customer ship the ship that receives replenishment supplies from another ship.
cutter a device fitted to a sweep wire to cut or part the moorings of mines.
dan to mark a position or a sea area with dan buoys.
dan buoy a temporary marker buoy used during minesweeping operations to indicate boundaries of swept paths.
dan runner a ship running a line of dan buoys.
datum the last known position of a submarine after contact has been lost.
debarkation the unloading of troops and cargo from a ship.
deck ape slang for a deck crew member who does manual labor. Also known as a knuckledragger.
decoy ship a ship camouflaged with its armament and fighting equipment hidden.
deep minefield an antisubmarine minefield set deep enough so that surface ships can cross it safely.
destroyer a high-speed warship armed with 3-inch and 5-inch dual-purpose guns and various antisubmarine weapons.
ditty bag a drawstring bag used to hold toiletries and other small items.
dock landing ship a naval ship designed to transport and launch amphibious craft.
drifting mine a mine free to move under the influence of waves, wind, or current.
dummy minefield a minefield containing no live mines.
endurance the amount of time a ship can continue to operate without refueling.
ensign the lowest-ranking naval officer.
flattop an aircraft carrier.
flemish to coil a rope neatly on deck.
flight deck the runway on an aircraft carrier.
floating mine a mine visible on the surface of the sea.
flooder a mine that floods after a preset time and sinks to the bottom.
flotilla an administrative or tactical organization consisting of two or more squadrons of destroyers or smaller types together with flagships and tenders.
foul deck on an aircraft carrier, a deck that is currently unsafe to land on.
fresnel lens on an aircraft carrier, a system of lights used to provide glide slope visuals for approaching aircraft. Also known as the lens. A glowing yellow image projected by the lens, known as the ball, moves up and down and aligns with a row of green lights to illustrate a perfect glide slope. The ball turns red when an aircraft is too low and in danger of crashing. Also found at naval air stations.
frigate a warship designed to operate independently or with strike, antisubmarine warfare, or amphibious forces against submarine, air, and surface threats; its armament includes 3-inch and 5-inch guns and advanced antisubmarine weapons.
fubar short for fucked up beyond all recognition.
general quarters a condition of readiness when naval action is imminent; all battle stations are fully manned and alert and ammunition is ready for instant loading.
guided missile cruiser a warship designed to operate with strike and amphibious forces and armed with 3-inch and 5-inch guns, advanced area-defense anti-air-warfare missile system, and antisubmarine weapons.
guided missile destroyer a destroyer equipped with Terrier/Tartar-guided missiles, naval gun battery, long- range sonar, and antisubmarine weapons.
guided missile frigate a frigate equipped with Tartar or SM-i missile launchers and 70mm gun battery.
guinea pig a ship used to determine if an area is free of influence mines.
gunny slang for a marine gunnery sergeant.
hashmarks stripes on the sleeve that mark years of service.
head on a ship or boat, a toilet.
heaving deck on an aircraft carrier, an unstable deck, caused by wind and waves.
heavy-lift ship a ship with a lift capacity of 100 tons.
homing mine a mine fitted with a propulsion system that homes on a target.
hot rack a bed that must be shared among crew members for lack of space.
hydrofoil patrol craft a fast surface patrol craft.
hydrographic chart a nautical chart showing depths of water, nature of bottom, contours of bottom, and related information.
jarhead slang for a marine.
knuckledragger see deck ape.
lap a section or strip of area assigned to a single minesweeper.
LCS littoral combat ship. A small warship that is designed to operate near shorelines.
leatherneck a marine.
lens, the see fresnel lens.
lifer one who makes the navy or marines a lifelong career.
Mayday a distress call.
minesweeping the technique of searching for and clearing mines from an area.
net sweep a two-ship sweep using a netlike device designed to collect or scoop up seabed or drifting mines.
obstructor a device laid with the goal of obstructing mechanical minesweeping equipment.
ocean station ship a ship providing a number of services, including search and rescue, meteorological information, navigational aid, and communications facilities.
offshore patrol a patrol operating in coastal waters.
oiler a tanker equipped to replenish other ships at sea.
ordnance collective term for bombs, guns, ammunition, and other pyrotechnic devices.
otter in naval mine warfare, a device that, when towed, displaces itself sideways to a predetermined distance.
Phalanx a close-in weapons system providing automatic, autonomous terminal defense against antiship cruise missiles. The system includes self-contained search and track radars, weapons control, and 20mm M-61 guns.
ping jockey slang for a sonar operator, after the sound signal made by sonar.
polliwog slang for a sailor who has yet to cross the equator.
q-message a classified message relating to navigational dangers, navigational aids, mined areas, and searched or swept channels.
Q-ship a decoy ship.
rack a bed.
rack time sleep time.
redshirt on an aircraft carrier, an aviation crew member who loads bombs and ammunition and who wears a red shirt. Also, a member of a carrier crash team.
rising mine a mine having positive buoyancy that is released from a sinker by a ship influence or by a timing device.
romper a ship that has moved more than 10 miles ahead of its convoy and is unable to rejoin it.
rotorhead slang for a helicopter pilot or crew member.
salvo in naval gunfire support, a method of fire in which a number of weapons are fired simultaneously upon the same target.
shadower a maritime unit observing and maintaining contact with an object overtly or covertly.
sheaf in naval gunfire, planned lines of fire that produce a desired pattern of bursts with rounds fired by two or more weapons.
shellback slang for a sailor who has crossed the equator.
ship influence in naval mine warfare, the magnetic, acoustic, and pressure effects of a ship, or a minesweep simulating a ship, that is detectable by a mine.
ship's company the crew members and officers dedicated to the running of a ship, as opposed to those in the air wing, assigned to aircraft.