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This is a little known term commonly used to refer to Sailors. The word swab is known as a nautical term which means to mop, so the term “swabbie” will commonly refer to a lower ranking Navy enlistee who would have the duty of “swabbing” or mopping the deck of a ship.
I bet that you didn’t know that swab is an Army term also. Field Artillerymen have to swab the bore of the cannon after each round is fired to clean up the powder and cloth residue left from the powder bags. The swab resembles a giant Q tip. Swabbing the bore of the cannon is necessary for proper operation of the artillery piece and can prevent some pretty serious problems which could cause injury or death.
Since we are talking about things that need to be cleaned let me tell you this story. I have an assortment of military rings that people have ordered over the years that I have never cleaned. They still look so good that I use them to show to customers when they are interested in designing their own custom military ring.
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