by M. L. Maki
(AW): Naval specialist Badge. Air Warfare Specialist.
Back (Bell): Astern bells are Back 1/3, Back 2/3, and Back Full.
Back Full Emergency: The fastest astern bell to be answered as fast as possible.
BDU: Battle Dress, Utility. The basic Army and Marine uniform.
Bell: The speed a ship is traveling at: Ahead they are Ahead 1/3, Ahead 2/3, Ahead Standard, and Ahead Flank. Astern they are Back 1/3, Back 2/3, and Back full. In an emergency the order given is ahead flank emergency, or back full emergency which is a command to go as fast as possible.
Bearing: Compass or relative bearing in degrees from 0 to 360.
Bingo Fuel: Near the minimum to safely return to base.
Binnacle List: List of people sick or injured. Every unit and division maintains the list and turns it in daily.
Blow: Submarines use ballast tanks to surface or submerge. By blowing high pressure air into the tanks water can be displaced and the vessel surfaces.
Blue Tails: Nick name for the VAW-122 Griffins. VAW-122 flies the E-2C Hawkeye radar plane.
Blue Water Ops: Carrier operations beyond reach of alternative air fields. You land on the carrier or swim.
Boatswain’s Mate of the Watch (BMOW): In charge of all the lookouts, the helm and lee helm. The BMOW pipes (whistles) required ships announcements. The BMOW is also in charge of all lookouts.
Boiler: Boilers generate the steam for propulsion, electrical generation, water distillation, and other uses.
Bolter: An aircraft missing the arresting wire.
Bridge: The ship’s navigational control center. Where we drive the ship. The Officer of the Deck (OOD) is in charge except when the CO is present. The Conning Officer directs the ship’s course and speed. The Boatswains Mate of the Watch (BMOW), Quartermaster of the Watch (QMOW), Helm and Lee Helm are stationed here.
BTOW: Boiler Technician of the watch. Senior watch in a boiler room.
BT1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Boiler Technician First Class (E-6).
BT2: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Boiler technician Second Class (E-5).
BT3: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Boiler Technician Third Class (E-4).
CAG: Commander Air Group. The CAG is in charge of all the air squadrons attached to the ship. The CAG is the counterpart to the ship’s commanding officer. The carrier CO is always the senior.
Call the Ball: The Landing Signal Officer asks the pilot if they can see the Fresnel lens that shows the correct glide slope for landing.
CAP: Combat Air Patrol. A fighter mission to circle an area ready to defend the fleet.
CAPT: Captain: Naval Officer rank (O-6).
CATCC: Carrier Air Traffic Control Center. This center controls all aircraft within 50 miles of the ship and manages take offs and landings.
CHENG: Chief Engineer. Engineering department head.
CMAA: Chief Master at arms. A senior cop on a Navy ship.
CDR: Naval Officer rank. Commander (O-5).
Combat: Weapon’s and communications control center on a naval ship. The CO goes to combat during battle stations (General Quarters).
Decimal: On radio the word ‘Decimal’ is used to indicate tenths. Thus, fuel at 9 decimal 2 is 9,200 pounds. Fuel is always given as weight.
Division: Naval organization. Naval units are divided into Departments and Divisions. Divisions are functionally oriented units with all the enlisted members typically of one rating.
ELT: Navy Enlisted trade. Some MM’s are qualified Engineering Laboratory Technician (Nuclear). They are chemistry and radiation specialists, though they also stand normal mechanical watches.
EM1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Electrician’s Mate First Class (E-6). Electricians operate the electrical distribution system on the ship, and also maintain all the electrical equipment.
EMCS: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Electrician Senior Chief (E-8).
EMP: Electro-Magnetic Pulse. A powerful change is the magnetic field. An EMP could damage or destroy electronic and electric gear.
Engine Room: Space where the main engines, electrical generators, and water distilling unit are located. This equipment is operated and maintained by Machinist Mates.
ENS: Ensign: Naval Officer rank (O-1). Junior most officer. Sometimes called a butter bar for their rank insignia which is a single gold bar.
EOOW: Engineering Officer of the Watch. Watch stander in charge of the propulsion plant. Normally a Lt. on a nuclear ship. Sometimes a senior or master chief on conventional powered ships.
ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival.
F-14: The Tomcat. An all-weather interceptor and fleet defense fighter.
Faking hose: Laying out a hose or line in parallel lines so the hose can be safely charged or the line let go without jamming.
Far CAP: Combat Air Patrol. Far CAP is a defensive position away from the fleet.
Fire room: Location of the boilers in a fossil fueled steam ship.
FN: Navy Enlisted rank. Fireman (E-3). A non-designated engineering striker. If designated his rate would precede his rank.
FOD Walk Down: Walking the flight deck looking for FOD (Foreign Object Damage) that could damage aircraft.
Fuel state: How much fuel you have on board in thousands of pounds. (10 decimal 1 = 10,100lbs.)
‘G’s: Gravities. One ‘G’ is equal to normal earth gravity. Two is twice earth gravity etc.
General Quarters: The call to man battle stations and prepare the vessel to fight.
