Shipmate A shipmate is literally a mate on one ' s own ship ( i . e . , a member of the same ship ) . In English - Speaking navies and the United States Coast Guard , the term ' shipmate ' is used among sailors as a generic moniker . It is used in the third person by a member of a ship ' s crew to describe another member , or in the second person when referring to any other Naval service member . In the United States Navy " shipmate " is most accurately a term used by anyone in the Navy to reference anyone else in the Navy . It can be used with a range of connotations - most often as an expression of camaraderie , but also as a respectful way to address other crew members whose rank or naval rating is not obvious . It can even be used in a derogatory manner . It is used both on land and at sea and it is used among Naval service members without regard to whether they are in fact members of the same ship . The term is used so abundantly in the American Navy that the inflection , context , and tone of the speaker can connote more meaning than the term itself . In the United States Navy , recruits are indoctrinated with heavy use of the term immediately upon beginning training at Recruit Training Command ( or ' boot camp ' ) . There , they use the term abundantly to refer to their peers in all but the least formal settings . Notably , recruits use the term superfluously and with enthusiasm to sound off to their peers in scenarios when referencing another person by name or title would be otherwise unnecessary . For example , a recruit in the chow line will add " shipmate " after identifying each item of food he or she wishes fellow recruits to place on his or her tray ( " potatoes , Shipmate ! " , " green beans , Shipmate ! " , " bread , Shipmate ! " etc . ) . In turn , the recruits serving his or her food will repeat the expression as the recruit moves down the line " potatoes , Shipmate ! " , " green beans , Shipmate ! " , " bread , Shipmate ! " . . . to confirm that they understood the commands . It is used so abundantly during this stage of a sailor ' s training that it can sound curious to a new recruit or a visitor . The term is almost never used by superiors to refer to inferiors during recruit training except ironically or in a derogatory tone . Sometimes the term is modified to connote the derogation more explicitly , as in " Shipwreck " in reference to someone who is messy or fails to maintain a military bearing . As the extreme hierarchical distinctions in recruit training tend to fade once the recruit joins the regular Navy , so do the above distinctions . It is not uncommon to hear an Admiral or Captain refer to his lowest subordinates as " shipmate " in order to express camaraderie . Inversely , it is not uncommon for peers to refer to one another as " shipwreck " or use a vocal inflection that connotes derogation , usually with an accent on the " - mate . " Although the term is not commonly used outside of maritime scenarios , it is often used by Navy veterans toward one another as a means to reminisce or bond about shared experience . Usage in literature . Herman Melville ' s Moby - Dick , a popular maritime novel , is laced with the term , although the narrator Ishmael seldom uses the word : " This man interested me at once ; and since the sea - gods had ordained that he should soon become my " shipmate " ( though but a sleeping partner one , so far as this narrative is concerned ) , I will here venture upon a little description of him . " Usage in contemporary maritime dialogue . One might refer to a fellow crew member by saying , " He and I were shipmates before reporting for duty here in Norfolk . " The word is used in this sense in the old song " Don ' t Forget Your Old Shipmates " . When getting the attention of a fellow sailor , one might simply call out " Shipmate ! " or " Hey , shipmate ! " When speaking to a group or crowd of sailors , i . e . " My fellow shipmates . . . "