"A Medium in Which I Seek Relief": Manuscripts of American Sailors 1919-1940

Boatswain

The boatswain is the highest ranking unlicensed (rating) in the deck department. The boatswain generally carries out the tasks instructed by the chief mate, directing the able seaman and ordinary seaman. The boatswain generally does not stand a navigational watch. [Shared via Wikipedia under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.]