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U.S. Naval Abbreviations

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - ST - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Navy Numbers

--B--

Note: Where the same abbreviation has more than one meaning, the several meanings have been arranged alphabetically. Abbreviations preceded by an asterisk (*), other than Navy numbers, may never be used singly; those preceded by the symbol for number (#) are the Bureau of Personnel Condensation Code for use in dispatch orders to personnel.

B -- First letter in the Navy aircraft designation, indicating a bomber plane

 B -- Beech Aircraft Company (manufacturer's symbol)

 B -- Biplane

 B -- Boeing Aircraft Company (manufacturer's symbol)

 B -- Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Ltd. (manufacturer's symbol)

 B -- Boilermaker

 B -- Bomber Field

 B -- Built for British (suffix to plane designation, as: F4F-4B)

 B -- Budd Manufacturing Company (manufacturer's symbol)

 IVB -- Classified Civil Service Worker

 B -- Ship Symbols preceded by B represent Lend-Lease vessels for Royal Navy; e.g.: BAm is British Minesweeper

 B -- Butcher

 B-314 -- "Clipper"; four-engine Navy Transport (VR (HS)), seaplane, manufactured by Boeing; formerly Pan-American "Clipper")

 BA -- Balboa, Canal Zone

 BA -- British Admiralty

 BA -- British Army

 BABS -- Blind Approach Beam System (radar)

 BAC -- British Air Commission (Washington)

 BACC -- British-American Coordinating Committee (Turkey)

 BAD -- British Admiralty Delegation (Washington)

#BAGAIR -- (Total pounds) baggage authorized while in an air travel status

 BAGR -- BuAer General Representative (formerly, General Inspector of Naval Aircraft)

 BAGR, ED -- BuAer General Representative, Eastern District

 BAGR, CD -- BuAer General Representative, Central District

 BAGR, WD -- BuAer General Representative, Western District

 BAIRES -- Buenos Aires

 BAK -- Cargo Ship (Lend-Lease to Great Britain)

 BAKA (foolish) -- Allied name for Japanese Oka (rocket propelled one man guided missile); earlier, called "Viper"

 Baker -- "B" in the phonetic alphabet

*BAKS -- Barracks

 BAL -- Balance

 BALDNY -- Ballistic Density

 BALWND -- Ballistic Wind

 BAM -- British Air Ministry

 BAm -- Mine Sweeper (Lend-Lease to Great Britain)

 BAMO -- Bureau of Aeronautics Material Officer

 BAMRO -- Bureau of Aeronautics Maintenance Repair Officer

 BAMRRO -- Bureau of Aeronautics Maintenance Resident Representative Officer

 BAMS -- Broadcast to Allied Merchant Ships

 BAMSR -- British Admiralty Maintenance and Supply Representative

 BAR -- Browning Automatic Rifle

 BAR -- Bureau of Aeronautics Representative (formerly Inspector of Naval Aircraft)

 BARDay -- Bureau of Aeronautics Representative, Dayton, Ohio

 BARM -- British Admiralty Repair Mission

 BARR -- Bureau of Aeronautics Resident Representative

 BARS -- Salvage Vessel (Lend-Lease to Great Britain)

 BaseFor -- Base Force

 BaseServUnit -- Base Service Unit

 Bat -- Battalion (USMC)

*BAT -- Battle, Battleship

 BAT -- Oceangoing Tug (Lend-Lease to Great Britain)

 BatCruLant -- Battleships and Cruisers, Atlantic Fleet

 BatCruPac -- Battleships and Cruisers, Pacific Fleet

 BatDiv -- Battleship Division

 BatFor -- Battle Force

 BatLant or BatShipsLant -- Battleships, Atlantic Fleet

 BatPac or BatShipsPac -- Battleships, Pacific Fleet

 BatRon -- Battleship Squadron

 BATSHIP -- Battleship, Battleforce

 BatshipsBatForPac -- Battleships, Battle Force, Pacific Fleet

 BAVG -- Aircraft Carrier Escort (lend-Lease to GB)

 BAYONGRU -- Bayonne Group

 B/B -- Baby Incendiary Bomb

 BB -- Battleship

 BBB -- Basic Boxed Base

 BBC -- Bombenzyl Cyanide

 BBH -- Battalion Beachhead (Army)

 BBL -- Barrel

 BC -- Battery Commander (Army)

 BC -- Battle Cruiser (GB)

 BC -- United States East Coast to Society Islands (routing designation)

