Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Couple Random Questions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Couple Random Questions

    Why do most of the USN's ships have two letters that are the same in the prefix? BB, DDG, FFG, SSN, SSBN, SSGN. You guys get my question?

    What does it mean when someone reads you five-by-five? What exactly is the scale?

    I've heard of 1MC, 5MC. What are all the MC's?
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

  • #2
    Darn good questions. I'm having a hard as hell time finding out the answers too. I'm sure the ex-military guys can tell exactly what 5 by 5 means. Probably 5 out of possible 5 on the reliability scale or something like that...or not.

    Here are the "MCs" for Damage Control (DC)

    ANNOUNCING (ONE-WAY)
    1MC: GENERAL ANNOUNCING
    2MC: ENGINEER’S ANNOUNCING
    3MC: HANGAR DECK
    5MC: FLIGHT DECK
    INTERCOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (TWO-WAY):
    4MC: DC/CCS
    20MC: CIC
    21MC: CAPTAIN’S COMMAND
    26MC: MACHINERY CONTROL

    More to follow as I find them
    Last edited by TopHatter; 23 Sep 03,, 16:31.
    “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Couple Random Questions

      Originally posted by bigross86
      Why do most of the USN's ships have two letters that are the same in the prefix? BB, DDG, FFG, SSN, SSBN, SSGN. You guys get my question?

      What does it mean when someone reads you five-by-five? What exactly is the scale?

      I've heard of 1MC, 5MC. What are all the MC's?
      B stands for battleship, D stands for destroyer, F for Frigate, S for Submarine.

      BB = Battleship Battleship (Battleship)
      DDG = Destroyer Destroyer Guided missile (Guided Missile Destroyer)
      SSN = Submarine Submarine Nuclear (Nuclear Powered Submarine)
      SSBN = Submarine Submarine Ballistic missile Nuclear (Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine)

      The reason for two letters is to denote that is is a straightup frigate, battleship, destroyer, submarine, etc., not a light or heavy one.

      Base Designations Suffixes are added to these to create complete designations. Where no suffix is used, the initial letter is used twice (i.e. DD). A suffix is often added to an existing two- or three-letter abbreviation at a later date (i.e. DDG, AGF, SSGN).
      A -- Auxiliaries
      B -- Battleship/battlecruiser
      C -- Cruiser
      CV -- Aircraft Carrier (originally a cruiser derivative)
      D -- Destroyer
      F -- Frigate
      L -- Amphibious ships (derived from "L" for "Landing")
      M -- Mine craft
      P -- Patrol craft
      S -- Submarine
      Y -- Yard craft
      Suffixes These and others are added to base designations to create complete designations. Many suffixes (i.e. M) have many meanings; only the most common modern-usage meanings are listed. Suffix meanings as applied to yard (Y) craft are not included in this list.
      A -- Attack or Auxiliary
      B -- Ballistic Missile
      C -- Command/Control
      D -- Destroyer or Dock
      E -- Escort (combatants); Ammunition (auxiliaries)
      F -- Fast or Fleet or Refrigerated Stores or Fire Support
      G -- Guided Missile (AAW) (large vessels) or Gun (small vessels)
      H -- Helicopter or Hospital
      K -- Cargo
      L -- Light
      M -- Missile (surface-to-surface) or Missile Tracking
      N -- Nuclear Power
      O -- Oil (tanker)
      P -- Personnel/Troop Transport
      R -- Repair or Replenishment or Roll-On/Roll-Off (cargo)
      S -- Surveying or Salvage or Submarine
      T -- Tug or Transport
      U -- Utility
      V -- Heavier-Than-Air (later fixed wing) Aircraft or Vehicle (transport)
      W -- Water

