Sailor and Deckhand
Sailors and deckhands are essential members of the crew on various types of boats and ships, responsible for a range of tasks that ensure the vessel operates smoothly and safely. Their duties include cleaning and maintaining the ship, handling mooring lines, managing anchors, and keeping watch for other vessels and obstacles. Typically, the role is physically demanding and can involve working in challenging outdoor environments, with long hours often spent away from home.
Positions within this occupation can vary based on experience and rank, from ordinary seamen to able seamen and boatswains, with specific responsibilities that may include operating lifeboats or assisting in navigation. Employment is generally found across both deepwater and inland vessels, with the latter often providing more stable working conditions. While formal education is not always required, a high school diploma is typically essential, and on-the-job training is common.
Sailors and deckhands must exhibit strong teamwork skills, flexibility, and a solid work ethic, as they often face routine tasks as well as unexpected challenges. Overall, this career attracts individuals who enjoy working in marine environments and are prepared for the physical and emotional demands of the job.
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Subject Terms
Sailor and Deckhand
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
Interests: Construction, mechanics, machine technology, welding, maintenance, navigation
Earnings (Yearly Median): $64,930 per year $31.22 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 2% (As fast as average)
Entry-Level Education None
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job-Training Months to years, depending on the job.
Overview
Sphere of Work. Sailors and deckhands work on boats and ships as members of deck crews. Most sailors and deckhands are responsible for cleaning their boats' or ships' interiors and exteriors, maintaining equipment and lifeboats, handling mooring lines and other docking procedures, raising and lowering anchors, and keeping watch. Deckhands who serve on oceangoing vessels are ranked from entry-level to most experienced as ordinary seamen, able seamen, or boatswains.
Work Environment. Sailors and deckhands work on many types of boats and ships. Deepwater vessels include containerships, oil tankers, tall ships, luxury yachts, and cruise ships. Inland vessels include ferries, water taxis, tugboats, barges, and fishing boats. Since vessels cannot operate in frozen water, many jobs are seasonal or short-term, and the work may involve extended periods away from home. Inland vessels may provide regular working hours and more steady employment than deep-sea vessels. Most positions are team-based and require working closely with other sailors and officers.
Occupation Interest. People attracted to the work performed by sailors and deckhands are enthusiastic about working in a marine or freshwater environment. As the work is physically demanding, they must be strong and able to tolerate the hard labor involved in transporting people or cargo. They have a strong work ethic and are team players. While most of the work tends to be routine, sailors and deckhands must also be flexible and resourceful, as they are sometimes called on to perform various additional duties and handle emergencies as they arise. Cleanliness and consideration for others are highly valued, given the close living and working quarters on many vessels.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. The responsibilities and duties assigned to sailors and deckhands vary by vessel and by individual experience and ranking. Most deckhands, especially ordinary seamen, are responsible for keeping their vessels clean and in good repair. Under sail, deckhands clean portable furniture and permanent seating, maintain the bathrooms, clean portholes, and rinse off or scrub the railings and deck floors. When the boat or ship is docked, they clean and polish the exterior. Deckhands are also usually responsible for maintaining anchors and weighing them when ordered. They care for the rigging, sails, and other gear. On vessels with limited crews, they may be required to assume additional tasks, such as cooking.
Able seamen must also maneuver and maintain lifeboats, a task which includes performing regular safety checks. In an emergency, they might have to guide passengers into the lifeboats. They stand watch when scheduled, checking for other vessels, buoys, icebergs, and other obstacles in the path of the ship or boat. Able seamen and boatswains may also assist in charting the vessel’s course and steering under the direction of the mate or captain.
Depending on their work setting, sailors and deckhands may have specialized duties in addition to the tasks described above. During dockings and departures, deckhands aboard ferries operate the chains, docking aprons, and gates. They guide vehicles on and off the ferry, decide on vehicle placement to ensure the weight is evenly balanced, place blocks in front of the wheels when necessary, and assist passengers or collect fares. Those employed on tall ships are responsible for handling and maintaining the sails. They might also help give educational tours or presentations when docked. Deckhands on privately owned luxury yachts spend much of their time polishing the chrome, catering to guests, cooking meals, and organizing scuba-diving excursions. Aboard cargo ships, deckhands might be required to rig cargo booms and help load and unload cargo.
Able Seamen (911.364-010). Able seamen are expected to have knowledge of all parts of the ship and be able to operate all gear and deck equipment.
Quartermasters (911.363-014). Quartermasters may be required to be certified by the US Coast Guard as able seamen. They steer the ship and maintain visual communications with other ships.
Boat Loaders (911.364-014). Boat loaders transfer liquid cargo such as petroleum, gasoline, or heating oil from and onto barges and tankers. They may also tend winches and chutes to load boats and barges with iron ore at ore docks.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Sailors and deckhands work outside in harsh environments. Their work is physically demanding. Emotional issues related to being away from home are common among mariners. Sailors and deckhands are in danger of slipping, experiencing machine accidents, injuries from fires and collisions, or falling overboard and drowning.
Human Environment. Depending on the size of the vessel, sailors, and deckhands report to a boatswain, mate, or captain. They may work alone or with any number of other deckhands. If transporting passengers, a deckhand might enjoy some level of interaction with the guests. Sailors and deckhands who work on oceangoing ships, tugboats, and other vessels that require overnight or long-term stays generally share cabins with other workers.
Technological Environment. Sailors and deckhands use mops, brooms, wire brushes, disinfectants, and scraping tools to clean and employ various hand and power tools to repair items. Other essential tools and supplies include water pumps, winches for hoisting ropes, davits for raising and lowering lifeboats, cargo-handling machinery, rigging apparatuses, fishing nets, ropes, semaphores, and blinker lights.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. A high school diploma or its equivalent is required for most positions. Over a dozen high schools offer a specialized curriculum created by the United States Maritime Administration. Still, a vocational or academic program from a traditional high school also provides adequate preparation. Courses in woodworking, metalworking, welding, or construction teach valuable skills and the safe use of tools. English, math, health, and history courses are also essential. Foreign language proficiency may help work in a particular region of the United States or for international travel.
Postsecondary. Most entry-level sailors and deckhands learn on the job. However, those interested in working aboard deepwater vessels will need to take a brief introductory training program in first aid, safety, personal survival techniques, and firefighting to meet the International Maritime Organization’s Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) requirement. Other training necessary for advancement is available through US Coast Guard–approved programs held at maritime academies, community colleges, vocational schools, and other training centers. Tall ships and other educational ships and boats frequently offer unpaid internships or apprenticeships.
Related Occupations
Bibliography
“Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022: 53-5011 Sailors and Marine Oilers.” Occupational Employment Statistics. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 25 Apr. 2023, www.bls.gov/OES/current/oes535011.htm. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
“Water Transportation Workers.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 6 June 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/water-transportation-occupations.htm. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.