RFPNW Helmsman

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The Helm and Helmsman Duties

Never relieve the helm nor should the helmsman surrender the helm when the vessel is in a turn, and until the vessel has been steadied on the new ordered course to steer. To relieve the helm and the helmsman on watch, the following information should be part of the pass down f rom the helmsman you are relieving:

• The ordered ship's course in true or magnetic, and the compass or repeater that is being steered by.

• If steering by gyro compass, what is the ordered true course, what is the gyro error, the gyro course to steer true, and what is the magnetic com pass check ing course. (The check ing course is the equivalent course to steer by magnetic compass if the gyro compass fails.)

• Any steering peculiarity such as "Carrying a little right rudder," or "Carrying mostly left."

• Any received orders that are still standing, such as "Steer Nothing to the Lef t," or "Steady on Course 090º ."

• In restricted waters, is the ship being steered on a rang e, landmark or light, make sure it is pointed out to you and you are clear and sure that you recognize it

• W hat steering unit is engaged (Port or Starboard), and if the standby steering unit is "of f or in stand-by."

• W hat is the condition of all helm equipment.

• W hat has the weather and sea state been.

• Any special circumstances or instructions that you should know about.

Once you are ready to relieve the helm, first report to the officer of the watch that you are ready to relieve the watch, and req uest permission to relieve the helm. W ait for the officer of the watch to acknowledge your report and gives you permission to relieve the helm.

On some ships the routine is a bit more formal, where a full report is req uired to be stated verbally to the officer on watch by the person relieving the helm, f or example;

"Sir/Ma'am, req uest permission to relieve the helm, steering course 100º true, 101º per gyro compass, check ing course is 106º , steering on the port steering , starboard steering unit is in standby."

The officer on watch normally will acknowledge and give you permission to relieve the helm by stating "very well" or "very well, relieve the helm."

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Sta ndard com m ands to the helm

The courses the helmsman steers must be ordered by the conning or watch officer. The helmsman should have the ship on course bef ore he or she surrenders the wheel to his or her relief The words port and starboard are never used when giving orders to the helmsman. W hen an ord er necessitates a chang e of rudder angle to right or left, the direction of chang e is always stated, such as right full rudder

The helmsman always repeats all orders back to the master or watch officer, as they were given (word for word) Standard orders to the helmsman and their corresponding meanings are as follows:

H e l m O r d e r A c t i o n

R I G H T ( L E F T ) S T A N D A R D R U D D E R

V a r ie s o n d if f e r e n t s h ip s ( u s u a lly 1 5 ° r u d d e r ) I t is t h e d e s ig n a t e d n u m b e r o f d e g r e e s o f r u d d e r a n g le t h a t c a u s e s t h e s h ip t o t u r n w it h in a p r e s c r ib e d d is t a n c e c a lle d s t a n d a r d t a c t ic a l d ia m e t e r Y o u m u s t f in d o u t w h a t s t a n d a r d r u d d e r is o n yo u r s h ip

R I G H T ( L E F T ) F U L L R U D D E R U s u a l ly m e a n s 3 0 ° o n t h e r u d d e r a n g le in d ic a t o r

R I G H T ( L E F T ) H A R D

R U D D E R N o r m a lly e q u a l t o 3 5 ° o f r u d d e r

C O M E R I G H T ( L E F T ) T O

1 4 8 ° M e a n s t o s w in g t h e s h ip ’s h e a d in t h e d ir e c t io n s t a t e d a n d s t e a d y it o n t h e c o u r s e g iv e n ; in t h is e x a m p le , 1 4 8 ° . T h e o r d e r is f r e q u e n tly s t a t e d “ C O M E R I G H T ( L E F T ) T O 1 4 8 ° "

S T E E R 1 9 0 ° U s u a lly g iv e n f o r o n ly a m in o r c h a n g e o f h e a d in g t o t h e n u m b e r o f d e g r e e s s p e c if ie d

S T E A D Y O N 2 2 5 ° S t a t e s th e c o u r s e o n w h ic h th e s h ip ’s h e a d is t o b e s te a d ie d . I t is n o r m a lly g i v e n w h ile s h ip ’s h e a d is s w in g in g Y o u m a y g e n e r a lly u s e u p t o 3 0 ° o f o p p o s it e r u d d e r t o s t e a d y th e s h ip

