Stabsbootsmann
Stabsbootsmann (StBtsm or SB) is the second highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in the German Navy. It is grouped as OR8 in NATO, equivalent to First Sergeant, Master Sergeant, or Senior Chief Petty Officer in the US Armed forces, and to Warrant Officer Class 2 in the British Army and Royal Navy.
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| Rank insignia | German NCO rank | ||||||
| Introduction | 1955 | ||||||
| Rank group | Non-commissioned officers | ||||||
| Navy | stabsbootsmann | ||||||
| Army / Air Force | Stabsfeldwebel | ||||||
| NATO equivalent | OR-8 | ||||||
| Army/Navy |
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| Air Force | Senior Master Sergeant | ||||||
In navy context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr/ Frau Stabsbootsmann also informally / short Staber.
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group is as follows:
Unteroffiziere mit Portepee
- OR-9: Oberstabsbootsmann / Oberstabsfeldwebel
- OR-8: Stabsbootsmann / Stabsfeldwebel
- OR-7: Hauptbootsmann / Hauptfeldwebel
- OR-6a: Oberbootsmann / Oberfeldwebel
- OR-6b: Bootsmann / Feldwebel
- Remark
The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"!
| junior Rank Hauptbootsmann |
 Stabsbootsmann |
senior Rank Oberstabsbootsmann |
| Oberfähnrich zur See |
- See also
Equivalent in other NATO countries
- See also
History
In 1938 OR8-grades were introduced by the German Kriegsmarine depending on the particular career as follows:
- Boatswain (de: Bootsmann): Stabsoberbootsmann (Staff senior boatswain)
- Steersman (de: Steuermann): Stabsobersteuermann (Staff senior steersman)
- Engineman (de: Maschinist): Stabsobermaschinist (Staff senior engineman)
These grades were equivalent to the German Wehrmacht ranks Stabsfeldwebel and Stabswachmeister, or the Waffen-SS grade Stabsscharführer.
OR8-grades Stabsfeldwebel and Stabswachmeister have been used in the GDR National People's Army until 1990 as well. The equivalent in the Volksmarine was Stabsmeister.