BOATSWAIN'S MATE (BM)
The deck force — the seamanship, anchoring, mooring, small-boat, and underway-replenishment rating that runs the topside of every Navy ship.
OVERVIEW
Boatswain's Mate (BM) is the oldest rating in the U.S. Navy, tracing to the founding of the Continental Navy in 1775. BMs run the deck of every Navy ship — anchoring and mooring evolutions, line handling, small boat operations, replenishment-at-sea (RAS), helicopter in-flight refueling, and the entire topside maintenance and preservation cycle. The Boatswain's pipe — the silver call worn around the neck — is the rating's signature.
BMs supervise deck divisions on every U.S. Navy combatant from patrol craft to aircraft carriers and lead the Navy's coxswain pipeline for rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), patrol boats, and harbor security craft. The senior BM aboard ship — the Boatswain's Mate Chief — runs the deck department and is the captain's seamanship subject-matter expert.
The general community covers the U.S. Navy's traditional shipboard ratings — deck, engineering, weapons, and combat-systems Sailors who keep surface combatants and amphibious ships in the fight. Sailors in this community typically rotate between sea and shore tours and are eligible for a wide range of NECs, instructor billets, and enlisted commissioning programs.
A-school for the rating runs ~6 weeks at Naval Technical Training Center, Lackland AFB, TX, where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score VE+AR=88 and an enlistment obligation of 4–6 years. BMs advance through the standard enlisted paygrade structure (E-1 through E-9), competing in the Navy-Wide Advancement Examination (NWAE) at E-4 through E-6 and via the Selection Board at E-7 through E-9. Senior BMs typically serve as Leading Petty Officer (LPO), Work Center Supervisor, Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO), or Command Master Chief (CMC), and may pursue Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), or commissioning programs such as STA-21, MECP, or OCS.
Across the active force, BM Sailors are essential to the Navy's mission readiness, and the rating remains an in-demand career field with strong reenlistment bonuses (SRB), advancement opportunities, and pathways into Navy Reserve, civilian DoD, and industry careers after service.
WHAT BMs DO
Boatswain's Mates run the topside of a U.S. Navy ship: line handling for sea-and-anchor evolutions, small-boat operations, underway replenishment, anchor windlass operations, deck preservation and painting, and shipboard helicopter handling on aviation-capable surface ships. BMs serve as coxswains of RHIBs and patrol craft, as boatswain's mates of the watch on the ship's bridge, and as senior enlisted leaders of deck divisions. They are also the rating most commonly assigned to the Riverine and Coastal Riverine forces.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Boatswain's Mates run the topside of a U.S. Navy ship: line handling for sea-and-anchor evolutions, small-boat operations, underway replenishment, anchor windlass operations, deck preservation and painting, and shipboard helicopter handling on aviation-capable surface ships. BMs serve as coxswains of RHIBs and patrol craft, as boatswain's mates of the watch on the ship's bridge, and as senior enlisted leaders of deck divisions. They are also the rating most commonly assigned to the Riverine and Coastal Riverine forces.
- Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior BMs as required by the chain of command.
- Lead the BM work center as Leading Petty Officer or Work Center Supervisor — managing maintenance documentation in 3M/MFOM, parts ordering, and personnel qualifications.
- Support general military training (GMT), damage control, force protection, and watch-bill assignments common to every Sailor regardless of rating.
HISTORY
The Boatswain (pronounced "bo-sun") is a sea title older than the U.S. Navy itself, used in the Royal Navy from the 16th century to designate the petty officer responsible for sails, rigging, and anchors. The U.S. Continental Navy carried the rating from 1775 onward, making BM the oldest continuously serving rating in U.S. Navy history.
The Boatswain's pipe — used to render honors at sea, signal the watch, and pass the word — remains in daily use aboard every commissioned U.S. Navy ship. The pipe call "Now Hear This" is universally recognized in the fleet.
Like all surface-Navy general ratings, the rating evolved alongside the U.S. Navy's transition from sail to steam, then steam to gas-turbine and electric-drive propulsion, and continues to adapt to today's distributed maritime operations and integrated combat systems.
Today the Boatswain's Mate (BM) rating is overseen by the Enlisted Community Management (ECM) office at My Navy HR and the Center for Personal and Professional Development. Modern BMs benefit from the Sailor 2025 personnel-system reforms, the Ready Relevant Learning (RRL) training continuum, and credentialing through the Navy COOL program — turning rating qualifications into industry-recognized certifications and licenses.
The rating's structure, training pipeline, and operational employment continue to evolve alongside the Navy's transition to Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), Project Overmatch, and the Force Design 2045 fleet architecture, ensuring BMs remain central to the warfighting mission.
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeksNaval Station Great Lakes, ILInitial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
- 2. Boatswain's Mate A-School~6 weeksNaval Technical Training Center, Lackland AFB, TXInitial rating-skills training for BM accessions.
- 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tourEvery commissioned U.S. Navy ship — DDGs, CGs, LSDs, LPDs, CVNsOn-the-job training and qualifications in the BM rating with a fleet unit.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- E-1/E-3Seaman / Apprentice BMA-school then deck-division striker tour aboard a surface combatant.
- E-4/E-6Petty Officer BMLead a deck work-center, qualify as RHIB coxswain, BMOW, and replenishment rig captain.
- E-7+Chief Boatswain's MateFirst Lieutenant of a surface combatant's deck department, or Command Master Chief afloat.
TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS
- Every commissioned U.S. Navy ship — DDGs, CGs, LSDs, LPDs, CVNs
- Patrol craft, harbor security boats, and RHIBs
- Coastal Riverine Squadrons
- Tugs, oilers, and salvage vessels
EXAMPLE NECs
- BM-0161 RHIB Coxswain
- BM-0167 Anti-Terrorism Tactical Watch Officer
- U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB VE+AR=88
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
- Every commissioned U.S. Navy ship — DDGs, CGs, LSDs, LPDs, CVNs
- Patrol craft, harbor security boats, and RHIBs
- Coastal Riverine Squadrons
- Tugs, oilers, and salvage vessels