-
Abaft the beam: On
a ship, this refers to anything aft of the 090/270 degree relative
beam of the ship, which is perpendicular to the bow/stern axis.
-
Above or above
decks: A direction: Navy for "up." If you ascend to a higher deck on
a Navy ship (using a ladder), you go "above." If you go all the way
up to the weather decks, you go "topside" (see below).
-
Abu Dhabi
(adj.): Refers to any product labeled in
Arabic
aboard a ship, particularly soda cans. "We've been home from cruise
for 8 months and we still have Abu Dhabi Cokes in the vending
machines!" Also referred to as "Hajji Pop" or "Derka
Dew"
-
A Crub: Nickname
given to the A Club (enlisted club) in Yokosuka. This term mocks the
way many Japanese girls who frequent the establishment pronounce it.
See Honch Rats.
-
Admin: Prearranged
meeting point in-port for carrier pilots.
-
Admin Warfare
Specialist: Joking, sometimes derisive term for
Yeomen,
Personnel men or other Navy administrative ratings. Used especially
in cases when said sailor does not have a warfare pin.
-
ADSEP:
Administrative Separation - Involuntary separation
from the armed services due to circumstances which are not deemed
dishonorable.
-
A-Farts: slang for
Armed Forces
Radio & Television Service. A-Farts are received via
satellite all over the world and offer a variety of shows. Some of
the most entertaining offerings are the propaganda commercials it
frequently airs since regular advertising is not permitted. Also
known as Another Fucking Reason to Sleep.
-
Aft: Towards the
stern of the ship. Aft is always a direction, never a place; except
on submarines, where it often refers to the Engine room.
-
A-Gang: The
Auxiliary Division of the Engineering Department. Members known as
"A-Gangers" or "Shit Pumpers" or "Knuckle Draggers." Also known as
the only gang on the boat.
-
A-tripleF:
"Aqueous Film Forming Foam" used to fight class ‘B’ fires; Also used
in reference to “Another fucking fish Friday” where fish or other
fried seafood is served consistently for the noon meal on Friday.
-
Ahead Frank Crap
on Plate: (Submarine Service) Refers to when a Submarine orders up
All Ahead Flank Cavitate, without rigging for high speed.
-
Air Boss: Air
Officer. His assistant is the "Mini Boss".
-
Airedale: Any
sailor who works with, on, or around aircraft. Their only purpose in
life is to stand in any line onboard a ship underway all day.
-
Airedale Tuck: The
act of folding one's garrison cover (soft cap) or "piss cutter" so
as to have the rear end kick up vertically.
-
Air Force Common:
Sarcastic term for the Guard frequencies (see "Guard" below). These
are supposed to be used only in the case of an emergency, however,
sailors perceive the Air Force using the frequencies far too often
for routine communications.
-
Air start: Any
attempt to restart an aircraft's engine(s) after in-flight failure.
Also a "blowjob; which is performed by the "Root Huffer"; a Huffer
is slang for the Aircraft Start Cart which blows air into a jet
engine spooling it to start RPMs"
-
Air wing: All of
the squadrons aboard an aircraft carrier make up the air wing.
-
A.J. Squared Away:
a term used to describe a sailor who is always "squared away,"
meaning always having a perfect shave, perfectly ironed uniform,
spit-shined shoes, haircut with less than 1 mm of hair, spotless
uniform, etc. Compare to dirt bag below.
-
All Ahead Bendix :
A theoretical ship's speed faster than "Flank". Based on
manufacturer's (Bendix) marking on engine order telegraph, one step
further than Flank.
-
Aloft: A location
above the weather decks, such as the rigging or antenna farm.
Usually heard in word passed every 15-minutes when personnel are
working on radars aboard ship. "Aloft, there are men working aloft.
Do not rotate, radiate or energize any electrical or electronic
equipment while men are working aloft onboard USS <ship's name>".
-
Anchors and Spurs:
Famous dance club at
NAVSTA San
Diego where many-a lonely Navy wife has broken the
seventh
commandment. Many sailors find this amusing until it
happens to them.
-
Angles and Dangles
(Submarine Service): Placing the boat in extreme angles (also known
as 'up and down bubbles') soon after leaving port, to see whether
anything breaks loose. Similar consequence noises while on patrol
are not desired. Usually results in plates just cleaned, half the
bug juice machine, and that nights' dessert ending up on the floor
and aft/forward bulkhead.
-
ALL Bells:
Midnight or 0000Hrs.
-
All Balls: Any
instrument reading that is all zeros or a ship with an all
male
crew.
-
Aluminum Cloud:
slang for the
F-14 Tomcat.
-
"Another Fine Navy
Day!” an expression voiced (in a very cheery manner) on occasions
when, in fact, it's not that much of a Fine Navy Day at all.
-
Anti-smack or
Anti-smash: Anti-collision strobe light on an aircraft. Also called
simply "Smacks."
-
Anymouse: Slang
for anonymous. Safety system where sailors can drop an anonymous
recommendation into a
locked box.
-
AOL: Absent Over
Leave; Navy speak for AWOL. See UA, the sailors' preferred usage.
-
AOM: All Officers
Meeting, held for a variety of reasons like training, port calls,
mess issues, etc.
-
Ape: Slang for an
Auxiliary
Power Unit, or APU. This is basically a small turbine
engine on an aircraft that is started with battery power. It then
supplies electrical power and air for starting the main engine(s).
-
Apple Jack: Slang
for
21 day wine
made out of bug juice, sugar and yeast.
