📖 Glossary of U.S. Navy Terms & Abbreviations (1940–2010)

 

 

This glossary explains common U.S. Navy terms and abbreviations found in GG Archives cruise books, rosters, and training materials. Where relevant, entries include carrier-specific context.

 

A

• A-School — Technical training after boot camp; prepares sailors for a specific rating.
• Arresting Gear — Cables and machinery that stop landing aircraft on a carrier.
• ASW — Anti-Submarine Warfare; tactics, sensors, and aircraft/systems for sub hunting.

 

B

• Berthing — Sleeping quarters aboard ship.
• Boat vs. Ship — Tradition: “boats” can be carried by “ships”; subs colloquially called “boats.”
• BT — Boiler Technician (merged into MM in 1997).

 

C

• CAG — Commander, Air Group (pre-1963); later CVW Commander (title change, nickname persists).
• CATOBAR — Catapult Assisted Take-Off, Barrier/Arrested Recovery (carrier launch/recovery method).
• CIC — Combat Information Center; tactical/radar nerve center of the ship.
• CO — Commanding Officer; ultimate authority aboard ship.
• Chief’s Mess — Community/space for Chiefs (CPO/SCPO/MCPO); leadership hub.

 

D

• Division — Work unit within a department (e.g., “V-2 Division” in Air Dept.).
• DS — Deep draft Surface ship (contextual; also historical Data Systems Tech rating).

 

E

• Enlisted Rate/Rating — Rate=paygrade (e.g., PO2); Rating=job specialty (e.g., YN).
• EW — Electronic Warfare; also former Enlisted rating (now integrated).

 

F

• Flight Deck Jersey Colors — Yellow=Direct aircraft; Green=Catapults/Arresting/maintenance; Red=Ordnance/Crash & Salvage; Purple “Grapes”=Fuel; Blue=Plane handlers; Brown=Plane captains.

 

G

• GQ — General Quarters; battle stations.

 

H

• Hangar Deck — Enclosed deck where aircraft are stored/maintained.
• Handler — Aircraft handler; coordinates aircraft movement on deck/hangar.

 

I

• ISR — Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance.

 

L

• LSO — Landing Signal Officer; guides carrier landings (paddles historically; optical systems later).

 

M

• Mini Boss — Deputy to the Air Boss in Pri-Fly; assists with launches/recoveries.
• MM — Machinist’s Mate; propulsion/engineering (absorbed BT in 1997).

 

N

• NEC — Navy Enlisted Classification; skill identifier layered onto a rating.
• NSN — National Stock Number; standardized supply identifier.

 

O

• Ops — Operations; mission planning/execution functions and departments.
• OS — Operations Specialist; successor to Radarman (RD) after 1970s reclassification.

 

P

• Pri-Fly — Primary Flight Control; where Air Boss/Mini Boss control flight operations.
• PN → YN — Personnelman merged into Yeoman in 2005.

 

R

• RD → OS — Radarman retitled Operations Specialist (1970s).
• Rate/Rating — See “Enlisted Rate/Rating.”

 

S

• Strike Group — Carrier-centered task organization (CSG) with escorts/support.
• SCPO — Senior Chief Petty Officer.

 

T

• Task Force 77 — Cold War/Vietnam carrier task force in the Pacific.

 

W

• Watch Bill — Duty schedule assigning personnel to specific watches (time blocks).
• WestPac — Western Pacific deployment (e.g., 1960–61).

 

X

• XO — Executive Officer; second-in-command to CO; runs daily operations.

 

Y

• YN — Yeoman; administration/correspondence/records.

 

Z

• “Zulu” — NATO phonetic for the letter Z; also Zulu Time = UTC (contextual).

 

 

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