I Finally Broke the Code!
You folks in the Navy think you’re so damn smart. You encrypt your enlisted rank abbreviations so that no one knows what rank you are!
But that won’t work any more. I’ve finally done it. I’ve found the decryption key! Here it is!
Yes, I’m being facetious above. But I – and I’m sure many others – find Naval enlisted rank/rate abbreviations confusing as hell. Being from another service (Army), I’ve never been able to make much sense of them.
The linked document is what appears to be a relatively complete listing of Naval rank abbreviations – archaic and current – I found on a website belonging to the VA’s National Cemetery Administration. I certainly will find it useful.
I’m sure I’m not alone in being “lost” on this subject, so I thought I’d post it here also. Hopefully some others will find it useful as well.
(Edited to add: a shorter version of the current Navy enlisted rank/rate abbreviations,along with an explanation of the method to construct them, can be found here. Hat tip to TAH reader CBSenior for this second list.)
AW1 Tim, like AW1 Ed, was an “Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Operator 1st Class. After I got out they added the “System” to the title. Because I was primarily operating acoustic sensors ( basically an airborne sonar operator) It was spelled AW(A)1 back in the day.
Nowadays, all of the aviation rates are being combined under the “AW” rate with the letters changed to “Aviation Warfare” and a subletter denoting your specialty added afterward.
Pissed off a lot of folks, that change did. But it isn’t the old hairy navy anymore. More’s the pity.
Of course, you haven’t talked about Navalese, either, and that’s another whole language where things may or may not be named how you would think they ought to. Others are pretty simple, really.
Port, starboard, bow, aft, amidships, overhead, lantern, lamp, hatch, bulkhead, head, passageway, scuttle, scuttle butt, etc. On top of THAT, there was a whole ‘nuther language overlaid on Navalese depending upon whether you were a black shoe or a brown shoe, and then further engorged depending upon whether you were a bubblehead, and airdale, or one of the boat people. 🙂
Ironic that the only specialty that is spelled out is “CRYPTOTECH.” It stands for a person who is a . . . cryptotech.
If a boatswain mate can come up with a code for their specialty but the cryptotech can’t, cryptotechs are way overpaid.
AG = AEROGRAPHER MATES or WEATHER GUESSER. AGs swallowed the Photographer’s Mate (PH as in PH2) rating in the 90s — This is incorrect.
Photographer’s Mates (PH), Journalists (JO), Draftsman (DM) and Lithographer (LI) were combined into one rating: Mass Communication Specialist (MC).
They were never absorbed into the weatherbirds’ rating.
LOblollyboy…hmmm…DADT.
Chief Cryptologic Technician, Interpretive (Submarines), reporting in! 🙂
Note: CT’s are referred to as “riders,” “Chow Techs,” “Cinema Techs,” “Cigarette Techs” among other things, depending on how slack they are….
CTIC(SG)(Ret)
I’d really like to see the contents of the poopdeckian dictionary.
This was my Navy, the one I remember.
http://goatlocker.org/resources/nav/airdale.htm
Ratings aside, I always thought the Navy had the easiest rank structure to remember, at least as far as enlisted go.
If you know the rate, it’s always best to use it but you can never go wrong if you call a junior sailor (below E4) “Seaman” and the E4-E6 crowd “Petty Officer” or by their class (First class, second class, etc). If they’re wearing an anchor or khakis top and bottom (and they’re not an officer), they’re some flavor of chief. Senior chief was the one I always had difficulty with because sometimes it’s hard to see the single star from afar. However, I think the best rule of thumb is to think of chief rank like the inverse of what you do with a woman’s age. When guess a woman’s age (or weight) always shoot low. When guessing a chief’s rank from afar, always shoot high. I’d rather have them chuckle and have a chief say I erroneously called him a senior chief than visa versa.
@57,Thanks Tim for the walk down memory lane. Papa Joe’s in PR actually had cement furniture, and chicken wire encased the dancer’s stages.
Not that I ever went there, of course….
Missed this one. You realize we sailors made our structure this way for the same reason that on a ship you have decks, bulkheads and hatches instead of floors, walls and doors. It to mess with everyone who isn’t Navy.
Not to mention Wogs, Shellbacks and Golden Shellbacks.
Ed,
I remember the enlisted club at AW “A” school had concrete floors with the tables bolted to them, and plastic chairs. Beer was served in cans and plastic solo cups were the only containers there too. 🙂
Here is how to talk Navy,
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:U.S._Navy_slang
The longer list has a number of ratings that never were. The NW rate for instance never had an E8 or E9 level because the rate was replaced by the GMT (Technician) in 1960, which is prior to the super-chief ratings. It’s also missing some of the variations such as the Torpedoman’s TMO (Operations)designation. Most of the list seems accurate, though, and it’s interesting that it still contains the old sailing Navy rates.
Quick story of my first experience with Navy rank/rates. While stationed in Korea, a ship docked in Inchon for a few days. I was in charge of shore security and work with the ships Duty Officer, who turned out to be a Captain, hell I had one of those so thought nothing of it. Had a great time with the guy, let him satisfy a certain need in the working girls area of Inchon and then my team and I were invited back the to the ship the next day for mess. That’s when I was informed that a captain in the Army is not the same as a captain in the Navy. 0-3 vs. 0-6!
We sailors still don’t know most of it. We just prefer to stick with our own kind to avoid confusion.
@44 That breakdown is Sierra Hotel, made my day. You wouldn’t happen to be an ET(SS) would you?