Defense
- Aircraft carriers like the USS Abraham Lincoln go to sea with thousands of sailors who perform hundreds of tasks.
- But a small group of sailors make many of those tasks possible, and that role has earned boatswain's mates the nickname "backbone of the Navy."
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CLANK, CLANK, CLANK … The overwhelming power is hard to describe as a 30-ton Mark 2 Navy Stockless anchor and its over 1,000-foot chain is let go through the hawse pipe in the forecastle aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
Evolutions such as anchoring are possible thanks to the professional sailors in deck department. Boatswain's Mates (BM), one of the Navy's oldest original ratings, lead a team of undesignated seaman working side-by-side ensuring their duties are completed with the utmost professionalism. It's a common misconception that deck department mainly does preservation work.
Yes, preservation is one aspect of the job; but BM's take part in many important evolutions, such as anchoring, mooring, underway watches, replenishments-at-sea (RAS), launching and recovering rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB), ceremonies and more. This is no easy task for a department of roughly 90 sailors, but their work ethic has earned BM's the title "Backbone of the Navy."
"I love knowing we are handling such important evolutions for the ship," said Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Alexandra Shashaty. "We are the backbone to the ship because without us you really can't recover a man-overboard, anchor the ship or moor up. It makes me feel like we really do add to the importance of the ship."