Jul 26 2023

Video: Colourful jerseys on a warship's flight deck

Ever wonder why these warship sailors wear different coloured jerseys and cranials on the flight deck? 

A hundred years ago, when the US Navy’s first aircraft carrier USS Langley set sail, the sailors created a colour-coded system to ensure order and safety on the flight deck. In today’s navy, our Allied sailors still use this colour-coded system to conduct flight operations efficiently on a warship. 

Filmed during exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2023, and including footage from other US carriers engaged in different exercises with NATO Allies, this video shows how this simple – and colourful – system helps smooth out operations and tasks on deck. During BALTOPS, the USS carrier Mount Whitney trained with NATO Allies and partners large-scale maritime and amphibious operations in the Baltic Sea.

Video by NATO HQ