantial distance away. The closer to the incident, the higher the exposure. Radiation is cummulative. And depending upon the type of radiation, even a short exposure can be serious.
You will get the politicians and the brass in the military that will try to brush it off to just a little more than walking out in the sun with out wearing sun block for a few days. But in reality, it is serious. If you research the effects of radiation exposure, you will find it will also lead to child defects if the exposed people have children. So you see, it may not be limited to just our exposed service member. The effects of this release can last for generations. I was trained just enough about radiation to scare the crap out of me. I am not for, or against Nuclear energy. I just know enough to respect it and stay as far away as possible.
And God forbid if CCNPP ever has even a moderate problem. We have the potential to have significant issues right here. We enjoy the "so-called" clean energy it produces. But, at what cost further down the line? And when the license was renewed, are all critical components replaced to last throughout the new licensing period? I do not know the answer to this question. Only time will tell. I will say there is one thing we know that is currently established. We do have a significant cancer rate in Southern Maryland. Our family members and our young children are dying from cancer left and right. So, are all sources of cancer, radiation sites such as nuclear plants, superfund cleanup sites, etc., really fully reported by our government when there is a leak? Based on the flood of cancer I have seen, I very much doubt it.