MMA Course MT-2231

Basic Seamanship

Course Description

This course teaches marlinspike, lifesaving and safety equipment, advanced fire fighting techniques, use of deck machinery, boat handling, and watchstanding procedures for deck and/or bridge watchkeeping. Students will be able to apply these skills appropriately when in charge of a navigational watch. Course consists of classroom and practical experience on T.S. Kennedy and Academy small boats. [Lab time required]

This course consists of three 1-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab per week for a semester with practrical assessments and a comprehensive final examination.

STCW Objectives

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the following STCW elements:

  • ABD-A2.1 Capacities, safe working loads, and breaking strengths of mooring equipment, including mooring wires, synthetic and fibre lines, winches, anchor windlasses, capstans, bitts, chocks and bollards
  • ABD-A2.1 Function of mooring and tug lines and how each line functions as part of an overall system
  • ABD-A2.1 Procedures and order of events for making fast and letting go mooring and tug lines and wires, including towing line
  • ABD-A2.1 Procedures and order of events for the use of anchors in various operation
  • ABD-A2.2 Working knowledge of the procedures and order of events associated with mooring to a buoy or buoys
  • ABD-C1.1 Ability to operate anchoring equipment under various conditions, such as anchoring, weighing anchor, securing for sea, and in emergencies
  • ABD-C1.1 Ability to use and understand basic signals for the operation of equipment, including winches, windlasses, cranes, and hoists
  • ABD-C1.1 Fibre and wire ropes, cables and chains, including their construction, use, markings, maintenance and proper stowage
  • ABD-C1.1 Function and uses of winches, windlasses, capstans and related equipment
  • ABD-C1.2 Rig and unrig bosun’s chairs and staging
  • ABD-C1.2 Rig and unrig pilot ladders, hoists, rat-guards and gangways
  • ABD-C1.2 Use marlin spike seamanship skills, including the proper use of knots, splices and stoppers
  • ABD-C1.3 Access arrangements
  • ABD-C1.3 Use and handling of deck and cargo-handling gear and equipment
  • ABD-C1.4 Knowledge of hoisting and dipping flags and the main single-flag signals. (A, B, G, H, O, P, Q)

Demonstrate proficiency in the following skills:

  • ABD-4J7A Demonstrate rigging and unrigging a bosun’s chair
  • ABD-4J9A2 Marlinspike seamanship - knots II
  • ABD-4J9A3 Marlinspike seamanship - splicing
  • ABD-4J9A4 Marlinspike seamanship - line handling

