British Royal Navy ranks and ratings

I am having a hard time understanding how the British Royal Navy enlisted ranks and ratings worked. I know for ranks there was ordinary seaman, leading seaman then petty officer but how does this correspond to the ratings. For example would a shipwright, third class be a petty officer or a leading seaman. Basically did it work like in the US Navy in World War 2? I saw a photo of Leading Seaman George Griffiths of the old destroyer HMS Volunteer who had 17 years of service with 3 good conduct stripes below his rate badge on his left arm (an anchor with a braid wrapped around it) and a badge of a gunnery rating on his right arm on his no.1 dress. How is he only a Leading Seaman after 17 years and not a Petty Officer? Any help with correlation between Royal Navy ranks and their ratings would be appreciated.

Sean

 

First, let us clarify terminology. In the RN, the term 'rank' is reserved for commissioned officers, essentially sub-lieutenant and above. All other pesonnel are 'ratings', so, in the seaman branch::
ordinary seaman
able seaman
leading seaman
pettry officer
chief pettry officer

If one is speaking or writing across all the branches then generic terms can be used:

ordinary rate
able rate
leading rate
petty officer rate
chief petty officer rate.

In some branches there are variations in terminology, such as 'probationary writer' and 'writer', where one might have expected 'ordinary writer' and 'able writer', but the next rate is 'leading writer', and then 'petty officer writer'.

As to 'good conduct' badges as they are officially known - a red (gold on No 1's) chevron worn on the upper left arm, one is awarded for four years good conduct, up to a maximum of three badges, representing twelve years, and they can be worn up to the petty officer rating, but are discarded on making CPO. For a leading rate to be wearing three after 17 years service and not making PO is not actually discreditable, but means that the man is a good, steady worker and shipmate, but has only minor leadership skills.and possibly not fully qualified in his trade. The man was at least a notch above a 'three-badge FA', as a man with three badges but not even a leading hand's 'killick' (the anchor badge) used disparagingly to be known.

 

"Killick" ?? Do you suppose Patrick O'Brian chose that name on purpose then for Jack Aubrey's steward . . . Preserved Killick . . . an inside joke?

 

All I can say is, possibly. I am not sure whether the word killick was around so long ago as the early 19th century. It is properly naval slang for an anchor, extended to the anchor badge denoting a leading hand, and by further extension to any leading rating.

 

Finally got around to breaking out my 1955 Oxford which reports that a killick was a rock used as an anchor and, later, a small anchor. First appears in this context in 1630.

 

Thanks for that - it is surprising how often a word turns out to be older than one thought.

Comforting, too, that a leading hand, a killick, mainstay of the lower deck, can be thought of as a little rock - unobtrusive, but solid and dependable.

 

Does have a nice symmetry. I've been around ships & boats all my life & don't ever recall hearing the term. Of course all my acquaintance is on the west side of the pond, so I'm not surprised. Now I have a word I can casually toss out when someone wants to set an anchor.