From barbers to baristas, sailors' unique jobs below deck help run George H.W. Bush carrier

WAVY-TV ^ | November 15, 2018 | Michael Marrero

[dfwgator]

SNL short film from 1979: "Port of Call, Bayonne, NJ" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhioeOeOHsA The Navy. It's not just a job, it's $96.78 a week."

I was just looking for that! How far SNL has fallen since those days.

[Yo-Yo]

In 1979 I was a snot-nosed A1C watching that episode in the day room of the enlisted dorms at Mtn. Home AFB, ID. And we all laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

Then I returned to my buffing machine...

[longhorn too]

“My grandfather was 1st Lieutenant on the Bunker Hill. A lot less creature comforts on a carrier back then, but still the challenges of keeping a floating small town running.”

There is no such thing as a 1st Lieutenant in the Navy, you are either a Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutnenant, or a Lieutnant Commander! Army, Air Force, and Marines have 1st Lieutnants!

[dirtboy]

1st Lieutenant is a role, not a rank. My grandfather was a Lt. Commander at the time.

In the US Navy, the First Lieutenant is a specific job, not a rank. From Wikipedia-

“In the US Navy or US Coast Guard, the billet of first lieutenant describes the officer in charge of the deck department or division, depending on the size of the ship. In smaller ships that have only a single deck division, the billet is typically filled by an ensign; while in larger ships, with a deck department consisting of multiple subordinate divisions, the billet may be filled by a lieutenant commander. On submarines and smaller Coast Guard cutters, the billet of first lieutenant may be filled by a petty officer.”

On a destroyer type ship the First Lieutenant is usually a division officer in the Weapons Department. On a CVN he is a Department Head.

[longhorn too]

OK, I will buy that, thought you were talking about rank, not role!

[dirtboy]

It threw me the first I saw that mentioned. It was in a book about the Bunker Hill that mentioned my grandfather was 1st Lieutenant, which I knew was an Army rank and his pics from the war show the stripes of a Lt. Commander.

A carrier is divided into the flight deck, engineering and everything else, and my grandfather as 1st Lieutenant was in charge of everything else. He also was damage control officer - for a ship that got kamikazied.

[Bull Snipe]

The first Lieutenant on a Ship is the deck department head.
He is responsible for all of the topside spaces of the ship, the boats, the anchor windless, the capstains etc.
his men moor the ship, drop the anchor, handle unrep operations. On a unrep ship, such as an oiler, ammo ship, etc the First Lieutenant is the senior watch officer. The First Lieutenant, can be a JG, Lt, LCDR, or a CDR, depending on the size of the ship

[dirtboy]

My grandfather was one of four men qualified to conn the ship. The recent book about the Bunker Hill interviewed the engineering officer who was still alive and he was one of those four men. His quote was that the captain needed sleep and the other three did not. I can only imagine what my grandfather went through - in charge of the deck and grabbing whatever sleep he could when he could.

[Bull Snipe]

That is the way it is on ships. Go on watch, get off watch, got to work, go on watch, get off watch, GQ drills, HDQs
sleep, repeat, day after day, week after week.

[fredhead]

Had a PO3 on JFK who was told by our Chief to get a haircut. Next day at quarters, no haircut. Said he couldn’t get in the barbershop. Chief called the S-3 LCPO and sent the PO3. Still no haircut. Our Chief then took him down to MARDET. He sure got a haircut then, and never had a problem with his hair again.

[PeteePie]

“And to all of my fellow Airmen, I say “Fore!”

To anyone who has read Bat 21, we know this to be true.
USAF/ ANG 1980 - 2004

[ViLaLuz]

Did you just assume the Virtue Signalman gender? Shouldn’t that be signalperson???