Plank Owner is a rare honor and a sense of pride for sailors and navy crew members. They carry the honor of pride with them throughout their careers. There are a lot number of titles and certificates given to the members of coast guard. Some are awarded based on the designation chosen and some are given on the ranks they earn during their career. Among all of the awards and honors, plank owner is the most bragging right that crew members earn.
Today, we are going to discuss few points on plank owners and role of being a plank owner. Free plank owner certificate templates are also available. Text can be customized to your needs. Continue reading to browse our free downloads that save your energy and efforts. We provide blank certificates as well, if you want to fill in your own information according to your needs.
Plank Owner certificates are the certificates issued by the Navy to the crew members of the ship who are being commissioned. Some ship’s design themselves to create their own certificates whereas some others purchase from commercial sources. However, the plank owner certificates sold by the United States Naval Institute are considered as the best ones.
What is the term ‘Plank Owner’?
A ‘Plank Owner’ is a term given to the member of the ship’s original crew. The name is established from the tradition that as a part of decommissioning process, the original crew would receive the wooden deck planking. Today, we don’t see wooden decks anywhere in the ships but still the crew holds the title in high esteem. In simple words, the plank owner means the person holding the title is the part of the ship’s ownership and its legacy.
Generally, the title is awarded to the ship’s crew from the United States Navy Ship or United States Coast Guard Cutter when the ship is placed in commission. Ship’s crew member is eligible for the title ‘Plank Owner’ only when they are present during ship’s first commissioning. But now-a-days, plank owner is often given to the newly joined commissioned units, re-commissioning crews, and new military bases. The term ‘Plank Owner’ is not an official term of Navy and therefore defined differently by different Navy units.
Deck Planking
In a wooden model ship, deck planks are said to be on the false planks which is a part of 2mm laser cut plywood. There are two types of false decks are available and the notches on the false deck are responsible for the division of types:
Type 1: The type 1 shows the false deck where the bulkhead frames of the hull are not placed over the deck.
Typ1 2: The type 2 shows the bulkhead comes over the deck. The parts of the bulkhead that come over the deck are referred as the bulkhead horns.
The deck planks of a real ship are actually made of teak with the measurements of either 6, 9 or 12 feet and may vary in width from 6-12 inches. The width of the deck planks will depend on the type of model you are using to build.
In earlier days, if a person holds a plank owner certificate means the certificate shows that the person was on the ship when it was commissioned. Now the person is referred as a veteran. The veteran can write to Naval Historical Centre’s Curator Branch and request for a piece of deck planking. The Naval Historical Centre’s Curator Branch checks whether the veteran has fulfilled the required criteria or not. If it is proved that the veteran has fulfilled the criteria, then he will receive the small section of deck.
Obtaining Planking from the Curator Branch
The Curator Branch worked with the veteran reunion groups to identify the planking eligibility. For further distribution, all the planking in Command’s custody has been donated to the veteran reunion groups.
If the plank owner is willing to get a small section of the deck, he needs to submit the plank owner certificate or a copy of official statement of service proving that he was on the ship while ship was commissioned. The respective reunion group’s representative will verify the deck planking and then allots a section of deck to the plank owner.
Types of Plank Owner Certificate Templates for various purposes
We have compiled a list of plank owner certificate templates that are useful for various ceremonies in military and navy. Have a look!
Coast Guard Plank Owner Certificate Template
Coast Guard Plank Owner Certificate Template is useful in ceremonies conducted in armed forces or Navy conducting ship’s commissioning and decommissioning. Our templates are available for no cost.
Navy Plank Owner Certificate
Create official Navy plank owner certificates for any occasions regarding shore command using our wide variety of premium templates. We have a variety of templates available with variety of designs, graphics, and illustrations.
Plank Owner Certificate
High quality Plank Owner Certificate template designs for the ship’s commissioning occasions. You do not need any special software, we have free editable certificate templates ready for you to download.
Plank Owner Certificate Frame
Are you looking for Plank Owner Certificate frames or vectors!? If so, you are at the right place exquisite Plank Owner Certificate frames with template vector. All these sources are free.
Replacement Plank Owner Certificate
Find the best replacement plank owner certificate templates displaying all the relevant information that is required for a military-issued document. Free to download.
Tiffany Plank Owner Certificate
Make the ship and shore commissioning more memorable for hundreds and thousands of service members and their families with these free downloadable and editable Tiffany Plank Owner Certificate templates.
Conclusion
The responsibility of being a plank owner is very demanding and fast paced. It’s a tremendous rewarding opportunity that sets high standards for those who are seeking a challenge. Download our professional and stunning plank owner certificate templates to make your Navy ships commissioning and decommissioning ceremonies memorable forever. Free to download and print.
