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== United Kingdom ==
In the [[Royal Navy]] in the middle of the 18th century, the term ordinary seaman was used to refer to a [[Seaman (rank)|seaman]] with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough [[seamanship]] to be so [[Naval rating|rated]] by their captain.<ref name=Lavery129>Lavery 1989, p. 129</ref> A seaman with less than a year's experience was referred to as a [[Landsman (rank)|landsman]].<ref name=Lavery129/> One with more than two years' experience and considered "well acquainted with his duty" was referred to as an [[able seaman (rank)|able seaman]].<ref>Naval Records Society: Five Naval Journals 1787-1817. Cited in Lavery 1989, p. 129</ref>
Later, the term was formalized as a rating for the lowest normal grade of [[Seaman (rank)|seaman]]. They are not trained in any special task. They are required to work at physically hard tasks of great variety. One needs an [[Ordinary Seaman Certificate]] to obtain work. One can become an able seaman as a promotion from this position.
In the modern Royal Navy the rank of Able Seaman is achieved by all recruits on completion of basic training ([[HMS Raleigh (shore establishment)|HMS ''Raleigh'']]) and subsequent intensive training in the specialisation of choice. Thus the rank of Ordinary Seaman is obsolete. This is in line with increasing technical specialisation and ability of RN personnel.<ref>http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/Careers/Pay-Benefits-and-Learning/Pay-Details</ref>
== United States ==
Ordinary seaman was the second-lowest rank of the 19th century [[United States Navy]], ranking above [[Landman (rank)|landsman]] and below [[Seaman (rank)|seaman]]. Promotion from landsman to ordinary seaman required three years of experience or re-enlistment. An ordinary seaman who gained six years of experience and "knew the ropes", that is, knew the name and use of every line in the ship's [[rigging]], could be promoted to seaman. An ordinary seaman's duties aboard ship included "handling and splicing lines, and working aloft on the lower mast stages and yards."<ref>{{cite journal|last = Williams | first = Glenn F. |date=April 2002 | title = Uncle Sam's Webfeet: The Union Navy in the Civil War | journal = International Journal of Naval History | volume = 1 | issue = 1 | pages = | id = | url = http://www.ijnhonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/pdf_williams.pdf | accessdate = 16 September 2012 }}</ref>
The rank existed from 1797 to 1917, when it was renamed "seaman second class". Seaman second class was later changed to the modern-day rank of [[seaman apprentice]]. The related ranks of ordinary seaman second class and ordinary seaman, engineer's force, existed in 1876–1885 and 1871–1883, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |last=Malin |first=Charles A. |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq78-3.htm |title=Compilation of Enlisted Ratings and Apprenticeships, U.S. Navy, 1775 to 1969 |publisher=Naval Historical Center |date=19 May 1999 |accessdate=16 September 2012 }}</ref> The term is still in use in the [[United States Merchant Marine]] for entry-level deck personnel; the common abbreviation is OS.
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