Coxswain
Encyclopedia
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat
, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain
, which can be rendered as boy, in authority.
in the days of sail, the Coxswain was a Petty Officer
or Chief Petty Officer
who commanded a Captain
's or Admiral
's barge
. Later they were the senior Chief Petty Officer aboard a smaller vessel such as a corvette
or submarine
, who was responsible for the steering and also assumed the duties which would be performed by the Chief Boatswain's Mate
and Master-at-Arms
aboard larger vessels.
In the Royal Canadian Navy
, the appointment of Coxswain (or capitaine d'armes in French
) is given to the senior non-commissioned officer aboard a ship, the equivalent to a Command Master Chief Petty Officer in the USN. For larger vessels such as a destroyer
, frigate
or Protecteur class auxiliary vessel
, a Coxswain holds the rank of Chief Petty Officer 1st Class
(CPO1). For smaller vessels such as a submarine
or Kingston class patrol vessel
, a Coxswain usually holds the rank of Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class
(CPO2).
, the rank of Cadet Coxswain is the highest that a cadet can achieve, except in the rare occurrence that they are promoted to the rank of Cadet Under Officer
. The Rank of Coxswain equates to the rank of Cadet Warrant Officer
in the Royal Air Force
Sections, and the rank of Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major
in the Army Sections.
In the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
, the position of Coxswain is often appointed to the cadet with the rank of Cadet Chief Petty Officer First Class (C/CPO1). This would be the equivalent of the position of Regimental Sergeant Major in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets
held by a Cadet Chief Warrant Officer (C/CWO).
and United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
the coxswain has the authority to direct all boat and crew activities during the mission and modify planned missions to provide for the safety of the boat and the crew. A "boat" is any vessel less than 65 feet in length. Before a person can be assigned to be a coxswain, they have to go through a qualification procedure, be certified and maintain the certification to be a coxswain. Upon certification, they are awarded the Coxswain Badge
. This qualification procedure requires a significant amount of practice in boat handling as well as previous experience as a boat crew member. Any Coast Guard member (enlisted or officer) may become a coxswain upon proper qualification. An advancement to BM2 (Boatswain's Mate second class) requires that the individual qualify as and maintain certification as a coxswain. A commanding officer or officer in charge of a land based unit with boats has to be certified and stay certified as a coxswain on all boats in the unit or be relieved of command. A coxswain is assigned to a boat by the command authority and can only be relieved by the commanding officer, Executive officer, or senior officer present. The coxswain’s authority is independent of rank and/or seniority in relation to any other person onboard the boat. Unlike the commanding officer (captain) of a cutter or ship, a coxswain does not automatically have command authority.
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain
Swain
Swain may refer to:In people:* Swain In places:* Swain County, North Carolina, USA* Swain's Island , Canada* Swains Island, an atoll in the Tokelau chain, the most northwesterly island administered by American Samoa...
, which can be rendered as boy, in authority.
Rowing
Navy
In the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the days of sail, the Coxswain was a Petty Officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
or Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
who commanded a Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
's or Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
's barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
. Later they were the senior Chief Petty Officer aboard a smaller vessel such as a corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
or submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, who was responsible for the steering and also assumed the duties which would be performed by the Chief Boatswain's Mate
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
and Master-at-Arms
Master-at-arms
A master-at-arms may be a naval rating responsible for discipline and law enforcement, an army officer responsible for physical training, or a member of the crew of a merchant ship responsible for security and law enforcement.-Royal Navy:The master-at-arms is a ship's senior rating, comparable in...
aboard larger vessels.
In the Royal Canadian Navy
Canadian Forces Maritime Command
The Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...
, the appointment of Coxswain (or capitaine d'armes in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) is given to the senior non-commissioned officer aboard a ship, the equivalent to a Command Master Chief Petty Officer in the USN. For larger vessels such as a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
or Protecteur class auxiliary vessel
Protecteur class auxiliary vessel
Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment ships are used by the Royal Canadian Navy to resupply ships at sea with food, munitions, fuel and spare parts. They have more sophisticated medical and dental facilities than smaller vessels...
, a Coxswain holds the rank of Chief Petty Officer 1st Class
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class
Chief petty officer, 1st class, CPO1, is the most senior non-commissioned member rank of the Royal Canadian Navy. It is equivalent to a chief warrant officer in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force...
(CPO1). For smaller vessels such as a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
or Kingston class patrol vessel
Kingston class patrol vessel
The Kingston-class consists of 12 coastal defence vessels operated by the Royal Canadian Navy.The class is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project...
, a Coxswain usually holds the rank of Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class
Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class
Chief petty officer, 2nd class, CPO2, is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of petty officer 1st-class and its equivalents, and junior to chief petty officer 1st-class and its equivalents...
(CPO2).
Naval Cadets
In Royal Navy Sections of the Combined Cadet ForceCombined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
, the rank of Cadet Coxswain is the highest that a cadet can achieve, except in the rare occurrence that they are promoted to the rank of Cadet Under Officer
Under Officer
Under Officer is an appointment held by senior cadets at some Commonwealth officer training establishments and in University Officers' Training Corps in the United Kingdom, and also a rank used in some Commonwealth cadet forces.-Australia:...
. The Rank of Coxswain equates to the rank of Cadet Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Sections, and the rank of Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
in the Army Sections.
In the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in the local...
, the position of Coxswain is often appointed to the cadet with the rank of Cadet Chief Petty Officer First Class (C/CPO1). This would be the equivalent of the position of Regimental Sergeant Major in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets
Royal Canadian Army Cadets
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in...
held by a Cadet Chief Warrant Officer (C/CWO).
United States Coast Guard
In the United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard and was established on June 23, 1939 by an act of Congress as the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and was re-designated as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on February 19, 1941...
the coxswain has the authority to direct all boat and crew activities during the mission and modify planned missions to provide for the safety of the boat and the crew. A "boat" is any vessel less than 65 feet in length. Before a person can be assigned to be a coxswain, they have to go through a qualification procedure, be certified and maintain the certification to be a coxswain. Upon certification, they are awarded the Coxswain Badge
Coxswain Badge
The Coxswain Insignia is a qualification device of the United States Coast Guard which is issued to enlisted personnel who qualify as a coxswain. The Coxswain on a Coast Guard Small Boat is in charge of the vessel and all personnel on board. Coxswains, while underway, operate without regard to...
. This qualification procedure requires a significant amount of practice in boat handling as well as previous experience as a boat crew member. Any Coast Guard member (enlisted or officer) may become a coxswain upon proper qualification. An advancement to BM2 (Boatswain's Mate second class) requires that the individual qualify as and maintain certification as a coxswain. A commanding officer or officer in charge of a land based unit with boats has to be certified and stay certified as a coxswain on all boats in the unit or be relieved of command. A coxswain is assigned to a boat by the command authority and can only be relieved by the commanding officer, Executive officer, or senior officer present. The coxswain’s authority is independent of rank and/or seniority in relation to any other person onboard the boat. Unlike the commanding officer (captain) of a cutter or ship, a coxswain does not automatically have command authority.