I N C R E A S E Y O U R R U D D E R M e a n s t o in c r e a s e th e r u d d e r a n g le a n d is u s u a lly o r d e r e d w h e n t h e c o n n in g o f f ic e r w a n t s t h e s h ip t o m o v e m o r e r a p id ly M a y b e g iv e n a s a s p e c if ic a m o u n t s u c h a s in c r e a s in g t o r ig h t f u ll r u d d e r

E A S E Y O U R R U D D E R T O

( S P E C I F I E D ) D E G R E E S S ig n if ie d t o r e d u c e t h e r u d d e r a n g le I t m a y b e g iv e n a s " E A S E T O 1 5 ° ( 1 0 ° 2 0 ° R U D D E R " o r " E A S E Y O U R R U D D E R T O R I G H T 1 5 ° ) "

R U D D E R A M I D S H I P S M e a n s t o p u t t h e r u d d e r o n t h e c e n t e r lin e ; n o r u d d e r a n g le A s a r u le , t h is o r d e r is m e r e ly " R U D D E R A M ID S H I P S ! "

M E E T H E R M e a n s t o c h e c k th e s w in g b y p u t tin g o n o p p o s ite r u d d e r

S T E A D Y A S Y O U G O M e a n s t o s t e a d y t h e s h ip o n th e c o u r s e it is h e a d in g a t t h e tim e t h e o r d e r is g iv e n I f t h e s h ip is s w in g in g a t t h e t im e , h e a d in g m u s t b e n o t e d a n d t h e lu b b e r ’s lin e b r o u g h t b a c k t o a n d s te a d ie d o n it a s s o o n a s p o s s ib le T h e o r d e r is a ls o s t a t e d a s " S T E A D Y , " o r " S T E A D Y A S S H E G O E S . "

RFPNW Helmsman, Lookout & Assisting the Watch Review Topics

H e l m O r d e r A c t i o n

S H I F T Y O U R R U D D E R C o m m a n d s yo u t o c h a n g e t o t h e s a m e n u m b e r o f d e g r e e s o f o p p o s i t e r u d d e r a n g le

M I N D Y O U R R U D D E R ! A w a r n in g t h a t t h e s h ip is g o in g o f f t h e c o u r s e b e c a u s e o f b a d s t e e r in g

N O T H I N G T O T H E R I G H T

(

L E F T ) O F ( S P E C I F I E D

H E A D I N G )

G iv e n w h e n t h e p r e s e n c e o f s o m e d a n g e r o n o n e s id e o r t h e o t h e r m a k e s it n e c e s s a r y t o a v o id a s e t in t h a t d ir e c t io n

K E E P H E R S O C o n tin u e t o s t e e r t h e c o u r s e yo u a r e h e a d in g U s u a lly g iv e n a f t e r yo u s t a t e t h e c o u r s e yo u a r e s t e e r in g

M A R K Y O U R H E A D A s t a t e m e n t t o t h e h e lm s m a n H e o r s h e s h o u ld g iv e t h e s h ip ’s h e a d a t t h e t im e o f t h e c o m m a n d , f o r e x a m p le , " t w o s e v e n f iv e , s ir "

V E R Y W E L L R e p ly o f c o n n in g o f f ic e r o r w a t c h o f f ic e r t o t h e h e lm s m a n , m e a n in g t h a t t h e r e s p o n s e is u n d e r s t o o d

S T E E R O N T H E R A N G E S t e e r t h e v e s s e l “ b y s e a m a n ’s e ye ” a n d u s e t h e n e c e s s a r y r u d d e r t o k e e p t h e r a n g e m a r k e r s lin e d u p ( r e a r m a r k e r d ir e c t ly a b o v e t h e f o r w a r d m a r k e r ) d e a d a h e a d o f t h e v e s s e l

Lookout Duties

Relieve the watch - Your duty starts bef ore you relieve the watch, because you should report to your station at least 15 minutes early so that you will be alert and well prepared to relieve the person who was on watch bef ore you. Arriving early also gives your eyes time to adapt to dark ness when standing watches at night, and allows you time to receive the "pass down" of information from the person you are relieving. On larger ships the lookout watch may be rotated as f req uently as once every hour or two.

