Petty officer
A petty officer or PO ( English petty 'small' , 'minor') is a rank in the rank group of NCOs in the naval forces of English-speaking countries, best known in the US Navy .
In the British Royal Navy and other navies in the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent rank is the Leading Rate .
The PO is usually a specialist or person responsible for a small group of team ranks .
In the US Navy, the rank is divided into three classes depending on seniority and responsibility, with the Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) being the lowest. Since the petty officer actually represents a rank group, he can best be compared to the mates of the German Navy . The equivalent ranks of the other US armed services are Corporal , Sergeant and Staff Sergeant ( USMC and USA ) and Senior Airman, Staff Sergeant and Technical Sergeant ( USAF ). The NATO rank codes are OR-6 for PO1 to OR-4 for PO3.
Usage designations
Petty officers are on the one hand responsible and on the other hand technology specialists. Each PO has a rank ( rate ) and a usage designation ( rating ), similar to the MOS in the other armed forces . The full title of a PO is therefore made up of these two titles. A PO3 whose usage name is Machinist's Mate is correctly called Machinist's Mate Third Class . The term PO is only used in general to e.g. B. to designate a group of POs or a PO whose use name is unknown.
Each usage designation has an official abbreviation, for example MM for Machinist's Mate , BM for Boatswain's Mate or YN for Yeoman . When this abbreviation is combined with the rank, an abbreviation for the particular PO is created, e.g. B. BM3 for Boatswain's Mate Third Class . A PO is usually treated with this abbreviation in correspondence and when printing names. Often the PO is addressed only with his abbreviation without his surname. B. a PO3 (MM) Miller only called MM3 .
In the fabric variants of the ranks on the upper sleeve, the symbol for the designation can be found in the middle.
Service stripes
The NCOs of the US Navy wear so-called service stripes on the left sleeve of their A-class uniform (not on the daily service uniform). Each of these red bars represents four years of service. There is also a gold version worn by NCOs who have been in service for at least twelve years and are free from disciplinary action.
Illustrations of the badges of rank
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Petty Officer First Class ( Boatswain's Mate ) PO1 |
Petty Officer Second Class ( Boatswain's Mate ) PO2 |
Petty Officer Third Class ( Boatswain's Mate ) PO3 |
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| E-6 | E-5 | E-4 |
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