Able Seaman (rank)
Encyclopedia
In the British
Royal Navy
in the middle of the 18th century, the term able seaman (abbreviated AB) referred to a seaman
with at least two years' experience at sea. Seamen with less experience were referred to as landmen
or ordinary seamen
.
the previous year. Included in these reforms were, for the first time, separate pay scales for more experienced seamen. It distinguished between an ordinary seaman and an able seaman. The higher ranked able seaman could steer, use the lead
and work aloft, traditionally to “hand, reef, and steer.” An able seaman received about 25% higher pay than an ordinary seaman.
In time of war (such as the Seven Years' War
or the Napoleonic Wars
), with many more warship
s in service, the navy, merchant marine, and privateer
s competed ferociously for the limited pool of able seamen, leading to the unpopular use of impressment
by the Royal Navy to keep its ships manned. In peacetime, with many fewer active warships, there was usually a surplus of unemployed able seamen willing to work in the navy. As late as the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy's practice of stopping American ships to press supposed American sailors, who were in fact British subjects, into involuntary service, was one of the main factors leading to the War of 1812
with the United States.
, Able Seaman (AB) is the second-lowest of the non-commissioned member
ranks, ranking above Ordinary Seaman
and below Leading Seaman
. Able Seamen wear a single gold chevron, point down, as an insignia of rank; it is worn on the upper part of both sleeves of the Service Dress tunic, and on slip-ons on both shoulders on other uniforms.
Able Seaman is the equivalent rank to Private (Trained), or simply Private
, in the Army
and Air Force
. In French
the rank is called Matelot de 2e classe.
The ranks are following:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the middle of the 18th century, the term able seaman (abbreviated AB) referred to a seaman
Seaman
Seaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
with at least two years' experience at sea. Seamen with less experience were referred to as landmen
Landman (rank)
Landman was a military rank given to naval recruits.-United Kingdom:In the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom in the middle of the 18th century , the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea...
or ordinary seamen
Ordinary Seaman (rank)
In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term ordinary seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so rated by their captain...
.
Royal Navy
In 1653 the Royal Navy introduced a new pay scale as part of reforms following defeat in the Battle of DungenessBattle of Dungeness
The naval Battle of Dungeness took place on 10 December 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the cape of Dungeness in Kent.- Background :...
the previous year. Included in these reforms were, for the first time, separate pay scales for more experienced seamen. It distinguished between an ordinary seaman and an able seaman. The higher ranked able seaman could steer, use the lead
Sounding line
A sounding line or lead line is a length of thin rope with a plummet, generally of lead, at its end. Regardless of the actual composition of the plummet, it is still called a "lead."...
and work aloft, traditionally to “hand, reef, and steer.” An able seaman received about 25% higher pay than an ordinary seaman.
In time of war (such as the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
or the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
), with many more warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s in service, the navy, merchant marine, and privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s competed ferociously for the limited pool of able seamen, leading to the unpopular use of impressment
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
by the Royal Navy to keep its ships manned. In peacetime, with many fewer active warships, there was usually a surplus of unemployed able seamen willing to work in the navy. As late as the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy's practice of stopping American ships to press supposed American sailors, who were in fact British subjects, into involuntary service, was one of the main factors leading to the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
with the United States.
Notable Able Seamen
Some notable Able Seamen from the Royal Navy include:- Simon (cat)Simon (cat)Simon was the ship's cat who served on the Royal Navy sloop HMS Amethyst. In 1949, during the Yangtze Incident, he received the PDSA's Dickin Medal after surviving injuries from a cannon shell, raising morale, and killing off a rat infestation during his service.-Origin:Simon was found wandering...
, ship's cat on HMS Amethyst, promoted to Able Seaman in the Royal Navy. Also said to have been promoted to "Able Seacat" - Just NuisanceJust NuisanceJust Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who from 1939-44 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon's Town, South Africa...
, a Great DaneGreat DaneThe Great Dane , also known as German Mastiff or Danish Hound , is a breed of domestic dog known for its giant size...
in the Royal Navy, famous for his dislike of officers and liking of ordinary sailors. - Alistair MacLeanAlistair MacLeanAlistair Stuart MacLean was a Scottish novelist who wrote popular thrillers or adventure stories, the best known of which are perhaps The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra and Where Eagles Dare, all three having been made into successful films...
