Dictionary

silent service en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (capitalized, informal, sometimes, uncountable, usually) The submarine service.
   • As befits advocates of the “Silent Service,” the Naval Submarine League keeps a low profile. 1986 August 4, Richard Halloran, “Washington Talk: Speaking Out for the Silent Service”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 Aug 2012:
   • A sailor with 33 years experience in the silent service and once a fabled commander of the Northern Fleet nuclear submarines, Chernov contends that the raising operation was intentionally launched as a cover-up to leave the Kursk on the sea floor. 2001 August 16, Yuri Zarakhovich, “Will We Ever Know What Sank the Kursk?”, in Time:
   • Germany has four times as many subs as when the war started. . . . The number of highly trained men in Berlin's silent service is limited. 1943 January 7, “News Behind the News”, in Modesto Bee, US, page 16:
2. (capitalized, dated, informal, possibly, sometimes, uncountable, usually) The navy.
   • Since then, the navy has recovered its identity but continues to pride itself on being the Silent Service. 1978 July 14, “Colonel Was Trained To Shoot From Hip”, in Montreal Gazette, Canada, retrieved 07 Aug 2012, page 5:
   • In true "silent service" tradition, the Royal Canadian Navy says little about itself. 1940 May 17, “Royal Canadian Navy Growing In Strength”, in Ottawa Citizen, Canada, retrieved 07 Aug 2012, page 9:
   • The Navy has long been known as the "silent service," and perhaps none of our naval leaders is as well known to the American public as any one of a number of generals. 1945 June 3, “Pacific Seadogs”, in New York Times, USA, page SM6:

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