Master (naval)

This article is about naval rank. For masters of non-military nautical vessels, see Sea captain and Master Mariner. For the naval rank Master and Commander, see Commander (Royal Navy).

Portrait of the head of man wearing black coat and a white scarf around his neck.
John Fryer, Master of HMAV Bounty.

The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel.

In the Royal Navy, the master was originally a warrant officer who ranked with, but after, the lieutenants. The rank became a commissioned officer rank and was renamed navigating lieutenant in 1867; the rank gradually fell out of use from around 1890 since all lieutenants were required to pass the same examinations.

When the United States Navy was formed in 1794, master was listed as one of the warrant officer ranks and ranked between midshipmen and lieutenants. The rank was also a commissioned officer rank from 1837 until it was replaced with the current rank of lieutenant, junior grade in 1883.