, author - Sir Fairfax Moresby, English admiral of the Fleet, entered the Navy as an AB
- William Charles WilliamsWilliam Charles WilliamsWilliam Charles Williams VC was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, recipient of the Victoria Cross - William G. V. Williams, first recorded Australian casualty in World War 1. He was actually part of the Royal Australian Navy and was an Able Seaman. He died on the 11th September 1914 in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea as part of the Australian expeditionary force that captured the former German colony called German New Guinea. He is buried in the Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery in Kopoko that is near Rabaul on the island of New Britain, being part of Papua New Guinea.
- George HinckleyGeorge HinckleyGeorge Hinckley VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
, recipient of the Victoria Cross - William BlighWilliam BlighVice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
, best known as "Captain Bligh" for the famous mutiny that occurred against his command aboard HMS Bounty, entered the Navy as an AB - Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Perry WallisProvo WallisAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Perry Wallis, GCB was a Royal Navy officer and naval war hero. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was 100 years old when he died....
entered the Navy as an AB at age four - William Alfred SavageWilliam Alfred SavageWilliam Alfred Savage VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
, recipient of the Victoria Cross - Albert Edward McKenzieAlbert Edward McKenzieAlbert Edward McKenzie VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
, recipient of the Victoria Cross - Edward RobinsonEdward Robinson (VC)Edward Robinson VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
, recipient of the Victoria Cross - Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet, English admiral, entered the Navy as an AB
- Michael ByrneMichael Byrne (sailor)Michael Byrne was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1761. He went to sea as an able seaman at the age of 19. He had served on five naval ships by 1787, when he was signed as an able seaman by Captain Bligh on the Bounty, primarily to play the fiddle...
, signed as an able seaman by Captain Bligh on the Bounty primarily to play the fiddle - Matthew QuintalMatthew QuintalMatthew Quintal was an Cornish able seaman and mutineer aboard HMS Bounty. His surname was, in all probability, the result of mis-spelling the Cornish surname "Quintrell". He was the last of the mutineers to be murdered on Pitcairn Island...
, able seaman and mutineer aboard HMS Bount - Kate NesbittKate NesbittKate Louise Nesbitt MC is the first female member of the British Royal Navy, and the second woman in the British Armed Forces, to be awarded the Military Cross...
, first female recipient of the Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in the Royal Navy
Canadian Navy
In the Canadian NavyCanadian Forces Maritime Command
The Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...
, Able Seaman (AB) is the second-lowest of the non-commissioned member
Non-commissioned member
A non-commissioned member , in the Canadian Forces, is defined in the Queen's Regulations and Orders as:"… any person, other than an officer, who is enrolled in, or who pursuant to law is attached or seconded otherwise than as an officer to, the Canadian Forces…" Thus, an NCM is any member who is...
ranks, ranking above Ordinary Seaman
Ordinary Seaman (rank)
In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term ordinary seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so rated by their captain...
and below Leading Seaman
Leading Seaman
Leading seaman is a junior non-commissioned rank or rate in navies, particularly those of the Commonwealth. When it is used by NATO nations, leading seaman has the rank code of OR-4. It is often equivalent to the army and air force rank of corporal and some navies use corporal rather than...
. Able Seamen wear a single gold chevron, point down, as an insignia of rank; it is worn on the upper part of both sleeves of the Service Dress tunic, and on slip-ons on both shoulders on other uniforms.
Able Seaman is the equivalent rank to Private (Trained), or simply Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
, in the Army
Canadian Forces Land Force Command
The Canadian Army , previously called Land Force Command, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. The current size of the Army is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers...
and Air Force
Canadian Forces Air Command
The Royal Canadian Air Force , formerly Canadian Forces Air Command, is one of three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
. In French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
the rank is called Matelot de 2e classe.
The ranks are following:
- Ordinary Seaman
- Able Seaman
- Leading Seaman
- Master Seaman
- Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Petty Officer 1st Class
- Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Chief Petty Officer 1st Class