Customs and Courtesies on Ship

[captrncap]

Can anyone tell me what the customs and courtesies are on board a decommission naval ship (now a floating museum)?

I know you salute when you board and leave the ship but do you wear a cover inside the ship, when do you salute officers – on deck only – etc?

Naval customs are new to me.

Thanks.

[IceNine]

Not sure about an actual ship but, out of the 12 encampments I've had a Great Lakes

You are covered in the halls and stairwells (passageways and ladderwells)

Uncovered in any of the compartments

Salutes are only rendered upon boarding or going ashore, and only on the quarterdeck

Again, that is how the navy teaches it for their permanently landlocked ships (buildings)

[MIKE]

Well... If it's decommisioned... and there will be no OOD...  As far as the wear of headgear... I think it depends...

[SeattleSarge]

I just got a crash course on this, Coast Guard style...

While touring the USCGC Midgett at the base in Seattle, we were told to stop midway on the gangway, face the rear of the ship, and execute a hand salute to the colors flying there.  Then, we were to face the ship and salute the Officer of the Deck.  Supposedly as a way of asking permission to come aboard.  Leaving the ship, we were told just salute the colors.

We were also told we could wear headgear anywhere except the crew dining area.  Apparently that is a naval tradition, since that area is also used to treat wounded, it is a sign of respect.

Sorry about mangling the naval terminology, but I thought this might be useful.

-SeattleSarge

[MIKE]

C.1. Embarking At the quarterdeck, the officer of the deck (OOD) or representative (who may be an
officer or a petty officer) will always be on duty to greet persons boarding or leaving
the ship. Customarily, you request permission from the OOD to board or to leave
the ship. As you board, you first stand at the gangway and salute the National
Ensign at the stern. After evening colors or before morning colors, when the flag is
not displayed, the salute is rendered to the position where the flag is normally
displayed. Then you turn to the OOD or the OOD's representative, salute and say,
"Request permission to come aboard, sir (or ma'am)." The OOD will return your
salute and invite you aboard. If you are in civilian clothing, do not render a salute,
face the National Ensign, stand at attention for a moment, then turn to the OOD, and
request permission to come aboard. When permission is granted, proceed aboard.

C.2. Debarking When leaving the ship, present yourself to the OOD, salute, and say, "Request
permission to leave the ship, sir (or ma'am)." After the OOD has said, "Very well"
or "Permission granted" and has returned your salute, you step to the gangway, and
as you cross the gunwale, turn and salute in the direction of the National Ensign and
then proceed ashore. If you are not in uniform, follow the same procedure, but
without rendering the salute. When boarding or leaving, if you have guests with
you who may not be in uniform, you render the salutes and request permission to
board or leave. It is not necessary for your guests to salute or request permission.

But again, since the vessel is not in commision...

[0]

I actually looked into it for this past weekend when I was hosting IACE cadets through Boston.  I wanted to bring them to the USS Constitution and the Cassin Young.  I was told that Customs and Courtesies such as saluting the "ensign" and asking permission to board and disembark is only done on ships that are commissioned.  Those that aren't are treated as museuems.

[MIKE]

USS Constitution is commissioned however... and is the oldest commissioned vessel in the fleet.

[0]

yes, but the Cassin Young isn't and it's at the same dockyard.  Sorry I forgot to mention that part in my earlier post.

[Al Sayre]

If you are an Admiral, don't forget to call ahead so they can have the sideboys out and pipe you aboard properly...

[Matt]

USS Constitution is commissioned however... and is the oldest commissioned vessel in the fleet.

Not only in the fleet -- in the world.

[0]

There actually is a ship older than the Old Ironsides.  It's just the oldest commisioned afloat, the HMS Victory. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victory

[sandman]

Can anyone tell me what the customs and courtesies are on board a decommission naval ship (now a floating museum)?

I know you salute when you board and leave the ship but do you wear a cover inside the ship, when do you salute officers – on deck only – etc?

Naval customs are new to me.

Thanks.

Officers are saluted outside the skin of the ship while moored or anchored. Covers are worn often inside the skin of the ship while moored or anchored except in the wardroom, messdecks, berthing compartments, and chapel.

Covers are worn while in the pilot house always.

Salutes are not required while the ship is underway; covers are not worn inside or outside the skin of the ship while underway.

A decommed ship does not require a salute to the stern during daylight hours (where the ensign once was). However, a museum may fly the ensign and you are not wrong to render a salute....

On a commissioned ship: Embarking the vessel; stop, turn towards, and render hand salute to stern of ship from (0800 to sunset) then salute officer of the deck (OOD) requesting permission to come aboard.

Disembarking; Salute OOD requesting to go ashore (granted) then hand salute toward stern of vessel when the ensign is present (0800 to sunset).

When not in uniform, perform measures as above facing the stern of the ship but without the salute.

After sunset, salute or come to attention to the OOD without need to face stern of the vessel.

/r
LT

[jimmydeanno]

The few times that I have boarded a naval vessel have been in CAP uniform.

The few people I know with any Navy experience told me this...

If you are an officer boarding the ship and the OOD if enlisted, you state "I have permission to come aboard." or "I have permission to go ashore."

He then said that if you are enlisted you request permission to come aboard or request permission to go ashore.

But they'll stop you if your face is on the little bulletin board at the gangplank...

Any truth to this?

