BLOG 17 = The organisational structure on board (as in the 1970s)

The narrative below depicts the organisational structure as seen by me when I joined my first ship in 1970. Slowly. things started to change in the late 70's and 80's, the changes becoming more rapid from the 90's onward.

Except for the core team, today;s shipboard organisational structure in no way resembles the below narrative.

Chapter 2 (The seafaring reader is requested to indulge me here, as quite a few of my readers are non-seafarers and have no knowledge of life on board a ship)

The ship’s organisational structure was one that was without any ambiguity, as each person had a sphere of influence and had specific areas that he had to look after. Divided into Deck, Engine and Catering departments, the structure was as follows:

Deck Department:

Captain of the ship: Overall responsibility for the ship. Ensures vessel complies with all International and Territorial Laws at all times. Responsibilities are manifold, with his neck being on the block in case of an accident, oil spill etc.. Whilst at sea, in times past, he was the 'monarch of all he surveys', but in actual fact - in today's world - he sits under a Damocles sword. After the turn of the new century, countries increasingly assert their powers - in the event of a mishap - by first throwing the Master and Chief Engineer in jail, arresting the ship and then starting the investigation.

To a raw junior Engineer, he was almost a mythical figure, who was unapproachable - one dealt only with the Purser. I had been told in the Office to report to the Captain on my boarding the ship. In my innocence, I did exactly that (both of us). He opened the door with a curt "What do you want?" and when we told him that we were the new Fifth Engineers, we were tersely told to meet the Purser. He went on leave a week or so later. Later Captains were more friendly and accommodating.

Chief Officer or Chief Mate: (Also known as Bada Maalum Sahib - loosely translated a ‘One who knows Everything’ so named by the Indian crew) – In charge of cargo, its loading, discharging and the associated operations that go along with cargo operations such as ballasting, deballasting – in charge of vessel’s stability - in charge deck maintenance and much more. At sea, he keeps the 4-8 watch. In port, he is in charge of cargo operations and deck maintenance.

Perhaps the closest professional relationship and, perforce, a personal friendship, is the one between a Chief Officer and Second Engineer. Any and every problem on board used to be settled at their level, without the Captain or Chief Engineer even hearing about it. The Chief Officer and Second Engineer worked together, planned together - with a beer in hand - and executed the plans together.

Before the advent of Unmanned Machinery Spaces, (UMS), they used to keep the same watch - 4 to 8 - and would be in touch with each other over the sound powered phone.

In today's world, this has been supplanted by formal Management meetings, 'Tool Box' meetings, Safety Meetings and the like, that eats into everybody's time and is, sometimes, a source of irritation and blame swapping.

2nd Mate – At sea, he keeps the 12-4 watch. He is in charge of all things pertaining to navigation – ordering new charts, correcting existing ones from information supplied by British Admiralty, laying out courses for voyages, voyage planning, taking ‘sights’ at noon to establish location of the ship by using a sextant.

In today’s world, the sextant has become a museum piece, having been replaced by more accurate GPS satellite responses. He also looks after all navigational instruments and checks their operation and accuracy on a regular basis. He was known as ‘Maalum Sahib’ (loosely translated as ‘One who knows something’) by the Indian crew.

In pre-UMS days, the 2nd Mate and 3rd Engineer used to keep the 12 to 4 watch (the night watch from midnight to 0400 hrs) being called the 'graveyard watch' )and the most difficult watch of all, as it completely upsets the body's bio-rhythms. They used to meet at 0400 hours, after watch, have some breakfast, chat, listen to music, relax and go to sleep. Here again, friendships solidified.

3rd Mate – is usually a fresher out of an institution where he has completed his training and exams + a period of cadetship or a cadet who has done most of his training on board. He keeps the 8-12 watch under the supervision of the Master. He was known as ‘Kuch Nahi Maalum Sahib’ (loosely translated as ‘One who knows nothing’) by the Indian crew.

His counterpart would be the 4th Engineer.

The bonds so cemented, would continue whenever meeting on various ships, as they ascended in ranks. With the advent of UMS, Engineers no longer kept watch, thereby depriving colleagues of their camaraderie.

Radio Officer fondly called ‘Sparks’ – In charge of all communications, which will pop up in detail later. In the ensuing years, most companies did away with this post, what with satellite technology and GPS having simplified communications. Radio Officers were people with a very unique skill and I was sad to see them become redundant. The Indian Government did help in their rehabilitation by means of additional training to take them on as Third Officers. Very few made the grade, as most of the sailing Radio Officers were in their late 40s / early 50s.

Purser – was more or less a secretary to the Captain and was in charge of accounts. In later years this post was also made redundant.

‘Chippy’ or Carpenter – He was more or less like a deck fitter (something like an Non Commissioned Officer in the Armed Forces) and was the ‘go to’ man for the Chief officer, whenever any minor repairs had to be done on deck. Major repair jobs on Deck were handled by the combined forces of Second Engineer and Chief Officer, Engine and Deck staff.

AB – Able Bodied Seaman – also called ‘Sukhanis’ in Indian Companies: Also known as ‘Helmsman’ as he steers the ship as per orders from the duty Officer or Master when manoeuvring – keeps lookout when vessel at sea and when on autopilot – keeps gangway watch when in port.

Bosun and Crew: Working on maintenance, clean ship and other activities as per Chief Mate’s instructions.

