Lots of good stuff here but all related to the US system. There are others on the forum who are from other countries where the terminology is different. Most, maybe all other countries do not have Captain or Master’s “Licenses” they have “Certificate of Competency” and you have to look back to days of sail to see the origins of the terms. A ship could have a Captain and a Master. The Captain might not have much experience, kind of like some yachties today. On the other hand the “Sailing Master”, a lower position, actually knew his stuff and took care of the business of driving the ship. An example of this was “Captain” Cook and his “Sailing Master” William Bligh.
I also notice some confusion between a Marine the soldier who’s job used to be on a ship and Mariner who’s work [B]is[/B] on a ship.
It’s all entertainment. :rolleyes: