Boatswain's mate (United States Navy)
Boatswain's Mate | |
---|---|
Issued by | United States Navy |
Type | Enlisted rating |
Abbreviation | BM |
Specialty | Deck |
The United States Navy occupational rating of boatswain's mate (abbreviated as BM) is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted members who were rated or "striking" for the rating as a deck seaman. The colloquial form of address for a boatswain's mate is "Boats".
The rating of Boatswain's Mate dates from the American Revolutionary War and is one of the oldest U.S. Navy ratings in continuous existence from 1775 to present. For a period of three months at the end of 2016, the rating (along with all ratings in the Navy) was scheduled for elimination, but the proposed change was unpopular with both sailors and Navy veterans and was reversed in December of that year.[1]
Duties
Abbreviation | Title | Rank |
BMCM | Master Chief Boatswain's Mate | Master Chief Petty Officer
|
BMCS | Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate | Senior Chief Petty Officer
|
BMC | Chief Boatswain's Mate | Chief Petty Officer
|
BM1 | Boatswain's Mate First Class | Petty Officer First Class
|
BM2 | Boatswain's Mate Second Class | Petty Officer Second Class
|
BM3 | Boatswain's Mate Third Class | Petty Officer Third Class
|
SNBM | Seaman Boatswains’s Mate | Seaman |
Boatswain's Mates train, direct, and supervise personnel in ship's maintenance duties in all activities relating to marlinspike, deck, boat seamanship, painting, upkeep of ship's external structure, rigging, deck equipment, and boats.[3] Boatswain's mates take charge of working parties; perform seamanship tasks; act as petty officer-in-charge of picketboats, self-propelled barges, tugs, and other yard and district craft.[3] They serve in, or take charge of damage control parties.[3] BMs also operate and maintain equipment used in loading and unloading cargo, ammunition, fuel, and general stores.[3] BMs take charge of and supervise UNREP (Underway Replenishment) procedures and equipment. They are integral to ship's navigation and serve as ship's Helmsman and the ship's Lee Helmsman. In addition they also serve as RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) coxswains.
Boatswain's mates enjoy a normal path of advancement to Chief
Boatswain's mates also stand watch on ship's bridges, passing information relating to routine and special activities to the crew with the distinctive boatswain's call or boatswain's pipe.[4] On the ancient row-galleys, the boatswain used his pipe to "call the stroke".[5] Later, because its shrill tune could be heard above most of the activity on board, it was used to signal various happenings such as pipe down, and the Side or Away Galley (the boarding or debarking of officials).[5] So essential was this signaling device to the well-being of the ship, that it became a badge of office and honor in the British and U.S. navies.[5]
Boatswain's mates duties cover a large spectrum and range widely depending on the capacity and mission of the vessel or shore installation to which BMs are assigned. They act as landing signalmen enlisted (LSE, guiding helicopters to the designated flight deck of a ship) on air-capable ships. They act as or supervise lookouts of Navy ships, searching the sea for enemy vessels and hazards to navigation. They conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and can respond to other military and civilian ships that request assistance. Ashore, they provide armed security for either their assigned vessel or for their assigned Naval installation.
Boatswains' mates are also a source rating for the Navy's mobile amphibious community. These duties include assault boat coxswain and Craftmaster, navigating specialized assault or working vessels during amphibious operations, salvage work, or inshore work. They are also a recognized source rating for the U.S. Navy's Special Warfare and Special Operations communities. Should a Boatswain's Mate meet eligibility requirements, he can elect to become an SO (formerly
- Note: The Boatswain's is one of the four oldest professions in the U.S. Navy, along with Quartermasters (responsible for safe navigation, shiphandling, and chart/record maintenance), Gunner's Mates (responsible for maintenance and operation of gunnery equipment and associated systems) and Masters-at-Arms (responsible for maintaining order and enforcing regulations among a ship's crew or the complement of a shore installation).
Ship's boatswain
In the U.S. Navy, the ship's Boatswain is a Warrant Officer who serves as a subject matter expert and assists the
Background
The word
Originally, on board
The rank of boatswain was until recently the oldest active rank in Great Britain's
In 1040 when
The warranted officers were often the permanent members of the ships' companies.[10] They stayed with the ships in port between voyages as caretakers, supervising repairs and refitting.[10] Other crewmen and soldiers might change with each voyage.[10] Early in the fourteenth century, the purser joined the warrant officers.[10] He was originally "the clerk of burser."[10] During the following centuries the gunner, surgeon, chaplain, master-at-arms, schoolmaster and others signed on.[10]
In the Royal Navy the task of disciplining the crew fell to the
Notable boatswain's mates
A number of boatswain's mates have achieved notable careers in the military.
See also
- Boatswain
- List of United States Navy ratings
- Boatswain's mate (US Coast Guard)
- Bootsmann
References
- ^ David B Larter; Mark Faram (December 20, 2016). "Ratings restored: Effective immediately, sailors will get their job titles back". Navy Times.
- ISBN 9781557502087. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bureau of Naval Personnel. "Navy Enlisted Occupational Standards for Boatswains's Mate (BM)". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ USNI, 1992, 345–353.
- ^ a b c "Origin of Navy Terminology". Naval Historical Center. Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bureau of Naval Personnel (October 2006). Manual of Navy Officer Manpower and Personnel Classifications, Volume I, Major Code Structures. Department of the Navy. p. 150.
- ^ a b "Boatswain". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c Chisholm, 1911:100.
- ^ a b c "HMS Victory". royalnavy.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-01-13. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Why is the Colonel Called "Kernal"? The Origin of the Ranks and Rank Insignia Now Used by the United States Armed Forces" (PDF). Naval Historical Center. United States Navy. August 1983. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ^ "Ship's Namesake". USS Reuben James Official Website. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- Naval Historical Center (1981). "Wiley". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Navy. Archived from the originalon 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- Naval Historical Center (1981). "Hammerberg". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Navy. Archived from the originalon 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- Naval Historical Center (1997). "Navy Medal of Honor: Interim Period 1920-1940". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Navy. Archived from the originalon 1997-07-09. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "CPO Stephen Bass, U.S.N." LegionOfValor.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
Sources
- The Bluejackets' Manual (21st ed.). Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute. 1996 [1902]. ISBN 1-55750-050-9.
External links
- Enlisted Ratings and Jobs in the US Navy (Historical)
- NAVPERS 18068F Navy Enlisted Occupational Standards; also available as a PDF file
- Navy Ratings, Past and present Archived 2013-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Navy Speciality ratings & Emergency ratings Archived 2008-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Enlisted Rating Insignia
- Boatswain's Mate Job Description at the Royal Australian Navy
- Boatswain's Job Description at the Canadian Navy