-
Applejack (also
Apple-jacked): Extremely intoxicated. Refers to a sailor who is so
piss-drunk on liberty that his shipmates actually notice it.
-
"Armpit of the
Navy": Slang for
NAS Lemoore,
so named because of the smell and air quality of the San Joaquin
Valley.
-
ARO (Assistant
Reactor Officer): a position created by the east coast Navy to
create more micromanagement within the nuclear navy. An ARO is
typically a commander (O-5) that has no hope in advancing due to
his/her ineptitude in leadership. This position is considered a
career killer and leads to the person holding this position to
believe they are of equal and/or greater footing than the Reactor
Officer.
-
A-School or "A"
School: Navy career schools to develop skills in such areas as
computers, transportation, electronics, engineering, etc.
-
ASMO: (ASsignment
MemOrandum) term/procedure used by RDCs in boot camp; means to
restart or to be sent back in recruit training. "I'll ASMO your ass
back to 1-1 day.
-
Asshole putty:
peanut butter
-
Asspiss: Diarrhea
-
"Assholes and
elbows": A deck hand on his hands and knees holystoning a wooden
deck. As in "All I want to see is assholes and elbows." as spoken by
a boatswains mate.
-
"Asshole of the
Navy": Slang for Norfolk, Virginia, home of the fabled "DOGS AND
SAILORS KEEP OFF THE GRASS!" sign. The
Urban Legends
Reference Pages says that the sign is an
urban legend
[2],
but cold shoulders from civilians persist in Navy towns. See also
"NoFuck, Vagina" and "Shit City," below.
-
Asshole of the
World: Tijuana, Mexico. Due to its close proximity to San Diego, one
can often find sailors and Marines enjoying the lower drinking age,
cheap booze, and loose women.
-
ASWO:
Anti-Submarine Warfare Officers
-
ATFQ: Answer The
Fucking Question. This grading remark often appears on nuke-school
exams when it appears that the test-taker lost focus. See also "GCE"
and "RTFQ".
-
Athwart ships: A
direction perpendicular to the bow-stern axis of the ship. That is,
moving port-to-starboard or starboard-to-port. A passageway that
goes in this direction is called an "athwart ship passageway."
-
AUTEC: Atlantic
Undersea Test and Evaluation Center
-
Auto: Short for
autorotation,
which is a maneuver performed by a helo pilot in the event of
complete power loss. Sarcastically described as the last few seconds
of a helo flight during which the crew has just enough time to kiss
their ass goodbye.
-
Auto Dog:
Self-serve ice cream dispensed from a machine in wardrooms and mess
decks throughout the navy. Resembles a pile of dog poop. See "dog"
below.
-
Aye: Yes (I
understand).
-
Aye, aye: Yes (I
understand the order, and) Yes (I will comply)
-
AWOL: Absent
WithOut Leave
-
B
-
B1rd
(B.-One-R.-D.): Called out by lookouts to report a bird to an
inexperienced JOOD (See also Sea Gull pronounced Charlie -Gee U-11)
-
Baby Bird farm: An
Iwo Jima-class
helicopter
carrier.
-
Baboon Ass:
Nickname for corned beef, based on color and flavor.
-
B.A.B.B.S:
Nickname for extremely ugly women on the boat (Busted Ass Boat
Broads).
-
Back Alley: Card
game of trump played by 2 to 4 players (mostly "snipes"). Players
are first dealt 1 card each then
2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13,-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Players bid on the
number of tricks to be taken, trump is determined by draw. Score is
kept by awarding 3 points for bids made and taken and 1 point for
each additional trick. A player unable to make their bid goes set 3
X the bid. Game can be played by partners.
-
Baffles:
(Submarines) The area directly aft of a submarine in which she
cannot hear because of the
screw's
turbulence
in the water and the lack of ship mounted
hydrophones
in that immediate area.
-
Baffle Sample:
(Submarines) A prank, similar to the Portable Air Sample
snipe
hunt, conducted on a NQP that, played correctly, can involve several
departments including
sonar,
engineering, and weapons. Generally culminates in NQP approaching
Captain in Chicken Suit and declaring an emergent situation of "50
parts per baffle!".
-
Bag:
Flight suit.
-
Bag: To issue
demerits at the
Naval Academy.
-
Bag: Full
complement of fuel in an aircraft.
-
Bag: To
accumulate, gather, or obtain something. (Ex. I'm going to bag some
traps.)
-
Bag: To leave or
postpone a regular duty for the following watch to complete.
Generally, the person who gets bagged is the one using the term.
-
Bag Ass: Leave a
place of duty (go on
liberty)
-
Bag It Out: Fill
an aircraft with its max fuel load.
-
Bag Nasty: A
pre-packaged bag lunch usually consisting of a cold cut sandwich,
piece of fruit, and juice box or can of soda. Served at galleys in
lieu of regular chow for sailors on the go.
-
Bag of Ass: An
adjective applied to a sailor whose uniform presents an unsightly
appearance, characterized especially by new recruits. (See also Bag
of hot ass, shitbag, dirtbag, unsat sailor, "using summer creases
i.e. "summer" here, "summer" there.)
-
Balls Thirty: A
term used to indicate the time of the 0030 security sweep on some
bases.
-
Balls to Two: A
short watch stood from 0000 to 0200. Not generally seen outside of
training commands.
-
Balls to Four: A
four hour watch technically spanning from 00:00 to 04:00, though in
practice begins at 2345 and ends at 0345. Most commonly seen on a
"Dogged Watch" schedule.
-
Balls To the Wall
(WWII Air force): Bomber throttles had a ball on the end of each one.