To relieve the lookout watch, you should want the following inf ormation from the look out you are relieving:

• W hat contacts are visible and have been reported to the officer on watch in the wheelhouse.

• W hat contacts has the of ficer on watch ordered to be watched and amplifying reports are req uired if there is any change in relative position.

• W hat have the weather conditions been.

• Is all lookout equipment is good work ing order.

• Any special circumstances or instructions that you should know about.

W hen you are ready, relieve the look out and assume the duties of the look out watch.

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Lookout techniques

Visual search procedures - Effective visual searching does not come naturally; a lookout must learn through practice. In the daytime a person's eyes m ust stop on an object in order to see it. Try moving your eyes across the water rapidly from object to object and note that as long as your eyes are in motion, you see almost nothing. Now allow your eyes to move in short steps from object to object and you can really see what is there. This is known as the step-by-step method.

Surf ace searchin g - Surf ace lookouts scan the water from the ship to the horizon and are responsible for all contacts in their sector. In searching the assig ned sector, always start at the forward part of the sector and search aft. (See figure) To search and scan, hold the binoculars steady so the horizon is in the top third of the f ield of vision.

Direct the eyes just below the horizon and scan for 5 seconds in as many small steps as possible across the field seen through the binoculars Search the entire sector in 5° steps, pausing between steps for approximately 5 seconds to scan the field of view At the end of your sector, lowe r the glasses and rest the eyes f or a f ew seconds, then search back across the sector with the naked eye.

W hen you sight a contact, keep it in the binoculars' field of vision, moving your eyes from it only long enough to determine the relative bearing.

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Relative bearing - The direction of an object from a ship is called the bearing. Bearing is measured in degrees clockwise around a circle, from 000° to 360°. Relative bearings have the ship's bow as a ref erence point; Lookouts often are req uired to report objects in degrees of relative bearing. The figure shows the relative bearings around a ship. An object dead ahead is bearing 000°; one on the starboard beam is at 090°, and so on. Study the illustration. Practice pointing to various objects and compare your estimates of their bearing to what they really are. W ith practice you will be able to report a contact within 10° of its actual bearing

Bearing s are always reported in three digits, and spoken digit by digit, except that objects dead ahead or astern (000°, 180°); on either beam (090°, 270°); or on either bow (045°, 315°) or quarter (135°, 225°) may be indicated as such For example, a ship bearing 315° could be reported as being broad on the port bow, althoug h the bearing itself can be used.

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Points from the bow, stern - Another method of indic ating direction to a sighted object is by expressing the direction in ref erence to own ship 's bow or stern in points or compass points. Remember each point is 11.25º. For example, a lookout report of a sighted vessel at 045º relative, would be; "A ship 4 points (broad) on the starboard bow." Refer to the below diagram, and see that 045º is 4 compass points

Estimated distance

A rang e in yards for each contact reported would be invaluable, but estimating rang es over water is very difficult for the inexperienced lookout because distances are deceptive. Only with a lot of on-the-job experience will you become prof icient in estimating rang es to contacts. Question the watch officer concerning the radar ranges to visual contacts and compare them with your estimated rang e.

The only readily available ref erence point you can use when estimating rang es is the horizon. Knowing your height above the waterline will help you estimate ranges because the distance to the horizon varies with the height of the eye.

RFPNW Helmsman, Lookout & Assisting the Watch Review Topics

(See f igure) At a height of 40 feet, for example, the distance to the horizon is about 14,400 yards (7.2 miles); at a height of 100 feet, the distance is about 23,000 yards (11-1/2 miles). Practice estimating rang es to other vessels in company whose distances are known or can be easily determined. Remember a nautical mile is 2,000 yards. To convert yard to nautical miles, simply divided by 2 (2,000) For example, 17,800 yards ÷ 2 = 8.9 nautical miles.

