Surface Warfare

• In the olden days, sailors' tasks revolved around setting the trim of the sail and ensuring that the ship's cannons were all in good working order. Today, sailors maintain nuclear engines, operate computer systems that are networked throughout the ship and operate all the different programs that run every aspect of the ship, from the direction in which the ship is heading to the firing of the guns.
  
  

Submarine Warfare

• Surface warfare vessels, be they destroyers, frigates, missile cruisers or aircraft carriers, get their classification from the fact that they operate on the surface of the ocean. Submarines, on the other hand, utilize modern technologies to store oxygen and operate stealthily beneath the ocean's surface. Serving on a submarine is more stressful than serving on a surface ship. Submarines have more cramped accommodations than surface ships, sailors don't always have the option of going up on deck for fresh air, and serious malfunctions underwater can put sailors in an inescapably fatal situation.
  
  

Aviation

• Navies started long before man took to the skies. Ever since, navies have concerned themselves with aeronautics. Sailors act as pilots and navigators in a variety of aircraft including fighters, bombers, helicopters and surveillance craft. In addition to acting as the maintenance crews for all these flying machines, sailors serve as airborne communications coordinators and operate electronic signals interception equipment as well as a variety of computer equipment to analyze intercepted data in real time.
  
  

SEALs

• Sailors are also members of the Navy's elite special warfare division. These sailors are known as SEALs -- for the areas in which they fight: SEa, Air and Land. SEALs are specially trained in small unit tactics, weapons systems, explosives, hand-to-hand combat and special methods of amphibious and airborne insertion methods. SEAL teams utilize these skills in performing special missions for their country. These can include setting up raids and ambushes, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering and counterterrorism operations.