Hi everyone! I’m a 3rd Mate and thought I’d use my downtime to write some guides for cadets. Back in high school, I kept a notebook of all my questions about life at sea, and I want to share the answers I’ve found. Hopefully, this helps future mariners get a head start without upseting too many of t…

Nice! Thanks for putting this together Trent. Looking forward to reading more. I get emailed a ton of really basic questions so it’ll be nice to have links I can email back to young people

[image] TrentSullivan: Their hierarchy is These aren’t the names we use for engineering licenses or positions in the US.

[image] Capt_Phoenix: These aren’t the names we use for engineering licenses or positions in the US My ship does but they’re abbreviate differently. Also, the OP is missing the most important person on the engineering team of the FIRST ASSISTANT ENGINEER. If there’s no 1AE, & it goes Chief t…

[image] Sand_Pebble: My ship does but they’re abbreviate differently. No, you use the American system. [image] Sand_Pebble: FIRST ASSISTANT ENGINEER That’s the Second Engineer. [image] Sand_Pebble: 2A/E That’s the Third Engineer.

[image] Capt_Phoenix: No, you use the American system I work on a 30+ year ship & I’ve seen the COI. My predecessors used the position names on the original COI & everyone else just continued. Call those old COI positions, US, American or Klingon, I don’t care as long as my pay is correct & o…

[image] Sand_Pebble: I’ve seen the COI. If it was issued by the USCG then it uses the American position names. A modern American vessel’s COI still uses the American names for the engineers so I’m not sure why the age matters.

The crew lists internationally are in English and list the second engineer and third engineer and so on down. I sailed with an engineer that had been the second acting seventh onboard the old Queen Mary.

[image] Sand_Pebble: the OP is missing the most important person on the engineering team of the FIRST ASSISTANT ENGINEER He’s not. In STCW and generally outside the US the 1st AE is the “Second Engineer.” See e.g. the definitions of “First Assistant Engineer” and “Second Engineer Officer” in 4…

[image] Hogsnort: second engineer In the USA this is called the First Assistant Engineer. [image] Hogsnort: third engineer Known to the US as the Second Assistant Engineer.

I hear those terms on the US flagged tanker I work on all the time. Also often hear 3rd/2nd/1st assistant. I say so and so “engineer” without the “assistant” all the time. I also say so and so “assistant” without “engineer” all the time. Both are correct and acceptable.

Ship Officer Ranks: A Guide for New Mariners

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Capt_Phoenix September 20, 2024, 1:16am 5

No, you use the American system.

That’s the Second Engineer.

That’s the Third Engineer.

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Ship Officer Ranks: A Guide for New Mariners

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