 BCD -- Bad Conduct Discharge

 BCDD -- Base Construction Depot Detachment

 Bcn -- Bombardment calling wave

 BCRA -- Bureau Centrale de Renseignements et d'Action (Free French)

 BD -- Bomb Disposal

 BD-# -- "Havoc"; twin-engine Navy bomber (VB), manufactured by Douglas

 BdD&M -- Board of Decorations and Medals

 BDE -- Escort Vessel (Lend-Lease to GB)

 BDGC -- Bad conduct discharge, general court martial, after confinement in prison

 BDGI -- Bad conduct discharge, general court martial, immediate

 BDGP -- Bad conduct discharge, general court martial, after violation of probation

 BDI -- Bearing Deviation Indicator (Sonar)

 BDSI -- Bad conduct discharge, sentence of summary court martial, immediate

 BDSP -- Bad conduct discharge, summary court martial, after violation of probation

"Bearcat" -- See F8F-#

 Benef -- Beneficiary

 B Eng -- Basic Engineering

"Bermuda" -- See SB2A-#

 BerSeaPat -- Bering Sea Patrol

 Beth -- Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation

 BEW -- Board of Economic Warfare

 BF -- Brought Forward

 BFM -- Basic Field Manual (Army)

 Bfo -- Beat frequently oscillator

 BG -- British Guiana

 BG-# -- Single-engine Navy bomber (VB), biplane, manufactured by Great Lakes

 BGM -- Basegram

 BGM -- Buglemaster

 Bgmstr -- Buglemaster

 BGPP -- Beneficiary Government Production Program

 BHO -- Branch Hydrographic Office

 BHQ -- Brigade Headquarters (Army)

BI -- Bermuda Islands

 BI -- Biographical inventory

 BIGOT -- British Messages Replanning and Direction of Major Operations

 BIM -- Basic Industrial Materials (Program)

 BIO -- Branch Intelligence Officer

 BIS -- Board of Inspection and Survey

 BJM -- Bluejacket's Manual

 BJSM -- British Joint Staff Mission

 BJU -- Beach jumper Unit

 BK -- Yardarm Blinker

 BKR -- Baker

 Bks -- Barracks

 BKT -- Blinker Tube

 B/L -- Bill of Lading

 BL -- Bomb Line

"Black Widow" -- See FT-#

 BLADING -- Bill of Lading

 BlimpHedron -- Blimp Maintenance Squadron

 BlimpRon -- Blimp Squadron

 BLO -- Bombardment Liaison Officer

 BLO -- British Liaison Officer

 Block -- Airborne television system

*BLP -- Bombing landplane

 BLT -- Battalion Landing Team (Army)

 BL&T -- Blind Loaded and Traced

 BM -- Boatswain's Mate

 BM1 -- Boatswain's Mate 1st class

 BM2 -- Boatswain's Mate 2nd class

 B-M -- Boilers, Propulsion Division of Engineering Department aboard a carrier

 BMCBB -- Boatswain's Mate, Construction Battalion, Boatswain

 BMCBS -- Boatswain's Mate, Construction Battalion, Stevedore

 BMD -- Base Maintenance Division

 BMG -- Browning Machine Gun

 BMKR -- Boilermaker

 BMM -- Boatswain's Mate A (Master-at Arms)

 BMR -- Beachmaster

 BMSM -- British Merchant Shipping Mission

 BMSRC -- Boatswain's mate, Ship Repair, Crane Operator

 BMSRR -- Boatswain's Mate, Ship Repair, Rigger

 BMSRS -- Boatswain's Mate, Ship Repair, Canvasman

 Bmstr -- Bandmaster

 Bn -- Battalion

 BN -- Brazilian Navy

 BNAS -- British Naval Air Service

 BnHQ -- Battalion Headquarters (USMC)

 BNLO -- British Naval Liaison officer

 BNP -- Bureau of Naval Personnel Publications

 BNPCL -- Bureau of Naval Personnel Circular Letters

 BNYD -- Boston Navy Yard

 BO -- Base Order

"BOATS" -- A Boatswain's Mate

"Bobcat" -- See JRC-#

 BODU -- Bureau of Ordnance Design Unit

*BOI -- Boiler

*BOM -- Bombing

 BomCom -- Bomber Command (Army)

 BOMID -- Branch Office, Military Intelligence Division (War Department)

