| amphibious raid | A type of amphibious operation involving swift incursion of a hostile objective, followed by scheduled withdrawal after temporary occupation. |
| amphibious ready group | A usn formation usually consisting of a helicopter carrier and several amphibious assault ships with embarked marines. |
| amphibious ship | A vessel designed to transport supplies, put them on shore, and support forces engaged in amphibious operations. capable of being loaded or unloaded by naval personnel without external equipment o... |
| amphibious transport dock | A ship with embarked landing craft, amphibious vehicles, and helicopters to land troops, equipment, and supplies. |
| amphibious warfare | The use of naval forces to project military power onto a hostile shore, requiring the coordination of aviation, firepower, transport, and logistics. |
| amphibious withdrawal | The seaward extraction of friendly forces from a hostile or potentially hostile shore. this is the most complex of all military maneuvers. |
| amphibiousness | The ability to operate on land or water. |
| amphitrite | This greek goddess, who was one of the oceanides, personifies the sea, of which she is queen. she is usually depicted in a seashell chariot drawn by marine animals, and homer calls her “she who be... |
| anchor bed | Permanent chocks which hold a stored anchor in place. |
| anchor bell | A warning bell rung by anchored ships during poor visibility. |
| anchor lights | See riding lights. |
| anchoromachus | A barge-like boat of the middle ages, used for transporting anchors and naval stores. anchor’s afoul!: report that the anchor cable is caught around the fluke, or that another object is caught aro... |
| anderson turn | See person overboard. |
| andrew millar | A notorious crimp (person who entrapped seamen to be pressed into naval service, usually offering to advance money, then plying the victim with liquor, persuading him to sign articles while intoxi... |
| angary | The right under international law of a belligerent to destroy, seize, force into service, or otherwise use the vessels or goods of neutral nations, subject to compensation of the owners. |
| angled deck | Developed by captain (later rear admiral) d. r. f. campbell rn, and adopted by the usn, the angled flight deck has enormous operational advantages. it allows aircraft to be launched while others a... |
| angles and dangles | Usn submariner slang for placing the boat in extreme up/down attitudes shortly after leaving port to see if anything breaks loose. loose objects can then be stowed or tightened to avoid unwanted n... |
| anglico | Air & naval gunfire liaison company. anglo-german naval agreement: in june 1935, without consulting the other signatories of the treaty of versailles, britain attempted to appease hitler by negoti... |
| antifoulant | Preparation painted on a hull to discourage barnacles, teredo worms and other undesirable growths. |
| antigallicans | Additional backstays rigged temporarily on square-rigged merchantmen when running before the trade winds. they were unnecessary on warships, which were more heavily stayed in the first place. |
| antilles current | This flow originates in the west indies and joins the florida current to form the gulf stream. |
| antipodean day | The twenty-four hours gained when eastbound or lost when westbound on crossing the international date line, which follows (approximately) the meridian of 180°. |
| antirecovery device | A mechanism incorporated into a mine or missile which causes it to detonate if disturbed. |
| antisubmarine air support | Flight operations to protect a specific force or convoy against hostile underwater forces. close air support is normally provided within 80 nautical miles of the protected force. distant air suppo... |
| antisubmarine barrier | A line of static devices or 25 antisubmarine mobile units formed to detect, deny passage to, or destroy, hostile underwater forces. |
| antisubmarine screen | An arrangement of ships and/or aircraft for the protection of a force or unit against underwater attack. |
| antisubmarine warfare (asw) | The use against hostile submarines of weaponry, listening and tracking devices, and other techniques. |
| antisweep mine | A small explosive device designed to make minesweeping more difficult. when the sweep wire makes contact the mine slides along it until it strikes and is detonated by the sweep. anti-torpedo net d... |
| any port in a storm | This metaphor, which equates to “beggars can’t be choosers,” obviously has a nautical origin. |
| anzio landing | The allied amphibious assault on anzio, italy in 1944 was code-named shingle. the invasion force arrived without detection and landed with virtually no opposition. however, as was demonstrated at ... |
| aphrodite | This goddess of erotic love (who is not to be confused with poseidon’s wife amphitrite). was a nymphomaniac who had affairs with virtually every male god in the greek pantheon, as well as most of ... см.; |
| apple stern | A rounded stern sometimes found on dutch sailing vessels. apple-pie order: neat and precise. there are numerous theories as to the origin of this phrase, two of the most likely being cap-a-pie fro... |
| appurtenances | Under admiralty law, all equipment and tackle belonging to and essential to the use of a vessel for its intended purpose. the marine insurance term is apparel. |
| aqualung | An underwater breathing device, invented by captain jacques cousteau and french engineer emile gagnon in 1943 to enable divers to operate independently of surface support. this was one of the earl... |
| arbalest | [1] stone-throwing naval artillery of the classical era. [2] a medieval missile launcher designed on the principle of the crossbow. also arbalest. |
| arch of steel | The tradition of brother officers forming two lines and raising swords to create an archway at a shipmate’s nuptials is said to symbolize their commitment to protect the couple throughout their ma... |
