the term petty officer comes from the u. s. navy.
the term petty officer comes from the u. s. navy.
where does the term petty officer come from?
u. s. navy
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petty officers serve a dual role as both technical experts and as leaders. unlike the sailors below them, there is no such thing as an "undesignated petty officer." every petty officer has both a rate (rank) and rating (job, similar to an mos in other branches). a petty officer's full title is a combination of the two. thus, a petty officer second class, who has the rating of interior communications electrician would properly be called an interior communications electrician second class. the term petty officer is, then, only used in abstract, the general sense, when referring to a group of petty officers of different ratings, or when the petty officer's rating is unknown. often, the petty officer is just referred to by the shorthand designation, without using the surname. thus em2 reyes would just be called em2. a petty officer second class may be generically referred to as po2 when the sailor's rating is not known, although some prefer to be called simply "petty officer (martinez)." to address a petty officer, one would say, "petty officer meyer", "meyer", or "sailor" (the latter two forms being acceptable for use by those equal or greater in rate than the petty officer unless in a familiar setting, such as by those who work closely with the petty officer). it is uncommon to address a petty officer as simply "petty officer", the way one might address an nco in the marine corps as "sergeant". also acceptable, but archaic, would be to address a petty officer or chief petty officer of any grade as "mister meyer" or "ms. meyer". the use of "ms." or "mister" is commonly only in reference to junior commissioned officers or warrant officers.
petty officer second class