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he British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 in the middle of the 18th century, the term Able Seaman (abbreviated AB for able bodied) referred to a seaman
Seaman

Seaman as a rate refers to one of the lowest rates in a Navy. In Commonwealth of Nations context it refers to the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
 with at least two years' experience at sea. Seamen with less experience were referred to as landmen
Landman (rank)

Landman was a military rank given to naval recruits.In the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom in the middle of the 18th century, the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea....
 or ordinary seamen
Ordinary Seaman (rank)

In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term Ordinary Seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so Naval Rating by their captain....
.

In 1653 the Royal Navy introduced a new pay scale as part of reforms following defeat in the Battle of Dungeness
Battle of Dungeness

The naval Battle of Dungeness took place on 10 December 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the cape of Dungeness in Kent....
 the previous year.






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Royal Navy


In the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 in the middle of the 18th century, the term Able Seaman (abbreviated AB for able bodied) referred to a seaman
Seaman

Seaman as a rate refers to one of the lowest rates in a Navy. In Commonwealth of Nations context it refers to the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
 with at least two years' experience at sea. Seamen with less experience were referred to as landmen
Landman (rank)

Landman was a military rank given to naval recruits.In the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom in the middle of the 18th century, the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea....
 or ordinary seamen
Ordinary Seaman (rank)

In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term Ordinary Seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so Naval Rating by their captain....
.

In 1653 the Royal Navy introduced a new pay scale as part of reforms following defeat in the Battle of Dungeness
Battle of Dungeness

The naval Battle of Dungeness took place on 10 December 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the cape of Dungeness in Kent....
 the previous year. Included in these reforms were, for the first time, separate pay scales for more experienced seaman. It distinguished between an ordinary seaman and an able seaman. The higher ranked able seaman could steer, use the lead
Sounding line

A sounding line or lead line is a length of thin rope with a plummet, generally of lead, at its end. No matter what metal the plummet is made of, it's still referred to as "the lead."...
 and work aloft, traditionally to “hand, reef, and steer.” An able seaman received about 25% higher pay than an ordinary seaman.

In time of war (such as the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War lasted between 1756?1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Kingdom of Prussia and Kingdom of Great Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Archduchy of Austria, Early Modern France, Russian Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, and Electorate of Sa...
 or the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
), with many more warship
Warship

A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way than cargo ship....
s in service, the navy, merchant marine, and privateer
Privateer

A privateer was a private warship authorized by a country's government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. Strictly, a privateer was only entitled by its state to attack and rob enemy vessels during wartime....
s competed ferociously for the limited pool of able seamen, leading to the unpopular use of impressment
Impressment

Impressment is the act of compelling people to serve in the military, usually by force and without notice. Unlike "shanghaiing", impressment is carried out by law, or under color #Color of law, and forces the impressed person into military rather than commercial sea service....
 by the Royal Navy to keep its ships manned. In peacetime, with many fewer active warships, there was usually a surplus of unemployed able seamen willing to work in the navy. As late as the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy's practice of stopping American ships to press American sailors, who may have been born British subjects, into involuntary service, was one of the main factors leading to the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
 with the United States.

Notable Able Seamen

Some notable Able Seamen from the Royal Navy include:
  • Simon (Amethyst's cat), ship's cat on HMS Amethyst, promoted to Able Seaman in the Royal Navy. Also said to have been promoted to "Able Seacat"
  • Just Nuisance
    Just Nuisance

    Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who from 1939-44 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon's Town, South Africa....
    , a Great Dane
    Great Dane

    The Great Dane, Danish Hound, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, or German Mastiff is a dog breed of domestic dog known for its giant size and gentle personality....
     in the Royal Navy, famous for his dislike of officers and liking of ordinary sailors.
  • Alistair MacLean
    Alistair MacLean

