| Aviation Ordnanceman | |
|---|---|
 Rating insignia | |
| Issued by | United States Navy |
| Type | Enlisted rating |
| Abbreviation | AO |
| Specialty | Aviation |
Aviation Ordnanceman (abbreviated as AO) is a United States Navy occupational rating.
| Aviation Ordnanceman | |
|---|---|
| Rating insignia | |
| Issued by | United States Navy |
| Type | Enlisted rating |
| Abbreviation | AO |
| Specialty | Aviation |
Aviation Ordnanceman (abbreviated as AO) is a United States Navy occupational rating.
Aviation Ordnancemen operate and handle aviation ordnance equipment. They are responsible for the maintenance of guns, bombs, torpedoes, rockets, and missiles. Their duties include the stowing, issuing, and loading of munitions and small arms. There are three different types of ordnanceman; "O" (organizational) level, "I" (intermediate) level, and "D" (depot) level. O-level ordnanceman are attached to squadrons ashore and afloat. They perform loading/downloading operations on aircraft. I-level perform maintenance on bomb racks, missile launchers, and all other aircraft armament components. as well as store, inventory, issue, and assemble all ordnance. Aviation ordnanceman "A" School is currently held at Pensacola Naval Air Station, in Florida, by the Naval Air Technical Training Center. Aviation ordnanceman training is approximately 5 weeks long. At aviation ordnanceman "A" School, subjects are taught basic aviation theory and skills, along with electronic troubleshooting. To become an aviation ordnanceman, one must have color perception and 20/20 vision or have their vision correctable to 20/20. One must also have an ASVAB score of VE+AR+MK+AS=185 or MK+AS+AO=140. While some aviation ordnanceman tasks require a secret security clearance, all ordnancemen must be eligible for the clearance.
Ship's company, who are stationed on board ship and are "I" level operators meaning they work in the magazines below decks or on the flight deck of aircraft carriers. They are in charge of inventory of the weapons on the flight deck whether they are loaded on aircraft or stored behind the island. "I" level ordnancemen work in the aviation intermediate maintenance departments on ships at sea or in facilities ashore. They perform such tasks as preventive maintenance, testing of bomb racks, missile launchers, rocket launchers, handling equipment, loading equipment, aircraft guns for issue to squadrons, and perform any repairs needed. Depot "D" level is for equipment that needs to be completely overhauled and is beyond the capabilities of "I" level maintenance. In 20-year period, an average aviation ordnanceman spends about 60 percent assigned to fleet units and 40 percent to shore stations.
Aviation Ordnancemen are a close-knit community and one of the few ratings in the U.S. Navy to have their own association, the Association of Aviation Ordnancemen. In addition, aviation ordnanceman had come up with an acronym "IYAOYAS" meaning, "If you ain't ordnance, you ain't shit."
One of the most notable aviation ordnancemen was Lieutenant John William Finn, who came up as an enlisted sailor. He was still a chief petty officer when, stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, he earned the Medal of Honor by firing a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack, despite being repeatedly wounded.
HMS Perseus was a Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy during World War II. The ship was initially named HMS Edgar, but she was renamed in 1944 when the Admiralty decided to convert her into an aircraft maintenance carrier. She was completed in 1945, after the end of World War II, and she made a trip to Australia late in the year. Upon her return to the UK in early 1946, Perseus was placed in reserve. The ship was recommissioned in 1950 to serve as the trials ship for the steam catapult then under development. Over 1,600 test launches were conducted before the catapult was removed in 1952 and she was converted for use as a ferry carrier to transport aircraft, troops and equipment overseas. She was reduced to reserve again in 1954 and sold for scrap in 1958.
Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases.
HMS Unicorn was an aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. She was completed during World War II and provided air cover over the amphibious landing at Salerno, Italy, in September 1943. The ship was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean at the end of the year. Unicorn supported the aircraft carriers of the fleet on their operations until the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was formed in November 1944. She was transferred to Australia in early 1945 to support the BPF's operations during Operation Iceberg, the Allied invasion of Okinawa in May. To shorten the time required to replenish the BPF's carriers, the ship was based in the Admiralty Islands and in the Philippine Islands until the Japanese surrender in August. Unicorn was decommissioned and placed in reserve when she returned to the UK in January 1946.
A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points on the airframe of military aircraft that carry weapons, ordnances and support equipments, and also include hardpoints on the wings or fuselage of a military transport aircraft, commercial airliner or private jet where external turbofan jet engines are often mounted.