      Aircraft Carriers
      CV -- Aircraft Carrier
      CVA -- Attack Aircraft Carrier
      CVAN -- Nuclear Powered Attack Aircraft Carrier
      CVE -- Escort Aircraft Carrier
      CVL -- Light Aircraft Carrier
      CVN -- Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier
      CVS -- ASW Aircraft Carrier (sometimes Seaplane Carrier, esp. WWII)
      Major Surface Combatants
      BB -- Battleship
      BC -- Battlecruiser (unofficial)
      CA -- Heavy Cruiser
      CB -- Large Cruiser
      CG -- Guided Missile Cruiser
      CGN -- Nuclear Powered Guided Missile Cruiser
      CL -- Light Cruiser
      CLAA -- AntiAircraft Cruiser
      DD -- Destroyer
      DDG -- Guided Missile Destroyer
      DE -- Destroyer Escort
      FF -- Frigate
      FFG -- Guided Missile Frigate
      Submarines
      SS -- Submarine
      SSBN -- Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
      SSG -- Guided Missile Submarine
      SSGN -- Nuclear Powered Guided Missile Submarine
      SSK -- Hunter-Killler Submarine
      SSN -- Nuclear Powered Submarine
      SSQ -- Communications or ELINT submarine (unofficial)
      SSQN --Nuclear Powered Communications or ELINT submarine (unofficial)
      Ampbibious/Landing Ships
      LCC -- Amphibious Command Ship
      LHA -- Amphibious Assault Ship
      LHD -- Amphibious Assault Ship
      LKA -- Amphibious Cargo Ship
      LPA -- Amphibious Personnel Transport
      LPD -- Amphibious Transport Dock
      LPH -- Amphibious Assault Helicopter Carrier
      LSD -- Dock Landing Ship
      LST -- Tank Landing Ship
      Mine Vessels
      CM -- Minelayer (derived from Cruiser-Minelayer)
      DM -- Destroyer Minelayer (or light minelayer or high-speed minelayer)
      DMS -- High Speed Minesweeper (derived from Destroyer-Minesweeper)
      MCM -- Mine Countermeasures Ship
      MCS -- Mine Countermeasures Support Ship
      MF -- Fleet Minelayer
      MHC -- Coastal Minehunter
      MSB -- Minesweeping Boat
      MSC -- Coastal Minesweeper
      MSO -- Ocean Minesweeper
      Minor Surface Combatants
      PC -- Coastal Patrol Craft
      PF -- Patrol Frigate
      PG -- Patrol Gunboat
      PGM -- Missile Patrol Boat
      PT -- Torpedo Boat
      PTF -- Fast Patrol Boat
      Auxiliaries
      AD -- Destroyer Tender
      AE -- Ammunition Ship
      AF -- Refrigerated Stores Ship
      AFS -- Combat Stores Ship
      AG -- Miscellaneous Auxiliary
      AGF -- Flagship
      AGOR -- Oceanographic Research Ship
      AGS -- Surveying Ship
      AK -- Cargo Ship
      AO -- Fleet Oiler
      AOE -- Fast Combat Support Ship
      AOR -- Replenishment Oiler
      AR -- Repair Ship
      ARS -- Salvage Ship
      AS -- Submarine Tender
      ATF -- Fleet Tug
      AV -- Seaplane Tender
      AVT -- Aircraft Transport, later Training Aircraft Carrier
      "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

      Comment


      • #4
        To that very nice list I'll mention a few other tidbits of info.
        The designation for aircraft carrier would would think, should be CA (Carrier, Aviation) but CA was also used for Cruiser, Heavy (or Cruiser, Armored), so they simply took the 2nd letter of the word aviation and there you have it!
        Also, the Alaska-class cruisers are usually referred to as battlecruisers but they did not carry the CC designator like the cancelled Lexington-class battlecruisers. However they were far too large to be considered 'heavy cruisers' (CA) and so they were called just that: 'Large Cruisers' or CB.
        To further muck up the waters, when the Soviet Kirov-class cruisers came out, they were often referred to informally as 'BCGNs' or Battle Cruiser Guided-Missile Nuclear Powered.
        “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

        Comment


        • #5
          thanks for the input Iron

          Comment


          • #6
            A carrier in today's navy is a CVA(Carrier Vessel Attack). If it's a nuke, add an N.

            CA is 'Cruiser Assault'.....i think. ;)

            5x5 means everything is good to go. I think this is mainly pilot jargon, but i've heard that said in the army a few times, and it always meant basicly "A OK"

            I have no idea what the 5's represent, or the origon of the term, though i would be interested to know.

            Comment


            • #7
              Wierd, cuz I've also heard/read stuff like reading someone 3X5, 1X1, etc...
              Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

              Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

              Comment


              • #8
                Well, the various designators for carriers went something kinda like this:

                The CVB designation was established within the original CV designation July 15, 1943
                CVA replaced CV and CVB October 1,1952
                CV and CVN replaced CVA and CVAN June 30,1975
                The CVS designation was discontinued 1974.
                The CVL designation was established within the original CV designation July 15,1943.
                The CVL designation was discontinued May 15,1959.

                The above information was shamelessly ripped off of Guy's website at warships1.com :blush
                (warships1 is finally back up! Yay!)
                As far as I know, the CA stood for Cruiser Armored or Cruiser, Heavy.
                “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                Comment


                • #9
                  OK, finally got a good answer to the MC questions. Apparently, MC stands for Multi-Channel. This link HERE is provided courtesy of Peter Greene of the Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station. I'm not sure if this list is just for the Jersey or for what time era it's for but it should give you a good idea of what MC comms are all about.

                  Edit: I'm not sure why that URL didnt convert to a hyperlink, but here it is again www.qsl.net/bb62/Ship's_Comms_Circuits.pdf
                  Last edited by TopHatter; 26 Sep 03,, 16:04.
                  “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Didn't work because you have an apostrophe in the web address. Apparently forums don't like that.

                    :sniper :dbanana
                    I never understood "fire for effect". I thought the firing WAS the effect...

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Dang! Did the link itself work by cutting and pasting?
                      “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Yeah, the address itself brings up the *.pdf file, but I'm assuming that it's just the forum that doesn't like apostrophes in the URLs.

                        Does the forum allow HTML?
                        I never understood "fire for effect". I thought the firing WAS the effect...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          5 by 5 refered, if memory serves, to signal strength and clarity. Perhaps some radio buff out there could confirm/refute this?
                          sigpicUSS North Dakota

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X