AB watchkeeping and helm commands

46 CFR §12.405

§ 12.405 Examination and demonstration of ability for able seaman (A/B) endorsements. (a) Before an applicant is issued an endorsement as an A/B, he or she must prove, to the satisfaction of the Coast Guard, by oral or other means of examination, or by actual demonstration in a Coast Guard-approved course, his or her knowledge of seamanship and the ability to carry out effectively all the duties that may be required of an A/B, including those of a lifeboatman or lifeboatman-limited. (b) The examination, whether administered orally or by other means, must be conducted only in the English language and must consist of questions regarding— (1) The applicant's knowledge of nautical terms, use of the compass for navigation, running lights, passing signals, and fog signals for vessels on the h…

46 CFR §58.25-25

§ 58.25-25 -25 Indicating and alarm systems. (a) Indication of the rudder angle must be provided both at the main steering station in the pilothouse and in the steering-gear compartment. The rudder-angle indicator must be independent of control systems for steering gear. (b) Each electric-type rudder-angle indicator must comply with § 113.40-10 of this chapter and, in accordance with § 112.15-5(h) of this chapter, draw its power from the source of emergency power. (c) On each vessel of 1,600 gross tons or over, a steering-failure alarm must be provided in the pilothouse in accordance with §§ 113.43-3 and 113.43-5 of this chapter. (d) An audible and a visible alarm must activate in the pilothouse upon— (1) Failure of the electric power to the control system of any steering gear; (2) F…

46 CFR §58.25-5

§ 58.25-5 -5 General. (a) The following definitions apply to this subpart: means steering equipment, other than the required control systems and power actuating systems, that either is not required, such as automatic pilot or non-followup control from the pilothouse, or is necessary to perform a specific required function, such as the automatic detection and isolation of a defective section of a tanker's hydraulic steering gear. means the equipment, other than any part of the main steering gear, necessary to steer the vessel in case of failure of the main steering gear, not including a tiller, quadrant, or other component serving the same purpose. means the equipment by which orders for rudder movement are transmitted from the pilothouse to the steering-gear power units. A control syst…

NAVEDTRA 14067 §1-1

NAVEDTRA 14067 §1-1 — Types of watches and the lookout A watch is a period of duty during which a crew member is responsible for a specific task. Underway, the deck watches most relevant to a deck rating are the helmsman (steering), the lookout, and the messenger/ standby. The lookout's duty is to keep a proper watch by sight and hearing and to report everything seen or heard that may affect the safety of the ship — other vessels, lights, buoys and other aids to navigation, floating objects, land, discolored water, and any distress signal. Reports are made by relative bearing using the clock system or points: dead ahead is "dead ahead," and objects are reported as, for example, "ship, two points on the starboard bow" or "buoy, broad on the port beam." The lookout also reports the object's…

NAVEDTRA 14067 §1-2

NAVEDTRA 14067 §1-2 — The helm watch and relieving the wheel The helmsman steers the ship on the course or by the orders given by the conning officer. When taking over the wheel, the relieving helmsman is given the course being steered and any special instructions before the watch is turned over; the person being relieved states the ordered course and how the ship is steering, and the relief repeats it back to be sure it is understood. The wheel is never left unattended while a helmsman is on watch. The helmsman repeats every order exactly as received to show it was heard correctly, carries it out, and then reports when it has been executed — for example, on "right standard rudder" the helmsman answers "right standard rudder, aye," puts the rudder over to the standard angle, and reports "…

NAVEDTRA 14067 §2-1

NAVEDTRA 14067 §2-1 — Steering commands and rudder orders Standard steering (rudder) commands tell the helmsman how much rudder to use and in which direction, in unmistakable, fixed phrasing. Direction is always "right" or "left" (never "port"/"starboard" for the rudder, to avoid confusion). Common rudder-angle orders, from small to hard: "ease the rudder" (reduce the rudder angle), "rudder amidships" (zero rudder), "standard rudder" (a set moderate angle that turns the ship in her standard tactical diameter), "full rudder," and "hard right/left rudder" (the maximum). Heading orders include "steady on course zero-nine-zero," "steady as she goes" (keep the ship on her present heading at the moment of the order), "come right to one-three-five," "meet her" (use opposite rudder to check the s…