Following the realignment of the U.S. Navy’s Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) and Limited Duty Officer (LDO) programs in the mid-1970s, there emerged six CWO designators across four categories for Ordnance Technicians, along with three LDO categories. Two CWO categories, Ordnance Technician and Underwater Ordnance Technician, comprised four of the six CWO designators; the 717x designator, Surface Underwater Ordnance Technician, would eventually be changed to designate CWO Combat Craft Technician, the CWO path of advancement for Sailors in the Special Warfare Boat Operator rating (SB).
The other two CWO categories, each with a single designator, were Aviation Ordnance Technician and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician. The LDO Categories were Ordnance, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Aviation Ordnance.
The two CWO categories with single designators, Aviation Ordnance Technician and Explosive Ordnance Technician, had their own insignias. CWO Surface Underwater Ordnance Technicians were technical specialists in underwater mines; the 727x designator, CWO Submarine Underwater Ordnance Technicians, denoted Chief Warrant Officers who had technical expertise in submarine ordnance including torpedoes, mines, nuclear weapons, and equipment for evading detection.
Eventually, the number of CWO Ordnance Technicians was reduced to the four that exist today, with two of the them—Surface and Submarine—sharing the same insignia that was first introduced in 1951.
Important: Due to the extremely low demand on this item, it is manufactured on order. While we might have some in stock, please allow for up to 10 business days processing time.