Bundesarchiv N 1603 Bild-036, Rumänien, Marine-Filmberichter Horst Grund

(, ) is a naval rank, of German origin, used by a number of countries. The term is derived from the

low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

(

comrade The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also ...

). Via the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...

, the word became a nautical term and described the assistant to a

deck officer The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant ...

. Since the second half of the 17th century were the lowest class of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s aboard a warship.

Denmark

Estonia

Germany

However, Maate is also the collective name to all junior NCO-ranks (ranks: Maat, Seekadett, and Obermaat) in the modern day's ''German Navy''. In navy context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as ''Herr/ Frau Maat'' also informally / short ''Maat''. The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group is as follows:
''

Unteroffizier ohne Portepee (), is the designation for German junior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in the German Armed Forces. The category was a division of the NCO class, separating junior NCOs from ''Unteroffiziere mit Portepee'', or senior NCOs (who wore the swo ...

'' *OR-5:

Obermaat '' Obermaat '' is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and earlier other German-speaking armed forces. Bundeswehr '' Obermaat '' (OMaat or in lists OMT) is a rank of the German Navy. It belongs to the particular rank group NCO's without portepee ...

/ (Heer/ Luftwaffe)

Stabsunteroffizier ''Stabsunteroffizier'' is a military rank of the German Bundeswehr. It was preceded by the rank ''Unterfeldwebel'' that was used between 1935 and 1945 in the armed forces of Nazi Germany, the Wehrmacht. The East German National People's Army used t ...

*OR-5:

Seekadett ''Seekadett'' (short SKad or SK; ,Langenscheidt´s Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English and German language: „Der Große Muret-Sander“, Part II German-English, Second Volume L–Z, 8th edition 1999, ; p. 1.381 ) is a military rank of the B ...

Fahnenjunker ''Fahnenjunker'' (short Fhj or FJ, en, officer cadet; ) is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and of some former German armed forces. In earlier German armed forces it was also the collective name for many officer aspirant ranks. It was establis ...

*OR-5: Maat /

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name t ...

History

In the

Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy (German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy (German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian Navy was created in 1701 from the f ...

and the

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term wa ...

''Maate'' were ''

Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee (), is the designation for German junior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in the German Armed Forces. The category was a division of the NCO class, separating junior NCOs from ''Unteroffiziere mit Portepee'', or senior NCOs (who wore the swo ...

''. According to their specialization, ''Maate'' would be known as e.g. ''Steuermannsmaat'' (

Coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boat ...

's Mate), ''Feuerwerksmaat'' (

Ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...

Mate), ''

Bootsmannsmaat () was, in the Austro-Hungarian Navy (1786-1918), an enlisted rank and, in the Imperial German Navy, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank.BROCKHAUS, The encyclopedia in 24 volumes (1796–2001), Volume 13: 3-7653-3673-4, page 699 Austria-Hun ...

'' (

Boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervi ...

's Mate) or ''Maschinistenmaat'' ( Machinist's Mate). ''Maate'' were recruited among conscripts who volunteered to serve for a minimum of six years. After approximately four years they could expect to become ''Maat''. Re-enlistment was common but in most specialities the career options would end with achieving the rank of ''Obermaat''; only after 18 years in service was a promotion as supernumary ''

Vizefeldwebel ''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occup ...

'' possible, and only if there was a billet open. The 1914/15 naval budget included 7857 billets for ''Maate'' and 5237 for ''Obermaate''.Deutsche Militärgeschichte 1648-1939. Vol. VIII, p.283,285,292.

Kriegsmarine

Poland

References

Naval ranks of Germany {{mil-rank-stub