WW1 US Navy rating Machnist Mate question ? Discharge

[268th C.A.]

Thanks Navy enthusiast. I am trying to help my brother in law with a shadow box. His fathers papers list him as 32 MM O I believe Machinist Mate Oilier ? and 16 OI I ?? Ok. what would his chevron looked like and would his discharge stripe resemble the Army red stripe ? He was on the Battleship Vermont. as a Seaman 2nd class. Thanks for the help. I want it too be right. Thanks again, Regards, David

[67Rally]

If he was a seaman 2/c, he wouldn't have worn a rating badge at all as he was non-rated. However, the information you may be seeing is showing his entry and his separation rate.

 

Machinist's Mate Oiler rating badge is the same as all other specialty variations of the MM rating. See: http://uniform-reference.net/insignia/usn/usn_enl_ww1.html

[sigsaye]

It would help greatly to know when this person was in the Navy. Things change every few years, so would be easier to pin down.

 

Everyone started as Seaman Second Class out of boot camp. All the letters and numbers around the MM, are pretty much meaningless for this purpose. Unless you see MM3/c or F1/c, something of that nature, he was not rated, therefore would not wear any insignia. The Navy did not have " Discharge Chevrons". If he was discharged after WW2, he would have worn the standard Honorable Discharge Badge ("Ruptured Duck") on Navy uniform fabric.

[sigsaye]

It would help greatly to know when this person was in the Navy. Things change every few years, so would be easier to pin down.

 

Everyone started as Seaman Second Class out of boot camp. All the letters and numbers around the MM, are pretty much meaningless for this purpose. Unless you see MM3/c or F1/c, something of that nature, he was not rated, therefore would not wear any insignia. The Navy did not have " Discharge Chevrons". If he was discharged after WW2, he would have worn the standard Honorable Discharge Badge ("Ruptured Duck") on Navy uniform fabric.

. Also, forget the term "Oiler". Navy didn't use it after like 1886 ish or so. Those are all basically what we call NECs ( Navy Enlisted Classification Codes) means some specialty like Auxiliary Generators or something. They would have no bearing on any insignia.

[268th C.A.]

He was in from May of 1917 to Jan of 1919

 

Thanks sigsaye !

[MastersMate]

A photo of him in the dress blue jumper could be very helpful.. Even a description of the jumper, any stripes arounf the arm at the shoulder level, if so, which arm.. any insignia on the sleeve between shoulder and elbow, if so which sleeve. Finally any narrow white stripes stripes around the cuffs, how many.

 

The sailor blue jumper can give a good description of their status..

[sigsaye]

USS Vermont served as an engineering personnel training ship from April 1917, to November 1918. So, is he was aboard that ship for his whole enlistment, he did not rate a WW1 Overseas Stripe.

 

Putting pieces of a puzzle together, it sounds like he was assigned right out of Boot Camp as a Seaman Second Class. Possibly for training as an MM ( all main propulsion personnel were Machinests Mates at that time). So, he very could have been transferred off to another ship after completion of his training. Or, spent his whole time right there. Hard to say with so little information.

[Justin B.]

. Also, forget the term "Oiler". Navy didn't use it after like 1886 ish or so.

 

Actually Oiler held on till 1921. It was a 2nd class but in 1918 made $7 a month less than MM2c!

 

[sigsaye]

 

Actually Oiler held on till 1921. It was a 2nd class but in 1918 made $7 a month less than MM2c!

 

1918_navy_rates.jpg

. Well hell, I stand corrected, thank you Justin.

[Justin B.]

. Well hell, I stand corrected, thank you Justin.

I had to look it up cause it didn't sound right to me either. I stand corrected too, the pay was $8 less a month than MM2c, not $7!

[sigsaye]

Again though, if any insignia was worn, it would have been the generic screw (propeller) of the MM,worn by all man propulsion snipes.

 

I really think we may only have part of the story. Our guy probably went to USS Vermont for training as an Oiler, then was transferred to another ship.

 

And as I think about it now, the plants on the ships of that era were reciprocal, so wild need guys specifically trained to tend them.

 

I have several copies of that list packed away, now that I think of it.