Trivia about U.S. Navy

Answer: He/she was aboard a U. S. Navy ship as it transited the Suez Canal

A sailor who "did the ditch" was onboard a U. S. Navy (or US Coast Guard) ship as it transited the Suez Canal. Sailors who experience this receive a large certificate suitable for framing along with a wallet size card. Both documents bear the heading, "Suez Safari".

Answer: It was disbanded

Answer: BUD/S

BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL School) prepares the toughest, the most elite unit of our military. It is among the hardest training in the world. Training in BUD/S takes over a year. It consists of three phases; First Phase, Second Phase, and Third Phase.

Answer: Orange

Red is Secret
Blue is Confidential
Yellow is not used.

Answer: Battle of Taranto

In November of 1940 more than a full year before Pearl Harbor the British attacked the Italian Navy at the Gulf of Taranto. Using only aircraft from the HMS Illustrious and a few from the HMS Eagle, the British sent two attack waves using old Swordfish planes. They sank the Italian battleship Littorio and severely damaged two other battleships.

Answer: Boatswain's Mate

The history of the Boatswain's Mate is as old as the Navy itself. From the beginning of seafaring ships, there's been a need for able-bodied men to lower the thick masts, swab the decks and pipe 12 o'clock reports. This need formed into the Boatswain's Mate rate in 1797.

Answer: To recruit Navy and Marines

The mission of the Blue Angels is to is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting, and to represent the Naval Service to the United States civilian community, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Answer: USS Nautilus

In July of 1951 Congress authorized construction of the world's first nuclear powered submarine. On December 12th of that year, the Navy Department announced that she would be the sixth ship of the fleet to bear the name NAUTILUS. Her keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman at the Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, Connecticut on June 14, 1952. After nearly 18 months of construction, NAUTILUS was launched on January 21, 1954 with First Lady Mamie Eisenhower breaking the traditional bottle of champagne across NAUTILUS' bow as she slid down the ways into the Thames River. Eight months later, on September 30, 1954, NAUTILUS (SSN-571) became the first commissioned nuclear powered ship in the United States Navy.

Answer: Frank J. Fletcher

USS Yorktown was the first of a new class of aircraft carrier designed as a result of the experience gained by the US Navy in using the four carriers that came before. Commissioned in September 1937, Yorktown was initially stationed in the Atlantic, also spending time in the Caribbean, before transiting to San Diego in April 1939, remaining attached to the Pacific Fleet until early 1941. At that time, German U-Boats were operating with increasing success against shipping intended to reinforce the United Kingdom, and so the US Navy, in an effort to improve the strength of the Atlantic Fleet, transferred Yorktown, three battleships, three cruisers and twelve destroyers, back to the Atlantic coast.

By December 1941, Yorktown had conducted a number of successful "Neutrality Patrols" to ensure the safety of merchant shipping in American waters. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor decimated the Pacific Fleet's battleships, with all but one sunk or badly damaged, leaving just the three aircraft carriers to carry the US response to the Japanese. As a result, to reinforce the Pacific, Yorktown was despatched back to Hawaii. Stopping off in San Diego en route, Yorktown collected Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher, at that time commander of the Pacific Fleet's cruisers. Raising his flag in Yorktown, he became the commanding officer of the newly constituted Task Force 17, one of a number of new task groups, each formed around an aircraft carrier, intended to begin the naval battle with Japan.

Answer: USS Akron

The best-know airship accident is probably the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, which resulted in the loss of just 36 lives, yet the USS Akron crash was even more deadly. The fact that it took place at sea, rather than in the full view of the world's press, meant that it is now almost forgotten.

The USS Akron was a flying aircraft carrier designed to provide long-distance scouting in support of fleet operations of the U. S. Navy. The Akron crashed at sea during a storm off the coast of New Jersey after the ship's tail hit the water. Despite being a U.S. Navy vessel the ship carried no lifejackets, and only one rubber raft, and most of the crew drowned or died of hypothermia in the freezing water. Among those killed was Medal of Honor winner Rear Admiral W.A. Moffett.

Answer: Spain

The Spanish Navy along with the French Navy significantly augmented the Continental Navy. More importantly the addition of the Spanish Navy forced Britain to keep some ships of the line in home waters in case of a Spanish-Franco attack on Great Britain.

Answer: Two ships

Due to U.S. shipyards being almost fully occupied building Essex-class carriers, as well as destroyers and other convoy escort vessels, only two Alaskas were completed, the USS Alaska and USS Guam.

Answer: Four

The Washington Treaty stipulated that all capital ships under construction were to be cancelled. However, two ships could be completed as aircraft carriers.

