Here's why there are so many colored shirts on an aircraft carrier's flight deck

ABOARD USS AMERICA  — The flight deck aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier is a pageant of organized chaos, orchestrated by a crew sporting jerseys that are as colorful as they are important.

Here's a brief explanation of what all the colored jerseys mean.

White

Personnel wearing white jerseys are responsible for overseeing safety on the flight deck. They also greet and escort visitors that come onboard along with a yellow jersey.

These were the first two people I saw upon arriving on the flight deck of USS America.

Yellow

In the yellow jerseys are aircraft handlers who are responsible for taxiing planes around the chaotic flight deck. Catapult and arresting gear officers and plane directors also wear yellow.

Purple

Purple-jerseyed personnel take care of all the fuel on the flight deck.