concert with: aircraft handlers (yellow shirts), chocks and chains (blue shirts), plane captains (brown shirts), aviation maintenance technicians (green shirts), and various other aviation and shipboard ratings. ABFs additionally work in the bottom levels of a ship, such as the pump rooms and filter rooms where purifying fuel and then subsequently pumping refined fuels to their flight deck counterparts. Working lower levels of a ship earns one the title, "snipe"; concisely, lower levels of a ship remain excessively hot, dark, grimy, noisy, poorly ventilated, and unforgiving. Aviation boatswain's mates, handling Aviation boatswain's mates, handling (ABHs) play a major part in launching and recovering naval aircraft quickly and safely from land or ships. This includes aircraft handling, fire fighting and salvage and rescue operations. Later in their careers ABHs can earn the advanced AB rating that requires supervision of all these individual specialties. Other job assignments include deck edge elevator operator, working the spotting board in flight deck control, tractor driver, tractor king (who dispatches tractors, and supervises tractor drivers) and performs aircraft engine starting. Handlers also operate mobile crash cranes and mobile firefighting vehicles on the flight deck and hangar bay. ABHs can also be assigned to in-port fire crew, and damage control petty officer (DCPO), which are in charge of the material condition and battle readiness of divisional work spaces. The duties performed by ABHs include: Supervising the movement, spotting and securing of aircraft and equipment ashore and afloat. Often called "the salt of the deck", because they are the enlisted leaders of on deck. Performing crash rescue, fire fighting, crash removal and damage control duties in connection with launching and recovery of aircraft. Most of the work in this rating is performed outdoors on the deck of aircraft carriers, in all climatic conditions, in fast-paced and often potentially hazardous environments. ABHs work closely with others in aviation ratings.. References Extensive photos and description, by a World War II aviation boatswain's mate, illustrating typical scenes on the decks of World War II aircraft carriers United States Navy ratings