Ocean Vessels Vary Greatly
There are two general classes of ocean vessels—sail and steam, steam vessels being in many instances equipped for sailing. In these two general classes there are, however, all sorts and types of boats and ships.
PLAN No. 1014. CREW AND DUTIES LIKEWISE VARY
The crew of a steam vessel has three departments—deck, engineer’s, and steward’s.[22]
[22] The United States Shipping Board has made the following announcement of free training for deck officers and engineers: “The United States Shipping Board is creating a new national fleet of merchantmen, controlled by the United States Government. The Shipping Board needs for these ships 4,000 new watch officers and 4,000 new engineers. Men of proper experience will be trained free of charge to take examinations for licenses in either branch of the service to fill these positions.” The experience required ranges from two to three years at certain maritime occupations. You can learn more about this opportunity to get training by conferring with representatives of the Federal Board for Vocational Education.
The deck crew of a steamer depends upon the size and type of the vessel, and ranges from as low as nine on a small steamer to 972 on the Olympic, officers included. The average number of able seamen is about seven for ocean-carrying vessels. The others are officers, ordinary seamen, deck boys, etc. It has been charged that boats frequently ship without any able seamen, and depend upon ordinary seamen and deck boys in emergencies.
Deck duty is varied and crowded with emergencies. “The sailor’s daily work in all kinds of vessels and weather, at the wheel, on the lookout, and on deck, teaches him to know the sea and how to work with it. His work with tackles, lines, and cables, in hoisting and lowering, trains his judgment of strains and distances.”[23] “The amount of gear and equipment used in the deck department on different classes of steamships varies greatly, but the difference is one of degree rather than of the kind.”[24]
[23] International Conference on Safety at Sea, p. 119.
[24] International Conference on Safety at Sea, p. 121.