Editing Plankowner

{{Short description|Crewman on North American military ship}}
A '''plankowner'''<ref name=term>"U.S. Navy Style Guide", Navy.mil website</ref>  (also referred to a '''plank owner'''<ref name=Cutler167>Cutler and Cutler, p 167</ref> and sometimes a plank holder) is an individual who was a member of the [[crew]] of a [[United States Navy]] [[ship]] or [[United States Coast Guard Cutter]] when that ship was placed in [[Ship commissioning|commission]]. Originally, this term applied only to crew members that were present at the ship's first commissioning. Today, however, plankowner is often applied to members of newly commissioned units, new [[military base]]s and recommissioning crews as well.<ref name=plank>"Plank Owners, Plank Owner Certificates, and Planking", Naval Historical Center</ref>

==In U.S. military==
Plankowner is a term used by the United States Navy,<ref name="term"/> and has consequently been variously defined by different units. The origin of the term is the implication that a crew member was around when the ship was being built and commissioned, and therefore has bragging rights to the "ownership" of one of the [[Plank (wood)|plank]]s in the main [[Deck (ship)|deck]].<ref name="Cutler167" /><ref name="plank" />

Historically, a plankowner in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, or his widow, could petition the [[Naval Historical Center]]'s Curator Branch for a piece of the [[Deck (ship)|deck]] when the ship was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]]. This practice has been discontinued and stocks of planking that existed at the Curator branch have been donated to various veteran's organizations.<ref name="plank" />

Sailors who are plankowners at their current command often have the word "PLANKOWNER" embroidered on the back of their uniform ball cap to denote this designation. A plaque is placed aboard the ship with the crew names. When in port, the departure of a plankowner for the final time is usually announced on the [[1MC]] public announcing system with a bell-ring, as <ding, ding> "Plankowner, departing".{{cn|date=March 2015}}

In the [[United States Navy SEALs]], the term refers to the original or "founding" members of a SEAL Team.<ref>{{cite news|title=Training, Teamwork Key to 45 Years of Navy SEALs|url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=27285|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712160939/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=27285|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 12, 2017|publisher=[[United States Navy|navy.mil]]|date=January 11, 2007}}</ref>

==Notes==
;Citations
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;References cited
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* {{cite web|title=U.S. Navy Style Guide|url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/view_styleguide.asp?sort=P|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807201406/http://www.navy.mil/submit/view_styleguide.asp?sort=P|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 7, 2009|publisher=Navy.mil website|accessdate=5 November 2013|format=asp}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq24-1.htm |title=Plank Owners, Plank Owner Certificates, and Planking |publisher=Naval Historical Center |date=2007-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916153830/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq24-1.htm |archive-date=2012-09-16 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book|last=Cutler|first=Deborah W. and Thomas J. Cutler|year=2005|title=Dictionary of Naval Terms|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-150-1}}
{{refend}}

[[Category:Naval ceremonies]]
[[Category:United States Navy]]
[[Category:Nautical terminology]]


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