Master Chief Petty Officer

Master Chief Petty Officer is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rate (paygrade E-9) in the Union Navy just above Senior Chief Petty Officer. They are referred to as Master Chief in most circumstances. They constitute the top 1% of the enlisted members of the maritime forces.

Advancement to Master Chief Petty Officer is similar to that of Chief Petty Officer and Senior Chief Petty Officer. It carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores, and selection by a board of Master Chiefs. Similarly, Senior Chief Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers are chosen by selection boards.

Petty Officers of all grades possess both a rate (the enlisted term for rank) and rating (job, similar to a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in other branches). The full title is a combination of the two. Thus, a Master Chief Petty Officer, who has the rating of Translocator Specialist would properly be called a Master Chief TLS.

Each rating has an official abbreviation, such as TLC for Translocator Specialist,PSI Propulsion Specialist ISAH, or SSP for Sensor Systems Specialist.It is not uncommon practice to refer to the master chief by this short hand in all but the most formal correspondence (such as printing and inscription on awards). Mostly, though, they are simply called "Master Chief", regardless of rating.

[[Category:M]]