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88 Cards in this Set
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AB |
Able Seaman. Middle level, non licensed member of the crew. Not an officer. Typically acts as a watchstander, deckhand and steers the ship. |
I’m sailing as an AB on this trip so I hope to get lots of helm time. |
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Baksheesh |
Arabic word for “tip” (aka: bribe) |
We had to hand over some small baksheesh to pass the inspection. |
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Balboas |
Currency used in Panama |
We’re heading into Panama for some drinks. You got any Balboas? |
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Bell to Bell |
When the deck crew is forced to worker longer than normal as a punishment for screwing something up. |
We took too long anchoring the boat so the Mate kept us busy Bell to Bell. |
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Belly Robber |
A steward (aka: cook) that cuts back on quantity or quality of food to save $ for the shipping company and gain favor with them. |
The chief steward was a real belly robber on this trip so the chow was nothing special. |
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Bights |
Forming a bend in a line. |
Make a bight in the line to begin your bowline. |
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Bits |
Two vertical posts located on the pier or on the deck of the vessel. Used for moorings lines |
Heaven or toss the line over to the linemen so that they can secure the vessel to the Bits. |
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Bollard |
Two vertical posts located on the pier or on the deck of the vessel. Used for moorings lines |
Loop the eye of the line around the bollard. |
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Boom |
A manually operated crane, often found on the vessel to be used for loading and unloading supplies while at the dock. |
Let’s use the boom to lower our bags onto the dock. |
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Bosun (aka: Boatswain) |
Leader of the unlicensed deck crew. Non officer. Typically most experienced deck hand. |
The Bosun on this cruise was a real hardass at first then mellowed our after he established his position with the crew. |
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Bosun’s chair |
A device used for lifting or lowering a deck crew up or down a portion of the vessel for work duties such as chipping and painting. Also used in sailing for climbing up the mast. |
We used a Bosun's chair to work safely over the side of the ship to chip rust and add a fresh coat of paint. |
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Bottom feeders |
Ships that pay low wages |
I’m not sailing with that company again, the food was bad and they are real bottom feeders. |
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Bridge |
The section of the boat where all steering and navigation is performed and controlled (aka: wheelhouse) |
I reported to the bridge at 2330 to begin adjusting my night vision for my 0000-0400 helm duties. |
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Bulhead |
Any wall or vertical surface on a ship. |
The forward bulkhead helped form a watertight compartment in the anchor locker. |
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Butterworthing |
The task of cleaning a bulk cargo hold using the ships fire hoses. Messy job required after unloading and prior to loading any product into the hold. |
We had to butterworth the hold while crossing the pacific to prepare for loading a new supply of soy beans to be shipped to China. |
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Call back |
One hour before departure when all crew must report back tot ship. |
After spending too much time ashore we made it back to the ship just in the nick of time for call back. |
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Cell |
A sailors room, or private quarters. Nowadays most ships provide each sailor with their own cell or room. |
I had abounding headache from the seasickness so I hid out in my cell. |
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Charlie Foxtrot (aka: cluster ****) |
A military term referring to a messed up situation created by the leadership (aka: cluster of officers). |
After making it out of the storm the assignments to tidy the ship turned into a real Charlie Foxtrot resulting in all hands taking longer than needed to put things back in order. |
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Chicksan |
A device on the pier used to connect ship’s hoses for transferring cargo that flows through the hose (ex: crude oil, molasses) |
Help the linesman on the dock attach the hose to the chickspan. |
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Chief Engineer |
The officer in charge of the engine room. Typically a hard ass! |
Dan’s dad graduated from the merchant marine academy and eventually became a Chief Engineer for APL. |
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Chief Mate |
A first officer just below the Captain in rank for the deck crew. A licensed officer who runs the ship for the deck department. |
The Chief Mate was very experienced and ran things by the book. |
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Coastie |
Any member of the US Coast Guard |
The coasties boarded us for an unscheduled surprise lifeboat drill. |
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Company Man |
A derogatory term for a crew member who stabs others in the back or cut corners to benefit the company. |
Watch out for the Bosun. He befriends you but be aware he’s a company man. |
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Conn |
Having command of the ship. |
The captain entered the bridge and stated “I have the Conn” this relieving the Mate from control of the bridge. |
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Cure |
Money paid to a sailor during shore leave for an injury. |
I received a small cure for spraining my ankle while butterworhting the hold of the previous soy beans cargo. |
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Dog |
Handle on a door or hatch. Typically rotates to open or close. |
Make sure you dog the companionway hatch behind you to keep the cold outside. |
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Draft |
The depth of the water from the waterline of the boat to the lowest point on the keel. |
The draft of the vessel was 9 feet but the tide was only 8 feet so we ran aground. |
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Drop the hook |
Dropping the anchor |
As soon as we arrived at our anchorage we dropped the hook and began preparing the vessel for staying overnight on the hook. |
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Fantail |
The back end of the vessel (aka: stern, aft) |
If you need to smoke do so at the fantail so that ashes and smoke go over the side. |
