What is a BOSUN? What does BOSUN do? Bosun: meaning, definition and explanation.

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What is a Bosun?
A boatswain or bosun, also known as a petty officer, deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervises the other members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews. Additional duties vary depending upon ship, crew, and circumstances.
What are the duties of the Bosun?
• Planning the daily work schedule under the purview of the Chief Officer and assigning the required work to the appropriate members of the deck crew. For example, a job that requires more experience will be assigned to an AB rather than an OS
• Seeing that the work assigned to the crew is realised to the end
• Maintaining the deck of the ship; tasks involve chipping, painting, buffing etc and overall maintenance of the deck
• Maintenance of the windlass of the ship to ensure its optimum performance during stations. Also, to perform repair work onboard as required
• Being thorough with the firefighting aspects of the ship and ensuring that other deck crews are thorough as well
• Responsible for the ship’s deck stores, paint locker, Bosun store and other such areas as assigned to the Bosun by the Chief Officer
• Ensuring that the mooring operations, anchoring or the vessel is carried out efficiently
• Inform the Chief Officer of the progress of the deck work being carried out
• Being the connect between the officers and the crew with regard to shipboard work
To categorise the general duties of the Bosun, they can be classified under the following headings:
1. Supervision: As mentioned above, the Bosun supervises the deck crew for the work that they carried out and ensure that the work carried out is of appropriate quality and is done on time
2. Maintenance: A couple of points cover this aspect; to reiterate the importance of it, the Bosun ensures work is out carried out in the assigned areas to ensure that the deck is maintained properly. Aside from preventive maintenance, the Bosun also is a guide to the junior members of the crew to understand the importance of deck work and its effective execution.
3. Mooring/Anchoring: From the time when the mooring lines are laid out deck prior to reaching port, right to the time when the ship is cast off, the Bosun plays a crucial role for efficient operations of the vessel. The same applies to the anchoring of the vessel
To sum it up, the Bosun plays a vital role in ensuring that the ship is seaworthy. Being the proxy between the officers and the crew, the Bosun is essential and imperative to the smooth functioning of the ship.