The complete chief officer 6 the chief seaman of the ship

6 The Chief Seaman of the Ship
I ho basic skill of the profession is not navigation, it is seamanship. An embarrassing word
today when, in the defined functions or areas of knowledge for the granting of certificates
under STCW, there is no function of 'seamanship'.
So, where and when are we training the modern officer in seamanship? Certainly not In
the 4-6 week module at nautical college before you come to sea which leaves the seatime
on ships, of which a total of 1 year will be spent before becoming an officer. Of that time
onboard, regulations say that 6 months should be spent on the bridge, leaving 6 months to
learn the basics of seamanship before becoming an officer. Your time as Third Officer will
be spent in dealing with the safety equipment in addition to watchkeeping duties, and as
Second Officer your time will be consumed with charts, publications and paperwork, which
will leave little time for advancing your knowledge of the practice of seamanship. There
are some companies that recognise this as a problem and try to fill the basic gap with their
own schemes, but unfortunately such companies are few and far between. On many
ships, despite the efforts of those onboard, training is not adequate as trade patterns,
passenger comforts (especially on ferries and cruise ships) and the reduced or minimal
manning of the whip all restrict what can be done. For these reasons, basic seamanship
training, the foundation of the profession, can be sadly lacking and neglected.

6.1 Ship Knowledge

There are two phases of ship knowledge to consider. The first is general seamanship,
which is applicable to any ship regardless of type. The second is the ship knowledge
pertinent to a particular ship. It will be expected that you have a
general knowledge of the cargo systems for the ship you are on. The workings of the
hatches, cranes, pumps, anchors and stability should all have been part of your training in
the past, both at sea and in college.

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In this application of seamanship you could have a problem, particularly if you have been
trained in a country with no pre-sea training and you have had little experience on deck as a
cadet. This could well have created a considerable gap in your knowledge and, while you
may have the theory, you will not have the practice. If this is the case, do not be afraid to ask.
You may display your lack of knowledge but you are showing your common sense in dealing
with the problem, not causing damage or, worse, endangering personnel by your lack of
ability.
The Bosun is the obvious man to lean on and you will not have been the first Chief Officer to
throw yourself on his experience. With regard to the practice of the ship, the other officers of
your department may have valuable knowledge and this you should also draw on. In fact, it
doesn't matter who you ask if it benefits your ability and, therefore, your department and the
ship.
Finally, do not be wary of asking the Captain. If you do not know something or have little or
no experience of a task or action you are expected to accomplish, then tell him. You might
get a scathing remark, but hopefully you will also be told how to do what is required.

Simple rope work can leave a good impression.

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Don’t forget your seamanship library. This is essential reading regardless of your
experience as none of us knows It all. Thomas Stowage', Jack Isbester's 'Bulk
Carrier Practice" and the many tanker and chemical books that are available are
all required for your cargo knowledge. A good seamanship and ship maintenance
manual is also essential for your study. Combine the books with the practice, and
with willingness to listen and take advice, and you will get a head start on the path to
becoming a competent Chief Officer.
Here is a small tip. If you can do a little fancy rope work or make a good stitch in
canvas work, you will be amazed at how impressed the crew can be. You probably

know very little about either in reality, but seeing the Mate making a Turk's Head or a
canvas cover for a book on the bridge quickly has them spreading tales of your
seamanship prowess. It doesn't take long to learn a few seamanship items such
as these. Of course, far more impressive would be your ability to inspect a wire splice
and, if you are not satisfied, showing them how to do it properly!

Make sure things are done properly.

There are many aspects of seamanship still required, regardless of how modern the
ship is. Know what is correct and do not tolerate the incorrect. You know the correct way
to throw a heaving line, or should do, so why should you allow a crew member to throw
it the wrong way? When lashings are put on, make sure It is in the correct manner.
Mooring ropes should be put on the bollards properly. If you have brass on the bridge or
in the accommodation then have it polished. If you do not have enough men or time for
this, then paint it. Anything is better
than unpolished brass. What I am trying to illustrate here is that you should establish
your intolerance of slackness and poor seamanship. Once this is done, you will see a
marked improvement in the general aspect of your department and in their attitude to
you.
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Of course, if you took over an excellent department in the first place, possibly the hardest
situation to inherit, then you will carry on maintaining it.
You must read your ship like a book. Just as a book is constantly telling you different
things, as a Chief Officer you should notice what is not correct on your decks. A daily
walk round in the morning is essential. Just because something was right yesterday does
not mean it is right today. With an understanding Captain you might be able to walk
round in the afternoon as well, not only to see your ship but to see the work that your
crew have been doing.

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The old adage was that a ship was judged by its boats. Not so long ago, some hips
still carried the Captain's gig and he was rowed ashore in places like Aden,
showing off the smartness of the boat and crew. Agencies in places like Hong
Kong also competed in the appearance of their boats. Ships and their crews'
abilities can no longer be judged by such displays or even the outward appearance
of the ship. However, the good order of the boats and the crews' ability to use them
is still vitally important.
The maintenance of the lifeboats and rescue boat, if you are fortunate to have one,
must always have priority over other work. If your Captain allows them to bo lowered
to the embarkation deck at sea, that is excellent. Many do not or the company
regulations state that this is not to be done. This puts pressure on your schedule in
port as that is when these boats must be lowered.

