ORDINARY SEAMAN"

Job Description and Jobs

 Stands deck department watches and performs variety of duties to preserve painted
surfaces of ship and to maintain lines, running gear, and cargo-handling gear in safe
operating condition: Watches from bow of ship or wing of bridge for obstructions in path
of ship.

 Turns wheel while observing compass to steer and maintain ship course.

 Mops or washes down deck, using hose, to remove oil, dirt, and debris.

 Chips and cleans rust spots from deck, superstructure, and sides of ship, using hand or
air chipping hammer and wire brush.

 Paints chipped area.

 Splices wire rope, using marlinespike, wire cutters, and twine.

Steering wheel (ship)

The wheel of a ship is the modern method of changing the angle of the rudder to
change the direction of the boat or ship. It is also called the helm, together with the rest
of the steering mechanism.
The wheel is typically connected to a mechanical or hydraulic system.
The idea of tractors, automobiles, and similar land vehicles having a steering
wheel probably evolved directly from the ship's wheel.

What is the steering gear?

A steering gear is the equipment provided on ships to

turn the ship to Port side or to Starboard side while in motion during voyage. The
steering gear is constantly in use during a vessel’s voyage. Its importance is shown with
the existence of SOLAS regulations, regarding steering gear’s testing. A failure on the
steering gear, may lead to unpleasant situations such as collisions or grounding.

OS / A/B LICENSE OIC

Duties of Officer on Watch (OOW) After Taking Over Watch
A deck officer assigned with the duties of watch keeping and navigation on a ship’s
bridge is known as the officer on watch (OOW). While keeping a watch on the bridge he
is the representative of the ship’s master and has the total responsibility of safe and
smooth navigation of the ship.

Officer on Watch (OOW) is also in charge of the bridge team, which is there to support
him in the navigation process. He is also responsible to ensure that the ship complies
with COLREGS and all the orders of the master are followed with utmost safety under
all conditions. The three main duties of an officer on watch (OOW) can very broadly, for
the sake of understanding only, can be classified under
A list of main duties of an officer on watch (OOW) is provided below. However, this is
not an exhaustive list and the duties may change according to the requirements. The
following constitutes the aspects required to be checked and monitored after having
taken over the watch (to know more about taking over

 Compare the compasses: This is done in order to have a precise estimate

window within which the compass errors can affect the course to be steered and
thereafter, made good. In case a gyro fails, the OOW must be aware of the
extent to which the the error of the magnetic might affect the course being
followed/to be followed. Also, a comparison of the repeaters is essential to know
if the repeaters are aligned with the master gyro and showing the correct reading
which is needed when reading from the bridge or when calculating the compass
error using the Azimuth

 Check soundings by the echo sounder. Needless to say, the UKC and the depth
of water at any point is imperative to the safe navigation of the ship. While a
record is made of the depth if need be and if instructed by the Master to do so, it
is also necessary for the OOW to account for the errors of the echo sounder to
ensure that the correct reading is obtained (basically, avoiding under or over
reading of the depth). This is especially crucial when in shallow waters as failure
to understand the actual depth can have devastating effects such as grounding
of the vessel.

 Ensure that the lookout is alert: Not just the lookout but also the helmsman
should be alert at all times. Rule 5 of COLREGS puts special emphasis on
lookout and states that “Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout
by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the
prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the
situation and of the risk of collision.” Again, the importance of this can be best
explained when considering the vessel in restricted visibility (Rule 19 of
COLREGS) wherein the role of the lookout man is paramount.

 Check the position: The OOW must check the position plotted by the outgoing
OOW and not depend entirely on the displayed information on the chart. While
this is not to question the outgoing OOW, it is necessary to do so for personal
convincing and rechecking it to ensure that there have been no errors. The
precious positions affect the future position and therefore, in order to maintain
maximum accuracy of the plot, this must be done.

 Discussing with the outgoing OOW: Navigation of the vessel is extremely

dynamic and therefore all conditions at any given time affect the ship in a certain
way and also helps us to ascertain the trend with regard to the movement of the
 ship and the surroundings. The current OOW must discuss with the outgoing
OOW if there has been any unusual activity, any changes in the CTS, any points
where the Master needs to be called or informed, any weather warnings or
messages, any VHF communication with other ships etc. Also, the current OOW
must ask the outgoing OOW if the Master or the Chief Officer has left any verbal
instructions to complied with or any night orders that there might be confusions
with.

Read log entries: The OOW must read any log entries made by the outgoing
OOW before he leaves the bridge. If there is any confusion, he must ask the
outgoing OOW of its explanation. Remember that the current bridge watch is
under the responsibility of the current OOW so to reduce the margin of error as
much as possible, this checking and rechecking must be done.

 Draft: The ship’s draft must be displayed on bridge, updated when there are any
changes, for ready reference by the OOW. This is to be aware of the UKC at all
times

 Gyro and its error: Most of the equipment’s on the bridge might have some errors
associated with it. While they are ALL important to factored in, the gyro is
something that is used at every second of the bridge watch to plan, execute and
monitor the courses and any changes associated with it. Different makes of the
gyro call for different inputs and some might require input to be fed to it which
means that the OOW must take precaution to ensure that its done accordingly
after accounting for all errors. Needless to say, this is all under the Master’s
purview and jurisdiction eventually.

