Spar deck? Sponsons? Steel strength of tensile-shearing-compressive? Steering gear-learn all about it. Stern-ordinary-cruiser? Stoke holds (fire rooms)? Stress? Strain? Stringers? Duty of? Surveys-purpose-by whom? Sweating-cork paint? Tail shaft-where-after gland-what? Thrust block? Ventilation-how accomplished-natural or blower? Water ballast—part of tank data? Water tight doors-where-how managed? Well decks? Winches? Yards-if any? Zincs-what used for-why? A young officer must become an enthusiast about a vessel; everything on board must be known to him, if he cares to rise in his profession. CHAPTER XIV CADETS UNDER the laws establishing an ocean mail service certain vessels so engaged are required to carry cadets. Excerpts from this law follow: "OCEAN MAIL SERVICE Said vessels shall take, as cadets or apprentices, one Americanborn boy, under twenty-one years of age for each one thousand tons gross register, and one for each majority fraction thereof, who shall be educated in the duties of seamanship, rank as petty officers, and receive such pay for their services as may be reasonable." The system of carrying cadets is sound in principle, but in many instances the law has been carried out according to a peculiar interpretation of the phrase "Shall be educated in the duties of seamanship." Education is a term of wide meaning, but " seamanship" or the "Duties of Seamanship" is at least fairly definite. The whole cadet system should be put upon a definite basis of regular instruction, or else be done away with. Many of us can remember a scouting party hurrying across West Street to pick up a cadet or two, so the good ship could go to sea in full compliance with the law. CHAPTER XV LAWS DEFINING OFFICERS OF MERCHANT Citizenship of officers. VESSELS All the officers of vessels of the United States who shall have charge of a watch, including pilots, shall in all cases be citizens of the United States. [Metlakahtla Indians excepted by act, March 4, 1907.] (R. S., 4131.) The word "officers" shall include the chief engineer and each assistant engineer in charge of a watch on vessels propelled wholly or in part by steam; and after the first day of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, no person shall be qualified to hold a license as a commander or watch officer of a merchant vessel of the United States who is not a native-born citizen, or whose naturalization as a citizen shall not have been fully completed. (May 28, 1896; sec. 1.) In cases where on a foreign voyage, or on a voyage from an Atlantic to a Pacific port of the United States, any such vessel is for any reason deprived of the services of an officer below the grade of master, his place, or a vacancy caused by the promotion of another officer to such place, may be supplied by a person not a citizen of the United States until the first return of such vessel to its home port; and such vessel shall not be liable to any penalty or penal tax for such employment of an alien officer. (June 26, 1884; sec. 1; May 28, 1896; sec. 3.) The President of the United States is hereby authorized, whenever in his discretion the needs of foreign commerce may require, to suspend by order, so far and for such length of time as he may deem desirable, the provisions of law prescribing that all the watch officers of vessels of the United States registered for foreign trade shall be citizens of the United States. (Aug. 18, 1914; sec. 2.) * The provisions of law prescribing that the watch officers of vessels of the United States registered for foreign trade shall be citizens of the United States are hereby suspended so far and for such length of time as is herein provided, namely: All foreign-built ships which shall be admitted to United States registry under said act may retain the watch officers employed thereon, without regard to citizenship, for seven years from this date, and such watch officers shall be eligible for promotion. Any vacancy occurring among such watch officers within two years from this date may be filled without regard to citizenship; but any vacancy which may occur thereafter shall be filled by a watch officer who is a citizen of the United States. (Executive order, Sept. 4, 1914.) Watch officers who are not citizens. Executive order of Sept. 1, 1916: 1. The provisions of the law prescribing that the watch officers of vessels of the United States registered for foreign trade shall be citizens of the United States, are hereby suspended so far and for such length of time as is herein provided, namely: All watch officers now employed on foreignbuilt ships which have been admitted to United States registry under said Act who, heretofore, have declared their intention to become citizens of the United States and watch officers on such ships who, within six months from this date, shall declare their intention to become such citizens shall be entitled to serve on foreign-built ships so registered until the time shall have expired within which they may become such citizens under their declarations, and shall be eligible for promotion upon any foreign-built ship so registered. Duration of licenses. All licenses issued to such officers shall be for a term of five years, but the holder of a license may have the same renewed for another five years in the manner prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Board of Supervising Inspectors: Provided, however, That any officer holding a license, and who is engaged in a service which necessitates his continuous absence from the United States, may make application in writing for renewal and transmit the same to the board of local inspectors, with his certificate of citizenship, if naturalized, and a statement of the applicant, verified before a consul or other officer of the United States authorized to administer an oath, setting forth the reasons for not appearing in person; and upon receiving the same the board of local inspectors that originally issued such license shall renew the same and shall notify the applicant of such renewal: Provided further, That no license as master, mate, or pilot of any class of vessel shall be renewed without furnishing a satisfactory certificate of examination as to color blindness. And in all cases where the issue is the suspension or revocation of such licenses, whether before the local boards of inspectors (of steam vessels), as provided for in section forty-four hundred and fifty of the Revised Statutes, or before the supervising inspectors, as provided for in section fortyfour hundred and fifty-two of the Revised Statutes, the accused shall be allowed to appear by counsel and to testify in his own behalf. (May 28, 1896; sec. 2; Oct. 22, 1914.) Service during war. No master, mate, pilot, or engineer of steam vessels licensed under title fifty-two [R. S., 4399-4500] of the Revised Statutes shall be liable to draft in time of war, except for the performance of duties such as required by his license; and, while performing such duties in the service of the United States, every such master, mate, pilot, or engineer shall be entitled to the highest rate of wages paid in the merchant marine of the United States for similar services; and, if killed or wounded while performing such duties under the United States, they, or their heirs, or their legal representatives shall be entitled to all the privileges accorded to soldiers and sailors serving in the Army and Navy, under the pension laws of the United States. (May 28, 1896; sec. 2.) Officer's license. The boards of local inspectors shall license and classify the masters, chief mates, and second and third mates, if in charge of a watch, engineers, and pilots of all steam vessels, and the masters of sail vessels of over seven hundred gross tons, and all other vessels of over one hundred gross tons carrying passengers for hire. It shall be unlawful to employ any person, or for any person to serve, as a master, chief mate, engineer, or pilot of any steamer or as master of any sail vessel of over seven hundred gross tons, or of any other vessel of over one hundred gross tons carrying passengers for hire, who is not licensed by the inspectors; and anyone violating. |