Answer: USS Pennsylvania

BB-38 USS Pennsylvania was in Pearl Harbor's Dry Dock #1 along with the destroyers DD-372 USS Cassin and DD-375 USS Downes on the Day of Infamy. The Japanese attacked the dry dock several times but failed to do any major damage to the battleship, though she was heavily strafed and did suffer one bomb hit. The two destroyers ahead of Pennsylvania did not fair quite so well. An incendiary bomb either struck Downes directly or landed between the two destroyers, in either case the bomb ruptured Downes' fuel tank and caused both destroyers to catch fire. The dry dock was purposely flooded around 9:20 AM (0920) to try to put out the fires, but about ten minutes later explosions began aboard both ships and at 9:41 AM (0941) ammunition on Downes' starboard side began to explode. A portion of one of the destroyer's torpedo tubes would strike Pennsylvania's forecastle.

Answer: USS Enterprise, USS Yorktown, and USS Hornet

The Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown were able to sink four Imperial Japanese Navy fleet carriers; a blow Japan was never able to recover from. During the battle the Yorktown was hit on two occasions and sank the day after the battle.

Answer: Men in a small, explosive-filled vessel rammed into the port side of the destroyer.

Reportedly, there were two men aboard the small vessel who stood at attention as their boat exploded. The blast was caused by 400 to 700 pounds of explosives molded into a shaped charge. The discharge hit the galley of the ship where, at the time, crew members were lined up for lunch.

Answer: Reef Points

Reef Points are filled with all sorts of historical information, customs, quotes, and general military knowledge required of a fully rounded naval officer.

Answer: USS Gyatt

USS Gyatt, a Gearing Class Destroyer, was previously designated DD-712. In service during the Korean Conflict, her deck guns were removed and anti-aircraft missile launchers were installed in their place.

Answer: The CPO Creed

The Creed is read during the pinning ceremony when Sailors are advanced to Chief Petty Officer. All Chiefs (active, reserve and retired), come to attention during the reading of the Creed.

Answer: 20°-68°

The Tomcats wing sweep was controlled automatically, with manual override, by an air data computer in a range from 20°-68° based on mach number and lift/drag ratio. To park, the wings could be swept back 75° to overlap the tail and minimize space.

Answer: 9

The first U.S. submarine to be lost at sea was F-4 (SS-23). She sank off the coast of Hawaii on March 25, 1915. Her entire crew of 21 brave sailors was lost. Since she sank in shallow (300 ft) water, the Navy was able to raise the boat on August 29, 1915 and recover their remains, although most of the bodies could not be identified. A Navy review board concluded her loss was due to sea water seeping into her battery compartment. Between 1915 and the beginning of WWII, eight other submarines were lost, along with a total of 181 additional lives.

Answer: The Air Officer

The Captain is ultimately responsible for flight operations as he is responsible for everything on the ship, but he designates the Authority to conduct flight ops to the Air Officer.

Commonly referred to as the "Air Boss", the Air Officer is responsible for all aspects or aircraft operations. Their authority covers the hangar deck and flight deck aboard the carrier, as well as any airborne aircraft within five nautical miles of the supercarrier.

The Flight Officer (Air Boss) operates from the Flight Control Center, located on the top level (tower) of the aircraft carrier, and maintains visual control of all aircraft in the carriers control zone.

The Flight Control Officer is assisted by subordinate officers in the Flight Control Center who are known as "Mini Bosses".

Supercarrier Tidbit:
To accommodate the needs of the crew during a deployment, typically found aboard a supercarrier are 2,500 telephones, 3,000 television sets, a 53 bed hospital/medical facility, five dentist, six medical doctors, three chapel with interdenominational chaplains, and one barber shop. The barber shop routinely performs an average of about 1,500 haircuts per weeks.

Answer: 15 degrees off centerline

"Full rudder" is 30 degrees off centerline and "hard rudder" is 35 degrees off centerline.

Answer: All of these

USS North Carolina spent the better part of a year in shakedown and training in the Atlantic Ocean after commissioning partly due to excessive vibration in her propeller shafts. She was actually in the New York shipyard on December 7th and finally made it to the Pacific in June 1942. She was a sight for sore eyes when she entered Pearl Harbor in early 1942 at a time when U.S. morale really needed a boost! One sailor is reported to have said "She's de most bee-utiful ting I've ever seen".

Answer: The bottom of the sea

Formerly the evil spirit who supposed presided over all the seas' demons, the term has come to mean the bottom of the sea itself. Aye, it's true, sailors are a superstitious lot.