Job Profile:      Able Seaman


Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment. Must hold government-issued certification and tankerman certification when working aboard liquid-carrying vessels. Includes able seamen and ordinary seamen.

53-5011
Job Information
   
   
34,980 49,280 110,820

Select Tasks
Lower and man lifeboats when emergencies occur. Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses. Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses.
Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines. Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses. Stand gangway watches to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding ships while in port.
Overhaul lifeboats or lifeboat gear and lower or raise lifeboats with winches or falls. Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system. Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
Break out, rig, and stow cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, or running gear. Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools. Provide engineers with assistance in repairing or adjusting machinery.
Paint or varnish decks, superstructures, lifeboats, or sides of ships. Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses. Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
Give directions to crew members engaged in cleaning wheelhouses or quarterdecks. Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs. Examine machinery to verify specified pressures or lubricant flows.
Measure depth of water in shallow or unfamiliar waters, using leadlines, and telephone or shout depth information to vessel bridges. Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks. Maintain a ship's engines under the direction of the ship's engineering officers.
Relay specified signals to other ships, using visual signaling devices, such as blinker lights or semaphores. Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached. Participate in shore patrols.
Clean and polish wood trim, brass, or other metal parts. Load or unload materials, vehicles, or passengers from vessels. Record data in ships' logs, such as weather conditions or distances traveled.





Select Abilities
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns. The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you. The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources). The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part. The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears. The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object. The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing. The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs. The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion. The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). The ability to see details at a distance. The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
The ability to see under low light conditions. The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead. The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting. The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated. The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.




Tools Used
Anti-exposure coveralls Bilge pumping systems Blinker lights
Bolt cutters Bridge telephones Carbon dioxide CO2 firefighting systems
Cargo booms Cargo derricks Cargo hooks
Centrifugal cargo pumps Centrifugal ventilators Chain cargo falls
Chipping hammers Claw hammers Container lift trucks
Crescent wrenches Desktop computers Electric deck cranes
Electric mooring winches Electric telegraphs Electric windlasses
Emergency generators Emergency position-indicating radio beacons Engine room alarm systems
Explosimeters Fids Filter masks
Fire hoses Foam firefighting systems Forklifts
Galvanized thimbles Gear pumps Grabbing cranes
Grease dispensing guns Gyrocompasses Hand capstans
Hand punches Hand windlasses Hydraulic capstans
Hydraulic deck cranes Hydraulic mooring winches Hydraulic windlasses
Life buoys Life jackets Life rings
Lifeboat davits Lifeboats Lifting slings
Lifting spreaders Liquid cargo transfer hoses Locking jaw pliers
Magnet hoists Magnetic compasses Manual winches
Mechanical telegraphs Metal chisels Mooring cables
Mooring chains Natural fiber mooring ropes Oil dispensing cans
Personal computers Pilot ladders Pipe wrenches
Portable fire extinguishers Portable gas detectors Pyrotechnic distress signals
Radar navigation systems Radio direction finders RDF Ratchet sets
Reciprocating pumps Respirators Riding pawls
Safety belts Safety glasses Safety helmets
Safety lanyards Semaphores Sewing needles
Sharpening steels Sheave blocks Ship alarm systems
Ship anchor chocks Signal flags Sounding rods
Sounding tapes Spanner wrenches Steam winches
Synthetic mooring ropes Tank level gauges Thermal protective aids TPA
Two way radios Voice pipes Welders
Wire cutters Wire splicers Workshop vises

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