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First Engineer |
Engineer reporting directly to the Chief Engineer. Officer rank in the Engineering department equivalent to the First Mate. |
The First Engineer was a stickler for keeping the engine room tidy and clean. |
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Final Departures |
Term used for obituaries of departed sailors. Often found in the union newsletters. |
We learned about our favorite Bosun passing away in the Final Departures section of the Union's December 2019 edition. |
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Float Test |
Throwing something over the side to test whether it can float...often used to make something disappear. |
My old set of pliers were too rusty to work so I Float Tested them...surprisingly they didn't float and sank to the bottom. |
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Davy Jones' Locker |
The bottom of the Ocean...often referred to the resting ground for a sailor that went over the the side; or ship that sank. This is not to be used lightly. |
We lost one crew member over the side when we were hit by a rogue wave. He's probably resting in Davy Jones' locker. |
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Mess Hall |
Cafeteria aboard the ship |
Remove your hat before entering the Mess Hall. |
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Officers' Mess |
Dining Room only for Officers only (aka: Licensed personnel) |
The Officers Mess was located across the Hallway from the Unlicensed Mess. |
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Unlicensed Mess |
Dining Room only for Non-Officers only (aka: Unlicensed personnel) |
The Unlicensed Mess was located across the Hallway from the Officers' Mess. |
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Flying Bridge |
Same as Monkey Bridge. The exposed bridge located above or beside the wheel house. |
During docking and undocking the Mate always wanted at least one lookout on either side of the Flying Bridge. |
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Monkey Bridge |
Same as Flying Bridge. The exposed bridge located above or beside the wheel house. |
During docking and undocking the Mate always wanted at least one lookout on either side of the Flying Bridge. |
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Fo'c's'le (aka: Focsle, Forecastle) |
Area where the living accommodations for the crew are located. |
It was a rough ride across the storm since the Forecastle was located in the bow of the ship. |
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FOS |
Full Operating Status |
A ship that supports military operations and is crewed and ready to depart at any time. |
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Fuel |
Alcohol or Drugs (note: obviously not allowed at any time) |
While we were ashore we we able to load up on more fuel. |
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FWE |
Finished With Engines Shutting off the engines after the ship is fully docked and secured. Also a lazy crew member who tends to do as little as possible. |
He is an FWE...as soon as the ship is FWE, he disappears to his cell or the mess hall. |
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Going Ashore |
Quitting for a shore side job or retiring. |
After 20 years of shipping out he finally decided to go ashore. |
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Gray Hulls |
Ships used to support military operations. |
A new sailor can learn a lot by working on a Gray Hull for a long 6-9 month assignment. |
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Gumby Suit |
A large bulky survival suit typically made of neoprene and/or rubber, designed to protect against hypothermia and exposure to the elements until rescuers arrive. |
During every Abandon Ship drill we would compete to see who could get into their Gumby Suits the fastest, usually in under 45 seconds. |
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Haole (aka: Howly) |
Hawaiian term for white person or foreigner. |
The locals can spot a Haole by the way they look, dress, walk, talk and act. |
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Hard Over |
A helm command to turn the rudder as far over as possible which on a big ship is typically 35 degrees. |
The Mate gave the command to Hard Over to Starboard to avoid the risk of collision with the oncoming sailboat. |
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Allision |
A ship underway hitting another ship that is docked. |
When I hit the SV American Spirit I had to report the accident as an Allision since they were docked and I was underway. |
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Hawsepipe |
The opening in the deck where the anchor chain or mooring line passes through. |
We checked the hawsepipes often to ensure rats and stowaways were not climbing through the hawsepipes to come aboard the vessel. |
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Hawespiper |
A sailor that worked their way up the ranks from the bottom up and did not attend an academy. |
She was a skilled sailor working her way up through the Hawsepipe. |
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Head |
The bathroom on a ship. |
We were lucky to have our own private heads in our staterooms. |
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Helmsman |
The sailor responsible for steering the ship. |
To ensure we always had fresh eyes we each took 2 hour rotations as the Helmsman. |
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Institutionalized |
A sailor that has been at sea, or on the same ship for too long, and can't function back on land. |
He became institutionalized and really needed to get back on land for a few months. |
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Keffiyeh |
Arab head covering used to protect from sun, wind and sand. |
My baseball cap was not sufficient to keep me protected from the hot sun, dust and wind. As soon as I got some shore leave I hit the souk and bought a Keffiyeh. |
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Souk |
Market |
The Souk in Muscat, Oman is great. You can buy anything and the locales are welcoming to foreigners. |
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Knock Off |
Finish working |
Since we finished all of our work and did a good job the Bosun let us Knock Off ahead of schedule. |
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Licensed |
A sailor that has an officer rank, either by attending an academy or working their way up the Hawsepipe and taking exams. |
The girls at the bar would only talk to the Licensed officers but were still happy to have the Unlicensed men buy them drinks. |
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LNG |
Liquid Natural Gas |
We liked working LNG because they were clean, safe and paid higher wages. |
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Manifold |
A devise used for connecting hoses. |
