Back in my days in the USN, Seaman recruit (SR) was the boot camp rank (E-1), Seaman apprentice (SA) after graduation (E-2) until promotion to Seaman(SN E-3) by passing exams and practical factors. If a Seaman passed the fleetwide exam for a specialty but no slots were available he became a designated striker, for example Boatswain’s Mate Seaman (BMSN). The promotion to E-4 created a Third Class Petty Officer, designated by specialty as in BM3 for Third Class Boatswain’s Mate.
If engineering was the recruit’s desired specialty they’d substitute Fireman (FR, FA, FN) for Seaman.
All this was over half-a-hundred years ago but mem’ry seems to serve me ok.
What was Davy Jones like?
;)
You guys had so many uniforms, I had no idea whom to salute when I first saw Navy personnel at the DLI at Lackland AFB.
I was just out of Basic.