Aboard almost every US flag ship is one seaman who forgoes the late night poker tournaments, racquetball games and is rarely seen watching movies in the crew lounge. He is sometimes called the Fourth Mate due to his propensity for hanging around the chart room and awkward handling of the ship’s sextant. His is the most difficult job aboard ship as it comprises three tasks 1) working a normal eight hour day of watchkeeping 2) working overtime to pay for books and school 3) studying during every spare minute. All of this effort is focused on getting a Third Officer’s license and one day becoming licensed to Captain the world’s largest ships.
This path to the ranks of Merchant Marine officer is a time honored tradition and brands the successful with the title Hawepiper. As many know the hawespipe is the small tunnel through which the anchor chain passes through the ship’s hull. Becoming a ships officer by self study rather than attending a maritime academy is said to be just as difficult as climbing up the anchor chain and through the hawsepipe. And this route is not getting easier! As if to mirror the increasingly large hawsepipes aboard new record breaking ships, new regulations that include additional course work and security checks have made this path has become more difficult in recent years.
Lucky for those attempting the task a new book is out by a person who has accomplished the journey. Written by Leonard Lambert, The New Hawsepipe, helps to guide unlicensed mariners throughout the process of becoming United States Coast Guard licensed officers. Today we get the chance to ask Leonard a few questions.
We see you are one of the first to climb the hawsepipe under the new regulations. What was your motivation for setting this goal?
The motivation was sort of a snowball effect. I did not start out very passionate…or motivated when I found out what I actually had to do to get my license. I walked into the Coast Guard R.E.C. in Seattle on January 31st 2002 to apply for my 3rd mate unlimited license. I was met with throngs of mariners in a line that extended out the door, down the hall and outside the building. I thought there was a rock concert or something; very weird. Returning to my plan, I decided to come back the following day, and make sure that I was the first in line.
On February 1st, 2002, I strolled into the same R.E.C. and found the place completely empty. “This is more like it,” I said to myself as I was the first to sign in at the counter. They called my name, and I was face to face with a representative from the R.E.C.; I slid my application over and simply said, “I would like to upgrade to 3rd mate unlimited, oceans.” All I saw was his look of horror.
“You should have been here yesterday!” The rep gasped.
“I was here yesterday!” I said, defensively. “There were so many people, I just left and came back today. Why? What’s going on?”
I listened as the representative stumbled along the entirely new program called “STCW ‘95” and the long list of classes I had to take, assessments, letters and certificates. The list went on and on. [Continue Reading →]