Gertrude: Nick name for a short range underwater phone.
GMM1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Gunners Mate Missiles, First Class (E-6). Gunner’s Mates operate and maintain the weapons on a ship. The rate is split between Gunner’s Mate Guns (GMG) and Gunner’s Mate Missiles (GMM).
GMM2: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Gunner’s Mate Missiles, Second Class (E-5).
GMM3: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Gunner’s Mate Missiles, Third Class (E-4).
Gold Eagle: Radio call sign for the USS Carl Vinson.
HT1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Hull Technician first class (E-6). HT’s are Damage control and repair experts. They also operate the sewer system on the ship.
ILS: Instrument Landing system. An aircraft system that helps pilots line up with a runway they cannot see.
Khaki: Slang term for chiefs and officers because they wear khaki colored uniforms.
Knight 212 (or any number): Call sign of fighters flying for VFW-154, the Black Knights.
Landing Signal Officer: A pilot positioned near the rear of the carrier to help guide pilots in. The LSO also grades landings.
Laze: Use a laser to designate where ordinance is to drop.
LCDR: Naval Officer rank. Lieutenant Commander (O-4).
LPO: Naval position. Leading Petty Officer is the “Foreman” for a division. Usually and E-6.
Lt.: Naval officer rank. Lieutenant (O-3).
Lt. J G: Naval Officer rank. Lieutenant Junior Grade. (O-2.)
MACS: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Senior Chief Master at Arms (E-8).
Magic 1: Call sign for an EA-6B Prowler, radar jamming aircraft of VAQ-133 Wizards.
Master Chief: Naval Enlisted Rank (E-9).
Mini Boss: The air boss’s assistant. They divide the observation duties in PRIFLY.
MM1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Machinist’s Mate First Class (E-6).
MM2: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Machinist’s Mate Second Class (E-5).
MM3: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Machinist’s Mate Third Class (E4).
MMCM: Naval enlisted rate and rank. Machinist’s Mate Master Chief (E-9).
MMFN: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Machinist’s Mate Fireman (E-3).
MMOW: Machinist’s Mate of the Watch. Senior watch stander in an engine room.
NAM: Navy Achievement Medal. A medal for individual meritorious accomplishment.
NAVSEA 08: Designation for the leader of the U. S. Navy Nuclear Power Program.
Navy Expeditionary Medal: Medal issued for
service in a combat zone designated by congress.
NTDS: Naval Tactical Data System. A system that shares sensor data with other ships.
MW: Megawatt. One million watts. 1,000,000 watts.
O-2 Plant: The oxygen generation plant which removes atmospheric oxygen and compresses it into liquid oxygen used by medical and as pilot breathing air.
Officer of the Deck (OOD): In charge of the operations and navigation of the ship underway. In port the OOD is in charge of the ship’s duty section and all operations during their watch.
Operation Praying Mantis: Battle in the Persian Gulf between the U. S. Navy and Iran in 1987.
Op-tempo: Rate of operations over time.
Passageway: Navy speak for a hallway.
Petty Officer: Colloquial phrase for an E-4 through E-6. Generally, it is only used by officers or master at arms who are about to correct the Petty Officer’s behavior.
Phoenix: AIM-54 Long range air to air missile.
PQS: Personal Qualification Standard. PQS is the system used by the Navy to qualify sailors to do their jobs.
Propulsion plant drills: Nuclear operator training practicing possible casualties and problems. Continues training is the reality of most sailors.
PRI-
FLY: Primary Flight Control. The highest deck in the island structure where all flight deck operations are managed.
QAO: Quality Assurance Officer
Quartermaster of the Watch (QMOW): In charge of providing navigational information to the OOD and Conning Officer. The QMOW is required to keep the ship’s position updated on paper and electronic charts.
Rainbow side boys: The traditional side boys for a senior visitor, only wearing the various flight deck colored jerseys.
Reactor Auxiliary Room (RAR): The RAR is the space where the reactor support and monitoring equipment is located. It shares most of the same functions that a fire room in a conventional vessel would have.
Rear Admiral Lower Half: Naval Officer rank. One-star Admiral (O-7).
Rear Admiral Upper Half: Naval Officer rank. Two-star Admiral (O-8).
RIM-7: Rail launched intermediate range air to air missile. Sea Sparrow.
RIO: Radar Intercept Officer. The RIO operates the radar and weapons system in the back seat of the F-14.
RM1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Radioman First Class (E-6).
Roger Ball (Number): Roger ball means the pilot can see the Fresnel lens glide slope indicator. The number is the total weight of the aircraft in thousands of pounds.
RTB: Return to Base.
SAM: Surface to Air Missile.
SAR: Search and Rescue.
SLQ-32: Called the “slick 32” it is a multi-function radar jammer.
Snap 2: Early supply computer.
SOB: Son of a Bitch. Even cuss words have acronyms.
Squawked: Identification, friend or foe (IFF) Code signal.
ST1: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Sonar Technician First Class (E-6).
ST2: Navy Enlisted rate and rank. Sonar Technician Second Class (E-5).
Switch Gear Room: Space where the electrical distribution system is operated. EM’s stand watch in Switch Gear.
