''The Bluejacket's Manual'' is the basic handbook for

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

personnel. First issued in 1902 to teach recruits about naval procedures and life and offer a reference for active sailors, it has become the "bible" for Navy personnel, providing information about a wide range of Navy topics. The current edition is the 26th, published in 2023.

History

Before 1902, the Navy had at least two books for training young men in naval procedure. ''Seamanship'', by Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, was the primary textbook about

seamanship Seamanship is the skill, art, competence (human resources), competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, o ...

at the United States Naval Academy but was not used by enlisted men; many sailors at the time were still illiterate and in any case, the

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

s and procedures of petty officers were the basis of enlisted sailors' education. ''The Seaman's Handbook'' by LCDR Stephen B. Luce, saw general use in the Merchant Marine, but less in the Navy. 1902 saw the first publication of ''The Bluejacket's Manual'', written by

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Ridley McLean, as well as the ''Recruit's Handy Book''. Every enlistee received the latter, and by

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, both were being issued to every recruit. The ''Handy Book'' was discontinued in the 1920s. Some manuals published between 1903 and early 1915 have inconsistent edition numbering. The 1903, 1905, 1907, and 1908 were considered the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions by the authors and the Naval Institute. In 1914, Franklin Publishing was contracted to publish the 1914 and 1915 book and pamphlet manuals. Because 1914 was the first time Franklin published the manual, they published their edition as the First Edition, the early 1915 version as the 2nd, and the late 1915 one as the 3rd. A single numbering system was restored with the 3rd edition, late 1915 Manual.

Centennial Edition

The 2002 Centennial Edition (23rd edition), saw several modifications, including a reversion to its original title: ''Bluejacket's''. The "Navy Education and Training" chapter was expanded, and the "Naval Missions and Heritage" chapter was added. The current (26th) edition's authors are retired Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, retired Master Chief Mark T. Hacala, and retired Fleet Master Chief Paul A. Kingsbury.

Early editions

Later editions

WWII Editions

Post-war editions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluejacket's Manual Handbooks and manuals Publications established in 1902 Military training books United States Naval Institute United States Navy publications