A sailor in a nation’s navy may be tasked with maintaining a ship’s weapons or engineering systems.
A Navy sailor performs a variety of tasks on a daily basis. From cooking and cleaning to controlling the aircraft, the Navy sailor must fill a variety of roles, with each sailor receiving education in a specific role. A ship is much like a floating city, with jobs like dentists, doctors, and electricians being done by Navy sailors. Other jobs commonly found on land may include auto mechanic, carpenter, or truck driver. Navy officers also fill the positions of aircraft pilot, sea captain, and attorney within the Navy workforce.
Radar operators play a vital role in the safety and security of a naval force.
Every required job on a ship can be filled by a Navy sailor. Sailors receive education in all aspects of daily life, from cooks who provide nutritious meals to support the ship’s crew to laundry workers who provide clean bedding and uniforms for sailors. Radar operators play a vital role in the security of a naval force and all radar operation is provided by the seaman of the navy. On aircraft carriers, the task of safely landing and launching the aircraft is left to a Navy sailor. A Navy pilot is also in control of the rescue helicopter during all naval aircraft launches and recoveries from an aircraft carrier.
Nuclear reactors aboard Navy ships are also operated and maintained by a crew of Navy sailors. Providing entertainment for the crew of a decommissioned ship is left to the television and theater crew members. Naval land bases are also home to a number of jobs filled by naval personnel. Land vehicles such as trucks, cars, and other wheeled and tracked vehicles are maintained by a Navy seaman. Machine shops and welding shops are operated by members of the navy and while working in a shop on land, these sailors are also subject to maritime duties on board a ship.
Civilian workers can fill many jobs at the naval land base; however, once at sea, all jobs must normally be filled by members of the navy. The Navy has long received some of the most technical equipment in the Armed Forces, so it is the job of the Navy sailor to educate himself in the latest technological methods and operating procedures. The operation of the computer-aided missile launch controls with analysis of the tracking, targeting and guidance systems is left to the sailor. Navy pilots are often responsible for some of the first combat missions of any military, and therefore must be trained to be reliable and accurate with the interpretation of all mission-related data.