Verbal Lookout Report - Always report everything you see, hear, or believe you see or hear. By reporting doubtful targets, more eyes are brought to bear on them, resulting in improved chances of identif ication. At night and in poor visibility, report even the faintest hunches. At such times, a hunch that you have seen something of ten means you really have. Do not delay the report while you try to get a better look—the main thing is speed.

The report - Give the initial report when you first sight a contact. Usually the contact is too far away for a positive identif ication, but do not delay the report. Include in the initial report:

1. W HAT YOU SEE: Describe the contact quickly and brief ly Name the type or class of ship or aircraft if you recognize it; otherwise, simply report "ship," "plane," and so f orth.

2. BEARING: Always report contacts in relative bearings. These are given as three digits, spok en digit by digit. The bearing can also be reported using compass points (each point = 11.25 ) off the bow or stern.

3. RANGE: Estimate of rang es are reported in yards/miles and spok en digit by digit, except that multiples of hundreds and thousands are spok en as such.

4. MOVEMENT: Report whether the contact is moving from right to left, left to right (this is bearing drif t), opening, closing, paralleling, high speed, slow speed, dead in the water, and so forth.

RFPNW Helmsman, Lookout & Assisting the Watch Review Topics

Environmental Protection - The Of ficer in Charge of the W atch (OOW ) and all bridge/wheelhouse watchstanders should be aware of the serious effects of operational and accidental pollution of the marine environment and should be familiar with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and the ship's Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP).

Reporting obligations - All ships should make a report to the relevant authorities when an incident involving another ship is observed or an incident on their own ship involves:

• a discharge or probable discharge of oil or of noxious liquid substances above the permitted level f or whatever reason, including securing the safety of the ship or saving life; or

• a discharge or probable discharge of harmful substances in pack aged form, including those in containers, portable tanks, vehicles and barg es; or

• a discharg e during the operation of the ship of oil or noxious liquid substances in excess of that which is allowed.

A report is also required if the ship suf fers damage, failure or a breakdown that affects the safety of the ship or impairs saf e navigation, and results in a discharge or probable discharge into the sea of a harmful substance. However, reports are not req uired simply because there has been a breakdown or failure of machinery or equipment.

Reporting points - The SOPEP should include as an appendix the list of agencies or officials of administrations designated to receive and process reports f rom ships.

In the absence of a local agency or if there is any delay in contacting a listed reporting point the nearest coastal radio station, designated ship movement reporting station or Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) should be contacted by the fastest available means.

Shipboard oil pollution emerg ency plans.

Plan format. The plan m ust contain the following six sections. A seventh nonmandatory section may be included at the shipowner’s discretion:

(1) Introduction. This section must contain the following:

(i) Introductory text.

(ii) General information.

(a) The ship’s name, call sign, official number, International Maritime O r g a niza t io n ( I MO ) i n t e r n a t io n a l num ber, and pr in c ip a l characteristics.

(2) Preamble. This section must contain an explanation of the purpose and use of the plan and indicate how the shipboard plan relates to other shore based plans.

(3) Reporting Requirements. This section of the plan must include information relating to the following:

(i) W hen to report. A report shall be made whenever an incident involves—

(a) A discharg e of oil or oily mixture resulting f rom damage to the ship or its equipment, or for the purpose of securing the saf ety of a ship or saving life at sea;

(b) A discharg e of oil or oily mixture during the operation of the ship in excess of the quantities or instantaneous rate allowed by the reg ulations.

(c) A probable discharge. Factors to be considered in determining whether a discharge is probable include, but are not limited to: ship location and proximity to land or other navigational hazards, weather,

RFPNW Helmsman, Lookout & Assisting the Watch Review Topics

tide, current, sea state, and traffic density.

(ii) Inf orm ation required. This section of the plan must include a notif icatio n form, that contains information to be provided in the initial and follow-up notif ications.

(iii) W hom to contact. This section of the plan must make ref erence to the appendices listing coastal state contacts, port contacts, and ship interest contacts.

