If indeed he was on a Navy ship then he had to use their equipment and have
the approval of the ships CommO etc...
If he was on a capitol shipcarrier etc it is possible they had a club
station but even then they would normally require the operator to show proof
of an amateur license.
I think
Last week, while tuning around on 20 meters,I heard a
conversion between a VK station and a US military aircraft. The Australian
ham ask the air mobile operator if he had a ham call and the answer was
no. The operator on the aircraft said that he was bored up there on a long
flight and just
