Navy Gunner's Mate

[.45 AUTO]

Does anyone know if the Navy Gunner's Mates work on Navy Seal weapons? Also how much of their job is working on small arms? I can not find much info online.

 

[deadin]

Most Gunners Mates I knew in the Navy worked on Naval guns and equipment. (The big stuff). Very few worked as armorers on small arms.

 

[nvcdl]

I was not a Gunner Mate but when I was in Navy in the 1980s the Gunners Mates worked on both missle systems (the launchers/magazines, etc) (GMMs) or gun systems (GMGs). By Guns I mean ship's guns such as 76mm or 5" 45 main gun. The GMGs also took care of the small arms but on the ships I was on all the gunners mates would work in the armory. I imagine that the Seals might have gunners mates working on their small arms & weapons systems. I don't think they spent much time working on small arms excect to clean,maintain after qualifications shoots, hand out weapons during drills, set up and take down the machine guns as required, etc.. Seals could also be Gunners Mates and other ratings but really didn't work in their rating.

 

[p35bhp09]

I was a Gunners Mate from 1997-2001 and yes they do have billets for Gunners Mate to work on small arms for the SEALS. A good friend of mine was lucky enough to get one. I got to drive a forklift.

 

[Skeptic]

I was a

Naval Special Warfare guy for some years (NSWCC, not a frogman) and I was fortunate enough to work on a couple of SEAL Teams and yes we had Gunners Mates to work on our weapons. Good guys who knew their business. Many went to factory armor schools to further their knowledge of weapons. its a good job.

 

[loumarch]

I was an Aviation Ordnanceman on the USS Kitty Hawk from 74-77. We were part of "G" Division, which ran the Armory. There were two Gunner's Mates assigned to our ship's armory. They took care of all the 1911's and M-14s for our boarding party, our EOD detachment and our Marine detachment.

There are definitely opportunities for Gunner's Mates to be assigned to a SEAL team. Keep in mind that there are only a handful of openings so you have to be the best of the best.

 

[Fu-man Shoe]

I was a Machinist Mate, but I worked up topside and hung out
with a lot of guys in the various G divisions. Most of them DO NOT
get to work on the small stuff.

You may find yourself driving a forklift, as another poster said, or
perhaps monitoring an auxilliary salt water cooling pump for the
CIWS, or maybe even shuffling paperwork. Truthfully, it seems to
be hit or miss.

The only way you're gonna get to do what you want to do
in the Navy is be *extremely* lucky the first time around, or
be very determined and patient. If you want something bad
enough, and you work for it, you can make it happen.

That being said, there are a few guys who get to play with
the fun stuff of a daily basis. But If you think they're gonna let
a ricky Seaman be in charge of (or hell, even *touch*)the SEAL
teams armory, you are experiencing a serious reality discontinuity.

Every E4 and below GM I've ever known has spent more time
berthing cleaning, mess cranking, and field daying than they
ever had working with any kind of weapon system.

However, be patient young grasshopper. The Navy is like that.

 

[461]

I was a Cook in the Coast Guard and ended up being both weapons, ordnance and gunnery Petty Officer at one unit. Gunners Mate, who needs a Gunners Mate.

 

[HSMITH]

I was a Gunners Mate, and an armorer. My primary job was 5" guns, armorer secondary assignment. Never worked on seal guns, and never did anything really exciting as far as gunsmithing goes. Cleaning and maintaining an inventoryt of guns was kind of cool, at first..... After that it is just a job.

The best way to work with seal weapons is to become a seal, after that the chances are extremely slim.

 

[280PLUS]

The GMG's on the destroyer I was on did the 5" guns and the small arms. Every so often they would pull whatever we had out, M16s and M60s IIRC clean them up, shoot a few rounds at some floating 5 gallon cans off the fantail, miss mostly, and then put them back.