JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's one of the more unique jobs you'll ever hear of.
Over the course of nearly 250 years, there have been many career paths in the United States Navy, but there's one in particular that is very distinctive.
Sailors from Mayport taught some JROTC students at First Coast High School how to be a Boatswain.
There was a shrill sound shooting through the air that calls for those who know its meaning to stand at attention. It came from the pipe of Bosun mates stationed at Mayport who have a job that commands all eyes and ears on a ship.
"It could be fun," says Jamar Cotton, BM2."It could also be stressful at times. You get an adrenaline rush, it's an excitement. We're basically called the jack of all trades, we can drive a ship, drop anchors, lower boats and paint the ship as well."
And all of that is on top of their most audible job. Here are some of their calls.
"We have "attention", which is a general call to get the attention of a ship. Another one we use is "all hands", that's more of a longer call," says Cotton. "All hands might be needed for the captain if he wants to talk to the whole ship or a big guest is coming to the ship."
First Coast High School sophomore Alonzo Love is a natural at playing the Bosun pipe, he mastered a difficult "trill call" on his first day with the instrument.
"It's just a learning experience being taught by them," says Love, "it really sped up the process."
In an era when everything is becoming more technological, playing the Bosun pipe is a blast from the past.