Inmilitary terminology, arate orrating (also known asbluejacket in the United States) is a juniorenlisted sailor in anavy who is below themilitary rank ofwarrant officer. Depending on the country and navy that uses it, the exact term and the range of ranks that it refers to may vary.
In theRoyal Navy (RN) and other navies in theCommonwealth,rate andrating are interchangeably used to refer to an enlistedsailor who is ranked belowwarrant officers andcommissionedofficers, but may includepetty officers andchief petty officers. Specifically,rate is the term used to describe generically all members of all ranks below a warrant officer; whereasrating is part of the official name of individual specific ranks, such asAble Rating andLeading Rating.
The term comes from the general nautical usage of 'rating', to refer to a seaman's class or grade as recorded in the ship's books.[1] The system of conferring authority on sailors in the Royal Navy evolved through the recognition of competence:landsman,ordinary seaman,able seaman, through to the appointment of authority as apetty officer.
The general structure for ratings in the Royal Navy now used breaks down into four major groupings:[2]
| Rank group | Warrant officers | Senior ratings | Junior ratings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-2 |
| Arm insignia | _OR-9.svg) | _OR-8.svg) | _OR-7.svg) | _OR-6.svg) | _OR-4.svg) | No insignia | |
| Shoulder insignia |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Rank | Warrant officer 1 | Warrant officer 2 | Chief petty officer | Petty officer | Leading rating | Able rating | |
| Abbreviation | WO1 | WO2 | CPO | PO | LH | AB | |
In theUnited States Navy (USN), the termbluejacket is used instead to refer to enlisted sailors that rank below achief petty officer.[5] 'Bluejacket' derives itself from an item of clothing that was worn by junior enlisted sailors before 1886.[6] It was used especially when the sailors were deployed ashore asinfantry.[7]
In the United States Navy andUnited States Coast Guard, the termrate refers to an enlisted member'spay grade (i.e. relative seniority or rank), whilerating refers to occupational field. In the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, an enlisted sailor is most commonly addressed, both verbally and in correspondence, by a combination of their rate and rating rather than by rate alone, unlike in otherbranches of the armed forces. For example, a sailor whose rate is 'Petty Officer 1st Class' (pay grade E-6) and whose rating is 'boatswain's mate' would be addressed as 'Boatswain's Mate 1st Class' (abbreviated BM1). However, it is also correct to address sailors in pay grades E-4 through E-6 simply as 'petty officer' (e.g. 'Petty Officer Jane Smith') and pay grades E-7, E-8, and E-9 are addressed as 'Chief', 'Senior Chief', or 'Master Chief' respectively. Pay grades E-3 and below maybe referred to as their rate and rating, a Gunner's Mate Seaman Apprentice would be 'GMSA'. Those who do not have a rating, are sometimes referred to as 'non-rates', and simply addressed as 'Seaman', or by their last name alone; i.e. 'Seaman Jones' or merely 'Jones'.
