On any ship there is a position responsible not only for maintaining the ship’s good condition, but also “keeping an eye” on the crew. These two important tasks always lay on the shoulders of the boatswain. But who is the boatswain on a ship? Let's look at the features of this profession in more detail.
Who is the boatswain
Until 1798, there were no boatswain on the ships; their work was performed by a sergeant. The certificates and codes of the maritime laws, dated 1886, already tell in detail who the boatswain is. Officially, this is a senior non-commissioned officer, unofficially - an official who is responsible for the condition of the ship, checks sails and boats, anchors, cables. In general, he does everything so that the ship “runs” smoothly and without problems.
Not everyone knows who the boatswain is. The meaning of the word is deciphered as follows: this is the person to whom the whole team submits. He is senior over the lower ranks of sailors. He supervises all the work carried out by the crew on the ship, gives orders, supervises, helps the crew to fulfill their duties efficiently, recruits newcomers and the junior team to the sea craft.
The boatswain was always in charge of the order on the ship. The behavior, disputes, disagreements, fights and fights that occurred on ships at that time were also controlled by the boatswain. They prevented them or drowned out if they had already flared up. The better the team behaved, the more coherent it was, the higher the boatswain's work was rated.
Boatswain are different, but interchangeable
Any ship should always have order. The boatswain, which means “dragon” in the joking language of sailors, is a prestigious and highly respected official. If there were several boatswaines on the ship, then one could only be responsible for the team, the other for the condition of the ropes and the anchorage, the third was in charge of gear and sails.
If the ship is large, then the boatswain are divided into the first, second, third, etc. This is very convenient. There is a senior boatswain. This means that he controls not only the team, but also all the other boatswaines. In addition, he is responsible for the execution of orders and notifies seafarers of orders "from above". In turn, the boatswain shift, replacing one another. Their work takes place on a specific schedule.
Boatswain - what does this word mean? According to the sailors, this is the name of the person who knows everything and manages to control others. Even if the duties include only monitoring the state of the sail or anchor, then, if necessary, one boatswain always knows the work of another. He can fulfill it no less qualitatively.
How the need for boatswain has changed over the years
Many believe that this is a controversial and controversial profession. It is to her that the boatswain belongs. The first mention of such people on the ship appeared in 1667. Then a document was written telling about the "affairs and structure of the ship." This rank was then called the bootman, or boteman. Later, as we said above, this post was renamed sergeants. The English and Dutch fleets also had a similar position. There is something in common in translations. So what is a boatswain? This is a boat man (boot - flotilla or boat, man - man, man).
In 1720, the boatswain reappears in the maritime charter. It is noted that he manages cables and ropes, anchors and hoists, mooring accessories and towing. This person was obliged to know the name of each sailor who served on the ship. The documents indicate that the boatswain was obliged to transfer his knowledge to the student, and preferably to several. They served in the Navy for a long time, so after a descent, death or injury, a worthy replacement should already be brought up.
Currently
The rank of boatswain was canceled in 1918. However, at present, ships have such a profession. The sailors say that the boatswain is a very respected man on board, but is often very busy. Everything is on his shoulders. He is an assistant to the captain, a friend for the whole team and coordinator of its actions.
It should be noted that the base of vacancies often offer sailors to go work as boatswain, and the wages of these team members are always an order of magnitude higher than that of an ordinary sailor. The only negative is that boatswainers rarely have vacations. Especially if he is alone on the ship, and there is no replacement. Despite the difficult and long work schedule (from 6 to 12 months), the popularity of this profession does not fall, but is only gaining momentum.
Boatswain's pipe
The boatswain pipe is a tool with which not only communication with the team is carried out, but also control over it. The pipe emits a special tone whistle that “conveys” the boatswain's orders to the rest of the sailors. On some ships in the old days it was even forbidden to whistle so as not to drown or confuse the order given by the boatswain's pipe.
Currently, large boats do not have a boatswain's pipe. It is used only for ceremonies. But on small merchant ships, this tool is still quite in use. With his help, the boatswain gives orders and makes orders. The younger members of the team were not allowed to use the pipe, which once again confirms the high position of the boatswain on ships.
On a pirate ship
Pirate ships were no different from peaceful ships. They had the same hierarchy and military ranks. The boatswain also attended the pirate ship. Duties on him lay almost the same as on the boatswain of peaceful ships. However, the boatswain pirate was responsible for the collapse of the enemy flag or its destruction on a captured ship.
In addition, all disputes of the team were also resolved not without the participation of the boatswain. And if one member of the pirate team failed in an important matter, betrayed or dishonored the captain with something, then the burden of punishment also fell on the boatswain. He was responsible for the execution, committing it, as a rule, personally. The boatswain-executioner on a pirate ship is not uncommon, but rather a regularity that was usual for those times.