Page 160 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

Deck Seamanship

Skills used in the conduct of shipboard evolutions stich as cargo Before a seam,lIl apprentice (E-2) can become a striker for
handling. underway replenishment, and mooring. requiring the lISC advancement to il specialty rating, he or she must first sat is!}' the
of lines, anchoring gear, and other such equipment, are collectively requirements for seaman (E-3). To quali!}' for this rate, the E-2 must
referred to as deck seamanship. As mentioned earlier, most of these prove competent at mariinspike, deck, and boat seamanship. He or
evolutions are carried Ollt by personnel of the deck department she must be able to do these things to the satisfaction of the leading
aboard large ships and the deck division aho<lrd smaller ships. petty ollicers and division officer, receive their recommendation for
\Ve have already talked about the first lieutenant in <1n earlier advancement, and take a \\'ritten exam on deck Seanl<l11Ship.
chapter Oil shipboard organization. That officer is in charge of the
deck department or division. The title goes back to the carl)' da)'s
Boatswain's Mates
of 13ritish naval sailing ships. Then. the captain was served by a
number of lieutenants. each in charge of a division. The first liell~ The enlisted supervisors of the deck force are boatswain's mates.
tenant was the most senior and knowledgeable in the business of They direct and train seamen in military duties tlnd in aU activi-
working and maneuvering a man-of-war under sail. He therefore ties that have to do with marlinspike, deck, and boat seamanship.
was the specialist in seamanship. This title has survived to this day.
The first lieutenant, assisted by the ship's boatswain, is in charge
of all deck seamanship evolutions, as well as the care and mainte-
nance of Illost of the ship's exterior.

Deck Personnel
The personnelullder the first lieutenant who carr)' out most sea-
manship duties are members of one or more deck divisions,
depending upon the size of the ship. Most large surli1Ce ships have
three deck divisions. The first division has charge of the forward
part of the ship; the second, the ship's boats and boat decks; and
the third, the after part of the ship.
On ships having aviation personnel aboard, nonaviation per-
sonnel, especially those in the deck department, are traditionally
referred to as "blacks hoes," while aviation persollnel are collectively
called "brownshoes." These nicknames refer to the shoe colors of
surface line officers who wear black shoes, as opposed to naval avi-
ators who by custom wear brown shoes with their khaki uniforms.
The seaman apprentice (SA) reporting on board ship from
boot camp (recruit tmining) is usually assigned to OIlC of the deck
divisions. These new personncl do the physical work that IllUSt be
done b), the deck force in an)' ship. This includes upkccp of ship's
compartments, living areas, decks, and ex1ernal SurJilCCS. Also, it
includes the deck watches such as helmsman, lookout, messenger
under way and in port) and other special watches such as sentr)' dut),
and anchor watches. During gener.]1 quarters, seamen are members
of gun crews and damtlge control parties. During seamanship tasks,
A boatswain's mate supervises as an inflatable boat is about to be
they will operate small boats, booms, cranes, and winches. lowered into the water. (Brett Morton)

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