Sonar technician (abbreviated as ST) is a

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 largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

occupational

rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...

. STs are responsible for underwater surveillance. They assist in safe navigation and aid in search, rescue and attack operations. They operate and repair sonar equipment. STs track underwater threats and send tracks to fire control (antisubmarine warfare controlling station) operator (ASWCS) for further evaluation and or destruction. Sonar technicians are separated into two categories, STG (sonar technician surface) who are on surface ships and STS (sonar technician submarine) who operate on

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s. Sonar technicians are colloquially referred to as "ping jockeys" on board surface vessels, after the sound of active

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

. They are also referred to as "Shower Techs" on submarines, due to their habit of using all the potable water.

History

;Established 1942: *SoM - Soundman *SoMH - Soundman (harbor defense) ;1943-1964: *SO - sonarman **SOG - Sonarman (sonar) **SOH - Sonarman (harbor defense) ;1964–Present: *ST - Sonar technician **STG - Sonar technician (surface) **STS - Sonar technician (submarine)

Sonar technician (Surface) (STG)

Sonar technicians, surface fleet (manipulate, control, evaluate, and interpret data) surface

Towed array A towed array sonar is a system of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or a surface ship on a cable. Trailing the hydrophones behind the vessel, on a cable that can be kilometers long, keeps the array's sensors away from the ship's own noise sou ...

, and other oceanographic systems; operate surface ship underwater fire control systems (with associated equipment) for the solution of antisubmarine warfare problems, operate underwater communications, torpedo countermeasure equipment, depth finders for navigation, collect and disseminate

bathythermograph The bathythermograph, or BT, also known as the Mechanical Bathythermograph, or MBT; is a device that holds a temperature sensor and a transducer to detect changes in water temperature versus depth down to a depth of approximately 285 meters (9 ...

data, calculate optimum performance; perform organizational and intermediate maintenance on surface sonar and allied equipment. Attached to WEAPONS Dept, aboard US NAVY ships.

Sonar technician submarines (STS)

Sonar technician submarines operate (control, evaluate, and interpret data) submarine sonar, oceanographic equipment and submarine auxiliary sonar; coordinate submarine sonar and underwater interface; perform organizational and intermediate maintenance on submarine and allied equipment. During battle stations, sonarmen track targets, passing bearing information to fire control to refine speed, range and course. The result is a firing solution used to launch and guide torpedoes to their intended target(s). The majority of the sonar used aboard submarines is passive, since active emissions give away a vessel's position. Active sonar is mainly used for under ice operations.

History

Sonar technician (Surface) (STG)

Sonar technician submarines (STS)

References

See also