HISTORY 
History
of the Chief Petty Officer Rate
JOCS
Tom Jansing
The
highlight of any enlisted career is being promoted to
Chief Petty Officer, a time honored status held in high
esteem by Navy men since the rate was created in ...
when?
Good question, I asked those person I figured would
know but they didn't. I was surprised to find no one
could tell me the exact date when the rank was established.
When I went to look up the answer, I was even more surprised
to learn there isn't much around on the subject.
My curiosity was aroused. Here was a challenge
which I accepted. The searching started at the
BUPERS Technical Library with books on naval history,
and these were of no help. Then a couple of books
on U.S. naval uniforms got me on the right path.
Next a visit to the Library of the U.S. Naval History
Division brought the immediate result of the librarian
"wishing me success." She said she is
occasionally asked the same question but is not able
to give a definite answer.
A call to the National Archives, a visit to the JAG
Law Library, another to the Navy Uniform Board, and
the pieces to the puzzle began to fall in place.
After several days of sifting through volumes of Navy
regulations, general orders, regulation circulars, uniform
regulations, SECNAV reports, executive orders, various
books, magazines, and newspapers covering the past 200
years, this is what I learned.
On 27 March 1794 Congress passed a bill "to provide
a naval armament." This bill called for
six ships to be built and it established the numbers
and ranks of officers, enlisted men, and Marines to
man them. Petty officers were to be appointed
by the ships' captains in the ratings of Master's Mate,
Captain's Mate, Boatswain's Mate, Coxswain, Sailmaker's
Mate, Gunner's Mate, Gunner of the Gun Room, Quarter
Gunner's Mate, Carpenter's Mate, Armourer, Steward,
Cook, Master-at-Arms, and Cooper. "Petty
Officer" was an all-inclusive title and men in
these ratings were not divided into rates as first,
second, or third class. The noncommissioned structure
was simply warrant officer, petty officer, and seaman.
This system remained essentially the same for almost
100 years.
The term "Chief Petty Officer" was first used
in connection with the Master-at-Arms rating.
As early as 1865, Navy regulations stated:
"The Master-at-Arms will be the Chief Petty
Officer of the ship in which he shall serve. All orders
from him in regard to the police of the vessel, the
preservation of order, and obedience to regulations
must be obeyed by all petty officers and others of the
crew. But he shall have no right to succession
in command, and shall exercise no authority in matters
not specified above."
All other petty officers were divided into two classes
(POs of the line and POs of the staff) but still not
into rates. Petty officers remained just petty
officers, and the MAA's title of "Chief" was
one of function, not rank. He was the principal
petty officer of the ship, and the emphasis was placed
on the word "Chief," or primary.
There doesn't appear to be anything dividing enlisted
men into the rates until Navy Regulation Circular No.
41 of 8 January 1885 was issued. It made the division
like this:
U.S. Navy Regulation Circular NO. 41 |
||||
| Seaman Class | Special Class | Artificer Class | Marines | |
| PO1 | Chief
Boatswain's Mate, Chief Quartermasters, Chief Gunner's Mate |
Master-at-Arms,
Equipment Yeoman, Apothecaries, Paymaster's
Yeoman, Engineer's Yeoman, Ship's Writers, School Masters, Band Masters |
Machinist's | 1st Sergeants |
| PO2 | Boatswain's
Mate, Quartermasters, Coxswains to Commander-in-Chief |
Ship's
Corporals, Ship's Cooks, Chief Musicians |
Boilermakers,
Armorers, Carpenter's Mates, Blacksmiths, Sailmaker's Mates, Water Tenders |
Sergeants |
| PO3 | Captains
of Forecastle, Captains of Main Top, Captains
of Mizzen Top, Captains of Afterguard, Coxswains, Quarter-Gunners, Seaman-Gunners |
Captains of Hold | Printers, Painters, Oilers |
Corporals |
| SN1 | Seamen, Seaman-Apprentices 1st class |
Lamplighters,
Jack-of-the-Dust, Buglers, Musicians 1st class, Tailors, Barbers |
Fireman
1st class, Carpenters, Caulkers |
Musicians, Orderlies |
| SN2 | Ordinary
Seaman, Seaman-Apprentices 2nd class |
Baymen, Musicians |
Fireman 1st class | Privates |
| SN3 | Landsman, Apprentices 1st class, Apprentices 2nd class, Apprentices 3rd class, Boys |
Coal Heavers | ||
Notice
that it shows Chief Boatswain's Mate, Chief Gunner's
Mate, Chief Quartermaster (in the circular), and Chief
Musician (in the order). Here, these were one
of function or title; they were actually first or second
class petty officers. In line with this 1885 change,
uniform regulations of 1886 altered the uniforms and
rating badges of enlisted men. First class petty
officers wore a "double-breasted sack pattern"
jacket; second class and below retained a jumper-style
uniform, and first class petty officers wore a rating
badge of three chevrons, specialty mark, and eagle.
But, the Master-at-Arms' rating badge had three chevrons,
specialty mark, eagle, plus three arcs (or rockers).
This MAA rating badge, along with the jacket uniform,
has led some to believe he held the rate of Chief Petty
Officer. He did not. He was still a PO1,
based on the enlisted rate structure outlined in the
1886 uniform regulations which is the same as that detailed
in the 1885 Circular No. 41.
There doesn't appear to be anything between 1885 and
1893 stating that the CPO rate had been established.
But then an executive order issued by President Benjamin
Harrison dated 25 February 1893 and issued as General
Order No. 409 of 25 February 1893 gave a pay scale for
Navy enlisted men. It was divided into rates and
listed CPOs. Both the executive order and Circular
No. 1 listed Chief Petty Officer as a distinct rate
for the first time and both were to take effect on 1
April 1893. It appears that this is the date on
which the Chief Petty Officer rate actually was established.
General Order No. 431 of 24 September 1894 changed the
CPO chevron from the MAA's three-rocker type to the
single rocker style of today. It also changed
first, second, and third class chevrons to their present
form.
Conversely, there is no doubt when the master and senior
chief petty officer rates were established. The
Defense Advisory Committee on Professional Technical
Compensation (commonly called the Cordiner Committee)
was created in March 1956 "to study a possible
adjustment to the existing pay structure" for retention
purposes. On 8 May 1957 they recommended to the
Secretary of Defense that paygrades E-8 and E-9 be created
in all the services. The recommendations of the
Cordiner Committee were introduced to Congress in several
forms. In 1958, legislation called the Kilday
Bill was passed, became Public Law 85-422 and established
the E-8 and E-9 paygrades in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The first master and senior chief petty officer advancement
exams were held in August 1958 and resulting advancements
became effective on 16 November 1958.
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