Instrumentman (IM) — Discontinued

RATING EVOLUTION

1. // Decommissioned · 2007
   IM
   Instrumentman
   1948–2007
2. // Active Today · Successor
   MM
   Machinist's Mate
   View active rating →

WHY THE RATING WAS DISCONTINUED

Disestablished in 2007; merged into the Machinery Repairman (MR) rating, which itself was later merged into the Machinist's Mate (MM) rating in 2014.

OVERVIEW

Instrumentman (IM) was the U.S. Navy's enlisted precision-instrument rating from 1948 to 2007. IMs repaired and calibrated mechanical instruments, watches and chronometers, gauges, typewriters, office machines, and (after the 1995 absorption of the Opticalman rating) optical instruments such as periscopes and binoculars. The rating operated at intermediate-maintenance activities (IMAs), shore instrument shops, and major shipyards.

IM was disestablished in 2007 as the demand for dedicated precision-instrument technicians shrank with the spread of solid-state and digital systems. The rating merged into the Machinery Repairman (MR) rating, which itself was later merged into the Machinist's Mate (MM) rating in 2014, ultimately consolidating IM's lineage into the modern MM rating.

WHAT THEY DID

Instrumentmen repaired and calibrated mechanical and (post-1995) optical instruments — chronometers, sextants, gauges, typewriters and office machines, periscopes, binoculars, and range-finders; performed depot-level instrument overhaul; supported fleet calibration programs; and maintained shore instrument shops. Senior IMs supervised IMA instrument-shop work centers.

NOTABLE FOR

• Maintained mechanical instruments, typewriters, watches, gauges, and (after 1995) optical instruments
• Absorbed the Opticalman (OM) rating in 1995
• Eventually consolidated under the modern MM rating via the MR merger in 2014

HISTORY

Instrumentman was established in 1948 from earlier precision-mechanic specialist ratings. Throughout the Cold War, IMs maintained the Navy's mechanical instruments and office machines — chronometers, sextants, pressure and temperature gauges, typewriters, calculating machines. In 1995 the IM rating absorbed the disestablished Opticalman (OM) rating, broadening its scope to include periscopes, range-finders, and optical fire-control equipment.

By the mid-2000s, with the further decline of dedicated mechanical-instrument work, the Navy disestablished IM in 2007 and merged active-duty IMs into the Machinery Repairman (MR) rating. MR itself was disestablished in 2014 and merged into MM, completing IM's consolidation lineage.

TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS

• Intermediate maintenance activities (IMAs)
• Shore instrument shops and naval shipyards
• Submarine tenders and destroyer tenders

HISTORICAL CAREER PATH

1. E-1/E-3
   Apprentice IM
   Recruit Training followed by IM A-school at Naval Technical Training Center, Great Lakes, IL; first tour with a fleet unit.
2. E-4/E-6
   Petty Officer IM
   Lead a IM work-center, qualify in core watchstations, and serve as the rating's section leader.
3. E-7+
   Chief Instrumentman
   Senior IM leader — Leading Chief Petty Officer of a IM division, instructor at the rating's A-school, or detailer at BUPERS until rating disestablishment in 2007.

SUCCESSOR RATINGS (ACTIVE TODAY)

• MM · General Surface & Combat
  Machinist's Mate

FOR VETERANS & FAMILIES

If a DD-214, retirement order, or family-history document lists the rating IM (Instrumentman), that is a legitimate U.S. Navy enlisted rating that was disestablished in 2007. Sailors who held this rating served in the general surface & combat community during 1948–2007.

The mission of IM is performed today by Machinist's Mate (MM). For VA benefits, MOS/rating-translator services, or transcript-of-service requests, reference both the historical IM rating code and the modern successor.

Official records: National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, MO) holds U.S. Navy enlisted service records for veterans separated more than 62 years ago; later records are held by Navy Personnel Command in Millington, TN.

RELATED HISTORICAL RATINGS

Other decommissioned ratings whose mission was absorbed by the same active rating(s) as IM:

• BT · Decom 1996
  Boiler Technician
• OM · Decom 1995
  Opticalman

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• When was the Instrumentman (IM) rating disestablished?
  The IM rating was disestablished in 2007. Disestablished in 2007; merged into the Machinery Repairman (MR) rating, which itself was later merged into the Machinist's Mate (MM) rating in 2014.
• What rating did Instrumentman (IM) become?
  The successor rating is machinists mate. Active-duty IMs converted to the new rating(s) at disestablishment.
• What did a Navy Instrumentman (IM) do?
  Instrumentmen repaired and calibrated mechanical and (post-1995) optical instruments — chronometers, sextants, gauges, typewriters and office machines, periscopes, binoculars, and range-finders; performed depot-level instrument overhaul; supported fleet calibration programs; and maintained shore instrument shops. Senior IMs supervised IMA instrument-shop work centers.
• Can I still claim the IM rating on my record?
  Yes — your DD-214 and Navy service record reflect the rating you held. The IM rating was a valid U.S. Navy enlisted rating from 1948 until 2007, and veterans who served in IM continue to use the rating designation in records, reunions, and veteran-affairs paperwork.

SOURCES

• Naval History and Heritage Command — U.S. Navy Ratings History
• NAVADMIN / OPNAV historical-rating disestablishment notices
• U.S. Navy Enlisted Career Path Reference — Instrumentman