TACAN: Radio beacon aircraft use to find the carrier.
TARPS: Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System. A camera system mounted on a hard point and controlled by the RIO.
Terawatt: One quadrillion watts. 1,000,000,000,000 watts.
TG: Turbine Generator. An electrical Generator powered by steam.
TG/DU: Turbine Generator and Distilling Unit watch.
Thwarts ship passageway: A hall way aligned from side to side rather than forward and aft.
TLD: Thermal Luminescent Dosimetry. A radiation measuring device to monitor crew exposure.
VHF: Very High Frequency. A line of sight radio.
Vice Admiral: Naval Officer rank. VADM (O-9).
Wave off: Order to abort a landing and go around.
Yankee Search: Active sonar search.
YNSN: Naval Enlisted rate and rank. Yeoman, Seaman, (E-3).
XO: Executive officer. Second in charge of a vessel or unit.
X-Ray: Material condition X-Ray. Lowest level of water tight integrity. Only set during a work day in port.
Yoke: Material condition Yoke. Middle level of water tight integrity between X-ray (in port on work day) and Zebra (Battle Stations).
Zebra: Material condition Zebra. Highest level of water tight integrity
NOTES
When beginning a novel of this type, it is necessary to decide at the outset how to tackle a number of issues. The Navy uses a great deal of jargon, technical terms, and acronyms that are used in speech. Eliminating this techno-speak from the dialogue would remove the character of the story. We decided to leave the language as spoken, with a few exceptions. When ships communicate over radio, each ship has a code name that is used in place of the ship’s actual name. To avoid confusion, in some cases, we opted to use the ship’s name. Many complex procedures are simplified to keep the story flowing and reduce confusion. Aircraft numbers are based on the bureau (serial) number of the plane, regardless of who’s the pilot. The exception is the commanding officer, whose number is always one. Though this may be confusing, the reader should be able to follow the dialogue without the number cue. When events are occurring simultaneously, yet in different time zones, the author chose to adopt Greenwich Mean Time for clarity. In all other sections, local time is used. A number of technical details were changed to prevent revealing classified information.
A note on naval rank structure, in other services an enlisted person is addressed by rank, ‘corporal, sergeant’, etc. In the navy, sailors are addressed with rate and rank. An E-6 is not normally addressed as petty officer first class. He or she is addressed as MM1, BT1, BM1, etc. The rate is the job classification of the sailor, be that machinist mate (engine room equipment operator), or mess specialist (cook). A more comprehensive list of rates can be found in the glossary or on line.
The rank of enlisted sailors is in three groups of three ranks; E-1 through E-3 sailors are non-petty officers. These are new sailors who may or may not have a rate. E-4 through E-6 sailors are petty officers. These sailors are the technical experts and watch-standers who keep the navy running: E-4 is a third class; E-5 is a second class; and E-6 is a first class petty officer. E-7 through E-9 sailors are middle managers; chief, senior chief, and master chief. Chiefs are systems experts who train, lead, and guide, instead of operating equipment. The colloquial for E-7 is chief, for E-8 is senior, and no one calls a master chief, master. Calling a senior or master chief, chief, is not an insult.
There are essentially two types of officers: line officers can command vessels and aircraft; non-line, or limited duty officers, are doctors, nurses, dentists, chaplains, civil engineer corps, or have other specific duties.
Ships are arranged by deck and frame. It’s based off the main deck, or longest continuous deck on the ship. For carriers, this is the hangar deck. The main deck is level 1. All decks below the main deck are numbered downward, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. All decks above the main deck are labeled upward, 01, 02, 03, 04, etc. Every four feet of a ship’s length is marked with a frame and frames are numbered from forward to aft. Each compartment (room) is given a third number based on how far it is from the center line of the ship. If the center line passes through the compartment, it is numbered 0. Compartments to starboard have odd numbers, and compartments to port have even numbers. Finally, each compartment is given a letter designation showing its use. Thus, a compartment numbered 03-140-1L is on the level beneath the flight deck, which is the 04 level, 560 feet from the bow, on the starboard side near the middle and is a living area, or stateroom.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank everyone who contributed advice or help on this project. Without your kind help, it would never have happened. Our family cheering section kept up our spirits when it got tough. We especially want to thank our beta readers, especially M
ichael Mohr, Robert Maki, Penny Sevedge, and Scott Richardson. Your advice, insight, and support made this all possible.
The views presented are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the DoD.
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Email us at [email protected]
Fighting Her Father’s War
First Book in the Fighting Tomcat Series
© 2018 by Megan L. Maki and Sofia R. Maki
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, any information storage and retrieval system, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Cover design by Megan L. Maki
Photograph by Megan L. Maki
MM1 Maki is a U.S. Navy veteran with twenty years of active service. A nuclear field machinist mate who served on the USS Carl Vinson, CVN-70, and two cruisers. During twelve years of sea time, MM1 Maki circumnavigated the earth once, transited the Panama Canal three times, served on the USS Carl Vinson during Enduring Freedom, and earned multiple campaign awards. S.R. Maki has a background in criminal justice and accounting.
