Exxon Valdez Grounding

As I recall it was mentioned that the Bligh reef buoy was on the wrong side of the vessel by a female crewmber, who was ignored.

If you go back in this thread, you’ll see that this has been discussed ad nauseam and confirmed.

1 Like

There is a third way.

Tell a helmsman to come to starboard/port with a given ā€œamountā€ of rudder (10 or 20 degrees in this example) to initiate a turn.

Once the ship starts to swing and the rate of turn begins to increase, you order the helmsman to continue with ā€œa ROT not to exceed 10 degrees a minuteā€ or whatever graduation you choose. You could further give a final heading, if desired.

This is common on cruise ships.

I don’t like this choice myself. In spite of many Masters encouraging me to simply give the helmsman a ā€œlimitingā€ ROT, I prefer to actively be involved and engaged with the ships turn and pay attention myself to what the ship is doing.

Im uncomfortable with entirely relying on the AB to direct the heading of the vessel thru a turn. I’m certain many pilots would disagree and state many AB’s out there are great helmsman. I don’t disagree with that. My opinion is it’s my job to drive, not his. I don’t blame him or expect him to do everything. That’s why I’m there.

I get the technique. But in my pilotage area, it’s just not necessary or my choice.

This is one way we used to evaluate the capabilities of a pilot. It is the pilot’s job to put the ship in the right place through the turn - not the helmsman’s. In my opinion good pilots give helm orders, get the ship stopped at near where they want it, then give the new course.

3 Likes