Topics

Lecture

  • Safety
    • TS Kennedy Vessel Familiarization Tour
    • Station Bills
    • Enclosed Space Entry
      • Respiratory Equipment
      • Gas Detection Equipment
    • Safety Meetings
    • Preventative Maintenance
    • Electrical Safety
    • Fire & Boat Drills
    • Near Miss Reports
    • Job Hazard Analysis
    • Special Evolutions & Documentation
      • Work Outside the Rail
      • Working Aloft
      • Hot Work
    • Maintenance and Inspection of Clean & Safe Work Areas
  • Marlinespike Seamanship
    • Categories of Line
    • Line Construction
    • Breaking Strain
    • Fiber v. Synthetic Line
      • Line Maintenance, Inspection & Replacement
    • Wire Rope
      • Construction / Use
      • Wire Rope Fittings
      • Breaking Strain
      • Standing v Running Rigging
  • Weight Handling Equipment
    • Blocks & Tackle
      • Theoretical Mechanical Advantage v. Actual Mechanical Advantage
    • Chain Falls
    • Windlass
    • Davits
    • Booms
    • Winches
    • Cranes
    • Application of Electric, Hydraulic, Steam Power to Deck machinery
    • Safety inspections of Weight Handling Equipment
  • Slings and Hooks
    • Safe Working Load
    • Types of Hooks
    • Sling and Net Use
    • Shackles
    • Swivels
  • Mooring Operations
    • Safety Precautions
    • Nomenclature of Lines
    • Line Handling Commands
    • Heaving Lines
    • Line Boats
    • Lines to Tugs
    • Line Handling Devices
      • Chocks, Fairleads, Winches, Capstans
    • Stoppers
    • Mooring Alongside other Vessels
  • Ground Tackle
    • Anchors
    • Anchor Chain
    • Windlasses
    • Stripping Bars
    • Riding Pawl
    • Devils Claw
    • Wildcat
    • Brake
    • Chain Locker
    • Hawse Pipe
  • Deck Officer Duties/Responsibilities
    • Accountability
    • Watches (at Sea/in Port)
    • Watch Turnover
    • Standing Orders
    • Logs & Records
    • Watch with Pilot Aboard
    • Watch Communications
    • Watch Responsibilities During Extreme Conditions
      • Reduced Visiblity, Heavy Weather, Heavy Traffic
    • Reading Draft marks
    • Collateral Duties Medical, GMDSS, Safety Security Training PPE
    • Reports and Inspections
  • Pilot Ladder
    • IMO/IMPA Requirements
    • Rigging
    • Relation to Freeboard
    • Use of Accommodation Ladder
    • Boarding the Pilot
  • Small Boats
    • Lifeboats
    • Rescue Boats
    • Work Boats
    • Launches/Tenders
    • Handing Under Oars
    • Regulations and Markings
    • Principles of Handling Under Power
    • Davit Types
    • Recovering Persons in the Water
  • Fire Prevention and Firefighting
    • Fire Classes & Causes
    • Fire Triangle and Tetrahedron
      • Chain Reaction
      • Chemistry of Fire
      • Pyrolsis
    • Flash Point and Fire Point
    • Explosive Range
    • Flammable & Combustible Liquids
    • Spread of Fire
      • Conduction, Radiation, Convection
    • Training
    • Fire Detection Systems
    • Fire Extinguishing Agents
    • Fire System Components
    • Sprinkler Systems, Foam Systems, CO2 Systems
  • Life Saving and Damage Control
    • Flooding
    • Stability
    • Free Surface
    • De-Watering
      • Pumps / Eductors
    • MOB
      • MOB Maneuvers
    • Lifesaving Craft
    • Rescue at Sea
    • Steering Casualty
    • Groundings
    • Collisions
  • Vessel Management
    • Articles of Agreement
    • Certificate of Discharge
    • Watch Rotation Cycles
    • Licensing and Certification of Merchant Seamen Vessel Entry & Clearance Procedures
  • Vessel Records and Certificates
    • USCG Documents
    • SOLAS Documents
    • FCC Documents
    • Classification Society Surveys and Documents
    • Bridge Log v. Official Log
    • Require Placards and Posted Information
    • Vessel Oil Record Book

Laboratory

  • Handling Small Boats Under Power
    • Motor Whale Boats
      • Propulsion / Controls
      • Preparation and Starting Engine
      • nomenclature of Mooring Lines
      • Propeller Direction and Torque
    • Docking and Undocking Motor Whale Boats
      • Maneuver Off the Dock
        • Use of Spring Lines
        • Use of Wind and Current
      • Practice Approaches for Docking
        • Control of Speed
        • Use of Spring Lines
        • Use of Wind and Current
        • Head on Docking v. Angle of Approach
      • Maneuvers Under Direction
      • Maneuvers Under Student Command
  • Mooring Lines
    • Commands and Signals Used by Mooring Officer
    • Safety Precautions
    • Fairleads
    • Bending on Heaving Lines
    • Rigging Stoppers
    • Making Mooring Lines Fast
  • Heaving Lines
    • Use of
    • Art of Properly Throwing
      • From Ship to Dock
      • From Dock to Ship
  • Splicing Double Braid Line
    • Measuring and Laying Out for eye Spice
    • Tools Needed
    • Marking of Strands for Splice
    • Complete Eye Splice in Double Braid
  • Knots
    • Bowline, Figure Eight, Square Knot, Sheepshank, Sheet Bend, Timber Hitch, Fishermen’s Bend, Becket Bend, Double Becket Bend, Carrick Bend, Barrel Hitch, Rolling Hitch, French Bowline, Round Turn and Two half Hitches, Spanish Windlass
  • Rigging
    • Staging
      • Components, Hitches, Safety Lines
    • Bosun Chain
      • Components, Hitches, Safety Lines
  • Survival Suits
    • Components, Function, Donning, Proper Techniques for Entering Water, Stowage and Maintenance / Keeping
  • Liferafts
    • Components, Hydrostatic Release, Boarding

Other objectives

The general objectives of Basic Seamanship are as follows:

  • Enhance knowledge of
    • marlinspike
    • Lifesaving ad safety equipment
    • advanced fire fighting techniques
    • use of deck machinery
    • boat handling
  • Enhance deck and bridge watchstanding knowledge and skill.
  • Prepare the student to apply these skills appropriately when in charge of a navigation and/or deck watch.