All you Sailors, can you help identify this patch?

[thor447]

I picked up some of my grandfather's Navy items after he recently passed away. I know that this is a Petty Officer Second Class patch, but I'm having difficulty identifying the symbol on the patch underneath the eagle. Can anyone tell me what this rating symbol means? None of my research is pulling up anything so I can only assume it has long since been discontinued. I've searched from modern symbols to a list of rating symbols I found discontinued in 1962 with no success. This would have come from the early 50's.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

 

[Judi]

looks like a square knot....rigging

 

[thor447]

looks like a square knot....rigging

That was my thought as well, I just haven't been able to reference that symbol anywhere yet.

 

[Glock 'em down]

I believe that's gonna be a Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5/PO2. My niece held that rank just before her first enlistment was up year or so ago. She's now a PO first class (Boatswain) which gives her a little more rank.

Here she is during her first enlistment as a PO3.

 

[rhart]

Apprentice Petty Officer First Class Rating Badge if it had one more black chevron on the bottom - so it's a second class...

 

[KOPBET]

Beat me to it...

https://intrepid.emuseum.com/objects/17720/apprentice-petty-officer-first-class-rating-badge

 

[surjimmy]

All I know is that if you look in the webster's dictionary under squid, it says it's the lowest form of MARINE life. Sorry, I could not let this opportunity pass.lol

 

[Waltercat]

The symbol looks like a snake. I see a tail and a head.

 

[Cowbaby]

Here is my rating badge the day I got out. I was an MT2 Petty Officer Second Class E-5.

That is an old patch before my time but I think they are for designating apprentices back around WWII like the other guys show,
Today apprentices are designated by just diagonal hash marks without chevrons or the crow as they have not specialized in a rating yet and are still free to chose.
Today you have to reach E-4 PO third class to receive your crow like the young lady Bosun Petty Officer above.
There is an old naval tradition involved in finally receiving your crow called tacking on your crow so it won't fly off as it took a while to get. That means everyone you pass is going to slug that thing as hard as they can when they pass you. That doesn't sound to bad until about the 3rd day and your arm is bruised up pretty good and some jerkwad just notices it. Will about make you fall to your knees. I think they called stuff like that Hazing now. I came up through the ranks back when the military was still fairly hardcore when guys just about like Gunny Hartman ran the place.

 

[Coug91]