From 2008 but now more relevant than ever:
http://thecrossedpond.com/2008/03/07/sea-stories-nicknames-are-bad/After 24 years of naval service, I feel comfortable providing an addendum to the standard Laws of the Navy; Excepting aviators, it is nearly always a bad sign if your boss has a nickname. Smokin Joe. Iron Mike. Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler. If assigned to a ship with one of these bastards in charge, you are well and truly screwed. . . . Don’t get me wrong: These guys are almost always supremely competent and highly effective in the right circumstances. Frequently they are assigned to a specific unit because of their reputation, perhaps as a “fixer” for a ship or command experiencing a particularly troubling problem. I have worked for several nicknames. In the late 1990’s, I was in a squadron of destroyers and frigates lead by Commodore Smokin’ Joe. . . .
Smokin Joe was a bit of an anomaly: unfailingly polite, relentlessly calm, unflappable. I can recall no instance in which he raised his voice or cursed any sailor. He was an intellectual, brilliant, highly educated, and in continual need of a haircut. He was possessed of a work ethic like I have never seen. He had the energy of three men, all of it directed exclusively into his job. And as a matter of deeply held faith, Smokin’ Joe believed that everyone else in his sphere of influence should as well. . . .
When he left, the officer wardrooms of four navy ships breathed a collective sigh of relief. Finally, we could operate like a normal squadron. We could run our ships and departments, rather than the Commodore trying to do it by proxy. We were happy as clams. At first. . . . And almost without even realizing it, certainly without recognizing the absurdity of it, we caught ourselves noting aloud that “This wouldn’t have happened under Smokin’ Joe.” Against all odds, we missed our old staff. We missed their near infallibility, their supreme competence, their constant push for better and more.
Things didn’t work out too well for
Smokin’ Joe. He only made three stars, and now has to work with
these blokes. But at least he got to command some ships for a while.
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