Naval Ranks and Progression

Naval Ranks and Progression

Ratings

Ratings are the enlisted sailors who perform all non-combat daily tasks required to operate a ship. Ranks are equivalent to pay grades rather than specific duties for ratings. All ratings are sailors first and foremost before whatever duties they particularly occupy, and no rating has official superiority over others, with the exception of Mates when acting in the role as assistant to the Warrants.

Deckswab – Lowly recruit, doing the most menial tasks and grunt labor while “learning their ropes” to become a real sailor. Not expected to excel at anything.

Able Seabeast – Competent sailor with experience in all basic seamanship skills, such as knot-tying, sail handling, and understanding and raptly executing work signals and orders in combat situations. To get able seabeast, deckswabs must pass an examination on sailing knots, work signals, and basic skills. Performs some useful function as needed depending on what they are good at (lookout, singer, musician, cook’s assistant, mechanic, etc.)

Senior Seabeast – Competent sailor who has started to mentor crew and take a foreclaw role in work. Assumes all responsibilities of Able Seabeast, including continuing to hone whatever craft(s) they’ve picked up.

Chief Seabeast – Recognized as the most experienced of sailors. Strong mentor and guide, natural leader in group work. Fulfills all the abilities of a Senior Seabeast and is on the way to mastery in their chosen craft(s).

Mate – A respected chief seabeast who has earned the interest of a warrant and is now apprenticed to that warrant in addition to all normal sailor responsibilities. Shadows and assists the warrant as required (e.g. for a Bosun’s Mate, assisting in discipline and work orders).
Eligible for promotion to the warrant role when the role is vacated. When not performing specific assistant duties, performs regular sailor duties. Sometimes there are no Mates for a particular warrant, or just one Mate – fluctuates based on need.
Types of Mate are attached to whichever warrant they assist, in the form “(Warrant’s) Mate”: Purser’s Mate, Carpenter’s Mate, Surgeon’s Mate, Armorer’s Mate, Bosun’s Mate, Master’s Mate, Engineer’s Mate.

Warrants

Warrants are specialist non-commissioned officers who keep all the gears of the ship in motion, from pay, to healing, to organizing labor to setting course. Where the Officers plan, strategize, and order, the Warrants have the power over the crew or particular ship functions to execute those orders. Oftentimes when a vessel is undercrewed, either the Mate of a vacant Warrant fulfills their duties until promoted, or another Warrant is assigned to multiple Warrant roles.

Warrants are all assumed to be peers rather than arrayed hierarchically. All issue regular reports on their ability to put in motion what the commissions (officers and Captain) have ordered.

Quartermaster (Master)– Oversees navigation and steering, ensuring the ship stays on course. Also handles crew discipline and resource distribution in tandem with the bosun to make sure the ship makes it where it is supposed to go. The seniormost of warrants, though not technically in command of the others.
Aided by the Master’s Mate(s), senior sailors learning their work.

Master at Arms – Oversees the ship’s armory and its maintenance and repair, ensures cannons are in working order, ammunition is stocked, distributes weapons before battle, and trains the crew in their use. Leads gun crew orientation during battles.
Assisted by the Armorer’s Mates, senior sailors who are learning their work.

Boatswain (“Bosun”) – Responsible for maintaining the sails, rigging, and anchors and their cabling. Commands the deck crew and coordinates, plans, and schedules all routine and nonroutine work, and enforces crew discipline when needed. Supported by the Boatswain’s Mate(s), senior sailors learning their work.

Purser – Manages the ship’s funds, oversees provisions, and ensures fair distribution of plunder and wages.
Reports on wage allocation and money issues to the Lieutenant and Captain. Assisted by Purser’s Mates, senior sailors who are learning their work.

Carpenter – Executes build projects, maintains the wooden structure of the ship, repairs damage from combat or storms, and builds or fixes tools, masts, etc. as needed.
Assisted by the Carpenter’s Mates, senior sailors who are learning their work.

Surgeon – The ship’s medical officer, responsible for treating crewmembers’ ailments and injuries, and managing and establishing guidelines for general health and safety practices among the crew.
Advises on medical matters to the Lieutenant and Captain. Assisted by the Surgeon’s Mates, senior sailors who are learning their work.

Engineer – Technical warrant overseeing the engines, working in tandem with the Quartermaster and Boatswain to execute ship movement plans relayed by the Lieutenant and Captain. Assisted by Engineer’s Mates.

Officers

The official leadership of the ship with commissions from the Minister of War, responsible for command, operation planning, and strategy. Noble, wealthy or heroic in origin, paw-picked from the Imperium’s best and brightest (or shiniest, in the case of those with the gilders to bribe their way in).

Responsible for assessing current status, planning future expeditions and actions, and correcting course at any time, as well as being the ultimate answerable parties in all things honor, valor, and war. The ship is a tool, and the Officers wield it with brutal efficiency.

Aide-de-Camp (Midshipper) – Junior officer-in-training, learning the ropes of leadership and ship operations. Acts as an assistant to a senior officer, performing the role of a secretary, messenger, and errand beast, as it were.
Not all ships have one; usually a favored role created by an officer who wishes to guide a young noble into officership.

Ensign (Second Officer) – Commissioned officer assisting the First Officer in reviewing reports from warrants, relaying the First Officer’s and Captain’s orders to the warrants. Expected to lead boarding and shore parties in battle and missions.
Eligible for promotion to Lieutenant.

Lieutenant (First Officer) – Senior commissioned officer responsible for personally leading and planning combat operations, advising the Captain, and working at a strategic level on navigation and ship management.
Holds regular meetings with warrant officers to discuss and assess future expeditions and actions and current expedition and action status. Assisted by Ensigns.
Expected to stand in for the Captain in any situation and pass judgement in accordance with naval law.

Captain (Commander) – The ultimate authority aboard the ship. Defines the vision and objectives of the ship and regularly assesses the execution of the ship’s processes toward that vision, and corrects course as often as needed to ensure mission success.
The final word on all things aboard the Imperial vessel they command. Presides with absolute authority over trials, meetings, announcements, and punishments. All officers report on all pertinent Navy activities to the Captain.

Admiral – Most senior commission. Oversees strategic naval operations, including managing multiple fleets, planning campaigns, and assessing needs of the Imperial fleet, strengths and weaknesses against other powers to ensure naval superiority. Reports directly to the Minister of War (if the Admiral is not already also the Minister of War and Her Imperial Highness the Empress.

Progression