Qualified graduates of regionally accredited colleges receive sixteen weeks of training at Officers Candidate School. Located in Newport, Rhode Island, and Pensacola, Florida, these schools provide basic naval science and indoctrination; successful graduates are commissioned as ensigns. More information may be obtained by calling (800) USA-NAVY or on the web at navyjobs.com.
Naval officers have interesting and challenging careers, both on shore and at sea. Some engage in high-level security research at the Pentagon, while others instruct future officers or command nuclear submarines.
The organization of personnel aboard ship closely resembles that of a war organization. The basic shipboard departments are navigation, operations, weapons or deck, engineering, and supply. The commanding officer has absolute authority and responsibility for the ship, subject to the limitations of law and naval regulations. The commanding officer exerts every effort to maintain the ship and its personnel in a state of maximum readiness. During military action the commanding officer must engage the enemy and fight to the utmost of his or her ability. If the commanding officer is absent or unable to fulfill these duties, the next eligible officer in grade assumes command.
The executive officer functions as an aide or assistant to the commanding officer. As second in command, this person contributes to maintaining the ship's routines efficiently. Specifically, the executive officer assigns personnel and maintains their records, supervises loading and berthing plans, and oversees morale, welfare, and discipline. The executive officer has several assistants who help plan and perform the work including the ship's secretary, who is responsible for the administration of the ship's correspondence and personnel records, and the legal officer, who functions as an advisor and staff assistant to the commanding and executive officers.
Each of the ship's departments is headed by an officer. For example, the engineering officer is charged with the operation, care, and maintenance of the propulsion and auxiliary machinery, damage control, electrical devices, repairs to the hull, and similar jobs. Among the several assistants is the engineering officer of the watch, who reports any defects of machinery that may affect the proper operation of the ship. Several other officers serve aboard ship in other functions.
Two additional organizations can provide quality information on the Navy-the U.S. Naval Institute and the Naval Historical Foundation. The Naval Institute publishes numerous books and conducts programs relative to their mission, "the advancement of professional, literary, and scientific knowledge in the maritime services, and the advancement of knowledge of sea power." The Naval Historical Foundation focuses upon the history of the Navy with attention to many of its leaders.
THE COAST GUARD
The United States Coast Guard, often called the Navy of Mercy, has had a long and distinguished career. Beginning in the early years of the country as the Revenue Marine, it sought to dissuade the flourishing smuggling trade. Today's Coast Guard came into existence prior to World War I with the merger of the Revenue Marine, the Life Saving Service, and the Lighthouse Service. These latter two functions, generally believed to be the most colorful and glamorous, still form an important part of the Coast Guard's work. Contemporary lifesaving methods utilize highly skilled personnel and the modern technology of speedboats and helicopters. The Coast Guard also takes care of more than forty-four thousand buoys and channel markers, detects and monitors icebergs, collects oceanographic data, enforces drug interdiction, fights to control maritime pollution, maintains port safety and security, clears ice-blocked shipping lanes, administers safe pleasure-boating programs, enforces the two-hundred-mile Offshore Fish Conservation Act, and maintains military readiness. During an average day, the U.S. Coast Guard will:
Enlisted personnel attend boot camp in Cape May, New Jersey; following this experience, they enter training programs for a number of specialties. One of the most responsible positions within the deck and ordnance group is that of quartermaster. This person reads the charts, signals, and other measurements that affect the vessel's navigation. The safety of the vessel depends upon the quartermaster's skill. In addition to above-average leadership ability, good vision and hearing and strong communication skills are important. Sonar technicians use sonar equipment to locate submerged objects, reefs, and submarines. They also maintain this equipment.
Several technical specialties fall into the hull and engineering category. For example, one of the fastest-growing jobs in the Coast Guard is that of the electronics technician, who handles the continuous checking and repair of sophisticated electronic equipment such as radar, sonar, and radio receivers and transmitters. Machinery technicians work on internal combustion engines, refrigeration, air-conditioning, propulsion machinery, and other equipment.
Within the aviation group one finds all the ratings relative to aircraft and their functions. The aviation electrician's mate works with basic wiring, power circuits and motors, and the maze of electrical systems aboard aircraft and shore installations. The maintenance of parachutes, small arms, munitions, search and rescue equipment, and similar items falls to the aviation survival person.
The administration and science group includes yeomen, public affairs specialists, storekeepers, and radiomen. Others in this category are the port security person, who maintains and controls the safe transfer of dangerous cargoes, and the marine science technician, who observes, collects, analyzes, and disseminates meteorological and oceanographic data.
The Coast Guard maintains an academy (New London, Connecticut) and officer candidate school (Yorktown, Virginia) similar to those in the Navy. Courses include liberal arts, engineering, and maritime specialties, with a special emphasis on the history and mission of the Coast Guard. The beautiful sailing ship, the Eagle, is used as a training vessel. Upon graduation, the new Coast Guard officer may receive one of several assignments, from the poles to the tropics. Some typical assignments are as follows:
For the interested individual, the Coast Guard can serve as the avenue to an exciting and rewarding career with good financial security. As with the Navy, advancement in rank brings commensurate salary increases. Pension plans are attractive and former Coast Guard men and women have many opportunities in the business world because of their skills and experience.
The Coast Guard also has a program that high school students can enter during the summer of their junior year.
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