I started-out my sea-going life as a U.S. Navy quartermaster, serving aboard submarines.

I got out of my 1st enlistment in 1980 and, after a while, joined the Navy Reserve. This was in a large metropolitan area, in Central Louisiana.

The local newspaper sent a reporter and a photographer over to our drill one weekend, and they snapped a picture of me in my Cracker-Jack uniform, bent over a chart with a pair of dividers. Now, I imagine they didn't get this information from anyone at our unit, and the reporter must have relied on his own, apparently Army, experience. This is because my picture had the following explanatory caption (paraphrased—it's been a while, folks):

"Although OP is a quartermaster, he has learned navigation in order to help the mission of his Navy Reserve unit."

Of course, we at my unit face-palmed when we read this. For anyone who's NOT in the Navy, a quartermaster's primary job IS navigation. The storekeeper rating fulfills the supply function that's equivalent to an Army quartermaster's role.

Since then, I've learned something about the etymology of the two terms that have ended-up with the same external forms.

First, I'll do the Army version.

The term 'quartermaster' in the context of the U.S. Army, has its origin in military history, and has evolved over time. The term comes from the role of a 'quarter master' in European armies of the 16th and 17th centuries, who was responsible for managing the quartering or billeting of troops.

In those times, armies were often required to lodge or quarter troops in local communities or in camps during campaigns. The quarter master was responsible for arranging and managing the logistics of billeting, including finding suitable lodging, managing supplies, overseeing transportation, and coordinating with local authorities. The quarter master was also responsible for ensuring that troops were properly fed, clothed, and equipped.

Over time, the role of the quarter master expanded to include other logistical responsibilities, such as managing supplies and provisions, overseeing transportation, and coordinating with other military units. In modern military organizations, including the U.S. Army, the quartermaster is responsible for a wide range of logistical operations, including supply chain management, transportation, maintenance, and distribution of equipment, fuel, and other resources to support military operations.

In the U.S. Army, the Quartermaster Corps is one of the oldest branches of the Army, dating back to the Revolutionary War era. The Quartermaster Corps provides support to the Army in the areas of supply, transportation, and maintenance, and plays a critical role in ensuring that soldiers are properly equipped, fed, and supported in their missions. The term 'quartermaster' has been retained in the modern U.S. Army as a historical reference to this important logistical role.

And now I'll do the Navy.

The Navy term comes from the Latin term 'quartius magister,' which means 'master of the (4th) deck,' which on square-rigged sailing vessels was the deck where this rating 'hung out.' The 'master' part is representative of this rating's former duties, which we would now call a 'master at arms,' who is nominally a keeper of good order and discipline. Some non-U.S. navies has kept this function in the quartermaster rating.

Here's a story about that. A ship I was on in the 80s had docked at the Navy Base in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a representative of the base had come aboard asking to speak to the duty quartermaster. He then explained to me the rules of conduct at the base, and asked me to ensure these were passed along. I smiled to myself, because I understood what was going on here, and ensured him that I would.