Asking this to the Navy personnel here. My Grandfather was on the USS Bunkerhill (CV-17) Aircraft carrier.

2015-10-02T15:38:14-04:00

He was on the USS Bunkerhill, from his DD-214 I saw that he was a FC1. What is that. I don't remember his ranking. I do remember he was in the Navy Reserve. I think he was a PO1, not sure. Can anyone help.

*********** Thanks for All of your comments has helped tendentiously. ****************

******Update here is his head stone from the Grave site. I was wrong in saying FC. He is an F1.*******

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2015 3:47 PM

2015-10-02T15:47:24-04:00

Well Fire Controlman was a relatively new rate at the time this ship was commissioned. It was split off from the Gunners Mates. The FC's handled ballistic calculations or the guns where as the gunners mates took care of the mounts. That's all I really know about the history of my rate.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2015 4:01 PM

2015-10-02T16:01:21-04:00

The 1 after the FC means he was a Petty Officer First Class (E-6). FC is Fire Controlman.

Ironically the best website on this is wikipedia but I'll include the Navy ones too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_controlman
http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/enlisted/community/surface_cs_ops/Pages/FC.aspx
https://www.cool.navy.mil/usn/enlisted/fc.htm

Fire controlman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fire controlmen provide system employment recommendations; perform organizational and intermediate maintenance on digital computer equipment, subsystems, and systems; operate and maintain combat and weapons direction systems, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems, and gun fire control systems at the organizational and intermediate level; inspect, test, align, and repair micro/minicomputers and associated peripheral equipment,...

Response by PO3 Sherry Thornburg made Oct 2 at 2015 4:06 PM

2015-10-02T16:06:22-04:00

FC sounds like fire control first class.
For info in the ship
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/17.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bunker_Hill_(CV-17)
http://www.navysite.de/cv/cv17.htm Crew list found here.

Aircraft Carrier Photo Index: USS BUNKER HILL (CV-17)

CV-17 was named for the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775 which, in fact, was mostly fought on adjacent Breed's Hill. The battle was part of the siege of Boston during the Revolutionary War. General Israel Putnam was in charge of the revolutionary forces, while Major-General William Howe commanded the British forces. Although Howe's immediate objective was achieved, it did not affect the siege and the British suffered more than 1,000...

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Oct 2 at 2015 4:32 PM

2015-10-02T16:32:35-04:00

The FC rating was split in the 1980s. Submarine FCs became FTs....

Response by CPO Anthony Davis made Oct 2 at 2015 4:36 PM

2015-10-02T16:36:49-04:00

fc1 is a fire controleman 1st class. e6

Response by SN Greg Wright made Oct 2 at 2015 5:18 PM

2015-10-02T17:18:01-04:00

SGT Bryon Sergent Among other things, they're the ones that push a button and, somewhere over the horizon, someone dies.

Response by PO2 Sean Baker made Oct 2 at 2015 10:04 PM

2015-10-02T22:04:29-04:00

Fire Controlman, he was responsible for guns and ammunition.

Response by SPC David S. made Oct 2 at 2015 11:51 PM

2015-10-02T23:51:51-04:00

Fire Controlman First Class

Response by PO3 Kathlene Nishite-Lamee made Oct 4 at 2015 8:25 AM

2015-10-04T08:25:43-04:00

You can submit a request to the VA to obtain a chippy of his service records. I believe it is Standard Form 180 (SF-180). The address to submit it should be on the first page.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Oct 6 at 2015 8:52 AM

2015-10-06T08:52:07-04:00

SGT Bryon Sergent SGT Sergent (sorry but I had to say that, LOL), as a First Class Petty Officer your grandfather most likely did not do much "operating" at that point in his career but was probably a front line supervisor/Leading Petty Officer and was more responsible for training and generally taking care of the Sailors assigned below him.

Response by PO2 Jonathan Conroy made Jan 21 at 2016 8:29 PM

2016-01-21T20:29:14-05:00

Fire Controlmen are electronic technicians specializing in weapon and weapon guidance systems. The sailor's NEC code (your MOS) reflect the system (or frequently part of system) that he's been trained on. If your system was Aegis, you were either a radar, computer, or display technician. In the case of Phalanx, FCs worked the whole system soup to nuts. FCs are also the operators of these systems and "push the button" when batteries are released.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 13 at 2016 6:00 PM

2016-04-13T18:00:27-04:00

The original rating was FCT, Fire Control Technician. And in WWII, if he was First Class, it would have been written as a FCT1c. A dearly departed friend of mine was a FCT2c on the USS NEVADA, from 1939-1946. Miss you Mac...

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2016 1:59 PM

2016-06-01T13:59:20-04:00

Fire Controlman, ballistics and electronics specialist. We are the ones who aim and fire the weapons systems and control the targeting radars on all platforms. Back in WWII that would mean a team working on a fire control computation to aim the 16', 5', 3' etc. More modern FC's utilize more "advanced" systems but the job remains the same, warheads on foreheads and fight the ship.