U.S. NAVY PATTERNMAKER (PM) RATING BADGE
Established in 1917 and upgraded to a rating with rate of Chief Petty Officer in 1943, the Patternmaker rating (PM) was one of three ratings that formed a “triumvirate” when it came to repairs for damaged machine or equipment parts on afloat vessels. First, the Patternmaker would create a wooden version of a part (“pattern”), either from a blueprint or from a broken or worn casting. Then the Molder would take the pattern and press it tightly into a cask filled with sand, then remove it and cast the imprint with molten metal. Finally, the Machinery Repairman would machine the part for fineness, preparing it to be used as a replacement part.
Patternmakers not assigned to shore duty typically served on either repair ships or on “tenders” that accompanied smaller vessels like submarines and destroyers. The Class “A” School for Sailors seeking a career in the PM rating was at the Naval Training Center in San Diego. The number of Sailors “graduating” from the Class “A” School were quite small compared to those of other ratings: only 11 completed the training in 1982, for instance, while 1991 marked something of a high point for the recent past with two dozen Sailors certified in the rating.
In 1997, the Navy disestablished both the Molder and Patternmaker ratings, but left the Machinery Repairman rating in place. The jobs before by those two ratings are now being handled by Sailors in other ratings who received ad hoc training at land-based facilities before being assigned to a battle group, where they’ll be called upon to perform specific tasks as needed.
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