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Encyclopedia > Boatswain's Mate
The bosun of a civilian sail-training ship. Click the image for further details.
The bosun of a civilian sail-training ship. Click the image for further details.
The bosun on deck of a U.S. freighter exams a cargo hold during cargo operations
The bosun on deck of a U.S. freighter exams a cargo hold during cargo operations

A boatswain, often (at least since 1868) phonetically spelled and pronounced bosun, is a warrant officer or petty officer who is foreman of a ship's crew and is sometimes also third or fourth mate. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1001 KB) Summary Fliss Green, Bosun of the TSYTs tall ships Prince William and Stavros S Niarchos (crew alternate between the ships). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1001 KB) Summary Fliss Green, Bosun of the TSYTs tall ships Prince William and Stavros S Niarchos (crew alternate between the ships). ... Proper spelling is the writing of a word or words with all necessary letters and diacritics present in an accepted, conventional order. ... Two Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officers. ... A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. ...


History

The word boatswain, recorded in English since the mid fifteenth century, is derived from from late Old English batswegen, from bat ("boat") + Old Norse sveinn ("swain"), meaning a young man, a follower, retainer or servant—compare mate. Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... Old Norse is the Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300. ... Swain is a traditional English surname derived ultimately from the Old German personal name Sven (Sweyn), meaning a youth, young man. ... A retinue (O. Fr. ... A servant is a person who is hired to provide regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. ... Mate may refer to: Relationships: Mate (term), a term for a friend, especially in the United Kingdom and Australasia; also used to address strangers One of a pair of animals, sometimes also applied to a human partner; see mating Nautical: A deck officer on a merchant marine vessel, usually ranked...


Originally, on board a sailing ship such as a man-of-war or a galleon, the boatswain was in charge of a ship's anchors, cordage, colors, deck crew and the ship's boats, and would also be in charge of the rigging while the ship was in dock; with steam and further mechanisation, the technical tasks have been modernized. It remains his duty to summon the crew to work by a whistle known as boatswain's pipe. Traditional wooden cutter under sail. ... A man of war (also man-of-war, man-o-war or simply man) is an armed naval vessel. ... A Spanish galleon A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. ... A stocked ships anchor. ... Rope is also the title of a movie by Alfred Hitchcock Coils of rope used for long-line fishing A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength, for pulling and connecting. ... The Dannebrog, national flag of Denmark. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A dock is an area of water between two piers or alongside a pier, forming a chamber used for building or repairing one ship. ... A boatswains pipe or boatswains whistle (pronounced Bosun) is a whistle that is made of a tube that directs air over a grape-sized metal sphere with a hole cut in the top. ...


In the Royal Navy the rank of boatswaine was called "Sailing master." This dates back to medieval times. When an army took control of a ship, the army unit's captain became captain of the ship. However, being a military man he could not sail so the running of the ship was left to her original captain who was dubbed "Sailing master." When the Royal Navy adopted a standard captain rank of its own, the rank of sailing master became official and the master was in charge of all the duties of the boatswaine mentioned above as well as being in charge of storing provisions in the hold as they affected the ship's trim. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...


In the Royal Navy the task fell to the quartermasters and quatermaster's mates to punish unruly seamen. Either with a Rattan cane boatswain's cane on the boys or with a rope's end on the adult sailors, either on an officer's instructions or at his own accord, and formally on deck on captain's or court martial's orders, usually birching or wielding the cat o' nine tails; in a large crew he could delegate this to one or more boatswain's mate(s), who might alternate after each dozen lashes. Rattan cane Caning is a physical punishment (see that article for generalities and alternatives) consisting of a beating with a cane, generally applied on the bare or clad buttocks (see spanking), shoulders, hand(s) (palm, rarely knuckles) or even the soles of the feet (see falaka). ... Coils of rope used for long-line fishing A rope (IPA: ) is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. ... Birching is corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically a spanking (i. ... A leather cat o nine used for BDSM play This article discusses an implement of punishment. ...


Onboard U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard vessels, boatswain's mates comprise and lead the deck department. There is no rate of Boatswain, only Boatswain's Mates (BM) in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Coast Guard. Whereas, on board merchant vessels, the boatswain is the foreman of the crew, and is sometimes also the third or fourth mate. The United States Navy (also known as USN or the U.S. Navy) is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ... The Deck Department is a reference to a division on a U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, or Merchant Marine vessel which is comprised of sailors who perform maintenance and upkeep on the ship (chippers and painters, as theyre commonly referred to) and are knowledgable in basic seamanship. ... The United States Navy classifies its enlisted personnel with a system of rating (job speciality) and rate (military rank). ... Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit. ... Foreman is the surname of: Dave Foreman Gordy Foreman Deborah Foreman Kevin Foreman George Foreman - a boxer Carl Foreman Freeda Foreman Tim Foreman Richard Foreman David Foreman Jon Foreman Susan Foreman Joseph Foreman Jack Foreman Mantle it may refer also to: Foreman, Arkansas Foreman of Signals George Foreman Grill Stanley... The third officer of a merchant vessel. ... Mate may refer to: Relationships: Mate (term), a term for a friend, especially in the United Kingdom and Australasia; also used to address strangers One of a pair of animals, sometimes also applied to a human partner; see mating Nautical: A deck officer on a merchant marine vessel, usually ranked...


In the realm of literature, among the more famous boatswain characters is Bill Bobstay, the "bos'un" in Gilbert and Sullivan's musical comedy, H.M.S. Pinafore which premiered in London in 1878. Another is Smee from Peter Pan. Lord Byron's newfoundland dog was called Boatswain, he famously nursed him through to his death despite the dog having rabies. Byron had a monument made at his home in Newstead Abbey which is said to be larger than his own. Sir W. S. Gilbert Sir Arthur Sullivan Librettist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) collaborated on a series of fourteen comic operas in Victorian England between 1871 and 1896. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: HMS Pinafore H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. ... Smee is a fictional character in the Peter Pan mythos. ... Statue of Peter Pan in St. ...


By tradition and superstition, only the boatswain is allowed to whistle while on board, lest an unwitting sailor "whistle up the wind." Hence the phrase, "Only fools and boatswains..."


The word bosun also refers to a type of dinghy. Dinghy of the schooner Adventuress A dinghy is a small utility boat attached to a larger boat. ...


A boatswain's chair is a type of harness that allows a crewmember (called a rigging monkey) to climb into the rigging and work on the sails or halyards safely. The boatswain's chair was tied off to an available halyard, which is tended by another crewmember as the work is completed, ensuring that any misstep by the rigging monkey does not result in a fall to the decks of the boat. In sailing, a halyard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist (pull up) a sail or a yard to which a sail has been attached (bent on). ...


Compare: Bootsmann Bootsmann was a Petty Officer position in German naval forces. ...


See also

Seafarer's professions and ranks A vessel is, say, like a town in that everything works such that. ...


Sources and references

Common Shipping Occupations Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... Image File history File links Flag of the United States Merchant Marine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Merchant Navy. ...

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Deck department: Ordinary Seaman Able Seaman Boatswain - Carpenter 3rd Mate - 2nd Mate-1st Mate-Chief Mate Captain
Engine department: Wiper - Oiler QMED Electrician 3rd Engineer-2nd Engineer-1st Engineer Chief Engineer
Steward's department: Steward's Assistant Chief Cook Chief Steward Purser
Other: Harbor Pilot

 

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