Pacific War
Naval Terms and Slang

---

Aft - towards the stern
Ahead - go forward
Airedale - aviation crew (see below)
Athwart - astride
Athwartship - across the beam, sideways
Auxiliary - assisting
Avast - stop what you are doing
Aye, aye - I understand, I will comply
Bandit - radar contact confirmed as enemy
Barge - admirals boat ; unpowered cargo carrier
Beam - sides
Bells - sound marking the half hour (8-bells, end of watch period)
Below - under a deck
Bilge - space below lowest deck.
Black Gang - engine room crew (they used to shovel coal)
Bluejacket - sailor, below rank of Chief
Boat - vessel that can be carried by a ship.
Boatswain - deck crew
Bogy - unknown radar contact
Boot - a recruit
Bow - front of ship
Brass - officers
Bridge - command room
Brig - jail
Bulkhead - wall
Bunk - bed
Cabin - quarters of Captain or Admiral
Capstan - turning barrel to aid hosting weights or anchor.
Chain locker - compartment to hold anchor chain and store cables.
Chains - platform where leadsman stands to take soundings.
Chit - piece of paper authorizing or receipt.
Chow - food
Christen - launch from shipyard (much remains to be installed.)
Commission - accepted for naval service, either a ship or officer.
CIC - combat information center
Colors - the American flag or flag ceremony
Compartment - a room
Complement - crew
Conn - navigation post
Cover - hat
Coxswain - 3rd class boatswains mate, small boat helmsman.
Craft -vessle not designed for open seas ;  boat carried by a ship, as in landing craft.
Cruising speed - speed economic with fuel
Cruise - a deployment period or period of enlistment.
Davits - cranes to raise/lower small boats.
Deck - floor
Deep six - throw overboard
Dip - lower flag 1/2 way and raise again in salute.
Director - Device for controlling gunfire
Ditty bag - container for toilet articles.
Dog - lock
Dog Watch - dinnertime, two hour watch : first 1600-1800, second 1800-2000
Draft - depth in the water ; detail of men.
Fantail - rear surface
Field day - clean up ship
Forecastle/Foc'sle - forward raised deck of a ship.
Forward - towards the bow
Flag Officer - admiral
Flagship - ship with the senior officer and his staff aboard.
Flank speed - faster than standard.
Freeboard - height of deck above the water line.
Galley - kitchen
Gangway - ramp for boarding ship ; get out of the way
General Quarters - battle stations
Gig - captain's boat ; demerit or minor punishment; 
Gung ho - highly motivated.
Gunhouse - rotatable enclosure for guns
Gunwale - top edge of hull
Handy billy - portable, gas powered, water pump.
Hash marks - service stripes
Hatch / hatchway - doorway or opening
Head - toilet
Hedge Hog - anti-submarine mortar battery
Helm - position of steering command.
Highline - transfer by lines between two ships.
Holiday -- non-working day ; missed opportunity to do work
I.C. - interior communications
Jury rig - makeshift device.
Kedunks - snack items, including Pogy Bait.
Knot - nautical mile per hour, 1.15 mph, 1/6 greater than statue mile.
Ladder - stairway
Leave - authorized vacation
Lee - direction away from wind.
Left arm rate - engineering machinery and hull specialist, typically below decks.
Report - attend to higher authority
Right arm rate - deck and operations specialist.
Locker - chest or storeroom
Liberty - time away from station, as a weekend
Line - rope
Line Officer - officer in line of command, not staff.
List - tilt sideways.
Lucky bag - lost and found
Magazine - storage for ammunition
Mast - disciplinary  hearing before the captain
Master at Arms - ship's policeman
Mess - dinning
Midships - middle of ship
Midshipman - student officer
Mustang - officer who came from the enlisted ranks
Muster - assembly
Nautical mile - is 1/6 greater than statue (land) mile.
On report - notation of inadequacy
OOD - Officer of the Deck, man in charge.
Out - end of transmission ("over" is implied, not stated.).
Over - end  of statement
Overhead - ceiling
