Warrant Officer of the Naval Service

The Warrant Officer of the Naval Service (WONS) is the most senior warrant officer and rating of the Royal Navy. The person holding this appointment's main responsibility is to act as a channel between the non commissioned ranks and Senior Naval officers, enabling communication between the ratings and Navy leadership.[1]

For the USN equivalent, see Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.

For the RAN equivalent, see Warrant Officer of the Navy.

Warrant Officer of the Naval Service
Ensign of the Royal Navy
Incumbent WO1 Carl Steedman since January 2020
Ministry of Defence
Style	Warrant Officer
Abbreviation	WONS
Reports to	Navy Command
Nominator	Second Sea Lord
Appointer	Navy Board
Term length	Not fixed (typically 1–4 years)
Formation	1989
First holder	Terry Casey

The post was created in 2010, replacing the post of Second Sea Lord's Command Warrant Officer.[2]

Insignia

A Command Warrant Officer Badge is worn on the left breast of their uniform during the period of the appointment.[3]

For ceremonial occasions[3] they may carry the Ceremonial Cane, made out of wood from HMS Victory.[4]

Appointees

No.		Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Casey, TerryTerry Casey MBE	July 2010	December 2013	3 years, 5 months	.
2		Cass, SteveSteve Cass	December 2013	17 March 2017	3 years, 3 months	[5]
3		Sharland, NicholasNicholas Sharland MBE	17 March 2017	February 2020	2 years, 11 months	[6][7]
4		Steedman, CarlCarl Steedman	31 January 2020	Incumbent	6 months	[8][9]

See also

• Chief of the Air Staff's Warrant Officer – the Royal Air Force equivalent
• Corps Regimental Sergeant Major – Royal Marines equivalent
• Army Sergeant Major – British Army equivalent

References

1. "Chapter 20" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
2. "WONS and for all". Navy News: 36. November 2010.
3. "DETAILS OF RANK/RATE AND OTHER DISTINGUISHING INSIGNIA" (PDF): 39–9. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. "Warrant Officer in a class of his own". Retrieved August 1, 2013.
5. "New man takes over as top warrant officer". Retrieved January 3, 2014.
6. First Sea Lord [@AdmPhilipJones] (16 March 2017). "Good to talk with WO Sharland, who tomorrow becomes Warrant Officer of the Naval Service -a key link between my top team & frontline Navy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. First Sea Lord [@AdmTonyRadakin] (31 January 2020). "Today, WO Nick Sharland officially stood down from his duties as Warrant Officer of the Naval Service. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve with him. Fair winds and following seas, Nick, and thank you for all that you have done" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
8. @SEAC_Defence (30 January 2020). "Congratulations to the newly appointed Warrant Officer of the Naval Service @WOCarlSteedman . And welcome to the world of Twitter! Give him a follow, I look forward to regular sea stories and shenanigans from the @RoyalNavy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. First Sea Lord [@AdmTonyRadakin] (31 January 2020). "But as one WONS steps down, another steps up. Welcome to WO Carl "Speedy" Steedman, who takes up the role from today. Looking forward to working with him. Please do follow him on Twitter @WOCarlSteedman" (Tweet) – via Twitter.