View source for Boatswain

{{short description|Supervisor of a ship's deck department}}
{{About|a seafaring occupation}}
{{Infobox shipping job
| name = Boatswain
| othernames = Bosun<br>Deck Boss<br>Chief rate
| photo = Bosun2.jpg
| photo legend = The boatswain aboard a US merchant ship stands cargo watch as freight is lowered into an open hatch, {{circa}} 1981
| department = [[Deck department]]
| licensed = No
| epoch = 
| location =
| watch-at-sea = On smaller vessels
| watch-at-sea-time = varies
| watch-in-port = On smaller vessels
| watch-in-port-time = varies
| duties =
| requirements = Typically, [[able seaman]] certificate
}}
A '''boatswain''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|s|ən}} {{respell|BOH|sən}}, {{small|formerly and dialectally also}} {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|t|s|w|eɪ|n}} {{respell|BOHT|swayn}}; also known as '''bo's'n''', '''bos'n''', or '''bosun''', also known as a '''deck boss''', or a '''qualified member of the deck department''', or the '''third hand''' on a fishing vessel) is the most senior [[Naval rating|rate]] of the [[deck department]] and is responsible for the components of a ship's [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]]. The boatswain supervises the other members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a [[watchstanding|watchstander]], except on vessels with small crews. Additional duties vary depending upon ship, crew, and circumstances.

==History==
[[File:Royal Navy Boatswain 1820.jpg|thumb|200px|Boatswain of the [[Royal Navy]], c. 1820]]
The word ''boatswain'' has been in the English language since approximately 1450. It is derived from late [[Old English language|Old English]] ''batswegen'', from ''bat'' (''boat'') concatenated with [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] ''sveinn'' (''[[wikt:swain|swain]]''), meaning a young man, apprentice, a follower, [[Retinue|retainer]] or [[Servant (domestic)|servant]]. Directly translated to modern Norwegian it would be ''båtsvenn'', while the actual crew title in Norwegian is ''båtsmann'' ("''boats-man''").  While the phonetic spelling ''bosun'' is reported as having been observed since 1868,<ref name="oed">{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=boatswain&searchmode=none |title= Boatswain|access-date=2007-05-25 |work=Online Etymology Dictionary }}</ref> this latter spelling was used in Shakespeare's ''[[The Tempest]]'' written in 1611, and as ''bos'n'' in later editions.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

===Royal Navy===
The rank of boatswain is the oldest rank in the [[Royal Navy]], and its origins can be traced back to the year 1040.<ref name="victory">{{cite web |title=HMS Victory |website=royalnavy.mod.uk |publisher=[[Royal Navy]] |url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server?show=ConWebDoc.6910 |access-date=2007-05-26 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070113234056/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server?show=ConWebDoc.6910 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-01-13}}</ref> In that year, when [[Cinque Ports|five English ports]] began furnishing warships to [[King Edward the Confessor]] in exchange for certain privileges, they also furnished crews whose officers were the [[captain (nautical)|master]], boatswain, [[carpenter]], and [[chief cook|cook]].<ref name="warrant">{{cite web |title=Why is the colonel called "kernal"? The origin of the ranks and rank insignia now used by the United States Armed Forces |date=2005-07-20 |department=[[Naval Historical Center]] |publisher=[[United States Navy]] |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/triv4-5b.htm |access-date=2007-05-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980703152315/http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/triv4-5b.htm |archive-date=1998-07-03 }}</ref> Later these officers were [[Warrant officer|warranted]] by the [[British Admiralty]]. They maintained and sailed the ships and were the [[Royal Navy ranks, rates, and uniforms of the 18th and 19th centuries#Ranks and positions|standing officers]] of the navy.<ref name="warrant"/> The boatswain was the officer responsible for the care of the rigging, cordage, anchors, sails, boats, flags and other stores.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

The Royal Navy's last official boatswain, Commander E.W. Andrew [[Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|OBE]], retired in 1990.<ref name="victory"/> However, most RN vessels still have a Chief Boatswain's Mate (or "Buffer"), who is the most senior rating in the Seaman Specialist department.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