Pushing all of the BALLS forward until they hit the firewall set all
of the engines to full power. This is the origin.
-
Balls To The Wall
(Submarine Service): Main propulsion plant dialed up to 11 for
maximum speed.
-
Balls to The
Walls: extremely fast, hurry up
-
Bandit: Aircraft
positively identified as hostile.
-
Barney Clark:
Slider topped with a fried egg. Also called a "One-Eyed Jack." Named
after the
first man to
receive an artificial heart.
-
Barricade: Huge
nylon net strung across the landing area of a carrier to arrest the
landing of an aircraft which cannot perform a normal arrested
landing due to malfunction, battle damage, etc.
-
Base Bunny: Slutty
woman who hangs around in front of the entrance to a base, hoping to
pick up a Sailor. Some Base Bunnies want to snag husbands and
thereby reap the Sailor's benefits. In the Old Navy (ca. 1983) she
was known as a "Sea Hag."
-
Basket Leave:
Highly illegal free time off. When a sailor who takes leave has his
leave chit destroyed after he's returned, thereby not charging the
liberty against his leave balance without the command's knowledge.
Personnel men at a command who monitor leave are apt to use a favor
such as basket leave in trade for favors from their shipmates.
(Sailors forward deployed receive legal basket leave (30 days of
leave that doesn't count against them) for every tour served.
-
Bastard Chief:
Slang for Master Chief.
-
Battle Group
(BG): A group of warships and supply ships centered around a large
deck aircraft carrier and its air wing. Usually consists of one
cruiser, one supply ship, and one or two destroyers, frigates, and
submarines. Has been sanitized and emasculated lately and is now
referred to as the Carrier Strike Group (COG). Occasionally referred
to as a "Battleship Group" by clueless media reporters.
-
Battle R: For some
one who is put on restriction (from about 14-45 days)
-
Battle Racks: When
mission-exhausted aviators are allowed to sleep through
General
Quarters drills. Also known as riding the white luge.
-
Battle Racks
(submarines): Catching a quick nap fully clothed, which is not
allowed by regulation. Usually occurs during long sessions of
section tracking parties, Fire Control Tracking parties, and Vulcan
Death Watches.
-
Battle Rats:
Rations (aka box lunches) served to crewmen during battle stations or
General Quarters.
-
Battle Wagon:
Battleship
-
B.B.& G.:
Buffarilla Bar and Grill (Club outside the Ingalls shipyard in
Pascagoula, MS.).
-
BCG's: Birth
Control Glasses. Standard Navy-issue corrective eyewear. So named
because they are so thick and hideous that you are guaranteed never
to have sex while you are wearing them. The only option for vision
correction during boot camp, because contacts are not allowed and
other frame choices are not offered.
-
The Beach: "Terra
firma." Any place that is not covered by water.
-
Beach Pounder: A
Marine (cf. Ground Pounder = soldier). Coast Guard: Shoreline
foot patrol (archaic/WWII); lived on in expression: "Pound sand!"
for "Get lost."
-
Beam: The width of
a naval vessel. Also refers to any contact close to 90 degrees off
the fore/aft axis of the ship. A lookout would call a contact on the
100 relative bearing "off the starboard beam."
-
Beat Guts:
Nickname given to sailor that is having sex regularly with multiple
female sailors on the same boat.
-
Beer Day:
On many Navy ships, even in the present day, all hands are given 2
beers if they are underway without a port call for a given period of
time - generally 45 days. Both beers are opened when they are given
to the crewmember to prevent them from being hoarded. Sharing,
selling, or otherwise transferring one's beer to another person is
almost always strictly forbidden.
-
Beer Tickets:
Foreign currency - so called because a sailor has no idea how much
the bills and coins are worth. All he wants to know is how many are
needed to buy drinks while in port.
-
Bells:
Naval way of announcing the time of day aboard ship, usually over
the 1MC. One bell corresponds to 30 minutes past the hour. Bells
will only be rung as a single strike, or a closely spaced double
strike, with a maximum of eight bells (4 sets of 2). Bells repeat
themselves every 4 hours. For example 2 sets of 2 bells, followed by
a single bell could be 0630, 1030, 1430, or 1830, but not 0230 or
2230 as bells are not rung between taps (2200) and reveille (0600).
-
Below: Navy for
"down." If you descend to a lower deck on a Navy ship (using a
ladder), you go "below." (Surface)
-
Below: The
interior of a submarine. "Going below" means descending a ladder
from the topside area or bridge to the interior of the sub.
(Submarines)
-
Below Decks: The
watch responsible for monitoring the forward spaces of a submarine
while in port.
-
Benny: A treat or
reward, derived from "Benefit".
-
Benny Suggs: The
Navy's Beneficial Suggestions program, a method where DON employees,
and Navy and Marine personnel can make suggestions to improve
various programs and operations.
-
Bent Shitcan:
Someone below Naval standards.
-
Berthing: Living
quarters for enlisted personnel. Aboard ship berthing is usually a
relatively large space filled with three-deep racks, lockers, a
couple of TV's, minimal furniture, and an attached head.
-
BIF: Butt In Front
(see BUF)
-
Big Chicken
Dinner: Slang for a Bad Conduct Discharge, which is usually handed
out along with an administrative separation (ADSEP) after a sailor
pops positive on a "Whiz Quiz."
-
Big E: Common
nickname for USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Nickname formerly applied to
WWII carrier Enterprise (CV 6). "You can't spell hEll without a Big
E!"
