I see a lot of folks are visiting this web sight and its a good bet that a lot of you nice people are not sailors or military personnel. With that in mind I have decided to post some Sailor Terminologies to help you better understand exactly what we think we are talking about when we make a post and we use ''Navy Talk'' to describe certain things.
Keep in mind that I was stationed aboard a Combat Light Cruiser which is a cruiser class ship that does not have the armor or armament (guns) of a ''Heavy Cruiser''. We were a flag ship and our biggest guns were five inch / thirty eights. We had four of them. Anyhow, here for your reference, are some Navy terms you may find handy as you read the Sea Stories.............
Sailor. ''Swob Jockey'', Anchor Clank-er, Stinkin Squid
Marine.... Jar Head, Leather Neck, Sea going Bell Hop
Air Force. Fly boys, Mommas Boys, Bus Drivers, Panty waists …
Coast Guard ….. Puddle Jumpers, Shallow Water Sailors
soldiers...... Ground pounder, Dough foot, dog face......
Reservists and National Guard people, all branches... Mommas boys, cutie pie, draft dodgers, weekend warriors
I want it understood right now that NONE OF THE ABOVE ''NAMES'' ARE A DEROGITORY STATEMENT AND ARE NOT MEANT TO DEMEAN ANY PERSON OF ANY STRIPE OR COLOR. These are simply ''Reference Names'' given to all services of this great nation and its fighting personnel that keep this country safe from all comers and are a part of the greatest armed forces this world has ever seen. (of course, the Navy is of course the Best of all, but that is just my opinion)
Anyhow........ here goes …
Aft. Toward the back of the ship
Forward. Toward the front of the ship
Port side. The left side of the ship facing forward
Starboard the right side of the ship facing forward
Topside.... usually anywhere you can see sunlight
Below deck Usually anywhere you can not see sunlight.
Forcastle …. uppermost deck on the front of the ship
Fantail. The back section of the ship
Tin Can Usually a Destroyer or a Destroyer escort
Small buoy... Same as above
Boat.... any vessel that can be lifted from the water easily
Ship......any vessel that can not be lifted from the water easily
Shot line. A line that is passed between two ships in preparation for transferring item
Mess Hall. Where we eat...
Mess Deck.... the level on the ship where the Mess Hall is located.
Chow line. A line of sailors waiting to eat. Usually guarded by one or two Marines to be sure none of the Sailors are abducted.
Chow Hound. A sailor or group that is usually first in the chow line
Bilge the bottom most portion of the ship
Snipe. Person with dirty face, speaking strange language that works the boilers and makes the ship go.
Boatsons Mate. Usually a really ugly guy with lots of ''hash marks'' and a bad additude.
Skivvie waver. A signal man associated with the flags and flashing lites used in ship to ship communications.
Hash marks. Stripes showing how long you have been in the Navy. On your skivvies, its a different story..
Skivvies. Underwear
Bunk. Where you sleep.
Rack. Another word for Bunk
Bunk Mate.... The guys that sleep in your area with you.
Fart Sack..... The removable covering on your mattress
Barf Bag.... Your pillow case.
Sea Story..... Any tall tail related to you that may or may not be true or simply a fantastic or someones imagination.
Pogie Bait. Candy, Gum, Sweets, etc ….
Gee Dunk …... A place to buy Pogie Bait...
Sea Stores....... Usually tax free ciggies sold at sea......
Ships Store....... A place to buy writing pads, stamps, pen and pencil, shoe laces etc etc etc ….
Mail Buoy A fictitious devise that supposed ''mail'' is left in at sea …..
Mail Buoy Watch. A new guy on the front of the ship watching for the Mail Buoy....
Wild Cat....... A capt son for retrieving the anchor or tightening the secure lines that hold the ship to the dock;
Single Up. Preparation to leave the dock but still secured to same by one rope fore and aft
Sea Bat...... An unreal animal that can not be photographed and is seldom seen except by ''New Guys''
''The Golden rivet'' Supposedly the last ''rivet'' hammered into the hull of the ship.... Not Real....ships are welded together now.
Boot. Any new guy on the ship below the rank of E3
Old Salt..... Any guy that has been on the ship for more than a year
Sea Dog. Any guy that has had more than three years of sea duty.
$8*t on a Shingle. Chip beef gravy on toast
Horse cock and cabbage …. Cold cuts, cheese and slaw Usually served on Sunday afternoon.
Lifer. A guy that has been in the Navy for more than 20 years
Ship over. Re enlisting in the Navy
Mustang..... A guy that came in as an enlisted man and became an officer.
Brown Bager.... A married guy that lives off the ship while in port.
AWOL Bag...... A small satchel that you carry your extra clothes in for a weekend pass
Weekend pass. Usually 2 or three days off from duty.
Field Day........ Cleaning up the ship
PPO...... Police Petty Officer. Usually in charge of the compartment clean up.
OOD ….. Officer of the Deck. In charge of the gangway on the bow of the ship
Gangway. A ladder like devise to provide access to the ship …. Usually guarded by a Marine. Seldom stolen.
Colors Old Glory, our flag.....
Master at Arms. Kinda like the police force but on a ship.
Hatch. A doorway on a ship
Bulkhead..... Wall
Deck. Floor
Overhead. The ceiling
Dusch Bag..... The case that you carry all your shaving gear in and your soap and ''smellie good''
Itchie Scratch. Usually VD or Crotch Crickets
Crotch Crickets ….... pubic lice
Shell Back …... A sailor that has crossed the Equator on a ship
Blue Nose …. a sailor that has crossed the artic circle on a ship....
A Swob...... Mop
A Foxtail.... A dusting devise
Holly Stone. A stone for sanding the wooden deck of a ship …. Not used anymore....
Here is a list of useful words with abstract meanings known only by Sailors and used in conjunction with other abstract words or phrases to make abstract sentences that can be decoded by Sailors but usually no one else. The list follows with commas between each word. Note these are random order and are not suppose to make a sentence.
Thing a ma Dooge, Watch um a call It, Doo Dad, Doo foppie, a Whirliegig, a gadget, a Gizmo, A Doo funnie, a Gyree, a Whimmie Diddle, a Lob Woggle, a Rolickin Rod, a Little Bittie Thingie Wingie, and of course a Floppie Woggle.......
These are but a few of the many Navy terms used by Sailors and some Marines in our everyday conversation aboard a fighting Man of War. There are actually many more but time and space dictate that I should stop with two pages or some will lose interest. I want everyone to feel free to use these Sailor terms in their everyday conversations and try to make others think that you may have been a Sailor in the greatest Navy in the world. …......... (or maybe a Marine guarding our chow line)''ping''
Seajay the sailor man....
God bless our troops and bring them home soon and safe
Hug a Vet this memorial day weekend and remember the ones that didnt get to come home …
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