Coxswain - Navy

Navy

In the Royal Navy 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 the coxswain was 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 World War II pilots of landing craft were referred to as coxswains.

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 US Navy. For larger vessels such as a destroyer, frigate or Protecteur-class replenishment oiler, a coxswain holds the rank of chief petty officer 1st class (CPO1). For smaller vessels such as a submarine or Kingston-class coastal defence vessel, a coxswain usually holds the rank of chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2).

The term was also sometimes used aboard merchant ships for the senior petty officer in charge of the helm. Israel Hands, for example, was the coxswain of the Hispaniola in Treasure Island.