Maat
Encyclopedia
Maat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier
. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer
in the navies of many other nations.
The term is derived from the low German
māt (comrade
). Via the Dutch language
, the word became a nautic term and described the assistant to a deck officer. Since the second half of the 17th century Maate were the lowest class of non-commissioned officer
s aboard a warship. In the Prussian Navy
and the Kaiserliche Marine
Maate were Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee
. According to their specialization, Maate would be known as e.g. Steuermannsmaat (Coxswain
's Mate), Feuerwerksmaat (Ordnance
Mate), Bootsmannsmaat (Boatswain's Mate) or Maschinistenmaat (Machinist's Mate
).
Maate were recruited among conscripts who volunteered to serve for a minimum of six years. After approximately four years they could expect to become Maat. Re-enlistment was common but in most specialisms the career options would end with achieving the rank of Obermaat; only after 18 years in service a promotion as supernumary Vizefeldwebel was possible, if there was a billet open. The 1914/15 naval budget included 7857 billets for Maate and 5237 for Obermaate.
Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior 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...
in the navies of many other nations.
The term is derived from the low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
māt (comrade
Comrade
Comrade means "friend", "colleague", or "ally". The word comes from French camarade. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. "Comrade" has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many...
). Via the Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, the word became a nautic term and described the assistant to a deck officer. Since the second half of the 17th century Maate were the lowest class of non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s aboard a warship. In the Prussian Navy
Prussian Navy
Throughout the centuries, Prussia’s military consistently concentrated on its land power, and never sought a similar power at sea. Yet historically there were always Prussian naval forces , beginning in the days when "Prussia" meant only the Margraviate of Brandenburg.- The Navy of Electoral...
and the Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
Maate were Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee
Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee
Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee is the designation for German junior non-commissioned officers in the German army...
. According to their specialization, Maate would be known as e.g. Steuermannsmaat (Coxswain
Coxswain
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. ...
's Mate), Feuerwerksmaat (Ordnance
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Mate), Bootsmannsmaat (Boatswain's Mate) or Maschinistenmaat (Machinist's Mate
Machinist's Mate
Machinist's Mate is a rating in the United States Navy's engineering community.- Description :According to the Bureau of Naval Personnel , the job of an MM is to "operate, maintain, and repair ship propulsion machinery, auxiliary equipment, and outside machinery, such as: steering engine,...
).
Maate were recruited among conscripts who volunteered to serve for a minimum of six years. After approximately four years they could expect to become Maat. Re-enlistment was common but in most specialisms the career options would end with achieving the rank of Obermaat; only after 18 years in service a promotion as supernumary Vizefeldwebel was possible, if there was a billet open. The 1914/15 naval budget included 7857 billets for Maate and 5237 for Obermaate.