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Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class

E-5 Petty Officer, U.S. Coast Guard

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Coast Guard Ranks » Petty Officer Second Class Rank • PO2 Pay • PO2 Rank History

History of the Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class Rank

A Petty Officer Second Class is a Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard at DoD paygrade E-5.

The rank of petty officer refers to a minor official on board a ship or boat, who would be responsible for a group of lower-ranking crew, comprising seamen and boys. The 1834 Regulations for the US Revenue Service, a predecessor of the Coast Guard, shows that petty officers were appointed directly by the Captain of the vessel and that there were three PO posts on board each cutter. These were the Boatswain's Mate, the Gunner's Mate, and the Carpenter's Mate.

Want to learn more? Read about the Coast Guard's Petty Officer Second Class rank on Military-Ranks.org.

History of the Coast Guard

The Coast Guard has changed names several times over its 200+ year history, but it is largely the same organization as it was in 1790 as the Revenue Marine. Uniforms, culture, and professions are very similar to the Navy, but the mission is different. While the Navy ensures freedom of navigation internationally, the Coast Guard does so for our nation's coasts through vessel inspections, law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, maintenance of navigation aids, environmental protection and research, ice operations, and search-and-rescue. Sailors of the Navy and Coast Guard have a high respect for each other, knowing that one can do what the other cannot.