NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Second Mate

A Second Mate (2/M) or Second Officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The second mate is the third in command officer & a watchkeeping officer , customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer^[1] and in charge of maintaining distress signalling equipment. On oil tankers, the second mate usually assists the Chief Mate with the tank cleaning operations which is handled with very sophsticated machinary and immense planning. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 411 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (700 Ã— 1020 pixel, file size: 175 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A man holding a sextant File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 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. ... A navigator is the person onboard a ship responsible for the navigation of the vessel. ... A vessel is, say, like a town in that everything works such that. ... A United States Merchant Marine license. ... 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. ... Cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship that carries goods and materials from one port to another. ... A navigator is the person onboard a ship responsible for the navigation of the vessel. ... The Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) is an internationally-agreed set of safety procedures and types of equipment used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft. ... A tanker is usually a vehicle carrying large amounts of liquid fuel. ... The head of the deck department on a merchant vessel, second in command after the ships Master (the Captain). ...

The navigator role focuses on creating the ship's passage plans. A passage plan is a comprehensive, step by step description of how the voyage is to proceed from berth to berth. The plan includes undocking, departure, the enroute portion of a voyage, approach, and mooring at the destination. Poor passage planning and deviation from the plan can lead to groundings and oil spills. ...

The GMDSS officer role consists of performing tests and maintenance, and ensuring the proper log-keeping on the ship's Global Maritime Distress Safety System equipment. Safety equipment includes Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons, a NAVTEX unit, INMARSAT consoles, various radios, Search and Rescue Radar Transponders, and Digital Selective Calling systems. The Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) is an internationally-agreed set of safety procedures and types of equipment used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft. ... Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are tracking transmitters that operate as part of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. ... A NAVTEX receiver prints an incoming message. ... Inmarsat is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organization. ... Sart is a name for the settled inhabitants of Central Asia which has had shifting meanings over the centuries. ... VHF radio is radio transmission in the 30-300 MHz frequency range, as a means of short-range, line-of-sight verbal communication. ...

Watchstanding

A second mate is almost always a watchstander. In port and at sea, the second mate is responsible to the captain for keeping the ship, its crew, and its cargo safe for eight hours each day. Traditionally, the second mate stands a "12-4" watch: from midnight until 4am and noon until 4pm. On watch, he must enforce all applicable regulations, such as safety of life at sea and pollution regulations. In port, the watch focuses on duties such as cargo operations, fire and security watches, monitoring communications, and the anchor or mooring lines. Watchstanding, or watchkeeping, in nautical terms concerns the division of qualified personnel to operate a ship continuously around the clock. ... The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is the most important treaty protecting the safety of merchant ships. ... Ship Pollution is an abbreviated form of the Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973. ... Physical security describes measures that prevent or deter attackers from accessing a facility, resource, or information stored on physical media. ...

IMO regulations require the officer be fluent in English. This is required for a number of reasons, such as to use charts and nautical publications, understand weather and safety messages, communicate with other ships and coast stations, and to be able to work with a multi-lingual crew. A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. ... Nautical publications is a technical term used in maritime circles describing a set of publications, generally published by national governments, for use in safe navigation of ships, boats, and similar vessels. ...

Sea watch

At sea, the mate on watch has three fundamental duties: to navigate the ship, to safely avoid traffic, and to respond to emergencies. Mates generally stand watch with able seamen who act as helmsman and lookout. The helmsman executes turns and the lookout reports dangers such as approaching ships. These roles are often combined to a single helmsman/lookout and, under some circumstances, can be eliminated completely.^[2] The ability to smartly handle a ship is key to safe watchstanding. A ship's draught, trim, speed and under-keel clearance all affect its turning circle and stopping distance. Other factors include the effects of wind and current, squat, shallow water, and similar effects. Shiphandling is key when the need arises to rescue a man overboard, to anchor, or to moor the ship. This article is about a civilian occupation. ... A helmsman is an person who steers a ship. ... A lookout or look-out is a person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards, other ships, land, etc. ... The draft of a ships hull is the vertical distance from the bottom of the hull to the waterline. ... A turn with the turning radius being r. ...

The officer must also be able to transmit and receive signals by Morse light and to use the International Code of Signals. 1922 Chart of the Morse Code Letters and Numerals Morse code is a method for transmitting telegraphic information, using standardized sequences of short and long elements to represent the letters, numerals, punctuation and special characters of a message. ... The International Code of Signals (INTERCO) is a signal code to be used by merchant and naval vessels to communicate important messages about the state of a vessel and the intent of its master or commander when there are language barriers. ...

