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Old 04-14-2012, 08:07 PM   #1
Craig
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Default Rank, Rate, Rating, and Paygrade ~ What's the difference?

Since you guys are required to know the difference, I will explain this....

Rank & Rate - The Navy enlisted sailor DOES NOT have rank. The proper word is rate. Rank is ONLY used by Navy officers. You being enlisted use the word rate (never rank).

Some rates are: Seaman Recruit, Seaman Apprentice, Seaman, Petty Officer 3rd Class, Petty Officer 2nd Class, Petty Officer 1st Class, Chief Petty Officer, Senior Chief Petty Officer, Master Chief Petty Officer.

Please note: For E2 and E3 pay grade only use different color stripes: (see below picture)
White = Hospitalman or Seaman.
Green = Airman = "Airdales".
Red = Fireman = Engineering = "Snipes".
Teal = Constructionman = bee's = Seabee's.

Rating - Rating is the job you do. You could be a Hospital Corpsman (HM), an Electrician's Mate (EM), a Boatswain's Mate (BM), an Aviation Ordnanceman (AO), or even a Cryptologic Technician Maintenance (CTM).

Number of various Ratings: (with distinctive rating badge)
Seaman: 30 - They are BM, CS, CT (CTI, CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT), EOD, ET (ETN, ETR, ETV), FC, FT, GM, HM, IC, IT (ITS),
LN, LS, MA, MC, MN, MT, MU, NCC, NCR, ND, OS, PS, QM, RP, SB, SH, SO, ST (STG,STS), YN
Airman: 12 - They are AB (ABE-ABF-ABH), AC, AD, AE, AG, AM (AME), AO, AS, AT (ATI, ATO), AW (AWF-AWO-AWR-AWS-AWV), AZ, PR
Fireman: 7 - They are DC, EM (EMN), EN, GS (GSE, GSM), HT, MM (MME, MMN, MMW), MR
Constructionman: 7 - They are BU, CE, CM, EA, EO, SW, UT

Paygrade - Is the grade you are paid at. These are:
E-1 thru E-9 (Note the "E" means enlisted).
W-2 thru W-5 (Note the "W" means Warrant Officer. Also note the Navy doesn't have W-1's).
O-1 thru O-10 (Note the "O" means officer).

Most of the time we just combine rating and rate into one term. For example, a Boatswain's Mate has the rating abbreviation BM, and if the person is a Petty Officer Second Class which is a "2" abbreviation, then the person's rate could also be BM2 (BM is the rating and the 2 is Petty Officer Second Class paygrade E5). So you will hear "BM2 come over here".

I hope these charts will help you....







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Last edited by Craig; 04-11-2014 at 01:44 AM.
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