==Naval cadets==
The rank of cadet boatswain, in some schools, is the second highest rank in the [[combined cadet force]] naval section that a cadet can attain, below the rank of [[coxswain]] and above the rank of leading hand. It is equivalent to the rank of colour sergeant in the army and the royal marines cadets; it is sometimes an appointment for a senior petty officer to assist a coxswain.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

==Job description==
[[File:Boatswain Karl Muller smoking a pipe and hosing the deck of SEETEUFEL (9611943840).jpg|thumb|350px|Boatswain of [[Felix von Luckner]]'s yacht ''Seeteufel'', smoking a pipe and hosing the vessel's deck]]
The boatswain works in a ship's deck department as the foreman of the unlicensed (crew members without a [[Mate (naval officer)|mate]]'s licence) deck crew.  Sometimes, the boatswain is also a [[third mate|third or fourth mate]].<ref name="eb11">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Boatswain|volume=4|page=100}}</ref> A boatswain must be highly skilled in all matters of [[ropework|marlinespike seamanship]] required for working on deck of a seagoing vessel. The boatswain is distinguished from other able seamen by the supervisory roles: planning, scheduling, and assigning work.<ref name="ous"/>

As deck crew foreman, the boatswain plans the day's work and assigns tasks to the deck crew. As work is completed, the boatswain checks on completed work for compliance with approved operating procedures.<ref name="ous">Oregon University System, 2004</ref>

Outside the supervisory role, the boatswain regularly inspects the vessel and performs a variety of routine, skilled, and semi-skilled duties to maintain all areas of the ship not maintained by the [[engine department]]. These duties can include cleaning, painting, and maintaining the vessel's hull, superstructure and deck equipment as well as executing a formal [[preventive maintenance]] program.<ref name="ous"/>
<!-- stuff to integrate
this ref for all bullets below:<ref name="ous"/>

*schedules anchor and mooring details and rigging and deck maintenance work assignments to meet safety standards; 
*ensure proper safe operating conditions of the vessel; 
*loads and secures cargo for sea; 
*assists in fire fighting 
*assists in maintenance of firefighting equipment.
*operates shipboard deck equipment such as winches, boat davits, anchor windlass, and capstan during research work at sea; 
*operates cranes, winches, and rigging while in port to load, unload, and secure cargo; 
*on research vessels, assists in research work as required.
*stands security watch while in port; 
*instructs new seamen in their duties; 
*instructs shipboard personnel on the safety and operational procedures of the vessel.
* supervised by chief mate/first mate. 
* projects are reviewed for completeness and conformance to established rules, regulations, and guidelines.
-->
A boatswain's skills may include cargo rigging, winch operations, deck maintenance, working aloft, and other duties required during deck operations. The boatswain is well versed in the care and handling of lines, and has knowledge of [[knot]]s, hitches, bends, whipping, and splices as needed to perform tasks such as mooring a vessel. The boatswain typically operates the ship's [[windlass]]es when letting go and heaving up anchors.  Moreover, a boatswain may be called upon to lead firefighting efforts or other emergency procedures encountered on board.  Effective boatswains are able to integrate their seafarer skills into supervising and communicating with members of deck crew with often diverse backgrounds.<ref name="ous"/>

Originally, on board [[sailing ship]]s, the boatswain was in charge of a ship's [[anchor]]s, [[Rope|cordage]], [[flag|colours]], deck [[crew]] and the [[ship's boat]]s. The boatswain would also be in charge of the [[rigging]] while the ship was in [[Dock (maritime)|dock]]. The boatswain's technical tasks were modernised with the advent of steam engines and subsequent mechanisation.<ref name="eb11"/>

A boatswain also is responsible for doing routine pipes using what is called a [[boatswain's call]]. There are different calls for various events, such as emergency situations or meal times.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