Over the hill - absent without authorization
Painter - line attached to small boat.
Party - group of sailors.
Passageway - corridor
Peacoat - heavy wool, navy, sailor's jacket.
Petty Officer - noncommissioned officer
Piece - rifle
Pig boat - prewar, P-class submarine.
Picket - observation ship stationed away from main body.
Pip - object on radar.
Pipe - hole between decks.
Pipe - boatswains call
Plank owner - initial crew
Pogy Bate - candy
Pointer - man who moves guns up and down.
Police - clean up
Poop Deck - after raised deck of a ship.
Port - left side of a ship
Porthole - ships round window
PX - post exchange (general store)
Rack - bed
Rack out - go to sleep
Rank - officer grades
Rate - enlisted grades
Ratings - occupation
Right arm rate - deck and operations specialist.
Roger - I understand (on radio)
Rudder -panel at steer used to steer ship
Quarter - direction between stern and beam.
Quarterdeck - deck space for honors
Quarters - living space.
Sack - mattress liner, bunk.
Sack out - go to sleep
Screw - propeller
Scullery - dish washing area
Scuppers - water discharge holes in sides of ship.
Scuttlebutt - drinking fountain ; rumors.
Scuttle - access hole ; intentionally sink a ship by opening sea valves.
Sea bag - canvas sack for clothes and things
Sea cabin - captain's sleeping room near bridge.
See Bees - construction battalion
Secure - stop, lock up, put away
Shakedown - test and training cruise
Shavetail - made an officer in an accelerated/emergency program
Ship - vessel able to cross the ocean
Shore up - prop up
SP / Shore Patrol - aid to local police
Sick bay - hospital
Skivvies - underwear
Smoking Lamp - indicator that smoking is allowed
SNAFU - situation normal, all fouled up.
Sound off - complain ; shout
Sound powered phones - these did not require electricity.
Splinter shield - thinly protective shield around gun station.
Squared away - in good order
Stanchion - post separating decks
Starboard - right side of ship
Stateside - to the United States
Stewards - officer servants
Striker - one learning a rating
Stern - back end of ship
Swab - mop
Swabbie - sailor
Talker - seaman who relayed information (by sound powered phones)
TBS - Talk between ships, short range radio
Tender - repair and support ship
Topside - on deck; upstairs
Trade school - naval academy
Train - auxiliary ships accompanying a fleet.
Trainer - one who moves guns left and right.
Trim - levelness of ship
Turn to - begin work
Turret - armored gunhouse.
Wardroom - officer's quarters and mess
Watch - a work shift, 4 hours
Wheel - steering wheel that turns rudder
White hat - sailor
Wilco - I will comply. (I understand (roger) is understood and not stated.)
Word - confirmed information
Yeoman - clerk

Airdale Talk

Abort - stop action
Angels - height in thousands of feet 
Bingo - low fuel state
Buster -  fly at maximum cruising speed
CAP - Combat Air Patrol (above friendlies)
Deck Foul - unable to land aircraft
Ditch - forced landing in water
Gate - push the throttle past the gate-stop for absolute maximum speed
        also called "war emergency power" and is limited to a few minutes.
Fade - radar target disappeared
Friendly - from our side
HuffDuff - high frequency direction finding
IFF - identification friend or foe
Liner - fly for maximum distance. (from linear)
o'clock - the relative direction. (12 o'clock is dead ahead) 
Orbit - circle a given point.
Point Option - expected track of carrier while planes on mission
Plane guard - rescue destroyer
Roger, wilco, over and out - movie actor and airdale form of Wilco, Out.
Rotorhead - helicopter pilot or crewman *
Saunter -  fly for maximum endurance time. 
Scramble - take on quickly
Sortie - flight of one or more aircraft on a mission
Snooper - enemy observation plane
Tally-Ho! - either "enemy sighted" or "am attacking"
Vector - course to steer
-----
* There were experimental helios in use by USCG in the Atlantic, tho none in the Pacific War. (Submission by a reader)