Plank Owner: Origin and Meaning

• A "plank owner" is a crew member of a ship when it is placed in commission.
• The term originally applied only to crew members present at a ship's first commissioning.
• Today, it often applies to members of a recommissioning crew.
• "Plank owner" isn't an official Navy term and has been defined differently by various Navy units.

Certificates

• Plank-owner certificates, like Crossing the Line or Blue Nose certificates, are unofficial.
• They are procured by and issued to crew members of the ship being commissioned, not by the Navy.
• Ship crews sometimes design their own certificates or purchase them from commercial sources.
• The United States Naval Institute offers plank-owner and other unofficial certificates. Illustrations and prices can be obtained from the Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD 21402.

Deck Planking

• The Navy formerly removed a small portion of a vessel's deck during decommissioning as a traditional reminder of the era when "wooden walls and iron men" were key.
• The last major vessel known to have a wooden deck was USS Long Beach (CGN-9), commissioned in 1961.
• The Naval History and Heritage Command's Curator Branch received wooden deck planking from selected vessels, mainly those built during World War II.
• The Navy doesn't retain deck or structural sections for more recent ships with metal or steel decks.
• The Curator Branch no longer distributes deck planking but worked with veteran reunion groups to identify remaining planking, which has been donated to them.
• Veterans should contact their reunion group, submit a copy of their plank owner certificate or official statement of service, and the group representatives will verify and send a section to the plank owner.

A 'plank owner' is a crew member present when a ship is commissioned. Originally, it referred to the first commissioning crew, but now it can include recommissioning crews. Plank-owner certificates are unofficial and obtained by the crew.