-
Big Eyes: Large
mounted binoculars normally found on or near the Signal Shack
-
Big Stick: CVN-71,
USS Theodore Roosevelt: "Speak softly and carry a big stick"
-
Bilge: The lowest
part of the ship, where all water, oil and other nasty stuff
collects. Also means to fail miserably as in: "He bilged the exam."
-
Bilge Party: The
cleaning of the bilges in Machinery Rooms, generally performed by
younger sailors while supervisors poke fun
-
Bilge Rat: Someone
who works in the engineering spaces.
-
Bilge Turd:
Derogatory term for "Boiler Technician," typically from Machinist
Mates who attend the identical A school
-
BINGO: Minimum
fuel needed to return to base (RTB). BINGO field. Alternate place to
land if you can't return.
-
Binnacle List: The
daily list of ship's crew who are sick in quarters (see below). So
called because in the old days of sailing, this list was posted on
the
binnacle,
the casing that housed the ship's compass.
-
Bird: Aircraft.
-
Birdfarm: Aircraft
carrier.
-
Bitchbox: Intercom
or amplified circuit used to communicate between spaces of a ship.
-
Bitching Betty:
The computer generated female voice heard in an aviator's earpiece
when something is not as it should be. Usually caused by unsafe
flight conditions or an enemy threat.
-
Black Hole, The:
Reference to the Navy's main base at
Norfolk,
so called because "it's where sailors' careers go to die."
-
Black Hole: An
extremely dangerous situation encountered by naval aviators when
landing aboard a ship on a very dark night.
Limited
visual cues and vestibular errors from the inner ear
give the impression of forward motion when in fact forward motion
has slowed considerably or stopped altogether. The pilot continues
his descent, however, under the impression that he is still on a
normal glide slope. Many ramp strikes and water impacts have
resulted from this phenomenon.
-
Black Shoe: Any
"Surface Navy" officer or CPO, from the black shoes worn with khaki
uniforms. "Black shoe" is a derogatory term used by aviators in
reference to ship drivers, much like carrier aviators refer to the
carrier as "the boat" just to piss off the black shoes. See also
"Brown Shoe."
-
Blowing a Shitter
(Submarine Service): Accidentally flushing a toilet while San Tanks
are being emptied overboard, despite the posted warning signs. Since
the Sans are emptied by pressurizing them to the point that they
empty themselves, opening the valve separating all that shit from,
well, you, leads to a really good mess that no one will help you
clean up. You would be well advised to, after and ONLY after
cleaning up your mess, go see the DickSmith for a shot. Also refers
to losing one's composure, adapted from first definition.
-
Blowing tubes:
Opening valves to remove crud from the inside of a boiler, top blow=
release from the top of the boiler (mostly steam), bottom blow
release from the bottom of the boiler (mostly water). Also Top Blow=
puking and Bottom blow= diarrhea
-
Blow the
DCA:(Submarines) A task made up by more senior enlisted, which sends
an inexperienced junior sailor looking for an imaginary DCA horn. If
done correctly, the junior sailor will thrown in a wild goose chase
around the submarine until he finds the real DCA (Damage Control
Assistant), which the junior sailor normally asks the DCA officer
permission to blow the DCA, and the officer will usually reply,
"Well, it's about time!" and begin to unzip his pants jokingly.
-
Blue and Gold:
Alternating crews for the same ship - usually applied to FBM
submarines, but recently applied to forward deployed "small boys" in
the "Sea Swap" program.
-
Blue Card: A card
issued to a sailor that is in the process of separating from the
navy. The card requires the signature from numerous departments. Its
often destroyed numerous times by shipmates. The card is in fact
blue, on some ships.
-
Blue Card: In
aviation units, a sailor who is qualified to give check rides and
sign-off PQS for that particular seat position. Regarded as an
expert in that specialty.
-
Blue Dudes: Blue
Angels Navy flight demonstration team.
-
Bluejacket: An
enlisted sailor below the rank of E-7 (Chief Petty Officer).
-
Bluejacket's
Manual: The handbook of seamanship issued to recruits.
-
Page 92: Upon
doing something stupid, recruits will often be required to read the
paragraph entitled "Discipline" multiple times while holding the
Bluejacket's Manual at arms length. This is usually done when the
redropes have exhausted the recruits to the point where more ITE
would possibly get them into trouble.
-
Bluenose: An
individual who has crossed the
Arctic Circle.
-
Blue on Blue:
Fratricide or
friendly fire.
Named for the color associated with friendly forces during "workups"
and exercises. The fictional enemy country is usually Orange or Red.
In port the definition of "blue on blue" is much more enjoyable, as
it refers to girl-on-girl stripper acts, porn scenes, etc. Also used
in the context "blue on blue contact" which refers to a fight
between two sailors, often caused by the belief that a particular
bar girl is committed to those men in a monogamous relationship.
-
Blue Shirt: An
enlisted sailor below the rank of E-7 (Chief Petty Officer). More
modern than the term Bluejacket.
-
Blue Smoke: The
magic substance in microchips that makes them work. (If you see the
blue smoke leave the chip, it won't work anymore)
-
Blue Tile: An area
of the carrier on the starboard main passageway, O-3 level, where
the Battle Group (now called Carrier Strike Group) admiral and his
staff live and work. As the name implies, the deck is indeed blue
there. Passing through, especially by junior enlisted sailors, is
highly discouraged. During wartime, armed guards may be posted on
both sides of the blue tile. Pictures of bare-assed drunken aviators
standing on the blue tile during port calls are highly prized
keepsakes.
-
Blue Water: Deep
water far from land. Only larger, self-sufficient ships can operate
on these waters. Also called the "high seas." See Brown Water.