    Alistair Stuart MacLean Doctor of Letters was a Scotland novel who wrote successful Thriller or adventure stories, the best known of which are perhaps The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare, both having been made into successful films....
    , author
  • Sir Fairfax Moresby, English admiral of the Fleet, entered the Navy as an AB
  • William Charles Williams
    William Charles Williams

    William Charles Williams Victoria Cross was a United Kingdom recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
    , recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • George Hinckley
    George Hinckley

    George Hinckley Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
    , recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • William Bligh
    William Bligh

    Vice-Admiral William Bligh Fellow of the Royal Society Royal Navy was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The notorious Mutiny on the Bounty occurred during his command of HMS Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift by the mutineers in the Bounty's l...
    , best known as "Captain Bligh" for the famous mutiny that occurred against his command aboard HMS Bounty, entered the Navy as an AB
  • Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Perry Wallis
    Provo Wallis

    Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Perry Wallis, Order of the Bath was a naval war hero and Admiral of the Fleet for the Royal Navy. He was born in City of Halifax, Nova Scotia and was 100 years old when he died....
     entered the Navy as an AB at age four
  • William Alfred Savage
    William Alfred Savage

    William Alfred Savage Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
    , recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Albert Edward McKenzie
    Albert Edward McKenzie

    Albert Edward McKenzie Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
    , recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Edward Robinson (VC)
    Edward Robinson (VC)

    Edward Robinson Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
    , recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet, English admiral, entered the Navy as an AB
  • Michael Byrne (sailor)
    Michael Byrne (sailor)

    Michael Byrne was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1761. He went to sea as an able seaman at the age of 19. He had served on five naval ships by 1787, when he was signed as an able seaman by Captain Bligh on the Bounty , primarily to play the fiddle....
    , signed as an able seaman by Captain Bligh on the Bounty primarily to play the fiddle
  • Matthew Quintal
    Matthew Quintal

    Matthew Quintal was an England Able Seaman and Mutiny on the Bounty aboard HMS Bounty. He was the last of the mutineers to be murdered on Pitcairn Island....
    , able seaman and mutineer aboard HMS Bounty


Canadian Navy

In the Canadian Navy
Canadian Forces Maritime Command

Canadian Forces Maritime Command , also known as the Canadian Navy, is the navy of the Canadian Forces. While equal in rank and position, The Chief of the Maritime Staff takes precedence over the Chiefs of the Land and Air Staffs following the tradition of the Royal Navy....
, Able Seaman (AB) is the second-lowest of the non-commissioned member
Non-commissioned member

A non-commissioned member , in the Canadian Forces, is defined in the Queen's Regulations and Orders as:"? any person, other than an officer , who is enrolled in, or who pursuant to law is attached or seconded otherwise than as an officer to, the Canadian Forces?"...
 ranks, ranking above Ordinary Seaman
Ordinary Seaman (rank)

In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term Ordinary Seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so Naval Rating by their captain....
 and below Leading Seaman
Leading Seaman

Leading Seaman is a non-commissioned member rank or rate in navy, particularly those of the Commonwealth of Nations....
. Able Seamen wear a single gold chevron, point down, as an insignia of rank; it is worn on the upper part of both sleeves of the Service Dress tunic, and on slip-ons on both shoulders on other uniforms.

Able Seaman is the equivalent rank to Private (Trained), or simply Private
Private (rank)

A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank . The term dates from the Middle Ages, where privates were known as "private soldiers" who were either hired, conscripted, or feudalism into service by a nobleman forming an army....
, in the Army
Canadian Forces Land Force Command

Land Force Command , often also called the Canada Army, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces.The current size of Land Force Command is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers....
 and Air Force
Canadian Forces Air Command

Canadian Forces Air Command , also known as the Canadian Air Force, is the air force element of the Canadian Forces. AIRCOM is the descendant of the Royal Canadian Air Force , which was Canada's air force from its foundation in 1924 until February 1, 1968....
. In French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 the rank is called Matelot de 2e classe.