Question about WW2 USN seaman rating system

[T Ambrosini]

A friend has asked and I frankly don't know the answer...  The Army and Marines have a MOS (military occupation specialty).  When you ask someone what their MOS is, everyone knows what that means, and the acronym and its spelled out form appear in the in the regulations.  In WW2 did the Navy have a similar official acronym referring to its rating/job classification system?  

 

Thanks in advance,

Tom

[Dave]

Short answer: Yes.

 

That said, unlike the other branches, the Navy's hierarchy convention consists of the rank and rate, with the rank being E-1 to E-9 and the rate being the letters attached to it. So instead of just having someone known by their rank (e.g. "Sgt" or "Cpl") the Navy made it easier (in my opinion) to tell a person's occupational specialty by the addition of the letters (e.g. BM1 is a Boatswain's Mate, First Class) 

 

Someone within a rate may have another speciality, but those were not originally listed as part of the person's rate/rank combination. For example, if someone were a diver, they would often be a BM, but during WW2, they did not carry the letters of their qualification like they do today. Thus, on paper, if you were reading about someone who was part of a UDT, you couldn't tell they were actually qualified in that merely from their rank/rate. 

During the postwar years (and up to today, except for a small incident that happened a couple years ago) the Navy has kept the same rank/rate pattern, but has added the person's qualifications as post-rank/rate letters (e.g. BM1 (SW/AW/DV/PJ) etc.) 

 

Hope that answered the question!
 

 

[T Ambrosini]

Hi Dave,

 

Thanks for the reply and the very excellent explanation of the Navy's rate/rank system.  The question I have is a bit tangential to your explanation.  I'm looking for the WW2 era official title or name of that classification system.  After a bit of digging in the internet, I have come up with NEC (Navy Enlisted Classification) as the name/title of the classification system.  I skimmed through my 1940 copy of the Bluejacket Manual and didn't see a reference to "NEC", or any other name for the system....  

 

Thanks again!

Tom (retired Air Force guy, admittedly clueless when it comes to matters regarding the Navy 🤣)