 BomRon -- Bombing Squadron

 BOQ -- Bachelor Officers Quarters

 BORU -- Boat Operating and Repair Unit

 BOS -- Boston, Massachusetts

 BOSN -- Boatswain (Warrant)

 BosGrp -- Boston Group

 BOU -- Boat Operating unit

 BP -- Base Pay

 BB -- Base Planning Board

 BPFILO -- British Pacific Fleet Intelligence Liaison Officer

 BPFLO -- British Pacific Fleet Liaison Officer

 BPO -- Base Post Office (Army)

 BPR -- Bridge Plotting Room

 B&Q -- Barracks and Quarters (Army)

 BQM -- Base Quartermaster (USMC)

 BR -- Bomber Reconnaissance Aircraft

 BR -- Bremerton, Washington

 BR -- Briefing Room

 BRAL -- Bureau de Renseignements et d'Action, Londres (Free French)

 BrancHydro -- Branch Hydrographic Office

 Braso -- Branch Aviation Supply Office

 BREM -- Bremerton, Washington

 BRG -- Bearing

 BrgBln -- Barrage Balloon

 Brig -- Brigade

 BRIGEN -- Brigadier General (USMC)

 BrigGen -- Brigadier General

 BRIT -- British

 BRL -- Bomb Release Line

 BRO -- British Routing Office

 BrQM -- Brigade Quartermaster (USMC)

 BRR -- Bridge Receiving Room

 BRU -- Boat Repair Unit

 BRUSA -- British-United States Agreement (Circuits)

 BS -- Battleship Squadron

 BS -- Boston (Navy Yard)

 BS -- Busch Sulzer (ship engines)

 BSC -- Balkan Supply Center

 BSerBn -- Base Service Battalion (USMC)

 BSI -- British Solomon Islands

 BSN -- Boston, Massachusetts

 BSO -- Base Supply Officer

 BSO -- Bomb Safety Officer

 BSO -- British Supply Office

 BSR -- Boilermaker, Ship Repair

 BSU -- Base Service Unit

 BT-# -- Single-engine Navy bomber (VB), manufactured by Northrop

 BT -- Bahia to Trinidad (routing designation)

 BT -- Bathythermograph (sonar)

 BT2C -- Twin-engine Navy fighter (VF(M)), manufactured by Curtiss

 BTCA -- Basic Tables of Commissioning Allowances (now Tables of Basic Allowances--TBA)

 BTD-# -- Single-engine Navy scout bomber (VSB), manufactured by Douglas

 BTE -- British Troops in Egypt

 BTM-# -- Twin-engine Navy fighter (VF(M)), manufactured by Martin

 Btry -- Battery

*BU -- Bureau

 BuAer (BuAero) -- Bureau of Aeronautics

 BUAER -- Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics

 BUCon -- Bureau of Construction and Repair (to 1940)

 BuC&R -- Bureau of Construction and Repair (to 1940)

 BuDocks -- Bureau of Yards and Docks

 BUDOCKS -- Chief, Bureau of Yards and Docks

 BuEng -- Bureau of Engineering (to 1940)

 BuExp -- Bureau Express (boiler)

"Buffalo" -- See F2A-#

 BUG -- Bugler

 BuMed -- Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

 BUMED -- Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

 BuM&S -- Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

 BuNav -- Bureau of Navigation (to 1942)

 BuOrd -- Bureau of Ordnance

 BUORD -- Chief, Bureau of Ordnance

 BuPers -- Bureau of Naval Personnel

 BUPERS -- Chief, Bureau of Naval Personnel

 BUPS -- Beacon, Ultra Portable "S" Band

 BuSandA -- Bureau of Supplies and Accounts

 BUSANDA -- Chief, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts

 BUSCI -- British-United States Convoy Instructions

 BuShips -- Bureau of Ships

 BUSHIPS -- Chief, Bureau of Ships

 BUSRA -- British-United States Routing Agreement

"Buttress" -- Mine Recovery Vessel

 BuY&D -- Bureau of Yards and Docks

 BUZZ BOMB -- V-1 (Pilotless Flying Bomb)

 B&W -- Babcock and Wilcox (boilers)

 B&W -- Black and White (film)

 B&W -- Bread and Water

 BWC -- Board of War Communications

 BWI -- British West Indies

 BWP -- Basic War Plan

 BX -- Boston to Halifax (routing designation)

 BY -- Bayonne, New Jersey

 BYMS -- British Yard Motor Minesweepers

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Navy Numbers

Published: Wed Mar 04 10:54:06 EST 2015