Pecking order ??

**waterwrkpr** · December 21st, 2011, 05:04 PM

Can anyone post the pecking order of rank which USCG has? Ie. captain #1, 1st mate #2- chief mate, 3rd mate , AB , oiler, ect ect.... Seems easy but I get confused

Thnx

**Diesel** · December 21st, 2011, 05:48 PM

Pecking order doesn't have anything directly to do with USCG per se. It has to do with the COI of the vessel and who the company puts in a position. Are you just wanting a list of ranks, unlimited or limited? I think I can help with unlimited more or less if you like.

Deck: Master, Chief Mate, 2nd Mate, 3rd Mate, AB, OS
Engineroom: Chief Engineer, 1st assistant, 2nd assistant, 3rd assistant, QMED/Oiler, OS Wiper

If you need more I guess post again.

**KPEngineer** · December 21st, 2011, 05:57 PM

I would put the pecking order as more like Master, 1st Mate, then 2nd and 3rd together. The 3rd doesn't work for the 2nd, he works for the Mate. Same for the Unlicensed, They all work for the bosun who works for the Chief Mate. That is of course for day work, the pecking order for a watch is a little different.

For Engineers its basically Chief then 1st then everyone else.

**dougpine** · December 23rd, 2011, 09:12 AM

Or, look at the station bill.

**waterwrkpr** · December 23rd, 2011, 04:36 PM

Cool. Thanks but was also wondering alittle about really what tests seem to be the hardest to take to achieve top brass, amongst them all. I know an unlimited master seems pretty dominate but how does it go down from there?
I mean some times the friggen galley cook is the most important, you burn my steaks and....
Thanks

**brjones** · December 23rd, 2011, 06:25 PM

Here is the pecking order for pay scale on my ship
1 Master
2 Chief Engineer
3 First Engineer/ Chief Mate
4 Second Engineer/ Second Mate
5 Third Engineer/ Third mate
6. Pumpman/ Bosun/ Qmed/ Steward
7 AB
8 Cook
9 OS
10 SA

Now at the end of the day with OT, the 1st AE makes the most money, with the Chief mate coming on close second.

And yes to me as a First Engineer can tell you that the I try to make sure the galley has everything they need. Especially when I have a good Steward and cook

**captamericas** · December 24th, 2011, 05:54 AM

Although the seafarers (Able or Ordinary) answer to the Boatswain, they all work for the C/M.
By the way, the Boatswain is just an appointed position; generally for the most experienced Able Seafarer

**cappy208** · December 28th, 2011, 05:17 PM

Now for a different aspect. Who, and how is a 'senior captain' designated? Strictly seniority? Peer recognition? Combination of both? Any formal process for this? Or does the most senior guy just adopt the mantle?

**seadog!** · December 28th, 2011, 06:15 PM

At the company I work for, it's strictly time aboard that particular vessel.

The boat I'm on now is 2 years old, we've had 5 captains so far.
The 3rd one is still here, so he is "Senior Captain".

**cappy208** · December 28th, 2011, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by seadog!

At the company I work for, it's strictly time aboard that particular vessel.

That's not the type I was thinking about. The Captain of the Titanic was the 'Senior Captain' of the White Star line. At my company a captain has started to refer to himself as ' senior captain'. I assume it is for the whole fleet. There are other captains who have been at the company longer than him, but apparently he only counts seniority since crossing the picketline in '88. Just wondering if there are any nautical historians who have heard of this. I know that some vessels who typically are uneven time who have one captain who steps up when the senior captain goes home and some vessels run with a senior captain as you describe. Just wondering about fleet/company wide use of the term.