(4) Steps to control a discharge. This section of the plan must contain a discussion of procedures to address the following scenarios:

(i) Operational spills

In the event of an operational spill:

- Cease operations

- Secure the system in use

- Notif y the master

- Commence cleanup

- Dispose of rec overed oil and cleanup materials must be in accordance with local laws

Examples of operational spills are:

Pipe leakage: T he pla n m ust provide specif ic guidance for dealing with pip e leakage; Example:

- Sound general alarm and initiate emerg ency response procedures

- Stop bunkering operations and close manifold valves

- Locate source of leak age and contain all spilled oil

- Begin cleanup procedures

- Drain affected pipeline into tank

Tank overf low: T he pla n m ust include procedures for dealing wit h tank overflows. It must provide alternatives such as transferring cargo or bunkers to empty or slack tank s, or readying pumps to transf er the excess ashore: Example:

- Stop bunkering, close manifolds

- Sound general alarm

- Inf orm bunkering personnel of incident

- Begin cleanup

-Transfer oil back to shore if necessary

Hull leakage: The plan must outline procedures for respondin g to spills due to suspected hull leakage, including guidance on measures to be tak en to reduce the head of oil in the tank involved either by internal transfer or discharge ashore.

(ii) Spills resulting f rom casualties.

In the event of a spill:

Grounding; Example:

- Sound the General Alarm

- Initiate visual inspection of vessel

- Take soundings to determine seabed

- Evaluate the probability of a release

- Determine if towing assistance is available

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- After assessing the situation, evaluate the possibility of transf erring bunkers or trimming ballast

Fire or explosion; Example:

- Sound fire alarm to alert Master, of ficers, and crew

- Determine if there are casualties

- Determine the extent of damage

- Request assistance

- Assess the potential for a spill Collision; Example:

- Determine the extent of damage

- Ready pumping system f or salvage pumping

- Determine effects of separation ( opening of breached spaces, increase threat of pollution, etc)

- If oil tanks are breached, attempt to transf er to other tanks Hull failure; Example:

- Ring general alarm and inform crew

- Depending on circumstances, select heading and minimum speed to minimize any hull def lections

- Observe surrounding water for oil movement in way of engine room intak es. May be necessary to maneuver, if possible, to keep suctions f ree from oil

- Take actions to reduce hull stress (reduce speed or stop)

- Assess potential f or capsizing

Excessive list Example:

- Determine cause (shift of cargo, incorrect loading, flooding, etc)

- Check all tanks and voids

- If oil has spilled, make appropriate notif ications

- Take corrective action

(5) National and Local Coordination. This section of the plan must contain information to assist the master in initiating action by the coastal State, local government, or other involved parties. This information must include guidance to assist the master with org anizing a response to the incident should a response not be organized by the shore authorities. Detailed information for specif ic areas may be included as appendices to the plan.

(6) Appendices. Appendices must include the following inf ormation:

1. Twenty-f our hour contact information and alternates to the designated contacts.

2. These details must be routinely updated to account for personnel chang es and chang es in telephone, telex, and telefacsimile numbers

3. Clear guidance must also be provided reg arding the pref erred means of communication.

(7) Non-mandatory provisions. If this section is included by the shipowner, it should include the followin g types of information or any other information that may be appropriate.

For U.S. flag vessel operat in g U. S. domestically must comply with the Coast Guard’s General response plan requirements.

RFPNW Helmsman, Lookout & Assisting the Watch Review Topics

The development of a response plan - prepares the vessel owner or operator and the vessel’s crew to respond to an oil spill.

The plan must cover all geographic areas of the United States in which the vessel intends to handle, store, or transport oil, including port areas and offshore transit areas.

The plan must be written in English and, if applicable, in a language that is understood by the crew members with responsibilities under the plan.

A vessel response plan must be divided into the f ollowing sections:

(1) General information and introduction.

(2) Notif ication procedures.

(3) Shipboard spill mitigation procedures.

(4) Shore-based response activities.

(5) List of contacts.

(6) Training procedures.

(7) Exercise procedures.

(8) Plan review and update procedures.

(9) On board notif ication check list and emerg ency procedures (unmanned tank barg es only).

(10) Geographic-specific appendix for each USCG Captain of the Port (COTP) zone in which the vessel or vessels operate.

(11) An appendix for vessel-specific information for the vessel or vessels covered by the plan.