Talk:Master Mariner

Okay--in use from the 13th Century or introduced during the 19th Century? I moved this as part of a cleanup; not my area of expertise. Quill 22:02, 21 Dec 2004 (UTC)

When these paragraphs were part of the Master article I questioned the implication that midshipman was the route to higher rank for the sons of privileged families while master's mate was the route for less privileged men. I argued that this is the impression one would get through some nautical fiction. But I question whether that is an authoritative enough source to be included on the main page of a wikipedia article.

My recent contribution to the Master Mariner article was a paragraph where I talked about the Master's role as a standing officer. I suspect that the rate of master's mate was one that could be awarded or withdrawn at the discretion of a ship's captain. I don't know that from an authoritative enough source for inclusion.

Master's mate was a more senior rate than midshipman. And it is my understanding that even a son of privilege was likely to pass through that rank while on his way to Lieutenant. Geo Swan 16:39, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Merge suggsted
I feel pretty confident that merging this page with Captain (nautical) makes sense. Any thoughts? Haus42 01:35, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Merge completed
I completed the merge as per Talk:Captain (nautical) without getting rid of much material at all. Haus42 22:43, 19 March 2007 (UTC)