The Navy Supply Corps is the

United States Navy staff corps In the United States Navy, commissioned officers are either line officers or staff corps officers. Staff corps officers are specialists in career fields that are professions unto themselves, such as Military medicine, physicians, Military justice, ...

concerned with supply, logistics, combat support, readiness, contracting, and fiscal matters.

Duties

Commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

in the Supply Corps practice a variety of disciplines, including supply management, expeditionary logistics, inventory control, disbursement, financial management, contracting, information systems, operations analysis, material and operational logistics, fuels management, food service, and physical distribution. Supply Corps officers are widely distributed throughout the Navy and Department of Defense; they are typically billeted to an operational command (sub, ship, EODMU, Seal Team, NMCB/ACB, etc) or shore activity's supply department, or to a supply unit or command, such as Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Groups (NAVELSG), Fleet Logistics Centers (FLCs) or Navy Special Warfare (SPECWAR) Logistics Groups which support the

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

. Ratings that compose the U.S. Navy

enlisted Enlisted may refer to: * Enlisted rank An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...

Supply community are: *

Logistics Specialist The logistics specialist (LS) is a US Navy enlisted rating that was created on 1 October, 2009 by the merger of the storekeeper (SK) and postal clerk (PC) ratings. It also included the previous functions of the former aviation storekeeper (AK) r ...

(LS) – assist in managing inventories and ordering of parts and supplies, financial management, contracting, and mail * Culinary Specialist (CS) – manage and execute all food-service operations *

Retail Services Specialist Retail services specialist (RS) is a rating in the United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the ...

(RS) – assist in managing shipboard retail and service activities * Personnel specialist (PS) - manage disbursing and pay

History

Pursers

The Supply Corps emerged from the traditions of ashore naval logistics and the shipboard position of

Purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

, which had been in use with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

since the 14th Century. The ship's Purser was primarily responsible for the handling of money and the procurement and keeping of stores and supplies. The Supply Corps considers as its birthday 23 February 1795, when the nation's first Purveyor of Public Supplies,

Tench Francis Jr. Tench Francis (1730–1800) was an American merchant, lawyer and agent for the family of William Penn and the first cashier of the Bank of North America. He was born the son of Elizabeth Turbitt and Tench Francis Sr., a prominent Philadelphia l ...

, was appointed by President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. American Pursers served with distinction from the earliest days; Samuel Hambleton was a purser serving on

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

's flagship, the USS Lawrence, during the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the Briti ...

, when he volunteered to work a gun and aided in the Americans' eventual victory. Hambleton was severely wounded by a cannonball that fell onto him from the rigging of the ship. Unlike their line counterparts, pursers originally did not hold

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * H ...

. An 1854 Act of Congress legalized the relative rank conferred upon pursers by General Order of 27 May 1847. Pursers with more than twelve years' service ranked with commanders and those with less than twelve years ranked with lieutenants.

Pay Corps

In 1860, the name of the position of Purser was changed to "Paymaster". Ashore naval logistics, which had been the purview of civilians, were transferred to Paymasters throughout the 1860s.

Supply Corps

By Act of 11 July 1919 the designation of the Pay Corps was changed to Supply Corps. Recent developments have mirrored those in the private sector logistics, with an increasing scientific and quantitative emphasis and reliance on networked computing power.

Traditions

The Oakleaf

Originally, staff officers were distinguished from line officers only by the details of their uniforms, such as number of buttons on lapels, cuffs and pockets, epaulets, color, cut of coat, or amount of gold lace. Uniform regulations issued 1 May 1830 specified that a Purser should have, in addition to the live oak leaf and acorn (which appeared on the collars of all officers in varying abundance) a

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...

embroidered on the collar of his full dress coat. In 1841 the distinguishing mark on the Purser's collar was changed to a 4" row of gold embroidered oak leaves and acorns. A modification of the uniform regulations, dated 27 May 1847, provided gold epaulets for the Purser on which was a solid

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

with the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

letters "P.D." in silver within the crescent. In September 1852 the letters "P.D." were abolished. By General Order of 23 August 1856, Pursers were required to wear the uniform of their relative rank with the exception of the lace on the pantaloons; their corps device on epaulets, shoulder straps and cap remaining the same. As late as 1862 uniform regulations did not distinguish among the different staff corps. In January 1864 the various corps were again assigned distinguishing marks, with the Pay Corps insignia being a silver oak sprig worn on the shoulder straps and in the wreath of the cap. In regulations of 1905, while the insignia of the Pay Corps remained "a silver oak sprig", the pattern was a little different. Instead of the three leaves and two acorns standing out separately from the stem as heretofore, the three leaves and three acorns (one acorn having been added) were brought together at the stem of the sprig inscribed in a rectangle. The last significant change to the Supply Corps insignia came in 1919; the leaf retained its shape, but was to be embroidered in gold instead of silver.

Ready for Sea

The official motto of the Supply Corps is "Ready for Sea" – reflecting the Supply Corps' longstanding role in sustaining warfighting. This motto derives from the traditional report from each Department Head of a ship to the Captain prior to an underway: the traditional form is ''"Good Morning, Captain, The Supply Department is ready for sea in all respects."''

Pork Chop

Supply Corps officers are often called "Pork Chop" within the

wardroom The wardroom is the mess cabin or compartment on a warship or other military ship for commissioned naval officers above the rank of midshipman. Although the term typically applies to officers in a navy, it is also applicable to marine officers ...