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Permission to launch boats must be obtained in most harbours and I would make a point
of automatically asking the Master to request this in every port, provided you are not port
hopping once a week or more. Either way, you should aim to have one of your boats in
the water at least once a month and a boat lowered to the embarkation deck at least
every two weeks. This is for you to decide and, out of courtesy, advise the Master of your
intentions, particularly if you are the safety officer. Think of your job as being to ensure
that the Master has his boats well maintained and in good order, with a crew well trained
in launching them and in the use of them.
Enclosed lifeboats can only be used in calm conditions in harbour or you may never get
them back. For stern launched lifeboats there is now a tendency to recommend not

launching for exercise. This is nonsense. Of course they have to be exercised and the
crew launched in them to give confidence in the boat and its abilities in case the
necessity arises for doing it for real. I used to launch these regularly in harbour without
any problems.
If you have a rescue boat it is essential that it is exercised regularly with the same crew.
You will have crew who are supposed to have been trained in its use, but be careful here.
The training that they have received is very basic and carried out in calm conditions.
Choose the crew with care. Those who are in the crew, and the minimum is three, should
have received basic training in the use of the rescue craft. Apart from that, it is useful if
they can swim as this will give them more
confidence in the boat. It is essential that you have first-hand experience of their abilities
and this can only be achieved by you going away in the boat with them. Regardless of your
experience, they will look to you for guidance in boatwork because of the assumption that
you cannot have been promoted to Chief Officer without having acquired a reasonable
knowledge of it. This, as you know, is not so if you come from a nation that has abandoned
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pre-sea training. If this is the case, and you have junior officers that have had this training,
you might be better off asking them to assess and train the boat crews.
Either way, your crew must be capable of taking the rescue boat away in a seaway and
somehow you are going to have to achieve this. At least by regular boatwork they will gain
confidence in their abilities and in the skills of lowering the limit, taking it away and
recovery. Ensure that at all times when the rescue boat is used the crew are wearing their
survival suits and inflatable lifejackets and that they have full communication with the ship.
With regard to the lifeboat/rescue boat, this is a different matter. While you must
exercise them in still harbour conditions, it is not possible to exercise them in a seaway
owing to the difficulty of recovery. At times you will find recovery in the harbour difficult
enough. What could save you considerable problems is having rope pennants that can
be used to hook onto the falls and onto the boat, so the boat can be recovered using

these without the difficulty and dangers of having to engage the falls directly onto the
lifeboat. The lifeboat can then be hung off when up in the davits and the falls
re-engaged.
It was thought that an engineer should always accompany the lifeboat when it was sent
away, but this is not necessarily the case. All crew should be able to operate the engine
and there is no reason why one of the deck or engine ratings cannot be trained sufficiently
well to operate the engine correctly. After all, the engines are no different to those on
thousands of leisure boats and those owners do not seem to have too much trouble!
Take time to examine the lifeboats for getting stretchers inside and for adequate
ventilation. Many of them fill with engine fumes if the doors are secured, which they have to
be in heavy weather. Also, it is very probable that the engine noise prohibits
communications inside and the engine controls cannot be reached by the coxswain. Some
of the designs are atrocious.
Although the boat is equipped with oars, it is most likely that these cannot be used properly
through the ports provided in the hull as quite often they will have to be put into the holes
from the outside and the draught of the boat makes the oars' angle of entry into the water
too steep to be effectively controlled. Have the crew try to use them and then at least you
will know if they are useless.
It is wise to know the limitations of your boats before you have to use them for real.

6.3

Boat Maintenance

While the maintenance of the boats will be listed in the maintenance schedule, the
specific crew members doing this maintenance are not. Considering the importance of
these boats to you, I suggest that you consider ensuring that the same crew members
are responsible for doing this task. There are solid reasons for this. They become
familiar with the boats and the equipment and they become more responsible in their
work ethic if they know that they can be held to account for any deficiencies. In addition,

an officer should frequently inspect the boats, a good time being at the regular boat
stations when the officer can give instruction in the equipment and its use to assembled
crew.
Ensure that there is an established routine for running up the engines of all your boats
regardless of type and, if you carry spare outboards, the same must be done for them.
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Don't forget your battery checks, every week without fail.
Your lifeboats will have oars and in open boats these can be used, with crews
exercised in this. These are also provided for enclosed boats, which is a bit like
providing sails for your ship. Even so, they must be maintained and this means
occasionally oiling them, especially in open boats where they are exposed to the sun.
Make sure that your rowlocks are still in place on their chains. These chains are
subject to rust and may need replacing. From experience, rowlocks without chains
disappear.

6.4

Boat Stores and Equipment

The boat stores have to be checked frequently, particularly the favoured theft items.
Pilfering from the boats goes on not just from the shore workers but from your own crew.
Stupid as it may seem, even the ships on standby and rescue in the North Sea, where
the men absolutely depend on the fitness of the boats, encounter this problem.
It is tempting to lock the access if it is an enclosed boat. I agree that this is a good idea in
port but, if it is done, you must ensure that the boats are immediately unlocked on
sailing.
If you have open boats you may believe that all the stores should be removed to a
nearby locker. However logical this might sound, you cannot do this or accept it being

done. The boats are required to be instantly ready day and night, and that means that
all the required stores have to be in place. The open boats should not be covered. I
know there are many reasons why a cover seems a good idea, but I assure you the
delay in getting the covers off on a stormy night could mean the difference between
getting off or going down with the ship. If you do have covers, while you keep them off
at sea, they can be put on prior to arrival in port.
For some strange reason, while the regulations require us to have fishhooks in the
boat, boats are not designed with a toilet and there is no mention of sick bags or
lavatory paper. In the average enclosed plastic boat, after a few hours, things are going
to be extremely messy, particularly in high seas. With no bilges there is the question of
what we are supposed to do with our waste matter, but meanwhile it might be an idea
to ensure that each boat at least has a supply of lavatory paper end bags.

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