Petty Officer (Royal Navy)

A supervisory rate of the Royal Navy, around OR-6 in NATO terms, the senior technical rate of a department.

Overview

Royal Navy Petty Officer descends directly from the petty officers of the sailing navy, the minor officials who ran specific functions under the boatswain and gunner. The modern PO wears two badges and holds supervisory technical authority, around OR-6, the working equivalent of an Army sergeant to colour sergeant level. POs run sections, qualify as senior watchkeepers, and assess junior sailors. The petty officer branch structure was overhauled in the nineteenth century and remains the backbone of the fleet. Lord Nelson rose by the lieutenant route, but every rating today climbs through petty officer toward warrant rank.