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| His Majesty's Naval Service of the British Armed Forces |
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| Components |
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| History and future |
| Ships |
| Personnel |
| Auxiliary services |
This is a list of Royal Navy ratings rank insignia. [1]
| |
| His Majesty's Naval Service of the British Armed Forces |
|---|
| Components |
|
| History and future |
| Ships |
| Personnel |
| Auxiliary services |
This is a list of Royal Navy ratings rank insignia. [1]
| NATO Code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom Rank Insignia (View) |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Rank Title: | Warrant Officer 1 | Warrant Officer 2 | Chief Petty Officer | Petty Officer | Leading Rating | Able Rating | |
| Abbreviation: | WO1 | WO2 [lower-alpha 1] | CPO | PO | LH | AB | |
| NATO Code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom Rank Insignia (View) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |
| Rank Title: | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 2 | Colour sergeant | Sergeant | Corporal | Lance corporal | Marine | ||
| Abbreviation: | WO1 | WO2 | CSgt | Sgt | Cpl | LCpl | Mne | ||
Ratings in the Royal Navy include trade badges on the right sleeve to indicate a specific job. The information on the left arm is the individual's rate - e.g. a leading rate (commonly called a leading hand). One nickname is "Killick", for the Killick-anchor rate badge. Branch badges include stars and crowns above and below the branch logo, indicating an individual's qualification within their branch. One star indicates they have passed the required exam in order to be eligible to be selected for the Leading Rates course in their respective branch. Two stars indicates they have completed the Leading Rates course and are now eligible to study for the Petty Officers (PO) Professional Qualifying Exam (PQE). A crown indicates they have passed the relevant PQE and are eligible to be Petty Officer. The insignia denotes trade and specialty.
Trades in the Royal Navy are listed below. Branch sub-specialities are denoted with an abbreviation on the branch badge. [2] Ratings in the Marine Engineering and Medical branches may obtain "Dolphins" (qualify for the Royal Navy Submarine Service). Some personnel have an additional option to pass the All Arms Commando Course and serve attached to the Royal Marines. The branches were reviewed, revised and published in the Royal Navy's June 2013 BR3 (Book of Reference) edition (now the June 2015 edition).
| Branch | Titles | Designator |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon Engineering | Engineering Technician | ET |
| Marine Engineering [fn 1] | ||
| Engineering Technician | ET [fn 2] | |
| Marine Engineering Artificer | MEA | |
| Marine Engineering Mechanic | MEM | |
| Air Engineering [fn 3] [3] | ||
| Air Engineering Technician | AET | |
| Air Engineering Artificer | AEA | |
| Air Engineering Mechanic | AEM [4] [5] [6] |
| Branch | Titles | Designator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logistics | Logistician | Writer | Wtr |
| Supply Chain | SC | ||
| Catering Services (merges Chef and Steward as of 2019) | CS [7] | ||
| Branch | Titles | Designator |
|---|---|---|
| Medical | ||
| Medical Assistant | MA [fn 1] | |
| Medical Technician | MT | |
| Medical | Medical Technician Operating Department Practitioner | MT(ODP) |
| Medical | Medical Technician Pharmacy Dispenser | MT(PD) |
| QARNNS | Naval Nurse | NN [8] [9] |
| Branch | Titles | Designator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service | Warfare Specialist | Abovewater Warfare Weapons (AWW) | WS |
| Abovewater Warfare Tactical (AWT) | |||
| Underwater Warfare (UW) | |||
| Electronic Warfare (EW) | |||
| Intelligence (INT) [10] | |||
| Communication Information Systems Specialist | CIS | ||
| Cryptologic Technician [11] | CT | ||
| Diver [12] | D | ||
| Hydrographic & Meteorological Specialist | HM [fn 1] | ||
| Mine Warfare Specialist | MW | ||
| Royal Navy Police | Master-at-arms (Chief Petty Officers), Regulator (Other Ratings) | RNP | |
| Seamanship | SEA | ||
| Survey Recorder | SR | ||
| Weapons Analyst | WA | ||
| Fleet Air Arm | |||
| Naval Airman | Aircraft Handler (AH) | NA [fn 2] | |
| Aircraft Controller (AC) | |||
| Survival Equipment (SE) | |||
| Aircrewman - Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) [fn 3] | ACMN | ||
| Submarine Service | Coxswain (Submarine) | Coxn(SM) | |
| Communication Information Systems Specialist Submarine | CISSM | ||
| Warfare Specialist | Tactical Submarine (TSM) | WS [13] [14] [15] [16] | |
| Sensors Submarine (SSM) | |||
| Insignia | Description |
|---|---|
| Basic device | on entering a sub-branch Able Rate, AB class 2, under training |
| Basic device with star above | on qualifying professionally for Able Rate, AB class 1, operationally trained to carry out basic tasks and expected to train for next level as Leading Hand. |
| Basic device with star above and star below | on qualifying professionally for Leading Rate, able to carry out complex tasks and lead others and expected to train for next level as Petty Officer. |
| Basic device with crown above | on qualifying professionally for Petty Officer, able to command, instruct others and carry out more complex tasks. |
| Basic device with crown above worn on the on both lapels on number 1 dress. | Chief Petty Officers attain no additional professional qualification, able to show advanced leadership, training abilities and perform the most complex tasks. |
The Seaman and Naval Airman branches were:
| Insignia | Description |
|---|---|
| Basic device | Junior or Basic |
| Basic device with star above | "Star" or third-class part II or specialist qualification (PO and below) |
| Basic device with star above and star below | Second-class part II or specialist qualification (PO and below) |
| Basic device with crown above | First-class part II or specialist qualification (PO and below) |
| Basic device with crown above | Second-class or lower part II or specialist qualification (CPO) |
| Basic device with crown above star below | First-class part II or specialist qualification (CPO) |
| Basic device with crown above two stars below | Chief petty officers, petty officers and confirmed |
Leading rates qualified as instructors in the following branches:
The instructor rate began to disappear in 1972, when fleet chief petty officers (warrant officers) were introduced.