Navigation

Celestial, terrestrial, electronic, and coastal navigation techniques are used to fix a ship's position on a navigational chart. Accounting for effects of winds, tides, currents and estimated speed, the officer directs the helmsman to keep to track. The officer uses supplemental information from nautical publications, such as Sailing Directions, tide tables, Notices to Mariners, and radio navigational warnings to keep the ship clear of danger in transit. Table of geography, hydrography, and navigation, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (900 Ã— 675 pixel, file size: 123 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture by HervÃ© Cozanet from the marine-marchande. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (900 Ã— 675 pixel, file size: 123 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture by HervÃ© Cozanet from the marine-marchande. ... Celestial Navigation is the 15th episode of The West Wing. ... Electronic navigation normally refers to one of two systems of navigation: Satellite Navigation: Navigation using signals from orbital satellites (such as GPS) as a reference. ... Portion of chart of Bering Strait, site of former land bridge between Asia and North America. ... This article is about tides in the ocean. ... The word current usually implies a flow or movement. ... A helmsman is an person who steers a ship. ... Nautical publications is a technical term used in maritime circles describing a set of publications, generally published by national governments, for use in safe navigation of ships, boats, and similar vessels. ... Sailing Directions is a 47-volume American navigation publication published by the Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic/Topographic Center. ... A tide table is used for tidal prediction and shows the daily times and height of high water and low water for a particular location. ... Notice to Mariners is an American navigation publication made available weekly by the Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic Topographic Center (DMAHTC), prepared jointly with the National Ocean Service (NOS) and the U.S. Coast Guard. ...

Safety demands the mate be able to quickly solve steering control problems and to calibrate the system for optimum performance. Since magnetic and gyro compasses show the course to steer, the officer must be able to determine and correct for compass errors. This article is about the navigational tool. ... [[ Cutaway of AnschÃ¼tz gyrocompass The following description refers to the gyrocompasses used on ships. ...

Weather's profound effect on ships requires the officer be able to interpret and apply meteorological information from all available sources. This requires expertise in weather systems, reporting procedures, and recording systems. Satellite image of Hurricane Hugo with a polar low visible at the top of the image. ...

Traffic management

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea are a cornerstone of safe watchkeeping. Safety requires that one live these rules and follow the principles of safe watchkeeping. Maximizing bridge teamwork, including Bridge Resource Management is an emerging focus in watchkeeping. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and set out the rules of the road to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea. ...

The main purpose for Radar and Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA) on a ship's bridge are to move safely among other vessels. These tools help to accurately judge information about prominent objects in the vicinity, such as: This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... Automatic Radar Plotting Aid, ARPA, gives a maritime radar the possibility to follow targets resembling other ships, calculating their course, speed and possible collision with own vessel. ...

These factors help the officer apply the COLREGS to safely maneuver in the vicinity of obstructions and other ships. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and set out the rules of the road to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea. ...

Unfortunately, radar has a number of limitations, and ARPA inherits those limitations and adds a number of its own. Factors such as rain, high seas, and dense clouds can prevent radar from detecting other vessels. Conditions such as dense traffic and course and speed changes can confuse ARPA units. Finally, human errors such as inaccurate speed inputs and confusion between true and relative vectors add to the limitations of the radar/ARPA suite.

The radar operator must be able to optimize system settings and detect divergences between an ARPA system and reality. Information obtained from radar and ARPA has to be treated with scrutiny: over reliance on these systems has sunk ships. The officer must understand system performance. Examples include limitations and accuracy, tracking capabilities and limitations, and processing delays, and the use of operational warnings and system tests.

Emergencies

Emergencies can happen at any time, and the officer must be equipped to safeguard passengers and crew. After a collision or a grounding, the officer must be able to take initial action, perform damage assessment and control, and understand the procedures for rescuing persons from the sea, assisting ships in distress, and responding to any emergency which may arise in port.

The officer must understand distress signals and know the IMO Merchant Ship Search and Rescue Manual. A distress signal is an internationally recognized means of obtaining help by using a radio, displaying a visual object or making noise from a distance. ...

Cargo handling

The ship's officer must be able to oversee the loading, stowage, securing and unloading of cargoes. Requirements include understanding the care of cargo during the voyage.

Of particular importance is knowledge of the effect of cargo including heavy lifts on the seaworthiness and stability of the ship. The officer must also understand safe handling, stowage and securing of cargoes, including cargoes that are dangerous, hazardous or harmful.

Controlling ship operations

The officer has special responsibilities to keep the ship, the people on board and the environment safe. This includes keeping the ship seaworthy during fire and loss of stability, and providing aid and maintaining safety during man overboard, abandoning ship, and medical emergencies.

Understanding ship's stability, trim, stress, and the basics of ship's construction is a key to keeping a ship seaworthy. Compentencies include knowing what to do in cases of flooding and loss of buoyancy. Fire is also a constant concern. Knowing the classes and chemistry of fire, fire-fighting appliances, and systems prepares the officer to act fast in case of fire.

