Landman

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For other uses, see Landmann.

Landman (or, in the U.S. Navy, Landsman) is a title referring to either a naval recruit or an oil worker.

[edit] Naval Usage

In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea. After a year, the landman was generally considered an Ordinary Seaman.

Later, the term evolved into a more formal rating for a seaman.

In the Civil War-era United States Navy, Landsman was the lowest rank given to sailors. Landsmen performed menial, unskilled work aboard ship. A Landsman who gained three years of experience or re-enlisted could be promoted to Ordinary Seaman.^[1]

[edit] Resource Industry Usage

In the US and Canada the term Landman is used to refer to individuals who perform various services for oil companies. According to the website of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen (www.landman.org), these services include: negotiating for the acquisition or divestiture of mineral rights; negotiating business agreements that provide for the exploration for and/or development of minerals; determining ownership in minerals through the research of public and private records; reviewing the status of title, curing title defects and otherwise reducing title risk associated with ownership in minerals; managing rights and/or obligations derived from ownership of interests in minerals; and unitizing or pooling of interests in minerals

[edit] References

• N.A.M. Roger. The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy. W.W. Norton and Company, 1986.