-
Blunt End of the
Boat: (aviator slang) the round down which when run into, can
seriously ruin your day.
-
B.M.S.: "Be More
Specific" Seen on nuke-school exams.
-
Board: To land a
fixed-wing aircraft successfully aboard an aircraft carrier via the
tail hook and arresting wires.
-
Boarding Rate:
Percentage of the time that an aviator successfully boards on the
first attempt
-
Boat: Water craft
small enough to be carried on a ship, unless a submarine, which is
always called "a boat" or "the boat" when referring to the actual
vessel (as opposed to the "ship's company" when referring to a sub's
command or crew)
-
A ship may be
called a boat but ONLY by members of its crew, and only those who
have actually completed a deployment.
-
The Boat: (1) The
Submarine; (2) Airedale term for the ship their air wing is attached
to. "We're going to The Boat for a few weeks."
-
Boat Cute: Applied
to female sailors who would not be attractive on the beach, but who
become extremely attractive after being underway for a prolonged
period of time.
-
Boat Chuck:
Airedale term for any member of a ship's company.
-
Boat Goat: Usually
refers to females aboard ship that are unattractive.
-
Boat Ho: Usually
refers to females aboard ship that are assumed to be promiscuous.
-
Boat Wife: Usually
refers to monogamous females aboard ship at sea.
-
Boats: A sailor in
the
Boatswain's
Mate rating. Nickname for a Boatswain's Mate. Often
sailors of rates other than Boatswain's Mate will refer to any
member of the Deck Department as "Boats". Although non-rate Seaman,
E-1 to E-3, never refer to each other this way, but only to
Boatswains Mate's E-4 to E-6. Nor do senior members of the
department refer to junior members as "Boats".
-
B.O.C.O.D:
"Beat-Off Cut-Off Date" The date before returning home from a
deployment to stop masturbating in order to save it up for your wife
or girlfriend.
-
B.O.D.: "Benefit
of the Doubt" Sometimes seen on nuke-school exams when the student
shows some basic understanding of the answer, but fails to answer it
using the expected verbiage.
-
Bogey: Unknown
aircraft which could be friendly, hostile, or neutral.
-
B.O.H.I.C.A.:
"Bend Over, Here It Comes Again."
-
Bollock Hamper:
The captain's daughter
-
Bolter: Failed
attempt at an
arrested
landing on a carrier by a fixed-wing aircraft.
Usually caused by a poor approach or a
hook
bounce on the deck, this embarrassing event leads to a
go-around
and another attempt to "board."
-
Bonnie Dick:
Nickname for USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6)
-
Bone Me Hard
Richard: Another nickname for the USS "Bonhomme Richard" (LHD-6).
This name originates from Great Lakes, Illinois and generally refers
to the primarily female barracks of the same name.
-
Bongo Bucks:
Foreign currency, especially if several units can be exchanged for
one dollar. Usually spent without restraint in a foreign port as if
it had little to no value.
-
Boomer: Ballistic
Missile Submarine.
-
Boomer Fag: Any
Naval personnel that serves aboard a Boomer
-
Boondockers: Navy
issue work boots. They are made out of black leather with black
rubber sole, come up to your ankle and have steel toes. They are the
most uncomfortable shoes you could ever wear.
-
Boondoggle: Any
unorganized, inefficient evolution, usually grand in scale and
involving many confused participants. Similar to a "goatrope." Alternatively: Used in reference to any TAD/TDY trip that is
"official" on paper, but is basically just an excuse for sailors
(usually senior enlisted and officers) to get away from the command
for a brief vacation from home to a desirable location (e.g. Pearl
Harbor).
-
Boopdiddley:
All-inclusive word usually pertaining to something ridiculous.
-
Bootcamp: A term
used, usually derisively, when referring to any sailor who has very
little time in or a lot less time than the speaker.
-
Booter: A Sailor
that has just reported to his first duty assignment after completing
Recruit Training. Steve.
-
B.O.S.N.I.A.: Big
Ol' Standard Navy Issue Ass.
-
Bosun's Punch: New
sailors on ship are sometimes assigned to find this mythical tool in
the office of one of the ship's Bosuns (Boatswains).
The sailor is then typically punched very hard in the shoulder by
the Bosun in question.
-
Bounce Pattern:
When several aircraft are practicing
touch and go
landings at the same airfield or ship.
-
Bow: The front of
the ship. When used by lookouts, it may be preceded by port or
starboard when a contact is slightly to the left or right of the
bow. For example, a surface contact on the 340 relative bearing
would be on the port bow.
-
Box Kicker: Slang
name for a Navy Storekeeper
-
Brain Fart: a
condition when, under stress, one
cannot recall
or perform something that would normally be easy or
second nature.
-
Branch: Lowest
organizational level in most naval commands. Below department and
division.
-
Brass Rail:
Notorious strip club within walking distance of the main gate at
Millington, Tennessee, where many of the A-schools are located.
-
Bravo Foxtrot -
Buddy Fucker - someone who will make himself look good at the
expense of his shipmates.
-
Bravo Zulu:
Originally "BZ"
was a
signal
meaning "Well Done." It is sometimes co-opted by seniors praising
subordinates in one form or another.
-
Breakaway
music: Music played over the
1MC
at the conclusion of an underway replenishment evolution, used to
motivate the crew, but regularly fails.
-
Bremerlos: Large
civilian women who prey on the sexual needs of unwary junior
enlisted personnel. Resembling Buffalo, their original range was
Bremerton, WA, but due to successful breeding with said junior
enlisted personnel, have increased their range to all U.S. naval
facilities. Closely related to
Silverwhales.