| archipelagic sea lanes passage | The right of continuous and expeditious transit through and over archipelagic waters via routes normally used for navigation and overflight. |
| arctic circle | An imaginary line drawn along the southern limit of the north frigid zone (approximately latitude 66°33`n). |
| arctic current | Another name for the west greenland current. |
| arizona memorial | This pearl harbor relic commemorates the site where world war ii began for the united states and is the final resting place for 1,777 of uss arizona’s crew killed during the surprise japanese atta... |
| arm badges | There are specific rules concerning on which sleeve rate and rating badges are to be worn. [1] the royal navy introduced substantive petty officer rate badges to be worn on the left sleeve in 1827... |
| armed forces | The military forces of a nation. its naval, air, and land services. |
| armed guard | Naval gun crews assigned to protect u.s. merchant vessels in time of war (cf. dems). |
| armor belt | A strip of lightly-armored compartments girdling a ship’s hull just above and below the waterline. when struck by a torpedo, the outer armor detonates the device before it penetrates the inner pla... |
| armored cruiser | Former usn designation of a battlecruiser. |
| armory | [1] place where weapons are stored, an arsenal. [2] place where weapons are manufactured. |
| arms control | See anglo-german naval agreement, versailles treaty, and washington naval agreement. |
| arret de prince | See restraint of princes. |
| arse | [1] the area at the choke end of a block through which the fall emerges. [2] the human buttocks or, more crudely, the anus. |
| ascending mine | A submerged floating mine that rises or cuts its cable, based on elapsed time or when it detects a potential target. |
| ashcan | Usn slang for a depth charge. |
| assault area | The area in amphibious operations that embraces transport and landing ship areas, lines of departure, boat lanes, landing beaches, and fire support areas. |
| assault craft | Vessels or amphibious vehicles employed principally for landing troops and equipment during the assault phase of amphibious operations. |
| assault group | Sub-division of an attack force, consisting of naval units designed to protect, transport, place on shore, and support a landing force. |
| assault phase | [1] in a seaborne operation; the period between landing the amphibious task force and consolidation of an initial beachhead. [2] in an airborne operation; the period between air delivery of the as... |
| astern refueling | The transfer of fuel at sea during which the receiving ship keeps station astern of the delivering ship. see underway replenishment, replenishment at sea. |
| asw screen | Ships and aircraft patrolling ahead of a main force to protect it against underwater attack. |
| at loggerheads | To quarrel or be at strife with someone. there are two credible explanations of the origin of this term. [1] in the 15th and 16th centuries, a loggerhead was a big long-handled ladle used to pour ... |
| ataut | [1] said of rigging that is in place and tightly drawn without give or slack. [2] said of a vessel that is shipshape. from the ancient phrase “all ataut-o.” |
| atlantic (battle) | The battle of the atlantic lasted throughout the european phase of world war ii, from the fall of 1939 to the spring of 1945. there were a few surface actions, but it was essentially a contest bet... |
| atlantic air gap | That area too distant from north america, iceland, or great britain to be covered by air support during the battle of the atlantic (1939–1945). there, german u-boats enjoyed freedom of surface mov... |
| atrip | Said of [1] a sail, hoisted to the cap, sheeted home, and ready to be trimmed. [2] a yard, swayed up and ready to have the stops cut. [3] an anchor, that has just broken ground and is aweigh. |
| attack center | A submarine’s combat engagement center. |
| attack force | All the ships, aircraft, and personnel assigned to an amphibious assault. |
| attack submarine | A military submersible designed and armed to locate and destroy hostile shipping, usually with torpedoes. see also hunter-killer. |
| attend the side | To provide a guard of honor, the officer of the day or watch assembles the quartermaster, corporal of the watch, side boys, and quarterdeck messengers at the gangway to greet or say farewell to a ... |
| atvb | All the very best [salutation]. |
| australia current | Part of the south equatorial current that branches off near the fiji islands to flow to the east coast of australia. |
| automatic fire suppression | A damage control system which detects, isolates, and contains outbreaks of fire with minimal human intervention. |
| autonomous operation | A mode in which the unit commander assumes full operational responsibility for a ship or other unit which has lost contact with higher echelons. |
| aviation midshipman | This almost-forgotten and little-understood usn title existed for about five years during the immediate post–world war ii period. the appointment was devised as a means of rapidly replacing season... |
| aviation readiness | A process to ensure the combat- worthiness of naval aviation by providing the right logistic support elements at the right time within current budgetary constraints. elements include such items as... |
| aviation readiness evaluation | A bi-annual evaluation preceding the certification of air-capable usn ships. |
| aviation support | When army aviation or air force units are embarked on united states navy or coast guard air-capable vessels, the ship provides the combined benefits of landing zone, maintenance and work areas, fu... |
| awol | Formerly, absent without official leave. |
| aye | [1] the correct and seamanlike naval acknowledgement of an order. “aye” signifies it has been understood, while “aye-aye” means it is understood and will be obeyed. from an archaic form of “yes.” ... |
| azimuth ring | See pelorus. |
