MARK nomenclature

What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?

David wrote:

What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?

Interesting question. I think it's a borrowing from French. I'd like
to hear an authoritative explanation too.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

"Andrew Chaplin" wrote...

What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate military
equipment ?

Interesting question. I think it's a borrowing from French.

Either that or some GS-eleventeen named "Mark" who wrote the procurement
manual... ;-)

"David" wrote in message
...
What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate
military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or
meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?



Possibly from the Anglo Saxon Merc which referred to a
visible sign, marker or boundary.

Alternatively Mark is the English equivalent of Marcus
which indicates an affinity with Mars the Roman god of war

Keith

"David" wrote in message
...
What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate
military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or
meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?

Since the "American Heritage Dictionary" has as one of entries under mark...

c. Capital M. A particular mode, brand, size, or quality of a product.
Usually followed by a designation such as a numeral and used attributively:
This automobile is the Mark X model.

Combined with the nautical meaning of mark (A knot or piece of material
placed at various measured lengths on a lead line to indicate the depth of
the water.) I think it is simply a way of distinguishing one model from
another, nothing more.

Regards,

Tex (who is assuming you REALLY wanted to know about the Marks of military
aircraft as this is not a general military forum)

David wrote:

What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?

I've only seen one such designation, on a weapon - and it passed
out of our on-base inventory sometime in the late 1970s:
the MK 1 Mod 0 Walleye TV-guided glide bomb, sometimes referred
to as the AGM-62. Think of a big Maverick (AGM-65) missile but
with a bigger warhead and RAT generator instead of the rocket motor.
The Maverick used nearly the same video specs as the earlier
Walleye.

"Dweezil Dwarftosser" wrote in message
...
David wrote:

What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate
military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy
uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or
meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?

I've only seen one such designation, on a weapon - and it passed
out of our on-base inventory sometime in the late 1970s:
the MK 1 Mod 0 Walleye TV-guided glide bomb, sometimes referred
to as the AGM-62. Think of a big Maverick (AGM-65) missile but
with a bigger warhead and RAT generator instead of the rocket motor.
The Maverick used nearly the same video specs as the earlier
Walleye.

Numerous nuclear warheads, and most freefall nuclear bombs (up to/thru
Mk-43, where they started calling things "B-43" in some sources), used the
"Mark" identification. I believe the Mk-28 was still in use while you were
in service?

Brooks

Dweezil Dwarftosser wrote:

David wrote:

What is the history and meaning behind the work "MARK" to designate military
equipment ? The web site www.designation-systems.net says the Navy uses
the Mark - Mod nomenclature but doesn't say what the significance or meaning
of the word "Mark" is. Does anybody know ?

I've only seen one such designation, on a weapon - and it passed
out of our on-base inventory sometime in the late 1970s:
the MK 1 Mod 0 Walleye TV-guided glide bomb, sometimes referred
to as the AGM-62. Think of a big Maverick (AGM-65) missile but
with a bigger warhead and RAT generator instead of the rocket motor.
The Maverick used nearly the same video specs as the earlier
Walleye.

The Mark system was used by BuOrd (the USN's Bureau of Ordnance) to designate
weapons and related systems that they designed (or were designed at their behest),
which included Walleye. The Mk. 80 series bombs are another BuOrd weapon (M-series
bombs like the M117 are Army or Air Force derived). Things get more complicated
because not all navy weapons were designed by BuOrd, and other Bureaus (e.g.
BuAer) used other designation systems. Theoretically the Mark series should have
gone away when the tri-service designations took over in 1962, but remnants of it
remain in use.

Guy

Theoretically the Mark series should have
gone away when the tri-service designations took over in 1962, but remnants
of it
remain in use.

....such as in all types of USN torpedoes in use today. Not to mention
thousands of Mk 82s (and dozens of other weapon types).

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.

Guy Alcala wrote:


The Mark system was used by BuOrd (the USN's Bureau of Ordnance) to designate
weapons and related systems that they designed (or were designed at their behest),
which included Walleye. The Mk. 80 series bombs are another BuOrd weapon (M-series
bombs like the M117 are Army or Air Force derived). Things get more complicated
because not all navy weapons were designed by BuOrd, and other Bureaus (e.g.
BuAer) used other designation systems.


Today, NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) designates "its" items by
MARK/MOD nomenclature, while NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command) uses
ASETDS (Aeronautical and Support Equipment Type Designation System).
ASETDS includes, but is not limited to, the xxU-style designations for
bombs etc. (e.g. BLU, GBU).

Theoretically the Mark series should have
gone away when the tri-service designations took over in 1962, but remnants of it
remain in use.


It remains in use for _a lot_ of U.S. Naval equipment - e.g.
torpedoes, mines, projectiles, etc.

The "tri-service designations of 1962" which you refer applied only to
aircraft and (from 1963) missiles. The "new" designations for
air-dropped ordnance (BLU, GBU, etc) were formally introduced in late
1966. This is also the reason why the Walleye was designated with
MARK/MOD and not as GBU-xxx - there was no GBU designator at that time.

Andreas