Other branches, including Naval Air Mechanics, were:
.*not applicable to Coder, Supply and Secretariat, Artisan and Sick Birth Branches
Before 1947, each branch developed its own device badges and the crowns and stars of one branch did not necessarily have the same meaning as another. In 1948 and 1951, reforms were implemented to bring the branches into line with each other. A star above the badge normally indicates a person of superior qualifications, and another star below denotes that the person has passed for (and is performing) specific duties; e.g. gunnery, captain of turret, torpedo, torpedo-boat coxswain or signals. The crown is the emblem of authority, and is common in most petty officer, CPO, instructor and police badges.
Warrant officers and above do not wear branch badges. Until the late 1990s, artificer apprentices and leading artificers wore the same uniform as petty officers (with a red beret or cap badge, similar to a petty officer's). Apprentices were the last junior ratings not to be dressed as seamen; they did not wear "square rig".
In 1879 Chief Petty Officers received a fore-and-aft uniform similar to that of the officers, with a cap badge of an anchor within a cord surmounted by a crown. In 1890, they ceased to wear an arm badge. In 1913, the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class was abolished but the other badges remained the same.
In 1920, petty officers with four years' standing also received the fore-and-aft rig with the cap badge formerly worn by CPOs. The CPOs added a wreath to their cap badge, making it similar to the earlier arm badge.
In 1970 a new rank of Fleet chief petty officer was introduced, with insignia of the royal coat of arms on the lower arm (identical to a warrant officer class 1 in the army and RAF, to which the new rank was equivalent). This rank was renamed warrant officer, and then warrant officer class 1.
In 2004 the rank of warrant officer class 2 was formed from those CPOs holding the appointment of charge chief petty officer. The insignia is a crown within a wreath, also worn on the lower arm. The badges are now worn on the shoulders of 3A/B and 4A/B. Chevrons on the left sleeve, below the rank badge, are for long service and good conduct (one for each four-year period; no more than three may be worn). A chief petty officer in the blue uniform wears three buttons on their sleeves to indicate rank, the same rank insignia (but topped with a star) used by Chilean Navy midshipmen. The WO2 rank began to be phased out in April 2014 for most branches except Submariner engineers, with no new appointments; existing holders of the rank retain it until they are promoted or leave the service. [17] It now has been re-instated due to the Navy Command Transformation Programme. [18]
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Marines Band Service |  |  |  |  |   |   |   |   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 2, Bandmaster | Drum major Bugle major | Colour sergeant bugler Band colour sergeant | Sergeant bugler Band sergeant | Corporal bugler Band corporal | Lance corporal bugler Band lance corporal | Musician | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned officer ranks, the most senior of the non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks, or in a separate category of their own. Warrant officer ranks are especially prominent in the militaries of Commonwealth nations and the United States.
This is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Armed Forces. As the Canadian Armed Forces is officially bilingual, the French language ranks are presented following the English.
A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer.
Senior Chief Petty Officer(SCPO) is an enlisted rank in the navies of some countries.
A master chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above some grade of petty officer.
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers.
Petty officer first class (PO1) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations.
The Submarine Warfare Insignia are worn by qualified submariners.
A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy Scouts, civil defence organisations, ambulance services, customs services, fire services etc.
"Other ranks" (ORs) is the term used to refer to all ranks below officers in the British Army and the Royal Marines. It includes warrant officers, non-commissioned officers ("NCOs") and ordinary soldiers with the rank of private or regimental equivalent. Officers may, in speaking, distinguish themselves from those "in the ranks".
Insignias and badges of the United States Navy are military badges issued by the United States Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Navy. Most naval aviation insignia are also permitted for wear on uniforms of the United States Marine Corps.
A peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover, or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It derives its name from its short visor, or peak, which was historically made of polished leather but increasingly is made of a cheaper synthetic substitute.
Before Unification as the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Canadian military had three distinct services: the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Army. All three services had a Regular (full-time) component and a reserve (part-time) component. The rank structure for these services were based on the services of the British military, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the British Army. The change to a "Canadian" rank structure meant that many of the traditional (British) rank titles and insignia were removed or changed.
The uniforms of the United States Navy include dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, and uniforms for special situations, which have varied throughout the history of the navy. For simplicity in this article, officers refers to both commissioned officers and warrant officers.
These are the official Royal Navy Officer ranks ordered by rank. These ranks are now part of the NATO/United Kingdom ranks, including modern and past.
The Australian Defence Force's (ADF) ranks of officers and enlisted personnel in each of its three service branches of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) inherited their rank structures from their British counterparts. The insignia used to identify these ranks are also generally similar to those used in the British Armed Forces.
A warrant officer (WO) in the British Armed Forces is a member of the highest-ranking group of non-commissioned ranks, holding the King's Warrant, which is signed by the Secretary of State for Defence.
The Kriegsmarine was the navy of Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II. Kriegsmarine uniform design followed that of the preexisting Reichsmarine, itself based on that of the First World War Kaiserliche Marine. Kriegsmarine styles of uniform and insignia had many features in common with those of other European navies, all derived from the British Royal Navy of the 19th century, such as officers' frock coats, sleeve braid, and the "sailor suit" uniform for enlisted personnel and petty officers.
Personnel will no longer specialise in the following legacy trades Electrical (L) and Radio (R)