John William Finn was a sailor in the United States Navy who, as a chief petty officer and aviation ordnanceman, received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. Though ordnancemen are only responsible for performing maintenance on guns and handling of munitions, Finn – when the Japanese bombed Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay during the December 7 attack – earned the medal by firing a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack, despite being repeatedly wounded. He continued to serve in the Navy and in 1942 was commissioned an ensign. In 1947 he was reverted to chief petty officer, eventually rising to lieutenant before his 1956 retirement. In his later years he made many appearances at events celebrating veterans. At the time of his death, Finn was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, the last living recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the last living United States Navy recipient of World War II.
The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard occupational rating of gunner's mate (GM) is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted sailors who either satisfactorily complete initial Gunner's Mate "A" school training, or who "strike" for the rating by showing competence in the field of ordnance. When "striking" one isn't required to be a seaman, but must belong to one of three undesignated rates: Fireman (FN), Seaman (SN), or Airman (AN). It is also possible to cross rate to Gunner's Mate. Cross rating refers to the act of an enlisted sailor "crossing" from their current rating to another rating of their choice, provided their ASVAB scores are high enough and there are open slots for the rate.
Aviation electronics technician (AT) is a US Navy enlisted rating or job specialty. At the paygrade of E-9, ATs merge with the aviation electrician's mate (AE) rating to become avionics technicians (AV). There has been talk of completely merging the two ratings, but as yet no definite plans have been announced. Aviation electronics technicians wear the specialty mark of a winged helium atom.
Aviation boatswain's mate is a United States Navy occupational rating.
Aviation Machinist's Mates are United States Navy aircraft engine mechanics that inspect, adjust, test, repair, and overhaul aircraft engines and propellers. More specifically, ADs install, maintain, and service various aircraft engine types as well as various accessories, gear boxes, related fuel systems, and lubrication systems; determine reasons for engine degradation using various test equipment; perform propeller repairs; handle and service aircraft ashore or aboard ship; and can also serve as aircrewman in various types of aircraft.
Aviation structural mechanic is a United States Navy occupational rating.
Fire controlman is a United States Navy occupational rating. Often confused with being fireman on board a ship, FCs actually operate advanced weapons systems, whereas Damage Controlman (DC) are actually the shipboard firefighters.
Mineman is a United States Navy occupational rating.
Operations Specialist is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard occupational rating. It is a sea duty-intensive rating in the Navy while most of Coast Guard OS's are at ashore Command Centers.
The Iowa-class battleships are the most heavily armed warships the United States Navy has ever put to sea, due to the continual development of their onboard weaponry. The first Iowa-class ship was laid down in June 1940; in their World War II configuration, each of the Iowa-class battleships had a main battery of 16-inch (406 mm) guns that could hit targets nearly 20 statute miles (32 km) away with a variety of artillery shells designed for anti-ship or bombardment work. The secondary battery of 5-inch (127 mm) guns could hit targets nearly 9 statute miles (14 km) away with solid projectiles or proximity fuzed shells, and was effective in an anti-aircraft role as well. Each of the four battleships carried a wide array of 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns for defense against enemy aircraft.
On 29 July 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal after an electrical anomaly caused a Zuni rocket on an F-4B Phantom to fire, striking an external fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk. The flammable jet fuel spilled across the flight deck, ignited, and triggered a chain reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161. At the time, Forrestal was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, during the Vietnam War. The ship survived, but with damage exceeding US$72 million, not including the damage to aircraft. Future United States Senator John McCain and future four-star admiral and U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Ronald J. Zlatoper were among the survivors. Another on-board officer, Lieutenant Tom Treanore, later returned to the ship as her commander and retired an admiral.
Modern United States Navy aircraft carrier air operations include the operation of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft on and around an aircraft carrier for performance of combat or noncombat missions. The flight operations are highly evolved, based on experiences dating back to 1922 with USS Langley.
The Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR) is an independent and objective agency within the United States Navy for the operational testing and evaluation (OT&E) of naval aviation, surface warfare, submarine warfare, C4I, cryptologic, and space systems in support Navy and Department of Defense acquisition programs.
Aircraft Armament Equipment (AAE), also known as Aircraft Armament Systems or Aircraft Ancillary Equipment, encompasses all equipment that is or can be attached either permanently or temporarily to an aircraft, the use of which allows for the carriage and release of airborne stores. AAE includes bomb racks for all practice and tactical, single and multiple weapon design configurations and their aircraft peculiar fairings; pylons and adapter hardware; missile launchers, including their related entities such as power supplies, nitrogen receivers, and aircraft peculiar pylons; adapters, rails, and interface components.
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