An officer must be expert in the use of survival craft and rescue boats, their launching appliances and arrangements, and their equipment including radio life-saving appliances, satellite EPIRBs, SARTs, immersion suits and thermal protective aids. It's important to be expert in the techniques for survival at sea techniques in case it's necessary to abandon ship. Severn class lifeboat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... A rescue craft is a boat or ship used in rescuing. ... Emergency position-indicating rescue beacons (EPIRB) are small radio transmitters that some satellites and search and rescue aircraft can use locate people or boats needing rescue. ... Sart is a name for the settled inhabitants of Central Asia which has had shifting meanings over the centuries. ... An immersion suit or, more specifically an immersion survival work suit, is a type of dry suit designed to keep water away from the skin, and prevent hypothermia, if its wearer falls into cold water. ...

Officers are trained to perform medical tasks and to follow instructions given by radio or obtained from guides. This training includes what to do in case of common shipboard accidents and illnesses.

Licensing

United States

To become a second mate (unlimited) in the United States, one must have been a third mate and have at least 365 days of service while holding that license. Third mates who attained their licenses after the implementation of STCW 95 have passed all the examination topics required for the second mate's license, and can automatically claim the second mate's license after documenting the required service. Third mates who attained their licenses before STCW 95 must meet additional requirements. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 775 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (3270 Ã— 2529 pixel, file size: 945 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) United States Merchant Marine license from US government site: http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 775 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (3270 Ã— 2529 pixel, file size: 945 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) United States Merchant Marine license from US government site: http://www. ... The third officer of a merchant vessel. ...

There are two methods to attain an unlimited third mate's license in the United States: to attend a specialized training institution, or to accumulate "sea time" and take a series of traning classes and examintations.^[3]

Training institutions that can lead to a third mate's license include the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (deck curriculum), the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Naval Academy with qualification as an underway officer in charge of a navigational watch, any of the state maritime colleges, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, or a three-year apprentice mate training program approved by the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Seal of the US Merchant Marine Academy The US Merchant Marine Academy represents Federal involvement in maritime training that is more than a century old. ... The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located in New London, Connecticut, is a U.S. military academy that provides education to future officers of the United States Coast Guard. ... Teamwork: Fourth Class Midshipmen lock arms and use ropes made from uniform items as they brace themselves climbing the Herndon Monument The United States Naval Academy, or USNA, is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. ... Officer of the Deck (OOD) is a position in the United States Navy that confers certain authority and responsibility. ... Northwestern Michigan College, also known as NMC to local residents, is a community college, established in 1951, in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. ...

A seaman may start the process of attaining a license after three years of service in the deck department on ocean steam or motor vessels, at least six months of which as able seaman, boatswain, or quartermaster. Then the seaman takes required training courses, and completes on-board assessments. Finally, the mariner can apply to the United States Coast Guard for a Third Mate's license. In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term Able Seaman referred to a seaman with at least two years experience at sea. ... The bosun of a civilian sail-training ship. ... Quartermaster is a term usually referring to a military unit which specializes in supplying and provisioning troops, or to an individual who does the same. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin USCG HH-60J JayHawk The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces and is involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ...

A master of 1,600 ton vessels can, under certain circumstances, begin the application process for an unlimited third mate's license. Captain Sir Arthur Henry Rostron receiving a loving cup from Margaret Brown for his rescue of RMS Titanic survivors Main article: Seafarers professions and ranks Captain is the traditional customary title given to the person in charge of a ship at sea. ...

If approved the applicant must then successfully pass a comprehensive license examination before being issued the license. Hawsepiper is an informal maritime industry term used to refer to an officer who began his or her career as an unlicensed merchant seaman and did not attend a traditional maritime college/academy to earn the officer license.

A ship’s hawse pipe is the pipe passing through the bow section of a ship that the anchor chain passes through. Hawsepiper refers to climbing up the hawse pipe, a nautical metaphor for climbing up the ship's rank structure. Hawsepiper is considered a positive term when said respectfully. Most hawsepipers are proud of their background and use the term to describe themselves.

Several merchant seamen’s unions offer their membership the required training to help them advance. Similarly, some employers offer financial assistance to pay for employee training. Otherwise, the mariner is responsible for the cost of the required training.

There have been complaints that the hawsepiper progression path has been made too difficult since the requirements of STCW '95 have been enacted. Issues include the cost in time and money to meet formal classroom training requirements. Critics assert that the newer requirements will eventually lead to a shortage of qualified mariners, especially in places like the United States.

The Age of Sail

In 1840's Two Years Before the Mast, the author (Richard Henry Dana, Jr.) describes the role of a second mate on an American merchant trading brig as follows: The age of sail is the period in which international trade and naval warfare were both dominated by sailing ships. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Two Years Before the Mast a book by the American author Richard Henry Dana, Jr. ... Richard Henry Dana Jr. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Brigantine. ...

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