==Notable boatswains==
{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Etiévant. Henri, Achille. 32 ans, né à Flammanville (Manche). Typographe. Anarchiste. 4-3-94. MET DP289855.jpg|thumb|[[Henri Achille Etiévant|Henri 'the Boatswain' Etiévant]]'s mugshot by [[Alphonse Bertillon]] (''[[Anthropometric File of Anarchists]]'' - 1894)]]
A number of boatswains and naval boatswains mates have achieved fame. [[Reuben James]] and [[William Wiley (sailor)|William Wiley]] are famous for their heroism in the [[First Barbary War|Barbary Wars]] and are namesakes of the ships [[USS Reuben James (FFG-57)|USS ''Reuben James'']] and [[USS Wiley (DD-597)|USS ''Wiley'']].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuben-james.navy.mil/history.htm |title=Ship's Namesake |access-date=2007-05-26 |work=USS Reuben James Official Website |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070509161251/http://www.reuben-james.navy.mil/history.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.navy.mil/danfs/w8/wiley.htm |title=Wiley |access-date=2007-05-26 |author=Naval Historical Center |author-link=Naval Historical Center |year=1981 |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=United States Navy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114031753/http://history.navy.mil/danfs/w8/wiley.htm |archive-date=2007-11-14 }}</ref>  [[Medal of Honor]] recipients [[Francis P. Hammerberg]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h2/hammerberg-i.htm |title=Hammerberg |access-date=2007-05-26 |author=Naval Historical Center |author-link=Naval Historical Center |year=1981 |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=United States Navy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207195334/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h2/hammerberg-i.htm |archive-date=2010-12-07 }}</ref> and [[George Robert Cholister]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/moh/moh17.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970709155813/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/moh/moh17.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=1997-07-09 |title=Navy Medal of Honor: Interim Period 1920–1940 |access-date=2007-05-26 |author=Naval Historical Center |author-link=Naval Historical Center |year=1997 |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=United States Navy }}</ref> were U.S. Navy boatswain's mates, as was [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] recipient [[Stephen Bass]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legionofvalor.com/citation_parse.php?uid=1103567760 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907173844/http://www.legionofvalor.com/citation_parse.php?uid=1103567760 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-09-07 |title=CPO Stephen Bass, U.S.N. |access-date=2007-05-26 |work=LegionOfValor.com }}</ref>  [[Victoria Cross]] recipients [[John Sheppard (VC)|John Sheppard]], [[John Sullivan (Irish sailor)|John Sullivan]], [[Henry Curtis (VC)|Henry Curtis]], and [[John Harrison (VC 1857)|John Harrison]] were Royal Navy boatswain's mates.

During [[World War II]] Bosun John Crisp RN is credited in "The Colditz Story" by escapee [[Pat Reid]] as providing, whilst a prisoner of war at [[Oflag IV-C]], Colditz Castle, the expertise and enthusiasm to manufacture torn and then woven "bedsheet ropes", tested for appropriate strength, using his extensive maritime experience.

There are also a handful of boatswains and boatswain's mates in literature. The boatswain in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''The Tempest'' is a central character in the opening scene, which takes place aboard a ship at sea, and appears again briefly in the final scene. ''[[Typhoon (novel)|Typhoon]]'' by [[Joseph Conrad]] has a nameless boatswain who tells Captain MacWhirr of a "lump" of men going overboard during the peak of the storm.  Also, the character Bill Bobstay in [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s musical comedy ''[[HMS Pinafore|H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' is alternatively referred to as a "bos'un"<ref>See quote from "The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" at [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928114212/http://www.operatalent.com/Safe/Roles/Boatswain66723270.asp?rolea=324].</ref> and a "boatswain's mate".<ref>See quote from S.W. Gilbert in "The story of the H.M.S. Pinafore" at [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928114212/http://www.operatalent.com/Safe/Roles/Boatswain66723270.asp?rolea=324].</ref> Another boatswain from literature is [[Smee]] from ''[[Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up|Peter Pan]]''.<ref>{{cite book
 | author = J M Barrie
 | author-link = J M Barrie
 | title = Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up
 | url = http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300081h.html
 | access-date = 2007-05-27
 | date = December 27, 1904
 | chapter = Act II: The Never Land
|via=Project Gutenberg
 }}</ref> [[Lord Byron]] had a Newfoundland dog named Boatswain.<ref name="byron">{{cite book
 | last = Clinton
 | first = George
 | title = Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Lord Byron
 | url = https://archive.org/details/memoirslifeandw00clingoog
 | quote = Boatswain.
 | access-date =2007-05-27
 | year = 1828
 | publisher = James Robbins and Company
 | location = London
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/memoirslifeandw00clingoog/page/n22 8]
 }}</ref> Byron wrote the famous poem "[[Epitaph to a Dog]]" and had a monument made for him at [[Newstead Abbey]].<ref name="byron"/> The 1907 naval gothic novel ''[[The Boats of the "Glen Carrig"]]'' by [[William Hope Hodgson]] features the character of the ship's "bo'sun" as an important member of the crew and a personal friend to the narrator.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10542|title=The boats of the "Glen Carrig" by William Hope Hodgeson, 1907.}}</ref>

Billy Bones was a boatswain in the fictional Starz TV show ''[[Black Sails (TV series)|Black Sails]]''.

