Editing Warrant officer (section)

===Rank and status in the 18th century===
In origin, warrant officers were specialist professionals whose expertise and authority demanded formal recognition.<ref name="Lavery100">{{Cite book |last=Lavery |first=Brian |title=Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization |year=1989 |location=Annapolis, Md |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-258-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/nelsonsnavyships00lave/page/100 100] |url=https://archive.org/details/nelsonsnavyships00lave/page/100 }}</ref> In the 18th century they fell into two clear categories: on the one hand, those privileged to share with the commissioned officers in the [[wardroom]] and on the [[quarterdeck]]; and on the other, those who ranked with more junior members of the ship's crew.<ref name="rnranks">{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/sites/default/files/Naval%20Ranks.pdf|title=Information sheet no 096: Naval Ranks|website=National Museum of the Royal Navy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923074318/http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/sites/default/files/Naval%20Ranks.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> Somewhere between the two, however, were the [[#Standing warrant officers|standing officers]], notable because, unlike the rest of the ship's company, they remained with the ship even when she was out of commission (e.g. for repair, refitting or replenishment, or whilst laid up); in these circumstances they were under the pay and supervision of the [[Royal Navy Dockyard|Royal Dockyard]].

====Wardroom warrant officers====
These classes of warrant officer messed in the [[wardroom]] with the commissioned officers:
*the [[master (naval)|master]]: the senior warrant officer, a qualified navigator and experienced seaman who set the sails, maintained the [[ship's log]] and advised the captain on the seaworthiness of the ship and crew;
*the [[naval surgeon |surgeon]]: who treated the sick and injured and advised the captain on matters of health;
*the [[purser]]: responsible for supplies, [[food]] and pay for the crew.
In the early 19th century, they were joined in the wardroom by naval [[chaplain]]s, who also had warrant officer status (though they were only usually present on larger vessels).

====Standing warrant officers====
The standing officers were:<ref name=rnranks/>
*the [[boatswain]]: responsible for maintenance of the ship's boats, sails, rigging, anchors and cables;
*the [[ship's carpenter|carpenter]]: responsible for maintenance of the ship's hull and masts;
*the [[Gunner (artillery)|gunner]]: responsible for care and maintenance of the ship's guns and [[gunpowder]].

====Junior warrant officers====
Other warrant officers included surgeon's mates, boatswain's mates and carpenter's mates, sailmakers, armourers, schoolmasters (involved in the education of boys, midshipmen and others aboard ship) and clerks. [[Master-at-arms|Masters-at-arms]], who had formerly overseen small-arms provision on board, had by this time taken on responsibility for discipline.

====Warrant officers in context====
By the end of the century, the rank structure could be illustrated as follows (the warrant officers are underlined):
[[File:Warrantchart.png|frame|left|Relative ranks in the Royal Navy, {{Circa|1810}}. Warrant officers are underlined in the chart.<ref name="Lavery136">{{Cite book |last=Lavery |first=Brian |title=Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization |year=1989 |location=Annapolis, MD |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-258-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/nelsonsnavyships00lave/page/136 136] |url=https://archive.org/details/nelsonsnavyships00lave/page/136 }}</ref>]]
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