Able seaman (rank)

This article is about the military rank. For the civilian occupation, seeable seaman.

Able seamanis amilitary rankused in some navies.

Australia

In theRoyal Australian Navy,able seaman (AB) is the second-lowest of thenon-commissioned memberranks, ranking aboveseamanand belowleading seaman.

Able seaman is the equivalent rank toLeading aircraftman,in theRoyal Australian Air ForceandPrivate Proficientin theAustralian Army.It is not equivalent toLance Corporalwhich is rated as E4, not E3 like the ranks of Able Seaman andLeading Aircraftsman.

Able Seamen with additional skills are denoted by modifications to the "AB" rank; for example photography skills which are acknowledged in the title Able Seaman Imagery Specialist, or ABIS.

Canada

In theRoyal Canadian Navy,sailor second class (previously able seaman until August 2020) is the second-lowest of thenon-commissioned memberranks, ranking abovesailor third classand belowsailor first class.Sailors second class 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.

In all trades, the rank is awarded on completion of 30 months of service, by which time all initial training is completed. Consequently, it is sometimes said that promotion to the rank of sailor second class means the recipient has lost their 'best excuse', on the theory that sailors third class are generally assumed to know nothing.

Sailor second class is the equivalent rank to private (trained), or simplyprivate,in theArmyandAir Force.In French the rank is calledmatelot de 2^eclasse.

In August 2020, the Royal Canadian Navy replaced the termseamanwith the gender-neutral termsailor.Able seamen are now referred to as "sailor second class".

United Kingdom

In 1653 the Royal Navy introduced a new pay scale as part of reforms following defeat in theBattle of Dungenessthe previous year. Included in these reforms were, for the first time, separate pay scales for more experienced seamen that distinguished between an ordinary seaman and an able seaman. The higher ranked able seaman was required to be competent in steering,use the leadand working aloft,and received about 25% higher pay than an ordinary seaman.

In the middle of the 18th century the term "able seaman" (abbreviatedAB) referred to aseamanwith more than two years experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty".Seamen with less experience are referred to aslandsmen(for the first year at sea) orordinary seamen(for the second).

In time of war (such as theSeven Years' Waror theNapoleonic Wars), with many morewarshipsin service, the navy, merchant marine, andprivateerscompeted ferociously for the limited pool of able seamen, leading to the unpopular use ofimpressmentby the Royal Navy to keep its ships manned. In peacetime, with 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 American sailors into involuntary service was one of the main factors leading to theWar of 1812with the United States.

Gallery

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  Able seaman
  (Antigua and Barbuda Coast Guard)
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  Able seaman
  (Royal Australian Navy)
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  Able marine
  (Royal Bahamas Defence Force)
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  Able seaman
  (Barbados Coast Guard)
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  ኤብል ሲማን
  Ēbili sīmani
  (Ethiopian Navy)
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  Able seaman
  (Guyana Coast Guard)
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  Able seaman
  Irish:Mairnéalach inniúil
  (Irish Naval Service)
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  Able seaman
  (Jamaican Coast Guard)
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  Able seaman
  (Namibian Navy)
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  Able rate
  (Royal New Zealand Navy)
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  Able seaman
  (Nigerian Navy)
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  Able seaman
  (Papua New Guinea Maritime Element)
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  Able seaman
  (Sierra Leone Navy)
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  Able seaman
  (South African Navy)
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  Able seaman
  (Royal Navy)