Radarman was a rating in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

and the U.S. Coast Guard during, and after,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The following ratings existed during the war for male or female enlisted personnel training, or with training, in the operation and maintenance of radar sets:

Levels of rating

* Radarman, striker (E-3) – designated RD. * Radarman, RDSN (E-3) – designated RDSN. * Radarman 3rd class (E-4)- designated RD3. * Radarman 2nd class (E-5) – designated RD2. * Radarman 1st class (E-6) – designated RD1. * Radarman, chief (E-7) – designated RDC. * Radarman, senior chief (E-8) – designated RDCS. * Radarman, master chief (E-9) – designated RDCM.

Duties

The radarman was generally required to attend and complete a U.S. Navy Class "A" radar school at a designated Naval Training Centers (NTC) in the United States. Once assigned to a ship or shore station, the radarman was required to operate and maintain the installed

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

and electronic warfare equipment. Radarmen were specially trained in emergency repair procedures, as their assigned vessels went into combat areas. The Radarman (RD) rating was changed to

Operations Specialist Operations Specialist (abbreviated as OS) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard occupational Naval rating, rating. It is a sea duty-intensive rating in the Navy while most of Coast Guard OS's are at ashore Command Centers. Brief ...

(OS) in October 1972, with its operational duties assigned to the OS rating, electronic warfare operation and maintenance to the Electronic Warfare Technician (EW), and its radar maintenance duties to the Electronics Technician (ET) rating. Operations Specialists play an important role with search-and-rescue teams, such as man overboard and directing search-and-rescue helicopters to downed pilots at sea. The Operations Specialist also operates radar, navigation, and communications equipment in shipboard and combat information centers (CICs) or bridges. They detect and track ships, planes, and missiles. They operate and maintain IFF (identification friend or foe) systems. Since changing from RD to OS, the OS rating has taken on more functions or duties. Besides Radar navigation, tactical communications, naval gunfire support, and Air Intercept Control (AIC), the OS now directs amphibious operations, establishes and maintains tactical data links, Anti-Submarine Tactical Air Control (ASTAC), Strike control, and other duties.

United States Coast Guard

The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

Radarman specialized training took place at the RD "A" school located at the

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, These men and women could serve on a variety of assignments including large Coast Guard Ships and Vessel Traffic Services. The school was later moved to United States Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

where is stayed until 2003. The rate was changed to Operations Specialist during the "Merger of the Millennium" in the summer of 2003.Powers, Paul (October 2001). United States Coast Guard Retrieved on2007-05-26

References

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External links

USCG Radarman Group
United States Navy ratings