For the safe and expeditious navigation of his vessel from port to port.
For the good management, and order, of the various departments that constitute the internal economy of his vessel—deck—engine—steward's—etc.
He is responsible for the safety of the lives of passengers and crew.
He is responsible for the safe stowage, carriage, and unlading of the cargo.
The vessel is his direct responsibility. If the Pilot is in charge, this does not relieve the Master of his full responsibility.
The Master is responsible to the owners.
He is also responsible to the insurance underwriters.
He is also responsible to the Government of the United States, under which he receives his license as a Master Mariner.
The Master Mariner who is well qualified to bear the great responsibilities of his station; to have the keeping of many lives in his charge; to be the sole judge of what is right and proper in times of emergency; such a man is not made in a year, nor is he the product of any short-cut system of training. His sea lore must be learned at sea. His duty to ship and cargo must be truly come by through close and thorough contact with the great vessels he is called upon to command.
The Master Mariner must be a student of the laws governing his business upon the sea, and of the laws defining his duties and responsibilities to ship, passengers, crew, and cargo.