-
Brig: Jail.
-
Brigchaser: A
sailor escorting a prisoner to the brig.
-
Brightworks: Any
decorative metal that must be constantly shined with Brasso or
Nevr-Dull to avoid tarnishing. This undesirable duty is often
performed by the most junior personnel in the command. Example: the
stainless steel rails in boot camp around the galley. "Shipmate! get
off my brightworks!" see also: blueworks.
-
Broke-dick:
Technical term describing malfunctioning or inoperable equipment.
Example: "The fuckin' aux drain pump is fuckin' broke-dick."
-
Brown bagger:
Married sailor who brings his lunch from home in a paper bag
(because he is receiving a Commuted Rations or COMRATS cash
allowance for his meals).
-
Brown Nose: Sailor
trying a "little too hard" to make rate by sucking up to superiors.
Can also refer to those who wear khakis (Chiefs, Officers) since it
is assumed that most have "brown-nosed" to obtain their present
position. Mythical rate "Chief Brownnose" or "Brownose First Class"
-
Brown Shoe: An
officer or CPO in the Naval Aviation community. Originates from the
brown shoes worn with khaki uniforms that were exclusive to aviators
from 1913 to 1976 and 1985 to 1999.[2]
Although all CPO's and officers may now wear either brown or black
shoes, wearing brown shoes is uncommon in the non-aviation navy
community and doing so is likely to get you labeled a dirtbag. Among
aviators, being called a brown shoe is considered a term of
endearment. See also "Black Shoe."
-
Brown Trout: Part
of what comes out when there's a sewage spill. As the ship heaves to
and fro, brown trout can actually "swim" on the deck.
-
Brown Water:
Shallow water close to land. Also called the
littorals.
Smaller ships can operate in these waters.
-
BT Punch: Same as
a Bosun's Punch, but delivered by a Boiler Technician (BT).
-
Bubba:
Affectionate term for someone who does what you do. In aviation,
someone who flies the same type of aircraft as you (Ex. He's an H-53
bubba). On subs, refers to the few oversized crewmembers who can
lift the largest loads, thus getting something done. Is also a
derogatory term for shipyard workers.
-
Bubble: The trim
orientation of a submarine (e.g., 5 degree up bubble).
-
The Bubble: When
someone is on the very edge of passing or failing at something, or
when they are undecided, they are said to be on the bubble. Similar
to riding the fence. Also refers to the ICCS, or Integrated Catapult
Control System, which is the enclosed control room sticking out of
an
aircraft
carrier's
flight deck
from which the catapult is operated.
-
Bubblehead: A
sailor in the Submarine Service.
-
Budweiser: A SEAL
Special Warfare insignia. Consists of a pistol, trident, and eagle.
-
BUF: Butt up
Front. Refers to the large lower part of a female overlapping
stomach (commonly referred to as a 'pooch') stuffed into a pair of
utility/dungaree/khaki pants, with the fly seam forming a butt
crack-like crease down the front. AKA BIF, "Butt In Front", as in
"Butt-in-front" jeans.
-
Buffarilla:
Mixture of Buffalo and Gorilla. Result of many years of female
inbreeding practiced by multiple heavyset inhabitants of the
Southern United States. Habitat is usually limited to the
Pascagoula, MS locale; however, intermarriage with drunken junior
enlisted sailors resulted in wide-spread minor infestations across
the lower 48 states.
-
Bug:
Seabee
Combat Warfare insignia. Consists of a 1903 Springfield rifle,
officer's sword, Banana leaves, anchor, and the Seabee "bug" in the
middle.
-
Bug Juice:
Kool-Aid-like beverage in dispensers on the messdeck. Side-by-side -
Orange or Red. Before the turn of the century bug juice was also
used as a replacement for cleaning agents to clean decks with. Color
does not correspond to flavor: Red may taste like grape, Orange may
taste like Red, etc.
-
Bug Juice Sunrise:
Orange with a splash of Red.
-
Building 19: slang
for the
USS Blue
Ridge, which rarely spends more than a week in the
ocean before hitting another fabulous port. Also called "The Love
Boat," stemming from being the first ship in Yokosuka to get female
Sailors stationed aboard.
-
Building 20: slang
for the
USS Mount
Whitney, which rarely leaves port.
-
Building 39:
1990s-era Naval Station Norfolk slang for the
USS Emory S.
Land, which during that time period rarely left port.
-
Bulkhead:
Wall.
-
Bulkhead remover:
an
in-joke
shared by veteran sailors and often delegated as a task to new
sailors, as in, "Go get me a can of bulkhead remover."
-
Bull, aka "Bull
Ensign": the senior-most Ensign onboard a surface ship. In charge of
various wardroom duties, often including mentoring the junior-most
Ensign (see "JORG") and setting up the wardroom's movie night.
Originated during World War II from
Admiral
"Bull" Halsey's need to designate one officer to
oversee wardroom functions.
-
Bull Nub:
Submarine term for sailor who has been on board the longest without
getting qualified in submarines
-
Bull Nuke: The
most senior nuke onboard a nuclear-powered vessel. They are usually
in charge of Reactor Department on surface ships. On submarines it
refers to the senior most enlisted nuke who is an assistant to the
Engineer Officer.
-
Bullet Sponge:
U.S. Marine.
-
Bullfuck: A
mixture of flour and water used to thicken soup aboard ship. Named
for a strong resemblance to bovine semen, mixed in a bowl(stays
lumpy), and strained through a colander (or old sock).
