Petty officer

A petty officer in the Earth Navy is one of the non-commissioned navy officers, who supervise the activities of the junior sailors. 
Besides the normal Petty officers of other ships can command an acceptable level of respect, its those that serve on the empires battleships that can command the highest amount of respect because of their job and the prestige that comes with serving on one of the battleships. 
A battleship Petty officer can be identified by the running along their right sleeve on their uniform.

Qualifications

Petty officers will usually be sailors in the navy that have served for at least several years in the navy before they can be considered for the rank.

History

The origin of the petty officers dates back to the Age of Sail in the Royal Navy, these sailors just like their successors in the Earth Navy were among the specialists in the ship's crew.

Notable Holders

A common legend in the navy goes that a battleship Petty officer going by the name of Corvin Verrill once yelled so hard at the admiral of the fleet and told the admiral where he could stick his flagship if the admiral didn't stop interfering with his job during one of the yearly exercises of the fleet, and instead of being kicked out of the navy the petty officer got a promotion, or that's how the legend goes.
Another notable Petty officer is Kerilyn Sonoda who was helping run security during a demonstration advocating for war against the The Fersian United Commonwealth in 2445 and during the demonstration, the protesters got to an open place in a park and began speaking against the Fersians until Kerilyn walked up to the lead-speaker and knocked the protester to the ground followed by the line that has now become a common saying in the navy:

The Navy don´t deal with bullshit - Kerilyn Sonoda

Type

Civic, Military, Not Commissioned

Status

Still in effect

Equates to

The petty officer in the navy will in the terms of rank be about the same level as a sergeant in the army, although people outside the armed forces might put more authority on a petty officer serving on a battleship than other ship classes.

Reports directly to

Chief petty officer