==Scouting==
Quartermaster is the highest rank in the [[Sea Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)|Sea Scouts, BSA]], an older youth (13–21) co-ed programme. The youth can also elect a youth leader, giving that youth the title "boatswain". In the Netherlands, a boatswain (Bootsman) is the patrol leader of a [[Sea Scout]] patrol (Bak); in Flanders, it is the assistant patrol leader of a [[Sea Scout patrol]] (Kwartier).{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Transport}}
*[[Boatswain's mate (United States Coast Guard)]]
*[[Boatswain's mate (United States Navy)]]
*[[Bootsmann]]
*[[Bosun's chair]]
*[[Buffer (navy)]]
*[[Deck department]]
*[[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)]]
*[[Seafarer's professions and ranks]]
*[[Serang (disambiguation)]]
*[[Ship transport]]
*[[United States Merchant Marine]]

==Notes==
''This article incorporates text from [[public domain|public-domain]] sources, including [https://web.archive.org/web/19970206084126/http:t websites. For specific sources of text, see notes.]''
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite web
|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos247.pdf
|title=Water Transportation Occupations
|access-date=2007-04-23
|author=Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S.A.)
|author-link=Bureau of Labor Statistics
|year=2007
|work=Occupational Outlook Handbook
|publisher=Government Printing Office
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000831022845/http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos247.pdf
|archive-date=2000-08-31
|url-status=dead
}}
* {{cite book |last=Hayler |first=William B. |title=American Merchant Seaman's Manual |year=2003 |publisher= Cornell Maritime Press |isbn= 0-87033-549-9 }}
*{{cite book|author=McLeod, William Reynolds|title=The Boatswain's Manual|publisher=Brown, Son and|location=Glasgow|pages=|year=2000|isbn=0-85174-679-9}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www1.ous.edu/owpd/plsql/owpd_pos_desc?p_pos_id=688 |title= Classification Number: 4512 Boatswain |access-date=2008-04-28 |author=Oregon University System |year=2004 |work=Position Descriptions |publisher=Oregon University System  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080327124207/http://www1.ous.edu/owpd/plsql/owpd_pos_desc?p_pos_id=688 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-03-27 }}
*{{cite book
| author = United States Naval Institute
| title = The Bluejackets' Manual
| orig-year = 1902
| url =https://archive.org/details/bluejacketsmanua00bbea_0
| url-access = registration
| edition = 21st
| year = 1996
| publisher = United States Naval Institute
| location = Annapolis, MD
| isbn = 1-55750-050-9
}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.whoi.edu/services/HR/jobdescp/marine/boatswain.html |title=Boatswain |access-date=2008-04-28 |author=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |author-link=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |year=2003 |work=Position Descriptions |publisher=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080227124316/http://www.whoi.edu/services/HR/jobdescp/marine/boatswain.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-02-27 }}

==External links==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}
* {{Commons-inline|Able Seaman (occupation)}}
*[https://archive.today/20130128154451/http://corpun.master.com/texis/master/search/?q=boatswain&s=SS CorPun website on corporal punishments]
*[http://www.occupationalinfo.org/91/911131010.html Boatswain at OccupationalInfo.org]
*{{cite web |url=http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/hdo/htm/seaman.htm |title=Seaman, Merchant Marine |access-date=26 May 2007 |author=International Labour Organization |author-link=International Labour Organization  |date=5 December 2000 |work= International Hazard Datasheets on Occupation}}

{{Merchant Marine Billets}}

[[Category:Marine occupations]]
[[Category:Nautical terminology]]
[[Category:Titles]]
[[Category:Naval ranks]]