Chief petty officer, 1st class (CPO1) is the most senior
non-commissioned member A non-commissioned member (NCM), in the Canadian Armed 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 offi ...
(NCM) rank of the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
(RCN). It is equivalent to a
chief warrant officer
Chief warrant officer is a senior warrant officer rank, used in many countries.
Canadian Armed Forces
In the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member (NCM) rank for army and air fo ...
(CWO) in the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...
and
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
. It is immediately senior to the rank of
chief petty officer, 2nd class and its equivalents,
master warrant officer. It is part of the cadre of
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...
s.
Canadian Military Journal
The ''Canadian Military Journal'' is the official quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence. It is printed in both official languages in electronic and paper print. The editor-in-chief ...
, Vol. 17, No. 4, Autumn 2017
The
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...
form of the rank is .
Insignia
The rank insignia of the CPO1 is the
arms of Canada
The coat of arms of Canada, also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada or, formally, as the Arms of His Majesty The King in Right of Canada is the arms of dominion of the Canadian monarch and, thus, also the official coat of arms of Ca ...
, worn on both forearms of the
service dress tunic and on slip-ons on both shoulders of other uniforms. Unlike other chiefs and petty officers, CPO1s wear the cap insignia of naval officers, although the brim of the peak cap remains plain, the same as other naval NCMs.
Forms of address
CPO1s are generally initially addressed as "Chief Petty Officer Bloggins" or "Chief Bloggins", and thereafter as "Chief", although in correspondence the full rank or abbreviation is used before the member's name. The
coxswain
The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...
of an RCN ship will be answered as "Coxswain" (e.g. "yes, Coxswain" or "no, Coxswain") The full appellation "Chief Petty Officer 1st Class" in speech is generally used only when the "first class" distinction must be made, such as to distinguish between members with similar names but differing ranks, or on promotion parades. CPO1s are never addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am", regardless of the protocol for their army and air force equivalents; in naval tradition, the titles "Sir" and "Ma'am" are reserved for officers.
Appointments
One of the normal appointments of a CPO1 is that of coxswain, the senior NCM on a ship; it is roughly analogous to an army
regimental sergeant-major (RSM). Due to the unified nature of the CF, however, it is not unheard-of for CPO1s — especially those of the "
purple trades
In the Canadian Armed Forces, the purple trades are occupations and careers that are not strongly linked to one of the three major 'environments' or 'elements': sea, land, or air. Purple trades include – but are not limited to – those a ...
", such as logistics or military police to find themselves filling the appointment of RSM in what are otherwise considered "hard" army units (such as service battalions).
CPO1s may also hold appointments as the senior NCM in a larger formations or on a base; these appointments, and their respective insignia, include:
*
Base chief petty officer (BCPO) — the coat of arms over the central insignia of the badge of the Canadian Armed Forces (an anchor, crossed swords and an eagle).
*
Fleet chief petty officer (Fleet CPO) — the coat of arms over the central insignia of the badge of the Canadian Armed Forces (an anchor, crossed swords and an eagle).
*
Formation chief petty officer — the coat of arms over the central insignia of the badge of the Canadian Armed Forces (an anchor, crossed swords and an eagle).
*
Chief petty officer of the navy (CCPO) — the coat of arms with a wreath of laurel wrapped around the base
*
Canadian Forces chief warrant officer (CFCWO) — the coat of arms with a wreath of twenty-eight maple leaves wrapped around the base and sides. The title of this highest non-commissioned position in the Canadian Forces is not, however, ever referred to as "Canadian Forces chief petty officer" if the incumbent is from the navy.
File:Cdn-Navy-Fmn CPO1(OR-9+).svg, Base/Fleet/Formation Chief Petty Officer
File:Cdn-Navy-Comd CPO1(OR-9++).svg, CCPO
File:Cdn-Navy-CFCWO(OR-10).svg, CFCWO
Messes and quarters
CPO1s generally mess and billet with
petty officer
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers.
Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...
s and other
chief petty officer
A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer.
By country
Australia
"Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...
s, and their army and air force equivalents,
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...
s and
sergeant
Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
s. Their mess on naval bases or installations are generally named the "Chiefs and POs Mess".
See also
*
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
References
{{Reflist
Military ranks of Canada