When loading liquids we inspected the manifolds to ensure all hoses were connected properly. |
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Master |
The Captain of the ship. The person in charge. |
The ship was toxic since the Master was disorganized, treated sailors poorly and took too many risk. |
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Toxic |
A ship with bad morale often due to the crew not getting along. |
I try to avoid that ship for long journeys because of the toxic environment. The licensed and unlicensed sailors don't get along, it's not tidy and the Stewards in charge of food are a bunch of Belly Robbers. |
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Mate |
An officer of the deck. |
He worked his way quickly up the Hawsepipe where he started as on OS, then AB, Bosun and eventually became a Third Mate. |
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MSC |
Military Sealift Command A ship that supports military operations such as refueling or restocking ships. |
A new sailor can learn a lot by working on an MSC ship for a long 6-9 month assignment. |
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Ordinary Seaman (aka: OS) |
The lowest entry level position of the Deck department. This is an unlicensed position. |
He started as an OS but within a few years he was upgraded to AB |
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Old Man |
The Captain, or Master of the ship. |
I enjoyed working on the ship because the Old Man respected everyone and ensured the ship was tidy and the licensed and unlicensed mess halls are stocked with good food. |
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On The Beach |
Spending time ashore |
After 9 months at sea I really needed to spend some time back home and on the beach. |
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Beached |
A sailor who cannot sailor who cannot go out to ship out, sometimes due to medical issues. |
He was beached due to his high blood pressure. |
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Persian Gulf Special |
A job that is tasked to be done in horrible weather. |
The Bosun had a tendency to assign a lot of Persian Gulf Specials if he was in a bad mood. |
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Points of a Compass |
11.25 degrees. There are 32 points to a compass. |
We could tell from the Radar that there was a ship 2 Points off the Starboard Bow. |
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Boxing a Compass |
The exercise of writing all 32 points of the compass. |
The Mate liked to test every new member of the deck department by asking them to Box the Compass. |
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QMED |
Qualified Member of the Engine Department |
He obtained his QMED so that he could begin working his way of the ranks of the Engine Crew. |
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Rain Locker |
Shower |
After spending the entire day on a Persian Gulf Special assignment painting the rails under the hot sun I really needed to go to my cell and hit the Rain Locker to wash up. |
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ROS |
Reduced Operational Status A ship used for military support operations that is maintained ready for service with a minimum amount of crew. |
Our duties were light since we were supporting an ROS ship. |
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Rupiah (aka: Rupees) |
Indonesian monetary currency |
After going on shore leave in Jakarta, Indonesia we exchanged our USD into Rupees. |
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Shot |
A term used to define a specific length of anchor chain equal to 90 feet or 15 fathoms (1 fathom = 6 feet). A ship will typically have 6 shot of chain (540 feet). |
We dropped 4 shots since we were anchoring in 60 feet of depth leaving us plenty of chain to swing at anchor. |
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Slopchest |
The store on the ship where sailors can purchase personal supplies such as toothpaste, soap, razors etc. |
I ran out of toothpaste but luckily I was able to purchase some from the Slopchest. |
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Slow Bell |
Working slowly |
When the Bosun assigned us work outside in the heat and sun we dialed down our efforts to a slow bell. |
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Sparky |
A radio officer or electrician |
When the TV broke down in the crew's break room we called in Sparky to try to fix it. |
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Tagolog |
Filipino language |
Since we had a large crew of Filipinos I learned a few key phrases in Tagolog. |
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Tramp |
A ship that visits different ports without following a preset schedule. |
I was happy to be assigned to this Tramp since we visited some very interesting destinations as opposed to running the same schedule each week. |
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Turn To |
To go back to work after a break |
After a brief dinner to warm up we turned to back on deck to finish securing hatches ahead of the predicted storm. |
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Unfit for Duty (aka: unfit) |
Leaving the ship due to medical reasons. |
After spraining his ankle he was deemed Unfit and beached. |
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Unlicensed |
Sailors that are not officers |
The Unlicensed men typically hung out together while on shore leave. |
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Wiper |
A non officer entry level position of the engine room. Typical duties include cleaning the engine room and wiping oil. |
She started her career as a Wiper eventually working her way up to Chief Engineer. |
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Z Card |
Old name for the documents and credentials used by Merchant Mariners to work on ships. Today Z Cards are called MMC (merchant mariner credentials). |
It's not possible to work on merchant ships without a Z Card. |
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Yokohamas |
Very large black fenders used to moor vessels either to a dock or when rafted to other vessels. |
It took us over an hour to deploy all of our Yokohamas on the starboard side prior to rafting up with our sister ship at anchor. |
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Top 10 Rules for the Mess Hall |
1) Respect the Mess hall, it's our break room 2) Remove your hat and gloves before entering 3) No open toed shoes such as flips flops 4) No cut off shirts 5) No dirty gear 6) Never place dirty gear on the tables 7) Never sit in the Bosun's seat 8) Don't bother sailors eating on break 9) Don't talk politics or religion 10) Keep things clean and tidy |
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D Card |
Least seniority of the union ranking system. |
Having just started with the Union I joined as a D Card and had to work my way up in seniority by accepting any jobs that were available. |
