What is Landman (rank)?
'''Landman''' (or, in the [[United States Navy]], '''Landsman''') was a [[military rank]] given to naval recruits. ==United Kingdom== In the middle of the 18th century (c.1757) the [[Royal Navy]] of the [[United Kingdom]] used the term Landman. This referred to a [[seaman]] with less than a year's experience at sea. After a year, the Landman was usually promoted to the rank of [[Ordinary Seaman (rank)|Ordinary Seaman]]. Most were acquired by impressment (a common method of recruitment from c.1700-1815). Landmen were usually between the ages of 16 and 35. While seasoned sailors (who started as Ordinary Seamen) could be impressed up to the ages of 50 to 55 depending on need. In 1853 the practice of impressment ended after the passing of the Continuous Service Act.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} The rank's title was changed to Apprentice Seaman. The term Landman evolved into a more formal rating for a [[seaman]] assigned to unskilled manual labor. ==United States of America== Landsman was the lowest rank of the United States Navy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was given to new recruits with little or no experience at sea. Landsmen performed basic unskilled work aboard ship. A Landsman who gained three years of experience or re-enlisted could be promoted to Ordinary Seaman.<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 = 2012-12-31}}</ref> The rank existed from 1838 to 1921.<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=2012-12-31 |archive-date=2012-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916052524/http://www.history.nav