It has been a number of years ago,but if my memory serves me right,firemen were sailors that spent their watch in the engine room.We called them snipes.I don't know how the word snipes came about,but thats what we called them.Most ships had a port and starboard watch,and you were on four and off four.The snipes had red stripes to designate their job field.Regular seaman had white stripes,and aviation sailors stripes were green.This was true until they achieved third class,then their occupational speciality was shown on their third class crow emblem.
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