[SarDragon]

Well, if I can get past the typos that confuse the issue, here's my experience.

A. The OOD is never enlisted. It is always an officer, hence "Officer of the Day/Deck". The enlisted guy is the JOOD - "Junior Officer of the Day/Deck".

B. On ships large enough to facilitate the practice, officers and enlisted board/depart the ship in different areas, so O's talk to O's, and E's talk to E's when boarding/departing the ship. Even on ships with one brow, vice two, I think that is still the practice, albeit in closer quarters. Having been enlisted on a carrier, I was unable to observe any different practices.

C. The basic permissions are correct. The enlisted folks ask for, and are granted permission "to come aboard" or "to go ashore". The officers are assumed to have been granted said permission. [Sandman, help me on this one. Are the O and E practices different?]

D. Bulletin board? All I ever saw was a list in the hands of the JOOD.

BTW, when I go aboard the USS Midway Museum, out of habit, I still pause at the top of the brow and face the stern.

[sandman]

Well, if I can get past the typos that confuse the issue, here's my experience.

A. The OOD is never enlisted. It is always an officer, hence "Officer of the Day/Deck". The enlisted guy is the JOOD - "Junior Officer of the Day/Deck".

B. On ships large enough to facilitate the practice, officers and enlisted board/depart the ship in different areas, so O's talk to O's, and E's talk to E's when boarding/departing the ship. Even on ships with one brow, vice two, I think that is still the practice, albeit in closer quarters. Having been enlisted on a carrier, I was unable to observe any different practices.

C. The basic permissions are correct. The enlisted folks ask for, and are granted permission "to come aboard" or "to go ashore". The officers are assumed to have been granted said permission. [Sandman, help me on this one. Are the O and E practices different?]
D. Bulletin board? All I ever saw was a list in the hands of the JOOD.

BTW, when I go aboard the USS Midway Museum, out of habit, I still pause at the top of the brow and face the stern.

Dave, you're correct. The caveat here is that as a member (officer) of ships company you are assumed to have permission. As an embarked unit that is not organic to the ship (organic unit=carrier air wing, helo squad, fleet surgical team) one would still technically "ask permission". I am an IA (individual augmentee) and technically I would "ask permission" to embark or debark. but it is not really practiced.

If there was a hard nosed individual as the OOD that was enforcing the custom, all I would need to do is wear the ships ballcap and he/she wouldn't know the difference! Apparently, many ships have stopped using an ID sticker (with the ships logo) on the ID card but will issue them out in special circumstances. We were issued the stickers for debarking to Vietnam. The way an individual is checked out/in on liberty is by a laptop with a handheld barcode scanner reading the barcode ID on the reverse of the ID card. Makes check out/check in fairly quick! And that is also where "the list" is kept.

This is a big ship so when moored to a good pier, we do have dual gangways one for E's and one for O's. As a side note: the E's are handed profolactics when debarking the ship, can't understand why

Hope that helps!

Mission report: Arrived Papua New Guinea. Starting surgeries tomorrow. Starting Malaria pills. Ready to go out and do good things!

Should be back early Sept.

v/r
LT

[jimmydeanno]

D. Bulletin board? All I ever saw was a list in the hands of the JOOD.

The last ship I was on was the USS Theodore Roosevelt.  Upon leaving the ship there was an easel with pictures of all the personnel that were restricted to the ship for one reason or another...

BTW, Chief's mess, awesome chow...

[Pylon]

Mission report: Arrived Papua New Guinea. Starting surgeries tomorrow. Starting Malaria pills. Ready to go out and do good things!

Awesome to hear!   And Good luck with those malaria pills.  Those things gave me hallucinations while I was popping them in West Africa... made for some interesting nights in the jungle!   

[sandman]

Mission report: Arrived Papua New Guinea. Starting surgeries tomorrow. Starting Malaria pills. Ready to go out and do good things!

Awesome to hear!   And Good luck with those malaria pills.  Those things gave me hallucinations while I was popping them in West Africa... made for some interesting nights in the jungle!   

Fun

Using malarone vice mefloquine. Malarone is daily with only GI "upsets" as a side effect. Mefloquine is taken once a week but has the insomnia/hallucination side effect you described. I was thinking about doxy but with the light skin and being in the equatorial region....well I didn't want to risk the greater possibility of a bad sunburn than I needed to!

/r
LT

[Ned]

Still on my mefloquine following my return from IACE to West Africa (Ghana).

No side effects (beyond losing five pounds eating Fufu and Banku.) 

[Flying Pig]

......And is its a ship where Marines served aboard, Look for the Eagle Globe and Anchor.   That will show you where the men slept.

[SarDragon]

My
Ass
Rides
In
Navy
Equipment

Remember that!   

[sandman]

Sorry Dave, but it really means:
My
Ass
Really
Is
Navy
Equipment

Sorry Marines, you're still Department of the Navy

Much respect for ya though.....Semper Fi

[sardak]

Reminds me of this exchange from "A Few Good Men"

(Navy) Lt. Kaffee: Lt. Kendrick, may I call you John?
(Marine) Lt. Kendrick: No, you may not.
Kaffee: Have I done something to offend you?
Lt. Kendrick: Not at all, I like all you Navy boys. Every time we gotta go some place to fight, you fellas always give us a ride.

Mike

[Flying Pig]

Muscles
Are
Required
Intelligence
Not
Essential


C, me can play 2