-
Bunny Tube:
Pneumatic
tube system used for sending documents such as hard
copies of radio messages to and from the radio room to other areas
of the ship. The containers are called "bunnies" and warning of a
container being sent are given over a squawk box by, "Bunny on the
run."
-
BUNO: short for
Bureau Number - this is a 6-digit serial number assigned to every
naval aircraft when it is accepted into service. In no way related
to an aircraft's 3-digit "side number."
-
Burn a copy: Make
a Xerox copy of a document or sheet of paper. (Probably goes back to
Thermofax copiers.)
-
Burn a Flick:
Watch a Movie.
-
Burn Bag: Trash
bag for outdated or no longer needed classified materials. They are
usually paper grocery bags with red and white stripes on them. The
contents are actually no longer burned, though the name persists.
They are almost always shredded.
-
Burn One: Taking a
smoke break. To smoke a cigarette. "Hey man, forget what Chief said
about sweeping that space, let's go burn one."
-
Bus Driver
Uniform: The unpopular uniform, based on an officer's dress blues,
which was briefly issued to recruits in the 1970s.
-
Buster: Proceed at
max possible speed.
-
"Bust Me on The
Surface" (Submarine Service): An expression voiced when a
subordinate strongly disagrees with a superior's order (who may be
under heavy situational pressure), and the subordinate takes actions
he knows to be the correct procedure, counter to the order. "Bust Me
On The Surface" refers to disciplinary action that could result,
which would take place in the fresh air of safety that would not be
reached if the original order was carried out. Rarely invoked, and
the subordinate better be right. More often used as slang in less
life-threatening situations.
-
Butt Kit: Ash
tray. Aboard ship it is a can with a hole in the lid, usually hung
from the bulkhead near watch stations.
-
Butter Bars:
Refers to the gold-colored bars designating the rank of Ensign (the
lowest rank for commissioned officers).
-
Button Crusher:
Imaginary machine used by a ship's laundry to pulverize buttons.
Unique in that buttons processed by a button crusher look perfectly
OK when they leave the laundry but fall to pieces when touched by
the recipient.
-
-
C
-
CAG: Title used
when addressing the airwing commander. It is a holdover from the
days when airwings were called
air groups,
and stands for Commander Air Group. Can also refer to the airwing
itself, as in CAG-14. See "airwing."
-
Cake Dryer:
Imaginary appliance in a ship's galley used to dry (like toast)
otherwise good pieces of cake.
-
Camel: The wooden
floating structures, at the waterline, that separate ships tied up
in a nest.
-
Campfire Girls:
local prostitutes who would solicit sailors from their proximity to
a burning barrel of trash, at the NATO base in Naples, Italy.
-
Candy-O: Candidate
Officer, a trainee of
Navy Officer
Candidate School upon reaching the final two weeks of
training.
-
CANEX: Cancelled
Exercise. Used to refer to any event which has been cancelled, not
just formal exercises.
-
Cann: short for
cannibalize,
which is the practice of using one or more of a unit's aircraft
strictly for parts to keep the rest of the aircraft flying. Often
the cannibalized aircraft is a "hangar queen." See "Rob"
-
Cannon balls:
Baked, candied apples served to midshipmen at the Naval Academy on
special occasions. Twelve are served per table. If one person at the
table is willing to eat all 12 apples and succeeds, then he is given
the honor of "carry on" (lack of harassment by upper classmen) for
the remainder of the semester.
-
Canoe Club: The
United States Navy
-
Canoe U:
United States
Naval Academy
-
Captain's
Mast: Navy term for
Nonjudicial
punishment under Article 15 of the
Uniform Code
of Military Justice. Depending on the rank or
position involved, the name of the procedure may change, i.e.
Admiral's Mast, OIC's Mast.
-
Carrier Strike
Group (CSG): See "Battle Group"
-
Carry on: An
officers reply to a junior person's call to "attention on deck",
meaning all present rise and come to attention as a sign of respect.
"Carry on" allows personnel to continue whatever they were doing.
Also see "cannon ball" above.
-
CASREP:
Inoperative, casualty reported; casually, OOC (out of commission).
Often jocularly applied to broken minor items not requiring any
report, or to personnel on the binnacle list.
-
CAVU: Ceiling and
Visibility Unlimited - perfect flying weather. Pronounced as
"Ka-Voo", it is commonly used in sentences such as "CAVU to the
Moon".
-
CB - Construction
Battalion (pronounced Seabees)
-
CBC: Clean Bitches
Clean. A term used to order junior sailors to clean so they can to
secure for the day, or to commence field day.
-
Cellblock 10:
Crew-coined term for the USS Juneau. Term could come from the
feeling that the Juneau has the homely warmth of a prison cellblock.
10 is the vessel's hull number.
-
Cell block 57:
Must be nice to be on the LKC.
-
Cellblock 65: Same
as above only referring to the U.S.S. Enterprise (CVN-65).
-
Centurion: A pilot
who has completed 100 landings on a specific aircraft carrier.
-
CC: Company
Commander in bootcamp - the place where new boots start learn all
these new 'hosed up' terms
-
CF: (pronounced
Charlie Foxtrot) Cluster
fuck,
meaning completely screwed up.
-
CFIT (pron.
see-fit):
Controlled
Flight into Terrain - When a pilot flies a perfectly
good airplane into the ground or the water. Often fatal if
unanticipated.
-
CFW: An acronym
found on nuke exams. Officially "Can't Follow Work", actually "Can't
Fucking Win".
