Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about Navy careers can be answered at MyNavyPortal.https://my.navy.mil/  as well as on NPC's Career page. 

Questions about pay can be answered at MyPay.

Questions about leave can be answered at NSIPS.

Information about the GI Bill and post-9/11 GI Bill can be found at the VA's GI Bill site.

Navy records corrections are addressed through the Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR).

Assistant for BCNR Matters

What the Assistant does:  Acts as liaison for Navy Personnel Command (NPC) to the Board for Correction of Naval Records.

Background:  The BCNR was created by Congress in 1947 to provide a method for correction of errors or removal of injustices from current and former Navy and Marine Corps member's records without the necessity for private legislation.

The BCNR is not a branch of NPC.  It is a separate shore activity under the direction and supervision of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

BCNR Website

Law governs BCNR under 10 U.S.C. Sec 1551-1557.

Helpful Hints for Petitioning BCNR

1.  Download the DD Form 149, print it, fill it out COMPLETELY, and sign it.  You must sign the application as BCNR cannot act on your behalf without your signature authorizing them, through the Privacy Act, to review your record.

2.  Identify the specific error or injustice you feel has been committed, submit sufficient information to permit BCNR to determine whether relief is warranted and include any other information you deem relevant.  If in doubt, include it.  That information could be what ultimately proves that an error or injustice exists.

3.  When you have completed the application,  mail your application directly to BCNR to the appropriate address indicated on DD Form 149.

Additional links of interest

SECNAVINST 5420.193:  Establishes procedures for making application and the consideration of applications for correction of military records of current and former members of the Navy and Marine Corps by the Secretary of the Navy acting through the BCNR under Title 10 USC Sect. 1552.

NAVPERSCOMINST 5420.1:  Administration of Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR) Applications within Navy Personnel Command (NAVPERSCOM).

To contact NMCI, please call 1-(866) THE-NMCI (843-6624)

Other troubleshooting suggestions can be found here: https://www.doncio.navy.mil/ContentView.aspx?id=5098

The United States Navy Memorial Foundation -- a private, non-profit educational foundation, not part of the U.S. Navy -- maintains a database of those who have served in the Sea Services and who have contributed to the building of the Memorial or on whose behalf a contribution has been made.

For more information about the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, visit their web site.

The Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20004

DD-214s are found at the National Archives and records can be requested there online.

The U.S. Navy sponsors a Distinguished Visitors Program to increase awareness of the Navy's mission and highlight the tremendous service of our people. Because opportunities for civilian embarkations on Navy ships and submarines underway are extremely limited, people considered for this program are selected based on their ability to share their experience with the largest possible audience. Embarkations of journalists, community leaders or celebrities that gain mass media exposure greatly assist our recruiting and educational efforts by allowing thousands to share in the experience. These individuals, in turn, make positive contributions to the public understanding of the roles and missions of the Navy by having their experience promoted through various media outlets.

 

However, the Navy also sponsors limited in-port tours of our ships and submarines for the general public. Those wishing to tour a ship in port should contact the nearest Navy base for information as to which ships are open for visiting and at what times.

 

Currently, all ship visits have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most historical records are housed at the National Archives, though more recent ones may be found at Naval History and Heritage Command.

Bells have a centuries-long tradition of varied use in the navies and merchant fleets of the world. Signaling, keeping time, and sounding alarms are important in a ship's routine and readiness. Their functional and ceremonial uses have made them a symbol of considerable significance to the United States Navy.  This infographic explains more.

Learn more at Naval History and Heritage Command.

The term originates from the Allied Signals Book (ATP 1), which in the aggregate is for official use only. Signals are sent as letters and/or numbers, which have meanings by themselves sometimes or in certain combinations. A single table in ATP 1 is called "governing groups," that is, the entire signal that follows the governing group is to be performed according to the "governor." The letter "B" indicates this table, and the second letter (A through Z) gives more specific information. For example, "BA" might mean "You have permission to . . . (do whatever the rest of the flashing light, flag hoist or radio transmission says) "BZ" happens to be the last item in the governing groups table. It means "well done".

For more about Naval history, visit Naval History and Heritage Command.