able seamann.

1652 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 170. 2670 A Yeoman of the Powder Room, a Stewards mate, a Cooks mate, a Cockswains mate, a Swabber, a Cooper, besides three shillings & four pence a month Adz money, each to have the pay of an able Sea-man.

1670 P. Arnoul Rep. in Mariner's Mirror (1919) 5 28/2 Ceux qui ont servi sept ans, et qui ont vingt-quatre ans passés, qu'on appelle able seamen, gagnent davantage que ceux qui n'ont servi que deux ou trois anneés qu'on appelle ordinary seamen.]

1702 Proclam. 1 June in London Gaz. No. 3815/2 To..Able Seamen, Ordinary Seamen, Two Eighth Parts.

1797 Parl. Reg. 1797–1802 II. 419 The respective increase of monthly pay for able seamen, ordinary seamen, and landmen, with 2d. per day to the non commissioned officers of marines, and 2¼ d. to the privates, would produce a sum total yearly £.351,0.

1819 R. Heber Let. 27 Dec. in A. Heber Life R. Heber (1830) I. xvii. 558 A friend of mine, on a visit to one of the officers of Admiral Blackwood's ship, happened to find two men who had..been admitted as able seamen.

1947 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 110 34 We have Rating Group 3, much the largest in the Navy, and consisting of Able Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Boy 1st Class and Boy 2nd Class.

1989 C. L. Sien in M. R. Brooks Seafarers in ASEAN Region xiii. 222 (table) Rank Able Seaman Consolidated Wage 485.27 Rank Ordinary Seaman Consolidated Wage 441.47.

2011 Daily Tel. 27 Apr. 5/2 Able Seaman Brown..was selected as one of 24 ‘path liners’ who will frame the Royal family's entrance to the abbey.

1661 Princess Cloria iii. 252 He was altogether at the instant unprovided of people to govern his Boat: and the rather, as he intimated, for that the revolted Ships from under the Senates jurisdiction, had carried away with them many able Sea-men.

1739 View Polit. Trans. Great-Brit. 5 We..deprive them of the Means of keeping up so considerable a Body of able Seamen; for it is owing to short Voyages and frequent Trips that an able Seaman is formed.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. (at cited word) Able seaman, a thorough or regular bred sailor.

1928 Daily Mail 13 Aug. 13/4 The complement consists of captain, first and second mate, two cooks, two stewards, boatswain, launchman, and able seamen.

1992 Canad. Geographic Mar. 83/1 To run it we had grocery clerks, fruit pickers, able seamen and cowpunchers.

2008 I. Christodoulou-Varotsi & D. A. Pentsov Maritime Work Law Fund. ii. 57 No person shall be engaged on any vessel as an able seaman unless he is a person who by national laws or regulations is deemed to be competent to perform any duty which may be required of a member of the crew serving in the deck department.