Chief petty officer, 1st class

Chief petty officer, 1st class, CPO1, is the most senior non-commissioned member (NCM) rank of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

[1] The French language form of the rank is premier maître de 1re classe (pm 1).

The rank insignia of the CPO1 is the arms of Canada, worn on both forearms of the service dress tunic and on slip-ons on both shoulders of other uniforms.

One of the normal appointments of a CPO1 is that of coxswain, the senior NCM on a ship; it is roughly analogous to an army regimental sergeant-major (RSM).

Due to the unified nature of the CF, however, it is not unheard-of for CPO1s — especially those of the "purple trades", such as logistics or military police to find themselves filling the appointment of RSM in what are otherwise considered "hard" army units (such as service battalions).