Ordinary seaman is a

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...

used in naval forces.

United Kingdom

In the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in the middle of the 18th century, the term ''ordinary seaman'' was used to refer to a

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough

seamanship Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics a ...

to be so rated by their captain.Lavery 1989, p. 129 A seaman with less than a year's experience was referred to as a landsman. One with more than two years' experience and considered "well acquainted with his duty" was referred to as an

able seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

. Later, the term was formalized as a rating for the lowest normal grade of

. They are not trained in any special task. They are required to work at physically hard tasks of great variety. One needs an Ordinary Seaman Certificate to obtain work. One can become an able seaman as a promotion from this position. In the modern Royal Navy the rank of Able Seaman is achieved by all recruits on completion of basic training ( HMS ''Raleigh'') and subsequent intensive training in the specialisation of choice. Thus the rank of Ordinary Seaman is obsolete. This is in line with increasing technical specialisation and ability of RN personnel.

United States

Ordinary seaman was the second-lowest rank of the 19th century

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, ranking above landsman and below

. Promotion from landsman to ordinary seaman required three years of experience or re-enlistment. An ordinary seaman who gained six years of experience and "knew the ropes", that is, knew the name and use of every line in the ship's

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts—''standing rigging'', including shrouds and stays—and which adjust the position of the vessel's sails and spars to which they are ...

, could be promoted to seaman. An ordinary seaman's duties aboard ship included "handling and splicing lines, and working aloft on the lower mast stages and yards." The rank existed from 1797 to 1917, when it was renamed "seaman second class". Seaman second class was later changed to the modern-day rank of

seaman apprentice Constructionman Apprenticevariation Fireman Apprenticevariation Airman Apprenticevariation Seaman Apprenticeinsignia Collarinsignia Seaman apprentice is the second lowest enlisted rate in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and ...

. The related ranks of ordinary seaman second class and ordinary seaman, engineer's force, existed in 1876–1885 and 1871–1883, respectively. The term is still in use in the

United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

for entry-level deck personnel; the common abbreviation is OS.

Other countries

The term ''ordinary seaman'' is currently used in the

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though preceded by earlier mar ...

. In the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

, the rank of sailor third class (previously ordinary seaman until August 2020) may be further qualified by the suffix "(B)" or "(R)." The "(R)" indicates a recruit undergoing basic training, and is dropped on successful graduation from CFLRS Saint-Jean, the Canadian military's all-services recruit training centre. The "(B)" suffix is then appended while the sailor undergoes seamanship training, initial trade training and onboard qualification. Once fully qualified to stand watches, the "(B)" is struck from the rank abbreviation.

References

Bibliography

* * N.A.M. Roger. ''The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy.'' W.W. Norton and Company, 1986. {{UK enlisted ranks Military ranks of the Commonwealth Military ranks of Canada Military ranks of Ireland Military ranks of the Royal Navy Military ranks of the United States Navy