From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section deals primarily with the United States and does not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Able seaman
Able seamen generally serve as a ship's helmsmen, relying on visual references, compasses, and a rudder angle indicator to steer a steady course as directed by the mate or other officer on the bridge.
General
Other names :	Able-bodied seaman
Department :	Deck department
Reports to :	Boatswain, Chief Mate
Licensed :	No
Requirements :	Able seaman's certificate
Watchstanding
Watch (at sea) :	Helmsman, Lookout (varies)
Watch (in port) :	Varies (varies)

Main article: Seafarer's professions and ranks

An Able Seaman (AB) is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination of these roles.

Contents 1 Watchstander 2 Dayworker 3 General duties 4 Certification 4.1 United States 4.1.1 Training 4.1.2 Examination requirements 5 Notable Able Seamen 6 Able-bodied Seaman 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

At sea an AB watchstander's duties include standing watch as helmsman and lookout. A helmsman is required to maintain a steady course, properly execute all rudder orders and communicate utilizing navigational terms relating to heading and steering. A watchstander may be called upon to stand security-related watches, such as a gangway watch or anchor watch while the ship is not underway.

An AB day worker performs general maintenance, repair, sanitation and upkeep of material, equipment, and areas in the deck department. This can include maintenance of the ship’s metal structures such as chipping, scraping, cleaning, priming, and painting. Areas frequently in need of such maintenance include the hull, decks, superstructure, cargo gear, smoke stack. Day workers also frequently perform maintenance on lifeboats, rescue boats and life rafts, and emergency and damage control gear.

An AB may be called on to use emergency, lifesaving, damage control, and safety equipment. Able seamen perform all operations connected with the launching of life saving equipment. An AB is expected to be able to operate deck machinery, such as the windlass or winches while mooring or unmooring, and to operate cargo gear.

Able seamen require advanced training, including lifeboatman certification.

The ship's boatswain, if carried, is typically a senior AB. The boatswain is in charge of the able seamen and ordinary seaman that comprise the unlicensed deck crew, and reports directly to the chief mate.

The Code of Federal Regulations establishes in 46 CFR 12.05^[1] four categories of able seaman for the United States Merchant Marine:

1. Able Seaman—Any Waters, Unlimited. Requires three years service on deck on vessels operating on the oceans or the Great Lakes.
2. Able Seaman—Limited. Requires 18 months service on deck in vessels of 100 gross tons or more which operate in a service not exclusively confined to the rivers and smaller inland lakes of the United States.
3. Able Seaman—Special. Requires 12 months service on deck on vessels operating on the oceans, or the navigable waters of the United States including the Great Lakes.
4. Able Seaman—Special (OSV). Requires six months service on deck on vessels operating on the oceans, or the navigable waters of the United States including the Great Lakes.

Time served in certain training programs and school ships may be substituted for the time of service listed above. Special certificates of service are available for Able Seaman, Great Lakes—18 months service, Able Seaman, Any waters—12 months, Able Seaman, Tugs and towboats—any waters, Able Seaman, Bays and sounds—12 months, vessels 500 gross tons or less not carrying passengers, and Able Seaman, Seagoing barges—12 months.

For the United States Merchant Marine, the Code of Federal Regulations establishes in 46 CFR 12.05^[2] examination requirements for the certification of able seamen, which includes:

• Competence as a lifeboatman, including showing

1. training in all the operations connected with the launching of lifeboats and life-rafts, and in the use of oars;
2. acquaintance with the practical handling of boats; including the ability to command the boat's crew.

• An examination, conducted only in English, consisting of questions regarding:

1. lifeboats and life-rafts, the names of their essential parts, and a description of the required equipment;
2. the clearing away, swinging out, and lowering of lifeboats and life-rafts, and handling of lifeboats under oars and sails, including questions relative to the proper handling of a boat in a heavy sea;
3. the operation and functions of commonly used types of davits;
4. knowledge of nautical terms; boxing the compass, either by degrees or points; running lights, passing signals, and fog signals for vessels on the high seas, in inland waters, or on the Great Lakes depending upon the waters on which the applicant has served; and distress signals; and,
5. knowledge of proper response to commands for handling the wheel and knowledge of the use of engine room telegraph or bell-pull signals.

• In the actual demonstration, the applicant shall show ability by taking command of a boat and directing the operation of clearing away, swinging out, lowering the boat into the water, and acting as coxswain in charge of the boat under oars. The AB shall demonstrate ability to row by pulling an oar in the boat. The applicant shall also demonstrate knowledge of the principal knots, bends, splices, and hitches in common use by tying them.
• The applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, knowledge of pollution laws and regulations, procedures for discharge containment and cleanup, and methods for disposal of sludge and waste material from cargo and fueling operations.

Some notable Able Seamen from the merchant service include:

• Tom Ayrton, fictional AB and quartermaster in Jules Verne novels
• Perce Blackborow, stowaway then AB on Shackleton's voyage to Antarctica
• John Brightman, Baron Brightman, an English Chancery barrister and ultimately a judge of the House of Lords.
• Sailor Steve Costigan, a fictional AB created by Robert E. Howard
• Joseph Curran, American labor leader
• Ben Jackson, fictional AB in sci-fi series Doctor Who
• Charles Lindley, a Swedish socialist and trade union activist
• Jack Lord American actor
• Alan Villiers, Australian author, adventurer, photographer and Master Mariner

Some modern references claim that AB stands for able-bodied seaman as well as, or instead of, able seaman. Able seaman was originally entered using the abbreviation AB instead of the more obvious AS in ships' muster books or articles. Such an entry was likely to avoid confusion with ordinary seaman (OS). Later the abbreviation began to be written as A.B., leading to the back formation able-bodied seaman. The correct term, able seaman, remains in use in legal documents, in seaman's papers, and aboard ship.

• Ordinary Seaman (occupation)
• Boatswain
• Deck department

• International Labour Organization (2000-12-05). Seaman, Merchant Marine. International Hazard Datasheets on Occupation. Retrieved on 2007-05-26.

		Typical ship transport occupations
←Junior    Unlicensed				Senior→    Licensed
Deck:	Ordinary Seaman	Able Seaman	Boatswain • Carpenter	3rd Mate • 2nd Mate • Chief Mate	Captain • Pilot
Engine:	Wiper • Oiler	QMED	Electrician	3rd Engr • 2nd Engr • 1st Engr	Chief Engineer
Steward:	Steward's Assistant	Chief Cook	Chief Steward	Purser