Because the Navy is constantly evaluating and changing the ratings for enlisted Sailors, the source ratings for the CWO Surface (716x) and Submarine (726x) Ordnance Technicians must of course also be adjusted.
Nearly two dozen years ago, both of these CWO designators shared the same ten source ratings—some of which might be unfamiliar to relative newcomers to the Navy. Two of them, Fire Controlman (FC) and Fire Control Technician (FT), still exist today as source ratings for the current CWO Ordnance Technician category. But two of the Fire Control Technician service ratings, Gun Fire Control (FTG) and Ballistic Missile Fire Control (FTB), were folded into the general FT rating.
Other ratings that were once the source of CWO Ordnance Technicians but have since been disestablished include Weapons Technician, which was in existence for just nine year (1986-1995) and Torpedoman’s Mate, which was merged into the Gunner’s Mate rating in 2007 along with two Gunner’s Mate service ratings: GMG (Guns) and GMM (Missiles).
The remaining two source ratings for today’s Surface and Submarine Ordnance Technicians, Mine and Missile Technician, have remained unchanged since their establishment, at least in terms of the creation of service ratings. The Mineman rating was established in 1943, disestablished in 1947, and re-established in 1948 when the Navy made a major overhaul of both enlisted ratings and the CWO program (this was also the year the Limited Duty Officer program was created). The Missile Technician rating traces its heritage to the establishment of the Guided Missileman rating in 1953; the title was changed to the current name in 1961.