What do we have to call it?
Navy: "Black Gang"
The
black gang are the members of a
ship's crew who work in the fire room/engine room;
[1] they are also called
stokers or
firemen.
[2] They are called "black" because of the soot and
coal dust that is thick in the air in the fire room/engine room. The term began being used in the days of the coal-fired steamships. The term is commonly used in the
United States Coast Guard and
United States Navy to describe personnel in "M" and "B" divisions.