Dictionary of Naval Abbreviations (Blue and Gold Professional Library) [Hardcover]

Deborah W. Cutler (Author), Thomas J. Cutler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2004 | ISBN-10: 1591141524 | ISBN-13: 978-1591141525 | Edition: 4th

Most professions have their own languages, and the US Navy with its obscure terms and labored acronyms is certainly no exception. Those in and out of the naval profession will find these two dictionaries essential tools in deciphering their unique language, which has its origins in the days of sail and continues to mutate in the ever-growing vocabulary of technology. For these completely revised and fully updated editions, Deborah Cutler and Thomas Cutler identify and clearly define a vast array of terms and acronyms and abbreviations that can make documents and conversations with naval professionals so bewildering. Highly qualified "NAVSPEAK" linguists, the Cutlers have built upon the original works, culling, adding, and bringing the entries up to date for the twenty-first century. Official terms and abbreviations like "Seapower 21" and NGA are included as well as such colorful, unofficial vocabulary as "cannon cocker" and SNAFU. Helpful notations of word origins for the very old and very new make definitions even clearer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

DEBORAH W. CUTLER is an editor who has worked with naval professionals, historians, and authors on a variety of naval topics and has transcribed numerous oral histories for the Naval Institute. THOMAS J. CUTLER, a retired naval officer, is the author of many books, including The Bluejacket's Manual and Dutton's Nautical Navigation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; 4th edition (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591141524
• ISBN-13: 978-1591141525
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,562,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Need This, There's No Where Else to Get It., March 18, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dictionary of Naval Abbreviations (Blue and Gold Professional Library) (Hardcover)

Consider this sentence: "UNODIR, COMDESRON 9 will COMEX 300700Z AUG using VTF and BD AMMO for all WEPSYS unless CASREP."

Clearly you understand that this means: "Unless otherwise directed, the commander of destroyer squadron nine will commence the exercise at 7 o'clock in the morning on 30 August using variable time fuze and base detonating ammunition for all weapons systems unless they have been reported as nonfunctioning on a standard Navy casualty report."

All you need to know is contained in these 469 pages. There are so many definitions here, that I doubt even the most seasoned sailor knows them all. It makes fascinating reading.

Some of the abbreviations are pretty confusing in their own right.

SAR can mean:
Sea-Air Rescue
Search and Rescue
Selected Acquisition Reports
Selected Air Reserve
Special Aeronautical Requirements
Standard Average and Range
Substance Abuse Report
Supply Activity Report
Synthetic Aperture Radar.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A solid, recommended library reference, November 6, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dictionary of Naval Abbreviations (Blue and Gold Professional Library) (Hardcover)

Deborah W. Cutler and Thomas J. Cutler's Dictionary Of Naval Abbreviations translates and defines many brief, common forms of naval communications which professional sailors may readily understand, but others may miss. Even staff briefings are filled with such abbreviations and special terminology, and any who regularly need to understand naval proceedings would do well to keep Dictionary Of Naval Abbreviations as a translator's reference. It and its companion Dictionary Of Naval Terms are written for Navy neophytes who have a need to understand the language of their new profession - and for outsiders such as journalists. A solid, recommended library reference.