Goat locker

In navy jargon, the goat locker is a lounge, sleeping area and galley on board a naval vessel which is reserved for the exclusive use of Chief Petty Officers. By tradition, all other personnel, including officers and even the Commanding Officer, must request permission to enter the goat locker.

Etymology

The term 'goat locker' takes its origins from wooden ship sailing times, when goats were kept aboard ship. The goat was used for its ability to consume nearly all forms of refuse and produce milk for the crew. The quarters for the goat were traditionally in the Chief Petty Officer mess facilities, which inherited the moniker 'The Goat Locker'. In modern times, the 'Goat Locker' has come to represent any gathering place, on or off-ship, where the Chief Petty Officers can hold private functions.

Special Dinnerware

The United States Navy out of respect and in recognition of the senior position of the Chief Petty Officer provided dinnerware made specifically for the "The Goat Locker".

The special insignia (or topmark) used on this fine china to denote the Chief Petty Officer's Mess (or Goat Locker) were the letters "USN" beneath the U.S. Navy's traditional "Fouled, Fluked, and Stocked Anchor".

Official Naval and Nautical China was produced for the U.S. Navy by leading china manufacturers such as Tepco, Shenango, Buffalo, Sterling and Homer Laughlin from the early 1930s through WWII, and was used up until the 1960s until supplies ran out. This Navy China made for the Chief Petty Officer's "Goat Locker" is rare and hard to come by, as it is typically kept as family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation.