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Navy NEC · Engineering

B09A Crane Operator

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

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Overview

A crane operator conducts hook block, clamshell, dragline, and pile driving operations. The operator calculates loads, assembles and disassembles booms, rigs cranes with specialized attachments, and applies proper lifting and pile driving techniques.

Core Skills

  • Load calculations for hook block lifts
  • Crane boom assembly and disassembly
  • Clamshell and dragline attachment rigging
  • Pile driving attachment rigging and operation

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Crane and Tower Operators

Hook block operations, load calculations, boom assembly and lifting techniques transfer directly to civilian crane operation.

How to prepare: Arrange supervised training and a practical skills assessment on the civilian crane type you intend to operate, focusing on load-capacity checks and lift execution.

What the civilian work involves
  • Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
  • Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Crane operation control software

Pile Driver Operators

Military experience rigging pile driving attachments and performing pile driving directly overlaps with civilian pile driver operation.

How to prepare: Seek supervised familiarization with a contractor's piling leads and hammer controls, practicing pile positioning and depth control.

What the civilian work involves
  • Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.
  • Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
  • Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.

Riggers

Rigging clamshell, dragline and pile driving attachments, together with load calculations and lifting techniques, provides a foundation for civilian load rigging.

How to prepare: Complete hands-on rigging practice focused on selecting gear for load weight and size and testing rigging before a lift.

What the civilian work involves
  • Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
  • Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.

Notes & Sources

  • For covered construction crane work, including covered crane-based pile driving, independent operation generally requires applicable operator certification or licensing plus an employer evaluation; state or local licensing may also apply. Supervised operator-in-training routes allow training before certification.
Evidence for this guidance (4 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC B09A

    [1] NEC entry "B09A - Crane Operator"; cached text line 2081; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Load calculations for hook block lifts, Crane boom assembly and disassembly, Clamshell and dragline attachment rigging, Pile driving attachment rigging and operation, Crane and Tower Operators (O*NET 53-7021.00), Pile Driver Operators (O*NET 47-2072.00), Riggers (O*NET 49-9096.00)

  2. O*NET: Crane and Tower Operators

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Crane and Tower Operators (O*NET 53-7021.00)

  3. O*NET: Pile Driver Operators

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Pile Driver Operators (O*NET 47-2072.00)

  4. O*NET: Riggers

    [4] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Riggers (O*NET 49-9096.00)

Defense contractor jobs for B09A

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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