-
C-GU11: Seagull.
Pronounced "See-Gee-Yuu-Eleven." Similar to "bulkhead remover," an
inexpensive way to derive enjoyment from inexperienced personnel on
watch. "Forward lookout, keep an eye out for signs of C-GU11s in the
area, over." Also sometimes spelled C-6U11, Z-6UL1 or various
L33T-like
combinations.
-
Channel Fever:
Said if a sailor is anxious when approaching port to get leave.
Sometimes cured by the "Channel Fever Shot", a slap or kick to the
backside.
-
Charles County
Crab: Throughout the years the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance
Disposal has moved several times. It is currently located at
Eglin AFB,
Florida. The term "Charles County Crab" refers to the "crab"
insignia worn by graduates of Naval School Explosive Ordnance
Disposal, who attended training during the period of time when
NAVSCHOLEOD was based at
Naval
Ordnance Station, Indian Head, Charles County
Maryland (old school).
-
Charlie Foxtrot:
See "clusterfuck"
-
Charlie Noble: The
stove pipe from the mess deck, the cleaning of which is a major
chore.
-
Charlie Oscar:
Phonetic letters C and O. Refers to the Commanding Officer of a
unit.
-
Chart: What
landlubbers call a "map".
-
Charting: A
practice peculiar to Operations Specialists in which they take any
personal gear left unstowed by the previous watch section (usually
personal coffee cups) and fling them overboard, marking the location
on the chart and subsequently inform the unfortunate owner of the
location, remarking that he is free to return to retrieve it at his
leisure.
-
Check Valve
(primarily used by Engineering/Reactor departments): A shipmate who
is willing to accept (and may even ask for) gedunk or help, but
isn't willing to give. He is being "one way"...(a check valve only
allows flow in one direction).
-
Cheez Whiz:
Derogatory term for Chief Warrant Officers, former enlisted
personnel who have received a commission for specialized skills.
Most Warrant Officers (aka "Warrants") are former Chiefs but have
"moved up" to the officers' mess (Wardroom), hence there is often a
degree of resentment and animosity between the two groups.
-
CHENG: Chief
Engineer
-
Chicken Suit: A
yellow cloth suit that is worn from head-to-toe by navy "Nukes" (see
below) when cleaning up radioactive spills or are otherwise in areas
that may lead to skin contamination by radioactive material. To
complete the ensemble, bright orange rubber gloves are worn as well.
-
Chit: Name given
to the document a sailor fills out to make various types of special
request (i.e. emergency leave, move off base to civilian housing,
etc.)
-
My Wife Chit: A
special request that uses the wife as the excuse/justification for
needing to be absent.
-
Chop, The: Supply
Officer. Taken from the Supply Corps' porkchop-shaped insignia.
-
Chow: Food.
-
Chow Boss: Food
Service Officer.
-
Chow down: Eat.
-
Chow Hall: Dining
room.
-
Chow Hound:
Someone who never misses a meal. A proficient chow hound generally
gains membership in the Chub Club.
-
Chrome Dome:
Bright silver helmet worn by officer candidates as part of the
"poopie suit" during the first week of OCS.
-
Chub Club: Sailors
assigned mandatory physical training due to being overweight.
-
Chuckie V: USS
Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Also Chuckwagon, Chuck Bucket.
-
Chula-juana:
Derisive term for the city of Chula Vista, CA, a city where many
sailors assigned to NAVSTA San Diego live for its proximity to the
base and perceived similarity to Tijuana, Mexico.
-
CINCHOUSE:
Commander in Chief, House. One's Spouse.
-
CIC:
Combat
Information Center - see "Combat" below
-
Cinderella
Liberty: Liberty that expires at midnight.
-
CIVLANT: Form
DD-214 transfers you from COMSUBLANT to CIVLANT.
-
CIWS (pron. sea
whiz):
Close in
Weapon System, or
Phalanx gun,
also "Captain, it won't shoot!", is intended to shoot down incoming
missiles, but is frequently under repair.
-
CLA: A
career-limiting action. A truly bad whatever that spells the
end. Leads to questions about the location of the truck-driver
school phone number. aka CLE event.
-
Cleaning Stations:
Hour-long field day evolution where everyone drops what they're
doing and cleans their spaces. See "XO's Happy Hour"
-
Cleaning Stations
1st Division(CS-1)- Onboard USS JOHN C STENNIS(CVN 74), the division
known for cleaning P-ways and spaces when there was nothing else to
do. Also known as Combat Systems 1st Division.
-
Clinometer:
1. (Also known as an inclinometer) An instrument for measuring
angles of slope (or tilt), elevation or inclination of an object
with respect to gravity. 2. An instrument used on shipboard to
indicate the approximate amount of vomit being produced by the
ship's crew. In unusually heavy seas, crews will improvise their own
in work or rec spaces, marking the scale with obscenities
progressing from morbid to macabre. The first notice some of the
crew receive of a storm ahead is the appearance of large bowls of
saltines on the mess desk.
-
Clobbered: When
the landing pattern or the comms frequency at a field or ship is
filled to capacity and you can't get an aircraft or a word in.
-
Coastie: A
Coast
Guardsman.
-
COB: (Submarine
Service) Chief of the Boat; a chief (generally a Master or Senior
Chief) specifically assigned to the submarine to liaise between the
CO and the crew of the boat. Such a good idea, that the surface
fleet borrowed it, mucked it up, and created the CMC (Command Master
Chief) program.
-
COD:
Carrier
Onboard Delivery - the
C-2 Greyhound,
which ferries people and supplies to and from the carrie