Galley Staff: consisting of Chief Steward, Chief Cook (who cooks for the Officers), 2nd Cook who assists the Chief Cook, 3rd Cook (also called Bhandari who cooks for the crew), Messmen (or stewards), Assistant etc.

Engine Department

Chief Engineer: (Also called 'Badaa Sahib) Overall in-charge of all machinery and their maintenance. They include all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, structural machinery. In charge of Fire Fighting. Looks after spare parts. Ensures vessel complies with all International and Territorial Laws at all times. All maritime vessels on international voyages are registered with a particular port of a particular country, which flag they fly when in port. Example: Chennai Perumai, registered in Chennai, India or ‘Taronga’ registered in Singapore.

Vessels are also classed / insured by a Classification Society such as Lloyds based in London, Det Norske Veritas based in Oslo, American Bureau of Shipping or one of several other Classification Societies. The Indian one is Indian Register of Shipping.

When a vessel is first conceived as a drawing, approval has to be sought from the Surveyor of a Classification Society. From the time the keel is laid, Surveyors of the Classification Society are involved in ensuring standards are maintained as per regulations. For example, welds of steel plates and structures need to be performed according to certain specifications and accuracy. Bulkheads in holds should be of a certain strength and thickness. Fire retardant materials of tested and proven quality must be used in accommodation spaces. Machinery installed must have been tested and approved by the Society prior to installation, with further tests after installation. Lifeboats and Rescue Boats should have undergone vigorous testing prior installation and again after installation on board.

Although the Chief Engineer is not involved with the initial stages of size, type, specification and design of vessel, he is brought into the shipyard at least 3 to 4 months before she is launched. He then, in co-operation with the Surveyor, carries out all installation and running tests and is in the forefront during the all important sea trials, by which time the full ship’s complement will be ready to join the ship.

The responsibilities of the Chief Engineer are manifold and include being Fire Chief, planning and allocation of work for engine personnel, keeping vessel’s certificates updated by means of preparing for and organising of all inspections, whether annual or five yearly. Insurance cover is withdrawn if the vessel loses ‘Class’ by virtue of having failed a survey or inspection.

The pressure on the Chief Engineer is enormous.

Second Engineer: Assistant to the Chief Engineer keeps 4-8 watch and, in consultation with Chief Engineer, ensures proper operation and maintenance of all machinery. Before the 1980s, Masters and Chief Engineers left the entire running of the vessel to the Chief Officers and Second Engineers and would hardly be seen. This changed rapidly in the 1980s, with stricter international and national regulations being enforced. In the event of an accident, the first question to be raised by the shore investigating agency became ‘Where was the Master or Chief Engineer when the incident took place’. As the spectre of prison sentences started looming, Masters and Chief Engineers had to, perforce, relinquish their citadels and mix more with the plebian staff. Also, with the rapid expansion of shipping in the ‘90s, promotions became faster and the inexperience of staff was palpable, forcing the senior staff to involve themselves in day-to-day affairs.

For example, the Third Engineer was in charge of the Main Engine, compressors and pumps. With inexperience, he would be unable to cope with the major jobs and had to be supervised by the Second Engineer or Chief Engineer. If the Second Mate did not correct charts properly and on time, or does the Passage Planning incorrectly, vessel would be endangered or run aground. Hence, Masters and Chief Engineers had to be more personally involved with day-to-day operations. Before the 80's, promotions were very slow and a person learnt a lot in the junior stages and would be fretting and be frustrated that he was not getting promoted. This meant that there would be seasoned and experienced staff in all ranks, except for the most junior ranks.

The Third Engineer was in charge of all pumps, compressors, purifiers and other auxiliary machinery and kept the 12-4 watch – also known as the graveyard watch – at sea. He would be on day work in port and assisting in all major maintenance jobs that were being carried out. In most cases, he would be a Certified Engineer, having passed the Second Class Part ‘B’ Exam and would be awaiting his promotion.

The Fourth Engineer was in charge of the auxiliary generators and would work under the guidance of the Second Engineer. He would be keeping the 8-12 watch. Being, mostly, uncertified – having only passed Second Class Part ‘A’ exam – he was actually a de facto watchkeeper, supposedly under the Chief Engineer. He would go on to day work in port and assist the Second Engineer with all major maintenance jobs.

The Fifth Engineer – I am now coming to what I was supposed to do and what I did – kept watch with one of the other three engineers, mostly with 2nd Engineer on the 4-8 watch. The Fifth Engineer’s port duties was mostly 6 PM to 6 AM, 12 hours at night. If there were two Fifth Engineers, we would switch from day to night and vice versa.

Electrician or ‘Batthi Saab’ – In Indian companies, he was mostly ex Indian Navy. Honest, hard working. knowledgeable, experienced, with a sense of pride in their jobs, I found most of them easy to work with.

There were others among the Engine Staff – Motormen cum Fitters, Wipers or Greasers and for a short period, ‘Donkeyman’ who was in charge of firing and looking after the boiler. The last category, ‘Donkeyman’ was done away with pretty quickly, as boilers became ‘automatic’. Till then, his rank was known as ‘Donkeyman’ as the boilers he looked after were known as ‘Donkey’ Boilers. They were superceded by ‘Scotch’ boilers.

+++++ Blog 18 coming soon +++++