The Army makes fun of the Navy as a useless service. The Navy is known for its bad language and wild ways on ports. Here is a fun list of Navy slang
Navy slangCivilians now can learn the U.S. military’s unique language and slang and get a taste for Navy life aboard warships, carriers and submarines through a Navy slang Web site at the Wiktionary free dictionary en.wiktionary.org.
Who knew that an aircraft carrier is a “birdfarm” and a failed carrier landing, a “bolter”? A bolter is when an approaching aircraft misses the arresting wire with its tailhook and has to go around. A “ramp strike” is when an aircraft comes in drastically low for a carrier landing and strikes the “round down,” or stern of the ship, often with devastating results.
A “missile sponge” or “torpedo sponge” is a ship, usually a frigate or destroyer, stationed on the outer ring of a battle group that is most likely to be hit first when a convoy comes under attack.
Naval slang employs many service-related terms such as “Canoe Club” for the Navy, “Fish” for the submarine service, and “Canoe U.,” for the U.S. Naval Academy, along with the term for Annapolis – Crabtown. Marines are known as “bullet sponges” and a Marine shower is changing clothes without bathing and applying deodorant. The Coast Guard is Uncle Sam’s Confused Group.
“Lawn Darts” are sharp-nosed F/A-18 Hornets, so named because of their sleek shape and what deck hands say was a problem in early models that caused the jets on the ground to pitch forward suddenly and fall nose-first into the deck or tarmac. They also are called Rhinos.
A “Kloosh” is trash or anything thrown over the side of the ship that makes a similar sound hitting the water, as in “that broken chair is kloosh.”
A “chicken suit” is a yellow cloth head-to-toe suit worn by Navy “nukes” or nuclear sailors charged with the not-so-fun job cleaning up radioactive spills or material. And “zoomies,” likewise are particle radiation originating from naval nuclear power centers or weapons, as well as a term for Air Force aviators.
Many of the more colorful terms refer to onboard sex and women and are too salty for a family newspaper.
• Bill Gertz covers national security affairs. He can be reached at 202-636-3274, or at InsidetheRing@washingtontimes.com.
