Photographer's Mate (PH) — Discontinued

RATING EVOLUTION

1. // Decommissioned · 2006
   PH
   Photographer's Mate
   1942–2006
2. // Active Today · Successor
   MC
   Mass Communication Specialist
   View active rating →

WHY THE RATING WAS DISCONTINUED

Merged with Journalist (JO), Lithographer (LI), Illustrator/Draftsman (DM), and broadcast technicians into the new Mass Communication Specialist (MC) rating in 2006.

OVERVIEW

Photographer's Mate (PH) was the U.S. Navy's enlisted visual-imagery rating. PHs shot still photography, motion-picture footage, and (later) video aboard ships, with squadrons, on the flight deck, and at every major shore command. The rating documented operational activity, supported intelligence and reconnaissance imagery, ran the ship's or station's photo lab, and produced the official photographs of change-of-command ceremonies, awards, and command events.

PH was disestablished on 30 September 2006 when the Navy consolidated its visual-information and public-affairs ratings — Photographer's Mate (PH), Journalist (JO), Lithographer (LI), Illustrator/Draftsman (DM), and the broadcast technician community — into the single Mass Communication Specialist (MC) rating.

WHAT THEY DID

Photographer's Mates shot still and motion-picture imagery for operational, intelligence, and public-affairs use; operated the ship's or command's photo lab and darkroom; processed and printed official photographs; supported reconnaissance and damage-assessment imagery; documented change-of-command ceremonies and command events; and crewed Combat Camera detachments. Senior PHs ran shipboard photo divisions and Combat Camera teams.

NOTABLE FOR

• Documented every major U.S. Navy operation from WWII through the early Global War on Terror
• Source rating for the Combat Camera community
• Operated darkrooms and photo labs aboard every carrier and major staff

HISTORY

Photographer's Mate was established as a permanent rating in 1942 as the Navy expanded visual-documentation requirements during World War II. PHs shot the official imagery of every major Navy operation from the Pacific Campaign through Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and the early Global War on Terror. The Naval School of Photography at Pensacola produced generations of Navy photographers and underpinned the Navy's still-and-motion imagery capability.

By the early 2000s the convergence of digital imaging, video, public affairs, and graphics made the separate PH/JO/LI/DM ratings increasingly redundant. On 30 September 2006 the Navy disestablished all four and created the consolidated Mass Communication Specialist rating, with active-duty PHs converting to MC and the visual-imagery skill preserved as an MC specialty.

TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS

• Aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships
• Naval Imaging Command and Combat Camera detachments
• Naval Air Stations and major shore commands

HISTORICAL CAREER PATH

1. E-1/E-3
   Apprentice PH
   Recruit Training followed by PH A-school at Defense Information School, Fort Meade, MD; previously Naval School of Photography, Pensacola, FL; first tour with a fleet unit.
2. E-4/E-6
   Petty Officer PH
   Lead a PH work-center, qualify in core watchstations, and serve as the rating's section leader.
3. E-7+
   Chief Photographer's Mate
   Senior PH leader — Leading Chief Petty Officer of a PH division, instructor at the rating's A-school, or detailer at BUPERS until rating disestablishment in 2006.

SUCCESSOR RATINGS (ACTIVE TODAY)

• MC · Admin & Logistics
  Mass Communication Specialist

FOR VETERANS & FAMILIES

If a DD-214, retirement order, or family-history document lists the rating PH (Photographer's Mate), that is a legitimate U.S. Navy enlisted rating that was disestablished in 2006. Sailors who held this rating served in the admin & logistics community during 1942–2006.

The mission of PH is performed today by Mass Communication Specialist (MC). For VA benefits, MOS/rating-translator services, or transcript-of-service requests, reference both the historical PH 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 PH:

• JO · Decom 2006
  Journalist
• LI · Decom 2006
  Lithographer

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• When was the Photographer's Mate (PH) rating disestablished?
  The PH rating was disestablished in 2006. Merged with Journalist (JO), Lithographer (LI), Illustrator/Draftsman (DM), and broadcast technicians into the new Mass Communication Specialist (MC) rating in 2006.
• What rating did Photographer's Mate (PH) become?
  The successor rating is mass communication specialist. Active-duty PHs converted to the new rating(s) at disestablishment.
• What did a Navy Photographer's Mate (PH) do?
  Photographer's Mates shot still and motion-picture imagery for operational, intelligence, and public-affairs use; operated the ship's or command's photo lab and darkroom; processed and printed official photographs; supported reconnaissance and damage-assessment imagery; documented change-of-command ceremonies and command events; and crewed Combat Camera detachments. Senior PHs ran shipboard photo divisions and Combat Camera teams.
• Can I still claim the PH rating on my record?
  Yes — your DD-214 and Navy service record reflect the rating you held. The PH rating was a valid U.S. Navy enlisted rating from 1942 until 2006, and veterans who served in PH 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 — Photographer's Mate