Aviation Boatswain's Mate
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| Aviation Boatswain's Mate | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aviation Boatswain's Mate |
| Caption | Aviation Boatswain's Mate on flight deck |
| Abbreviation | AB |
| Role | Aircraft launch and recovery, flight deck operations |
| Service | United States Navy |
| Established | 1920s |
| Related | Aviation Machinist's Mate, Aviation Ordnanceman, Aviation Electronics Technician |
Aviation Boatswain's Mate
Aviation Boatswain's Mate personnel manage aircraft handling, launch and recovery systems, and flight deck ordnance and firefighting on USS Nimitz (CVN-68), USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), and other United States Navy aircraft carriers, as well as on Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Air Station Norfolk, Naval Air Station Oceana, Naval Air Station Lemoore and expeditionary aviation units. They interface with squadrons such as VFA-14, VFA-103, VFA-41, HSC-9, HMH-366 and coordinate with organizations including Commander, Naval Air Forces, Fleet Replacement Squadron, Carrier Air Wing Five, Carrier Air Wing Two and Second Fleet.
Overview
Aviation Boatswain's Mate billets appear across platforms like Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, America-class amphibious assault ship, Essex-class amphibious assault ship and forward-deployed units at bases such as Naval Station Rota, Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Naval Base Guam. ABs work closely with personnel from Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Pacific, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, Carrier Strike Group 11, Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force and allied units including Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, French Navy and Indian Navy during joint operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve and multinational exercises like RIMPAC, BALTOPS, Malabar.
Duties and Responsibilities
Aviation Boatswain's Mates perform aircraft handling on flight decks for platforms like F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II, EA-18G Growler, E-2 Hawkeye, MH-60R Seahawk, CH-53E Super Stallion, MV-22B Osprey and fixed-wing and rotary-wing maritime patrol aircraft such as P-8A Poseidon. They operate catapult systems designed for steam catapult and electromagnetic aircraft launch system installations, manage arresting gear like Mk 7 Mod 3 arresting gear and work on barricade systems used during deck landing qualification and case II recovery. ABs supervise fueling coordination with units like Fleet Logistics Support Squadron and coordinate with controllers from Carrier Air Traffic Control Center, Naval Aircrew Candidate School, Naval Aviator communities, and Naval Flight Officer organizations for sortie generation and deck cycle planning during sortie surge conditions.
Training and Qualification
Initial training begins at facilities such as Naval Air Technical Training Center, Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training and Joint Base San Antonio schools, with follow-on instruction at Fleet Replacement Squadrons including VFA-106, VFA-125 and VFA-122. Advancement requires qualifications on catapult and arresting gear certified by engineering organizations including Naval Sea Systems Command and Naval Air Systems Command, and safety training from Naval Safety Command. Specialized courses reference doctrine from Naval Aviation Maintenance Program, NAVAIR technical manuals, and use simulators modeled after systems on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)]. ABs earn enlisted warfare qualifications such as Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist, and may undertake professional programs like Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (Navy COOL).
Aircraft Handling and Launching Systems
ABs maintain and operate launch systems including CATOBAR components, investigate upgrades to EMALS and integrate with arresting gear systems such as the Advanced Arresting Gear. They troubleshoot hydraulic and pneumatic subsystems and coordinate with shore organizations like Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Naval Sea Systems Command and contractor partners including General Atomics, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies during modernization projects. Flight deck choreography involves liaising with squadron leadership from Strike Fighter Squadron 27, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 60, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-9, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23 and carrier air wing staff to sequence catapult shot schedule and optimize sortie generation rates during operations such as Operation Desert Storm and peacetime carrier surge.
Safety and Emergency Procedures
Safety responsibilities align with directives from Chief of Naval Operations, Secretary of the Navy, Department of the Navy policies and guidance from Occupational Safety and Health Administration where applicable for shore-side activities. ABs execute firefighting and crash rescue using equipment standardized by Naval Aviation Survival Training Program and train with firefighting teams from Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting units and Carrier Air Wing Seven crash crews. Emergency response integrates coordination with Medical Corps and Fleet Marine Force medical evacuation assets during mass casualty scenarios and supports incident investigations conducted with Naval Safety Center, Judge Advocate General's Corps inquiries, and safety boards similar to those after USS Forrestal fire and USS Enterprise fire incidents.
Career Progression and Specializations
Career paths include advancement from apprentice to chief petty officer ranks where ABs may qualify as Master Chief Petty Officer in aviation ratings, serve as Command Master Chief or transition to warrant officer programs. Specializations include roles in catapult and arresting gear (ABF), flight deck director/plane director duties, traitor/hazmat handling for ordnance coordination with Navy Munitions Command, and shore billets in organizations such as Naval Air Station Sigonella, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Personnel may cross-rate to related ratings like Aviation Ordnanceman, Aviation Machinist's Mate, Aviation Structural Mechanic or pursue commissioning via Seaman to Admiral-21 or Limited Duty Officer programs and educational opportunities through Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
Notable Operations and Historical Development
The AB role evolved through carrier operations since early carriers such as USS Langley (CV-1), USS Lexington (CV-2), USS Saratoga (CV-3) and into World War II operations including Battle of Midway, Guadalcanal Campaign and Pacific campaigns alongside units like Carrier Air Group 3 and leaders such as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Admiral William Halsey Jr.. Postwar developments integrated technology from projects like Naval Air Systems Command programs, Cold War era deployments with Sixth Fleet and Seventh Fleet, and operations during Vietnam War, Gulf War, and sustained deployments supporting Operation Noble Eagle. ABs contributed to incidents and improvements following events such as the Coral Sea engagements and influenced carrier aviation doctrine in publications from Naval War College and analysis by think tanks including Center for Strategic and International Studies and Rand Corporation.