, a reference to the Supply Corps

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

leaf insignia's superficial resemblance to a

pork chop A pork chop, like other meat chops, is a loin cut taken perpendicular to the spine of the pig and is usually a rib or part of a vertebra. Pork chops are unprocessed and leaner than other cuts. Chops are commonly served as an individual por ...

. Supply Corps officers assigned to submarine duty are known simply as "Chop" for the same reason. Supply Corps officers are sometimes colloquially called "SuppO," although this term is technically reserved for the Department Head, who is nearly always the senior Supply Corps officer at a command. On small ships where two Supply Corps officers are posted, the junior officer ("ASuppO) is often called "Lamb Chop".

Career progression

Navy Supply Corps School in the 2021 Bristol Fourth of July Parade

New Supply Corps junior officers attend the

Navy Supply Corps School The Navy Supply Corps School (NSCS) is a 27-week training and "Basic Qualification Course" (BQC) in the United States located in Newport, Rhode Island. Those who complete the course become Commissioned officers in the Navy Supply Corps. The c ...

(NSCS) in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. Current Navy policy dictates that Supply Officers complete two operational tours and obtain a warfare pin for consideration for Lieutenant Commander (O-4) boards. Supply Corps officers are eligible for command of supply units (e.g. a Supply Corps officer is always in command of Naval Cargo Handling Battalions). In addition to shipboard billets, Supply Corps officers also serve in forward deployed land-based units (e.g. with Construction Battalions working alongside

Civil Engineer Corps The Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) is a staff corps of the United States Navy. CEC officers are professional engineers and architects, acquisitions specialists, and Seabee Combat Warfare Officers who qualify within Seabee units. They are responsib ...

officers and with the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

). Three stars (Vice-Admiral) is the highest rank a Supply Corps officer can attain. Twenty Supply Corps Officers have advanced to that rank: William J. Carter, E. G. Morsell, Edwin Dorsey Foster, Charles W. Fox, Murrey L. Royar, A. A. Antrim, Stephen R. Edson, Robert F. Batchelder, Joseph M. Lyle, Kenneth R. Wheeler, George E. Moore II, Vincent A. Lascara, Eugene A. Grinstead, Edward "Fast Eddie" M. Straw, Keith W. Lippert, Justin D. McCarthy, Alan S. Thompson, Mark Harnitchek, William "Andy" Brown, and Michelle C. Skubic.

Notable Supply Corps servicemembers

* John Bello – founder and CEO SoBe Beverages; President,

National Football League Properties National Football League Properties, also known as NFL Properties (abbreviated NFLP), is the merchandising and licensing arm of the National Football League (NFL). The subsidiary of the league was founded in 1963 to maintain control of the brands of ...

1986–93 *

Norman Cahners Norman Lee Cahners (1914–1986) was a major American publisher and philanthropist. The Cahners Publishing Company, which he founded in 1960, had grown into the largest U.S. publisher of trade or business magazines at the time of Cahner's death, th ...

– business publisher and inventor of the four-way pallet * Eddie Carlson; CEO,

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

* John Whitehead; Chairman,

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

* Benjamin Edwards – President, Chairman, CEO, A.G. Edwards, Inc. *

Roger Enrico Roger Anthony Enrico (November 11, 1944 – June 1, 2016) was an American businessman who is best known for his lengthy service as chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Early life Enrico was born on November 11, 1944, to Italian immigrants in the ...

– CEO,

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

A.G. Lafley Alan George "A. G." Lafley (born June 13, 1947) is an American businessman who led consumer goods maker Procter & Gamble (P&G) for two separate stints, from 2000 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2015, during which he served as chairman, president ...

– CEO,

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

Bruce Laingen Lowell Bruce Laingen (August 6, 1922 – July 15, 2019) was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Malta from 1977 to 1979. Laingen is best known for having been the most senior American official held hostage during th ...

– U.S. Ambassador to Malta * Melvin R. Laird – Secretary of Defense, 1969–1973 *

Leonard Lauder Leonard Alan Lauder (born March 19, 1933) is an American billionaire, philanthropist, art collector. He and his brother, Ronald Lauder, are the sole heirs to the Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics fortune, founded by their parents, Estée Lauder ...

– CEO, Estée Lauder *

Bill Marriott John Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr. (born March 25, 1932) is an American billionaire businessman who is the executive chairman of Marriott International, of which he owns 11.28%. Early life and education Marriott was born in Washington, D.C., ...

– CEO,

Marriott Hotels Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's brand of full-service hotels and resorts based in Bethesda, Maryland. As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 ...

James J. Mulva James J. Mulva (born 1946) is the former chairman and chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips. As announced on July 14, 2011, Mulva retired upon completion of the separation of ConocoPhillips into two stand-alone publicly traded companies. Car ...

; former Chairman, President, CEO of

ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in ...

Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest working ma ...

– television personality *John N. Raudabaugh - Member, U.S. National Labor Relations Board, 1990-1993 *

Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...

– NFL quarterback

References

External links

Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) official website

Navy Supply Corps Foundation
{{Authority control

Supply Supply may refer to: *The amount of a resource that is available **Supply (economics), the amount of a product which is available to customers **Materiel, the goods and equipment for a military unit to fulfill its mission *Supply, as in confidenc ...

Military logistics units and formations of the United States Navy

Duties

History

Pursers

Pay Corps

Supply Corps

Traditions

The Oakleaf

Ready for Sea

Pork Chop

Career progression

Notable Supply Corps servicemembers

See also

References

External links