 GMDSS: The GMDSS watch is crucial to the safety and must be maintained on

the stipulated frequencies as per regulations. Additionally, all MSI promulgated
via the NAVTEX or the SAT C EGC or the VHF must be checked at all times.
Whether or not such information affects the ship immediately is not the primary
task at hand but to obtain, read and understand such a message to determine if it
affects the ship is what the OOW must do.

 General rounds of the ship: Soon after handing over the watch, the OOW
relieved may take a round of the ship to ascertain that fire safety is maintained,
there are no signs of breach, nothing unusual, no unsecured articles in the
accommodation; having completed this, the outgoing OOW must inform the
current OOW that such an inspection has been carried out satisfactorily and that
nothing is amiss or if anything is amiss.

Additionally, the OOW must keep the following in mind:

  Check navigational equipment in use at regular interval of time
 Following a proper navigation plan to avoid any kind of collision according to
COLREGS
 Must know how to use Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA)
 Must know how to use Electronic Chart and Display System (ECDIS)
 Should be conversant with the ship’s speed, turning circles, and ship handling
characteristics
 Prepare, execute, and monitor a safe passage plan
 Ensure handing over of the watch is done according to shipboard operation
procedures (ISM)
 Asking for support whenever required
 Contact master when need arise
 Should be fully aware of all safety equipment on board ship
 Must use helm and signaling apparatus whenever required
 Must know how to use all equipment meant for prevention of pollution at the sea
and safety of lives
 Should not leave the bridge unattended during his watch

All that is mentioned above is a generalized approach to the duties of the OOW on
bridge. The full extent of such duties cannot be covered entirely as a lot of factors may
be added as per the type of the ship. For example, on tankers the IG related information
has to be monitored and therefore, adds to the existing duties. The idea is for the OOW
to be fully conversant with the type of the ship and all the duties that go with it. As
mentioned above, the dynamic nature of it all makes the OOW’s duties dynamic as well.

A deck officer assigned with the duties of watch keeping and navigation on a ship’s
bridge is known as the officer on watch (OOW). While keeping a watch on the bridge he
is the representative of the ship’s master and has the total responsibility of safe and
smooth navigation of the ship.

Officer on Watch (OOW) is also in charge of the bridge team, which is there to support
him in the navigation process. He is also responsible to ensure that the ship complies
with COLREGS and all the orders of the master are followed with utmost safety under
all conditions. The three main duties of an officer on watch (OOW) can very broadly, for
the sake of understanding only, can be classified under:

 Navigation
 Watch keeping
  GMDSS radio watch keeping

A lookout is a person at the ship’s bridge who maintains a continuous watch of the sea
to report any kind of hazard that can be an obstacle in the navigation and cause harm to
the ship. According to COLREG, a lookout is required to give his uninterrupted attention
at all times to the ship’s navigation in order to inform the officer on watch (OOW) about
other ships, shipwrecks, debris, floating objects etc.

Though the job might sound simple, the duty of a lookout is a responsible one and
should be taken with utmost seriousness. Lookout helps in carrying out the duties of the
officer on watch (OOW) more efficiently.

The lookout should inform the officer on watch when he observes any of the following:

 Any kind of floating object

 Navigation mark or lights
 Any type of distress signal from other ships or ports
 Land
 Ice, irrespective of size or form
 Any type of ship irrespective of its size
 Sandbags or prominent navigational features
 Problem with any of the ship’s navigation systems, including navigational lights
 Any kind of hazards or derelicts that can be dangerous to the ship’s navigation

The main duties of a lookout are:

 To give utmost attention through sight, hearing, and any other means in order to
assess any change in the operating environment
 Detecting and reporting on ships, shipwrecks, debris, shipwrecked person, and
other navigational hazards
 Reporting on possibilities of collision, stranding, and other dangers to navigation
 The lookout should remain at his position at all times until he is relieved from his
duties. On relieving, he should provide all the information to his reliever about
things that he has reported.

The job of lookout is mostly carried out by Able Seaman (AB) or Ordinary seaman
(OS) of the ship. However, it is to note that the lookout duties cannot be shared with
other works.
Today, the job of a lookout is of utmost importance on ships plying in piracy affected
areas.

A compass is an instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction

relative to the geographic cardinal directions (or points). Usually, a diagram called
a compass rose shows the directions north, south, east, and west on the compass face
as abbreviated initials. When the compass is used, the rose can be aligned with the
corresponding geographic directions; for example, the "N" mark on the rose points
northward. Compasses often display markings for angles in degrees in addition to (or
sometimes instead of) the rose. North corresponds to 0°, and the angles
increase clockwise, so east is 90° degrees, south is 180°, and west is 270°. These
numbers allow the compass to show magnetic North azimuths or true North azimuths
or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation. If magnetic declination between
the magnetic North and true North at latitude angle and longitude angle is known, then
direction of magnetic North also gives direction of true North.
 Contents

 1Magnetic compass
 2Non-magnetic compasses
o 2.1Gyrocompass
o 2.2GPS receivers used as compasses
 3History
 4Modern compasses
o 4.1Magnetic compass
 4.1.1Thumb compass
o 4.2Solid state compasses
o 4.3Specialty compasses
o 4.4Limitations of the magnetic compass
 5Construction of a magnetic compass
o 5.1Magnetic needle
o 5.2Needle-and-bowl device
o 5.3Points of the compass
o 5.4Compass balancing (magnetic dip)
o 5.5Compass correction
 6Using a magnetic compass
 7See also
 8Notes
 9References
 10External links